Thursday, October 31, 2019

Comprehensive Technical Analysis Project Research Paper

Comprehensive Technical Analysis Project - Research Paper Example Its revenues were growing by the day, this is because its presence in Europe and Africa. The company in the 1990’s started diversifying its range of cars and opened up manufacturing industries in many parts of the world. This boosted their sales in the countries where they were manufacturing the cars. Toyota by 2010 was still the motor company to beat in terms of sales; it had sold over 8,557,351 units which represents an 11.0% market share. In order to measure if a company is profitable it must be compared with its competitor, Toyota sales from only automotive operations as for the fiscal year of April through September the first six months amounted to approximately 8,863.6 billion yen, this translates to $104 billion dollars at an exchange rate of 85 yen to the dollar. Looking at General motors, the revenues during the two quarters is approximately $67.2 billion. Thus, Toyota auto operations averaged about 12% of all sales done in the motor industry in the fiscal year of 2009 to 2010. Toyota auto operations are over 50% larger than all GM sales. When Toyota and General Motors are compared to the motor industry, they rank way higher than other companies in the industry, this is in terms of the market share and the profitability, the companies have a history of their profits running to billions of dollars and their assets size running into hundreds of billions. They are two of the largest motor companies in the world and they are in frequent competition. The closest company that comes close to the two is the German company Volkswagen, however, it grosses lesser than the two mega companies. The following is a comparison of the industry. Toyota 8,557,351 GM 8,476,192 Volkswagen 7,341,065 Hyundai Motor 5,764,918. Toyota ascent has been attributed to the ever improving profits and this growth compared with the sales is inevitable. To assess the relativity of the

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Analysis of Music Instruments in Movies Assignment

Analysis of Music Instruments in Movies - Assignment Example A musical score is a written form of a musical composition. Music has become one thing that people cannot do without due to its numerous advantages. Some of these include: it brings back memories, improves your concentration over time, it gives a soothing ability and some music expands our intellectual ability through the message. To Kill a Mocking Bird's score is one of the superlative scores I have ever encountered. The film based on Harper Lee's book titled by the same name. It is about a young lass Scout, and her elder brother Jem, and their feeble friend, Dill. Scout's father, Atticus (Gregory Peck) takes a case to defend a black man named Tom Robinson. He is accused of raping a white woman. A skillfully edited opening is displaying wonderful shooting and a beautiful score. Its high rating up to date bases on its affecting nature. To Kill a Mocking Bird is one of the greatest film ever, but one thing that makes me watch this movie time and time again is its exemplary music score. Melodies have been used to define what the actors are not enthusiastic or are incapable to communicate hence can stream emotional support for the film.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Candida Magnoliae Glycerol Yield

Candida Magnoliae Glycerol Yield Abstract Candida magnoliae, isolated from honey comb and Candida glycerinogenes, isolated from natural environment were compared for their potential to produce glycerol from glucose. The highest yield of glycerol was 55% for C. magnoliae and 64.5% for C. glycerinogenes. C. glycerinogenes yields 9% of higher concentration of glycerol than C. magnoliae. For C. magnoliae the optimum conditions were a temperature of 30 °C and a pH of 5. The optimum conditions for C. glycerinogenes were a temperature of 32 °C  and a pH of about 5. The required medium composition for glycerol production was 160 g/L of glucose, 3 g/L of yeast extract, 5 g/L of peptone for C. magnoliae and 230 g/L of glucose, 5 ml/L of corn step liquor, 5-6 g/L of phosphate for C. glycerinogenes. Introduction Glycerol, a simple alcohol which contains three hydroxyl group. Glycerol is also known as glycerine or 1,2,3-Propanetriol. Glycerol has many uses in pharmaceutical, food, paint, cosmetic industries. Glycerol can be used additional fuel in boilers due to its high calorific value. The physiochemical properties and chemical composition of glycerol varies from other fuels. Glycerol is a odourless, colourless, viscous liquid with sweet taste. Glycerol contains three hydrophilic hydroxyl groups which is responsible for its solubility in water. Glycerol has a melting point of 17.9 oC and boiling point of 290 oC. Molecular formula of glycerol is CH2OH-CHOH-CH2OH. Glycerol can be transformed to various value added chemicals such as dihydroxyacetone, succinic acid, citric acid, ethanol, hydrogen etc., Until now the fermentative metabolism of glycerol was being reported in species of bacteria like Citrobacter sp, Enterobacter sp, Lactobacillus sp, Propionibacterium sp, Clostridium and many fungi species. Glycerol has become an abundant carbon source and inexpensive. Glycerol is also produced by yeast fermentation process. Glycerol is obtained as a byproduct during the fermentation of sugar to ethanol using Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Increased glycerol production from monosaccharides can be obtained using yeast fermentation. The production of glycerol in the laboratory is possible by yeast Candida magnoliae and osmotolerant yeast Candida glycerinogenes. Using genetic information, there are new possibilities in the field of fermentation and metabolic engineering. The Overexpression or blocking of genes could potentially can increase yield or productivity. Triose phosphate isomerase is an important enzyme in glycolytic pathway that directs dihydroxyacetone phosphate to glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate. When this triose phosphate isomerase gene was deleted, the mutant is able to achieve higher yield of glycerol. Overexpression of GPD1 gene in yeast increases glycerol production simultaneously increases the accumulation of byproducts such as succinate, acetate, pyruvate etc., This work briefs about the comparison of glycerol production in Candida magnoliae and Candida glycerinogenes. For the design of fermentation process, culture media optimization is an essential step. Many parameters such as phosphate, sulfate, temperature and pH have been found to affect the productivity of glycerol by these microorganisms. Hence these were optimized in prior to other parameters. Materials and Methods Organisms and Media All fermentation procedures were carried out with both C. magnoliae and C. glycerinogenes. C. magnoliae cells were propagated in medium containing 3 g/L of yeast extract, 160 g/L of glucose, 3 g/L of malt extract, 5 g/L of peptone. C. glycerinogenes cells were propagated in medium containing 150 g/L of glucose, 2 g/L of urea and 7 ml/L of corn steep liquor. YEP medium is required to grow C. glycerinogenes and YM medium is required to grow C. magnoliae. The cells were grown until the density reaches 0.2 OD. Fermentation process Fermentations were carried out in 250 ml shake flasks with a working volume of 50 ml. To the working medium 5% (v/v) of C. glycerinogenes and C. magnoliae were inoculated in different flasks. Flask for C. glycerinogenes was incubated at 31 oC and flask for C. magnoliae was incubated at 30 oC for 48 hours. Magnetically stirred 3-l fermentor was used for fermentation with working volume of 1-l. The medium was agitated at 500 rpm and aerated at 2.0 l/min. Analytical methods Glucose concentration was determined using glucose analyzer and glycerol concentration was monitored and confirmed with HPLC using an Aminex HPX 87H column with differential refractive index detector. Other compounds like ethanol, organic acid were analyzed using gas chromatography. Results Candida magnoliae was isolated from honey comb. C. magnoliae can utilize glucose as a carbon source for growth. It strongly ferments glucose to glycerol. This yeast is able to grow in YM medium containing glucose, yeast extract, malt extract and peptone. C. glycerinogenes was isolated from natural environment of high osmotic pressure. Glucose can be used as carbon source by this organism for glycerol production. Optimization Effect of Glucose concentration on glycerol production The effect of different concentration of glucose and glycerol production by C. magnoliae and C. glycerinogenes was determined in 250 ml flask containing 50 ml of medium. For C. magnoliae, concentration of glycerol yield increases when the concentration of glucose was increased from 100 g/l to 200 g/l and for C. glycerinogenes, concentration of glycerol increases when the concentration of glucose ranges between 150 g/L to 250 g/L . Further increase in the concentration of glucose causes a remarkable decrease in the yield. The optimum concentration of glucose for the growth using C. magnoliae was found to be 160 g/L and for C. glycerinogenes, glucose concentration was found to be 230 g/L. Table 1 Effect of different concentration of sulfate on glycerol productivity Glucose (g/L) Glycerol for C. magnoliae (g/L) Glycerol for C. glycerinogenes (g/L) 0 40.9 99.8 100 45.3 104.1 130 49.1 110.3 160 52.6 116.7 190 45.0 120.9 210 41.2 123.2 240 38.5 117.4 270 34.6 106.8 Fig. 1 Effect of initial concentration of glucose in the medium on the production of glycerol by C.magnoliae and C. glycerinogenes based on the amount of glucose consumed. Effect of Phosphate concentration on glycerol production It was found that phosphate is also an important factor in determining the glycerol productivity. A concentration of phosphate between 0 and 2 g/l increases the glycerol yield. Beyond 2 g/l of phosphate the yield of glycerol decreases gradually for C. magnoliae simultaneously the glycerol concentration for C. glycerinogenes decreases beyond 6 g/l of phosphate. Table 2 Effect of different concentration of phosphate on glycerol productivity Phosphate (g/L) Glycerol for C. magnoliae (g/L) Glycerol for C. glycerinogenes (g/L) 0 45.8 76.2 2 46.2 84.1 4 43.8 119.6 6 39.5 123.3 8 37.9 81.3 10 30.3 47.2 Fig. 2 Effect of initial concentration of phosphate on the production of glycerol in the medium by C.magnoliae and C. glycerinogenes based on the amount of consumed glucose. Effect of Temperature on glycerol production Using shake-flask culture, the optimum temperature was determined for glycerol production. The concentration of glycerol varies with temperature from 26 oC to 34 oC. The yield of glycerol increases till 30 oC for C.magnoliae and beyond this temperature the yield decreases. Similarly for C.glycerinogenes concentration of glycerol decreases beyond 32 oC. Table 3 Effect of temperature on glycerol productivity Temperature (oC) Glycerol for C. magnoliae (g/L) Glycerol for C. glycerinogenes (g/L) 26 68.6 79.6 28 73.2 101.1 30 77.3 114.2 32 74.1 130.4 34 70.5 125.7 Fig. 3 The temperature significantly affected the production of glycerol by à ¢-  C.magnoliae and à ¢-   C.glycerinogenes based on the amount of glucose consumed. Effect of pH on glycerol production Batch experiments were done to determine the effect of pH on glycerol production from C.magnoliae and C.glycerinogenes. At acidic pH the yield was found to be low. Between the pH 4 and 6, the production of glycerol was not significantly affected. At pH 5 there was a significant increase in the growth rate and glycerol production. Finally the optimum pH was found to be 5 for both the organisms. Table 4 Effect of pH on glycerol productivity pH Glycerol for C. magnoliae (g/L) Glycerol for C. glycerinogenes (g/L) 3.0 113.4 3.5 4.0 60.3 120.2 4.5 75.9 5.0 80.1 134.7 5.5 76.0 6.0 66.2 127.1 6.5 7.0 103.5 Fig. 4 Effect of initial pH of medium on production of glycerol by à ¢-  C. magnoliae and à ¢-   C. glycerinogenes based on the amount of glucose consumed. Discussion Glycerol yield by microbial fermentation of glucose using S. cerevisiae is less than 50%(w/w). But newly discovered C. magnoliae and osmotolerent yeast C. glycerinogenes produced glycerol in higher concentration compared with S. cerevisiae. 64.5% of glycerol obtained from C. glycerinogenes and C. magnoliae yields 55% of glycerol after recovery. Therefore C. glycerinogenes gives 9% more yield when compared to C. magnoliae. Increase in glycerol by C. glycerinogenes is due to overexpression of GPD1 gene. Also glycerol concentration increases in C. magnoliae when GPD1 gene overexpressed. But it also accumulated higher amount of byproducts such as acetate, succinate, pyruvate and acetoin. Many parameters such as temperature, pH, phosphate and glucose were found to affect the glycerol productivity by C. magnoliae and C. glycerinogenes. The optimum concentration of glucose for C. magnoliae was found to be 160 g/L and for C. glycerinogenes it was found to be 230 g/L, beyond these concentration range the yield of glycerol decreases. 2 g/L of phosphate was estimated as optimum concentration for glycerol production by C. magnoliae and similarly for C. glycerinogenes, maximum glycerol was obtained at 6 g/L of phosphate. 28 oC – 32 oC of temperature favors the good growth of cells and better glycerol production. Thus the optimum temperatures was declared to be 30 oC for C. magnoliae and 32 oC for C. glycerinogenes. Finding different species other than S. cerevisiae will give new knowledge, beyond physiological effect of glycerol production.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Knowledge and Poverty in The Lesson by Toni Cade Bambara Essay example

Toni Cade Bambara addresses how knowledge is the means by which one can escape out of poverty in her story The Lesson. In her story she identifies with race, economic inequality, and literary epiphany during the early 1970’s. In this story children of African American progeny come face to face with their own poverty and reality. This realism of society’s social standard was made known to them on a sunny afternoon field trip to a toy store on Fifth Avenue. Through the use of an African American protagonist Miss Moore and antagonist Sylvia who later becomes the sub protagonist and White society the antagonist â€Å"the lesson† was ironically taught. Bambara identifies with race through class and demographics in her story The Lesson. The African American children come to terms with their classed society while visiting a pricey, Manhattan toy store. Sylvia states â€Å"Then we checked out that we on Fifth Avenue and everybody dressed up in stockings. One lady in fur coat, hot as it is. White folks crazy† (643). Sylvia discovers that White people don’t dress like African Americans, even if they share the same type of weather condition. She recognizes that they have money and they have a tendency to give you an idea about how wealthy they are. â€Å"Must be rich people shop here, say Q.T.†(645). One of the children on the trip was able to identify with the demographic of the area. He acknowledged that people who had status and wealth were the one most likely to buy toys and things that expensive. Bambara give readers an insight about the 1970’s and what life was like for those of status in white society. How Whites could afford costly toys while those of African American society could not. Sylvia also recognized behavior patterns in a White atmos... ...he refused to let white society stand in her way. Sylvia made up her mind and would strive to get what she wanted. Throughout The Lesson Toni Cade Bambara illustrated how education is the means by which one can escape out of poverty. This was not done in a classroom structured environment it took place on a sunny afternoon field trip in which the children on the trip was confronted with their own deficiency. There was resistance but as each individual longed for a toy in the store the apparent realism displayed itself. The extremely high price for the toys was an amount that their families could live on for a while. Each child was put in a place where he/ she had to examine themselves, their social conditions and their future. Bambara used race through social status, economic inequality, and literary epiphany to identify the hidden realities in each child life.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Motorcycle Helmet Law Essay

Hello, I am here today to talk to you about the Michigan Motorcycle Helmet Law. -This law permits anyone that is 21 years of age or older that has at least 20,000 dollars in heath insurance and has passed a safety course in the past 2 years to ride a motorcycle without a helmet. I am also here to persuade you that this law doesn’t have a person’s safety as the top priority. Just recently I have witnessed a motorcycle crash happen right before my eyes. My stepmother was taking a turn at only 30 mph when she locked up her breaks and crashed over the handle bars.She has been in the hospital for a little over two weeks and it is a miracle that she is in the condition that she is in, recovering from a skull fracture and bruising on the brain, She has been riding for twelve years, no other vehicles were involved, and she was wearing a helmet, if she was not wearing her helmet, I know that we wouldn’t have her with us anymore. We were hoping she would be home for the fo rth of July, but the medical staff still haven’t given us a go home date as of today.Studies from the National Highway administration in 2008 showed that motorcyclists who do not use helmets are three times more likely to suffer a disturbing brain injury in a crash than those who are wearing helmets. The regulations to this law are also very insufficient. 21 years of age is when adults are just allowed to start drinking. Many people that turn 21 haven’t quite learned yet how to handle alcohol or how much is too much when it comes to drinking and driving, or in this case drinking and riding.Also 20,000 dollars worth of health insurance is not nearly enough to cover medical bills caused by accidents with a helmet, let alone to be able to cover the costs of the injuries sustained without a helmet, I can’t help but think this is going to raise everyone’s insurance premiums eventually. Even if you still think not wearing a helmet is cool, take a minute to thin k of this, the only way for over worked understaffed police have to check if you have the proper health insurance coverage is to pull you over, this gives the police probable cause, which in turn takes up your time and the cops time.With this law in effect, death rates and injury rates have skyrocketed up to a new high. The Michigan helmet law is more about ‘freedom’ than about safety. If you want to feel the wind in your hair stand in front of a fan. If you want to get home safe wear a helmet. All in all the Michigan Motorcycle Helmet Law has caused far more bad than good. In the end, I hope that what I have told you today will persuade you to tell a friend, family member, stranger, or even to tell yourself that it is far safer to wear a helmet, than it is to go without one. Please think twice before you decide to ride without a helmet. Guarino, M. (2012, April 13).

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Current Issues in Law and HR Course Work Essay

Organizations are considered to be the most incentive, social arrangement of today. It’s considered a marvel to know that thousands of people with individual backgrounds, skills and interests are coordinated into various organizations, so that they can pursue their common institutionalized goals and objectives. The historians of the future see today’s organizations as the greatest achievement of our time and era. For example biogenetic engineering have had some breakthroughs. The Apollo mission to the moon was made possible by the organization called NASA. Even on day to day basis organizations play an important role in our lives. The water we drink to the food we eat or the clothes we wear all comes from different kinds of organizations Human resource is defined by many companies as a combination of the administrative functions with the performance of the company’s employees and their relations along with the company’s planning. Human resource basically develops mostly from industrial and organizational behaviour. The major function that are included in HRM are recruitment, selection, training and development, orientation, placement, separation, career planning, performance appraisal, salaries and wages, incentives and gain-sharing, benefits, services and security and employee relations and assessment. The term human resource basically refers to the people of the company. The manager of the company engages in HR because the HR activities and tasks are considered to be an important part of the company. It basically helps the company to achieve the goals and the objectives that are set for them by the management. As you all know that human resource activities also make a large contribution to the company’s success in many ways but the HR activities mostly support the strategies of the organization. The HR department basically exists to support the managers and the employees of the company and to pursue the company’s goal or objectives (Werther & Davis 1996). The major challenges that would be faced by the organization are as follows: – †¢ Population-growth challenges †¢ Global Competitive Challenges †¢ Unemployment Challenges †¢ Social Responsibility Challenges †¢ Medical, Food, Housing Challenges †¢ Unknown Challenges †¢ Ethical Challenges †¢ Workforce Diversity Challenges The objectives of the HR department are based on societal, organizational, functional and personal goals. It is known that the objectives of the company are not formally stated that is they are not in the written form. The objective of the human resource management not only reflects the intention of the middle and top management but also balances the challenges that are faced by the HR department. Objectives are basically considered as benchmarks against which the actions can be evaluated. The human resource objectives not only reflect the intention of the management but also balance the organizational challenges, the HR function and the people who are affected by it. If the company fails to succeed in its objectives it would harm the company’s profits, performance and even the survival of the firm. As we know that there are four objectives that are common to the HR management. The objectives are as follows: 1. Organizational Objective: which basically recognizes that the HR management exists and it contributes to the organizational effectiveness. The HR department basically exists so that it can help managers of the company to achieve the objectives and goals of the company. HR management only supports the managers with the human resource issues. If we put is simply the HR department only exist solely to help assist the rest of the company. 2. Functional Objective: which basically states that this objective solely exists to maintain the department’s input at a level that is considered relevant to company’s needs. A relation exists between the objectives and the HR activities and they are appraisal of the employee, placement and assessment of the employee. 3. Societal Objective: this objective shows that the company has to be ethically and socially responsive to the needs and challenges of the society while the company minimizes the negative impacts of such demands on the organization 4. Personal Objective: shows that the HR management helps assisting the employees in achieving their goals and objectives. And these goals enhance the individual’s contribution towards the organization. To achieve these goals the HR department help the managers of the company to obtain, maintain, utilize and retain the right amount and types of workers. The objectives of the employees must be met otherwise the employees would not be motivated, retained and maintained by the HR department of the company. And the employees would neglect their jobs, voice their complaints or maybe leave the organization for a better opportunity (Werther & Davis 1996). It is not necessary that all the organization can meet the HR objectives every time. Some sort of trade-offs do occur that stops the company in achieving the stated goals and objectives. When the objectives are net by the department, they make a huge contribution towards the organization’s and employees needs. And with the help of these objectives the managers are able to see the kinds of activities that are needed to be carried out and why. There is a relationship that exists between the objectives and the activities of the HR. For example, for the societal objective the supporting activities would be legal compliance, union and management relations and benefits of the employees. For the organizational objective the supporting activities would be HR planning, employee relations, selection, training and development, appraisal, placement and assessment. For functional objective the supporting activities would be performance appraisal, placement, assessment and development of the employees. And for personal objective the supporting activities would be training and development, performance appraisal, placement, assessment and compensation of the employees. The HR activities are considered as actions that are taken by the department to maintain a workforce balance that is considered as appropriate to the organization’s needs. For example, small companies who do have the HR department have small budgets and small staffs therefore the HR department of such companies only focus on the activities that they consider are important for the company. The functions or activities that are considered important for such companies would be planning, recruitment, and wages and salaries of the employees. The functions that are performed by the HR department of the organization are as follows: – Planning is the first activity that is conducted by the department. Planning can be defined as the systematic forecast that determines the company’s future and the demand and supply of the employees that would be needed by the organization. HR planning is also known as employees planning which helps the HR department and other managers of the company to develop staffing plans so that they would go along with the strategy of the company. it is important that the company is staffed with the right amount of people so that the strategic operational and functional goals of the company can be met. It has been realized by a lot companies that the HR plans are very important if the organization wants to have strategic success. For example, companies like Nokia and Apple it is important to have strategic plans because it would help the companies by developing new products and introducing them as quickly as possible in the market. It is only possible when the company is staffed with the right kind of people. Without the right people strategy based opportunities would be lost to a better staffed organization like Motorola and IBM (Werther & Davis 1996). Recruitment is one of the important activities of the HR department. Recruitment is mostly concerned with attracting and finding individuals who are capable for employment. The recruitment process begins s when the new recruits are sought and this process ends when the applicant submits and application. People who find new recruits are called recruiters. The process of hiring is faced with some limitations like costs, incentives, job requirements, policies of the company, environment conditions, insufficient and scarce resources and EEO legislation etc. Recruitment is done in two ways 1) internal channel which includes job posting program and departing employees 2) External channel which includes advertising, walk-in and write-ins, employee referrals, state employment agencies, open house, international recruiting, temporary help agencies and leased employees etc (Recruitment Process) Selection is one of the activities of the HR department. Selection is defined as a process that is based on specific steps that are used to describe that which individual should be hired. This process starts when the individual applies for the job and it ends when the final decision is made by the management of the company. the selection process is also faced with some limitations like EEO legislation, Workforce diversity and external prohibitions etc. ( The Selection Process). The selection process is based on eight steps and these steps are as follows:- †¢ Preliminary reception of applications †¢ Employment tests †¢ Selection interview †¢ Preference and background checks †¢ Medical tests †¢ Supervisory interview †¢ Realistic job preview †¢ Hiring decision Orientation, Placement and Separation is considered to be an activity of HRM. Orientation can be defined as when the new recruits are given an overview of the company on the first day of work. The orientation program of the company is based on the following goals 1) the pride of belonging to the company 2) creates awareness about the company’s business 3) emphasize on customer focus and service 4) helps to reduce the concerns that are related to the job 5) helps with development of a team member and 6) helps to establish personal growth etc. Placement can be defined as the work activities that are assigned to a new employee. The role of HR department here is that to advice the managers of the company about the rules and the regulations and it also provide counseling to the employees. Placement is based on 3 classes 1) promotion, transfer and demotion. Separation can be defined as a decision where the individual and the company must part. Separation process starts either the employer or the employee. The role of HR department is to find a method which is satisfactory for conducting a separation in such a way that it reduces the harmful factors that might affect the company. Training & Development is concerned with that placing the employees in a job does not give the company the surety that the individual would be successful in his or her job. Training and development programs are considered important for all the employees. The distinction between training and development is that training is for now and development is for the future. For example at Corning Glass there are a lot of learning opportunities that range from skilled orientation training to seminars that deal with development issues, they basically help the managers to face the issues that might arise in the future. The employees of the company are not bothered that the class is intended for training or development. It is only concerned with whether the program has helped the employees and the organization or not (Training and Development). Training and development are based on the following steps: – †¢ Need assessment †¢ Learning principles †¢ Program content †¢ Training and development objectives There are some challenges that are faced by HR department due to training and development. For example cost effectiveness, desired program content, learning principles and appropriateness of the facilities etc. The role of HR department over here is that it helps to prepare the individuals for future job responsibilities. And it also attempts stops the employees from obsolesce, work force diversity, technological changes, affirmation action and employee turnover etc. (Werther & Davis 1996) Career planning is one of the activities of the HRM. When the department is doing career planning it is mostly concerned with whether the company’s training and development programs has helped the employees with promotion chances or not. A couple of decades ago career planning was seen as an individual’s problem but now career planning is seen as the HR department’s problem. The HR managers and specialist see career planning as a way to meet the internal staffing needs. The involvement of the HR department in career planning is increasing everyday due to its benefits like low turnover, satisfies the needs of the employees, personal growth, helps with workforce diversity and decrease hoarding etc. Performance appraisal is one of the major activities of HRM. Performance appraisal can be defined as evaluating an employee’s current or past performances relative to his or her performance standard. In this competitive world companies require a high performance so that they can become dominant leaders in their perspective markets. And at the same time employees also need feedback on their performance so that it can act as a guide for their future behavior and responsibilities. There are some challenges that are faced by the HR department regarding the performance appraisal like legal constraints, rater’s biases regarding the employee based on halo effect or personal prejudice or even cross cultural biases etc. It has been vied been viewed by the experts that when there is poor performance throughout the company it creates huge problems with the human resource management activities(Grote &Grote 1996). Wages and Salaries are concerned with compensation. Compensation can be defined as something the employees receive in their return of their input to the organization. Without proper compensation the employees of the company would leave and it would be difficult for the company to hire new recruits. The result of pay dissatisfaction can harm the productivity of the company and can also harm the quality of work life as well. There are some challenges that affect the compensation plan like wage rates, union, constraints by the government and equal pay etc. ( Salary and Wages) Security, Safety and Health is considered a challenge for the HR experts that how to comply proactively with the minimum costs for the organization and to provide with the minimum of costs for the organization and to provide the greatest of benefits to its employees, whereas in the area of employee security and health companies have taken a proactive action. It is the role of the HR department to face the challenges that arise overtime. The HR is usually faced with 2 kinds of challenges: 1) Internal challenges which are also the organizational challenges. Internal challenges for example would include union, information systems, organizational conflicts between the company and the employees. 2) External challenges are those problems that exist due to the changing environment and the management has no control over it. Change in the company’s environment actually evolves at different kinds of rates. External challenges would include workforce diversity, technology, economics and government. The HR department has to follow 4 steps so that they can overcome the external challenges. They are as follows: – †¢ Monitor the environment †¢ Evaluate the impact of the challenges on the company †¢ Take proactive measures that is implement approaches that would help the company to achieve its goals †¢ Obtain and analyze the feedback. It is the role of the HR department to achieve a balance between the trade-offs of efficiency and effectiveness. For example when jobs are under specialized the job design may be simplified by decreasing the number of tasks and if the job is over specialized the number of job tasks can be enriched and expanded by the human resource department.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

egyptian mummies essays

egyptian mummies essays In ancient Egyptian society preserving a body after death was considered a very crucial process necessary for entrance into an immortal existence. The importance of preserving the body was based on their cultural belief that the deceased persons soul must recognize the body and return to it. Ancient Egyptians believed that if the spirit could not identify the body it belonged to, it would die. As a result of this theology Egyptians developed an effective system of embalming. The Egyptian embalming process was a significant and complicated procedure, which was performed by priests. The early Egyptians thought that after death their spirits would travel to another world during the day, and at night the spirits would return to their bodies. In order for the person's spirit to live forever, the spirit had to be able to identify and come back to the corpse. This is why the Egyptians wanted to preserve the bodies of the dead in as lifelike a state as possible. Egyptians believed mummification guaranteed eternal life for the spirit, which was considered essential in ancient Egyptian civilization. The practice of mummification was so esteemed in early Egyptian society that major criminals would not be executed, but denied the privilege of becoming mummified. Priests that performed the embalming were forced to overcome several obstacles before perfecting the method. One major challenge was protecting the bodies. Slaves were forced to guard the remains, to ward off dogs as well as other scavengers. In addition, the Priests used magical items to provide security. The precise mummification treatment depended on what the family of the deceased could afford. The most elaborate method took about 60 days. The practice of mummification, referred to as, The Seven Steps to Immortality, was performed as follows: 1. After the body had been washed with wine and spices, all of the parts that might decay were remov ...

Monday, October 21, 2019

How to identify workplace harassment

How to identify workplace harassment If you’ve been paying attention to the news or social media lately, chances are you’ve seen some of the heartbreaking stories and backlash from sexual harassment in industries like entertainment, news, and politics. #Metoo has become an inescapable part of our landscape, as women (and men too) share stories about how people in positions of power took advantage of them in highly inappropriate ways, ranging from the unprofessional to the criminal. The sheer force of this movement can feel overwhelming- but while we get story after story of public figures involved in sexual harassment, it’s also important to know what these issues may look like in everyday life, for the rest of us. Before we get started, an important note: if you have been harassed, or think a colleague’s or boss’s behavior has crossed a legal line, you should seek out specific legal advice right away. And if you suspect you may have been the victim of workplace harassment but arenâ₠¬â„¢t sure, the first place you should go is to your company’s Human Resources department. This is what they’re there for- acting as a neutral resource to help you identify, report, and resolve problematic behavior or actions in the work environment. We’ve put together some resources and information for reference, but if you’re facing harassment at work you should always seek the qualified help of professionals who are highly trained in workplace harassment issues.What is workplace harassment?Workplace harassment can take many different forms. Sometimes it’s obvious. It can be blatant sexual or personal requests from a colleague, client, or boss, like:I’ll give you a promotion if you sleep with me.If you don’t do this for me, I’ll fire you.I can make it worth your while if you come have a few drinks with me.I’ll give you more business if you take care of me, *wink wink*.Harassment can also be subtler and more insidious, such as personal comments that make you feel uncomfortable or highly personal topics of conversation that aren’t relevant to your work. This is sometimes known as a â€Å"hostile work environment.†Examples of this type of harassment could include:Telling dirty or inappropriate jokes at workCommenting on physical attributesMaking suggestive comments in emails or on social mediaDisplaying suggestive pictures or websitesMaking sexual innuendosUnnecessary touching without consentUnwelcome sexual advances, or persistent requests for dates or other personal favorsPersonal ridicule or mockerySabotaging others’ work or otherwise interfering with work performanceOpen discrimination or commentary based on gender, race, sexual preference, or other personal attributesThis kind of harassment isn’t necessarily always sexual- it can also be considered workplace bullying. Whether there’s a sexual component or not, personal harassment is never okay. Essentially, if someone is being singled out or targeted for personal reasons and not professional, it could be harassment. And even if someone is being singled out for ostensibly professional reasons, there’s still a line of professionalism that companies and employees are required to follow. Once that commentary or behavior crosses into the personal, it could qualify as harassment. If you feel uncomfortable with the behavior of someone in the workplace, that’s usually a red flag.Per Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, sexual harassment is considered a form of illegal discrimination in the workplace, which means victims are protected by federal law. If harassment is done on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, or religion, victims may also be protected under Title VII. If the harassing behavior is unwelcome and creates a hostile work environment, that can create a situation where the employer is legally liable for the harassment.Who’s affected by harassment?S exual or other harassment can happen to anyone, anytime, in any kind of professional environment. We often hear stories about it happening between a boss and an underling, but in reality it can happen with supervisors, colleagues, clients, or other people who are involved in a professional capacity. A supervisor can be harassed by an employee.And it’s important to note that no particular gender or group has a lock on sexual harassment. Although 1 in 3 women between the ages of 18 and 34 report having experienced sexual harassment on the job at some point during their careers, this problem is not limited to female victims- men experience this kind of harassment as well. Harassment comes in all shapes and sizes, and harassers are not always stereotypical boss figures. Anyone who makes you feel personally uncomfortable in the workplace is a red flag.What to do if you’re being harassedAccording to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), as much as 70% of s exual harassment goes unreported, often because victims are afraid of retaliation or just don’t feel comfortable coming forward with their experiences. If you’ve experienced harassment (or have seen it happen at your work), you’re protected.Know that it’s not your fault. If you’re experiencing sexual or other harassment in the workplace, you didn’t bring this on yourself- it’s on the harasser. You’re legally entitled to having a safe, professional working environment.Know you’re not alone. In a comprehensive, eye-opening 2016 report on workplace harassment, the EEOC found that between 25% and 85% of women reported sexual harassment in the workplace. The variation is likely due to people’s hesitation to report harassment, but no matter what, the figure is staggering- at least 1 in 4 women have experienced harassment. The numbers are rising for men reporting harassment as well: a 2012 study by the EEOC revealed that approximately 17% of men had experienced sexual harassment at work. It’s a widespread problem that has often been kept hidden.Know your rights. If you’ve been harassed, or think you may have been, it’s important to know what your rights are. The American Association of University Women (AAUW) has a detailed reference guide about how to handle the issue from several different perspectives, giving information on how employees, colleagues, and employers can resolve harassment claims.Talk about it with someone trusted. This can be a trusted confidante, but if you’re experiencing harassment or have witnessed it and want to take steps to resolve the issue, your company’s HR department is a good first resource. They can help you by confirming your company’s harassment policies and either resolve the issue internally or help you with the next steps of a formal complaint. Employment attorneys can give you a sense of the legal perspective if you thin k the harassment rises to the level of a legal issue. Always consult with legal and professional resources to determine what you can do officially to document and report the problem.One of the hardest takeaways in this post-Harvey Weinstein era has been discovering how widespread and pervasive the culture of harassment can be in the workplace. Ideally, it’s not something you’ll ever face in your career, but if you’re one of the growing numbers of women and men dealing with harassment (or bringing it to light), understand that you’re not alone and there are resources out there that can help you.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

How to Make a Bubble Rainbow - Science Project

How to Make a Bubble Rainbow - Science Project Use household materials to make a bubble rainbow! This is a safe, easy and fun project that explores how bubbles and color work. Bubble Rainbow Materials a sockliquid dishwashing soapplastic bottlefood coloring You probably can use bubble solution for this project, but I got much better bubbles using the dishwashing liquid. I used a Vitamin Water bottle for this project. Any soft drink or water bottle will do. Firm bottles are easier to use than thin, flimsy ones. Make a Homemade Bubble Snake Wand Youre going to make a fat snake of bubbles. Its actually a great project even without the coloring. Heres what you do: Cut the bottom off of the plastic bottle. If this is a project for kids, leave this part to an adult.Slip a sock over the cut end of the bottle. If you like, you can secure it with a rubber band or ponytail holder. Otherwise, a small sock fits just fine or you can hold the sock over the bottle.Squirt dishwashing liquid into a bowl or plate. Mix in a little water to thin it out a bit.Dip the sock end of the bottle into the dishwashing solution.Blow through the mouth of the bottle to make a bubble snake. Cool, right?To make a rainbow, stripe the sock with food coloring. You can make any colors you like. Rainbow colors would be red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo violet. For most food coloring kits, this would be red, red yellow, yellow, green, blue, blue red. Apply more coloring for a more intense rainbow or to recharge the sock if you need more solution.Rinse yourself with water when youre done. The food coloring will stain fingers, clothes, etc., so its a messy project, best d one outdoors and wearing old clothes. You can rinse your homemade bubble wand and let it air dry if you wish to use again. Learn About Bubbles How Bubbles WorkMake Colored Bubble PicturesMake Colored Soap BubblesMake Glowing Bubbles

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Business Skills Evaluation of Sources Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business Skills Evaluation of Sources - Essay Example The sources serve as a means of backing up whatever conclusion (on the topic at hand) that the researcher has come to in the study they are involved in(Gorard, 2013). This means that if the source for example, contains false information then the argument that had been brought forth in the research will be declared invalid as the support structures used to stand the subject matter can no longer be considered stable. This can be considered to be the most important factor that needs to be determined when attempting to evaluate the value of the sources used. Accuracy has to do with the truthfulness of the information provided from that particular source and how exact it is to the actual reality(Gorard, 2013). It should be noted that in some cases the accuracy of some sources cannot be measured to a tee but a certain level is still required to classify it as accurate information. Within the topic of accuracy come other factors that lie beneath this main subject and determine whether the source is accurate or not. These factors include issues such as how recent the information provided is and issues such as the methods that were used to collect, store and pass on the information. The Accuracy of the sources provided can be considered to be high as a result of the where they come from. The information provided in the books, have been brought about by professionals who are aware of what they are talking about and more importantly, have used established information to put their points across(Gorard, 2013). The sources can also be considered to be accurate via the publication dates of the literature that was used. The more recent the publication, the more recent the information and thus the less likely it is for the information provided in that particular work to have been rendered obsolete or have undergone renovations as a

Friday, October 18, 2019

Decision support Systems (DSS) United Arab Emirates context Essay

Decision support Systems (DSS) United Arab Emirates context - Essay Example At the present, we can see lots of innovations in how business organizations make use of automated information systems in making decisions. In fact, as a number of business organizations and managers have become more knowledgeable, decision support systems (DSS) have started evolving from its opening as a private support tool and now it has emerged as the common resource in a business organization (Xiaoli & Gaojin, 2010). Especially, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where the majority of organizations heavily rely on data and decision making to run their businesses. This basic purpose of this research is to discuss the use of decision support system in the context of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This paper shows how the use decision support systems and techniques can be useful especially in the UAE. A â€Å"decision support system (DSS) is an application of an information system that provides users with the appropriate decision-oriented information when a decision-making situation takes place.† Additionally, a decision-support system allows the business management to take effective decisions by collecting and combining information, appropriate logical models and applications, and user-friendly interface into a single strong system that facilitates unstructured or semi structured decision making. In this scenario, a DSS also offers to its users a proper set of tools, techniques and support and services for making effective use of key blocks of data (Laudon & Laudon, 1999, p. 468; Whitten, Bentley, & Dittman, 2000, p. 47). The basic objective of a decision support system is to help top management in decision making. In this scenario, decision support systems are not developed to be used by technically skilled people however these systems are particularly designed by keeping in mind the specific needs and requirements of managers or CEOs. Additionally, they are provided with an easy to use interface through which they can interact

Character Analysis Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Character Analysis Paper - Essay Example in Single 149). Williams suffers enormous guilt for surviving the familial worries that eventually devastated Rose. Similar to Menagerie’s Tom, Williams also pays remorse for his escape from his family (Single 149). This essay analyzes the character of the matriarch, Amanda Wingfield. Amanda is a selfish, hero mother, with romantic-pragmatic ideas and who created a dysfunctional family by treating her children like a glass menagerie through vanity, arrogance, and control over her family’s life. Amanda is a hopeless romantic. She has been hurt deeply when her husband left through an inconsiderate postcard, and yet she sees her former husband as the personification of romance, connecting him to her earlier life filled with gentleman callers and flirtations (Tischler and Bloom; King and Bloom 85). This is why even if her husband abandoned her, a large picture of him hung in the house. His presence might remind everyone else of his abandonment, but for Amanda, she continues to remember her sweet, youthful, and happy days through this image. Furthermore, she is also ready to leverage and defend her earlier life (Cobbe 50). It is a life of comfort and education she overemphasizes with her children. Whenever Amanda wants to talk about Blue Mountain, a discussion occurs between Tom and Laura: TOM: I know what's coming LAURA: Yes. But let her tell it. TOM: Again? LAURA: She loves to tell it. (Williams scene 1). Amanda enjoys reminiscing her past. It is both her curse and treasure. It is her curse, because she can never reclaim her youth and freedom. She just keeps on replaying it as a narrative, which wears her children out. Her past is, furthermore, her treasure, because her memories remind her and the people around her that she was once a well-coveted and important lady, where she would receive seventeen gentlemen callers in a day. When she is not working at Famous-Barr showing brassieres, she is active in selling subscriptions to a magazine that respond s to female visions of romance (Single 149). Tom uses particular images when describing his mother; one is related to Amanda's romanticized past, and the other is the image found in a glamour magazine cover, which is a superficial image masking their family's dysfunction (Single 149). Williams depicts Amanda as trapped in the past, but pragmatic about the present and the future. As the author describes Amanda, â€Å"She is not paranoiac, but her life is paranoia† (Tischler and Bloom). Amanda is possessed with girlish manners, but she has a pragmatic view of her children’s future. She refuses to know it, but she knows Laura will never marry. She then tries to put Laura in the business world and enrolls her in a school for typing lessons. Unfortunately, Laura is too shy to finish the typing test. Amanda then rallies for the courageous, but bleak, attempt to find a gentleman for Laura. When this fails too, it is a more tragic event for Amanda than Laura. It seems that she has somehow transfixed her dreams of a good life on her daughter. Laura deals with Jim’s rejection quite maturely, which underlines who is more mature in the family. It is not Tom or Amanda, but the one who is considered the most delicate and helpless, Laura. Amanda also pressures her son to work hard for the family. In a quarrel with Tom, she scolds him: â€Å"

Five legal questions in construction industry Coursework - 1

Five legal questions in construction industry - Coursework Example In a sense contracts represents the base of many commercial activities and therefore represent one of the most important area in business law. In these cases, letters of intent are widely used in binding these contracts. In these letters, the interested parties state their future intentions of entering into the formal contractual agreement. Letters of intent may be described as an agreement between two parties who wish to be in a contract. Different authors have tried to explain the meaning of the letters of intent in many ways. For instance, Adriaanse (2010, P. 55) sated that letters of intent are usually a response triggered by negotiations which go on for too long and thus impact on the completion date because the start date might be delayed. In the letter, the sender states their future intention to enter into a formal contractual agreement with the receiver to carry out a certain job. In the context of construction projects, LOI marks the respond from the employer to an offer made by the contractor through the tendering process. It also state the demand to start carrying out of the agreed work based on their intention to get into a contractual relationship. In most instances, the desire of the employer is to get the job done within the speculated date, or duration. It may become vital to commence the work before t he pending agreements are set right. Letters of intent makes it possible for the intention to create a legal relationship be considered. A complete contract requires that the parties involved intent to enter a legal binding agreement. This will mean that the parties must intent to create legal relations and must get to know that their agreements can further be enforced by law. In normal conditions, the intention to create legal relationship between parties is presumed. In so doing, the contract will not necessarily state that one doesn’t understand and intent any of the legal consequences to follow. In other

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Writing for university assessments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Writing for university assessments - Essay Example opportunity for students to learn different strategies for approaching writing tasks so that one may communicate theories learned and relay an understanding of a particular topic to specific audiences. In writing for university assessments a student’s task is to communicate an understanding of a topic. In this regard, this essay is written with the objective of proffering the features of an academic essay in which this aim is achieved. An academic essay is a short piece of literary work written for the purpose of expressing the students’ thoughts, reflections, and reactions on diverse topics usually with a developed thesis used to establish the validity of the discourse. According to Duffin (1998, par. 1), academic essays â€Å"may vary in expression from discipline to discipline, but any good essay should show us a mind developing a thesis, supporting that thesis with evidence, deftly anticipating objections or counter-arguments, and maintaining the momentum of discovery†. Several literatures are available presenting rules for effective writing. Despite the span of time which evolved, the rules for effective writing remain the same and remain true and applicable to contemporary writing. For academic essays to be effective in communicating an understanding of the defined topic there are standard features that must be present. The following portion would proffer features of an academic essay accomplishing required objectives. Effective writing needs more than rules to compose a fairly effective essay. Rules are merely practical guides that give the writer direction and focus on the concepts and theories which he already has a competent grasp of. An academic essay requires the following basic features to be effective in the achievement of its objective: (1) a given topic; (2) an organized structure; (3) appropriate resources or reference materials; (4) adherence to prescribed writing style, correct grammar, and citations; and (5) reviewed, edited, and revised

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Gun control Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Gun control - Essay Example The most important point here is how are the citizens going to ensure their safety when they are told to turn in their guns, according to Boylan (130). People wish to keep guns to enjoy their autonomy and guarantee their safety when they meet robbers, criminals and terrorists. Armed citizens feel their strength in protecting themselves and their families from physically stronger criminals. If guns are banned, the wrongdoers will still obtain guns and ammunition from whatever illegal sources. And who will be in loss? The common man. Owning guns in one of people’s constitutionally protected rights and when one has a right upon something, one does not have to validate the need for it. Banning guns will lead an individual to look for other dangerous things to create violence, and when there are so many other dangerous things one can think of then why only gun control is thought to be the only measure to improve safety? When a common man will intend to kill someone, he can do so in an automobile accident too. So, gun control seems to be outdated. Nothing is good or bad but its use makes it so. Guns are merely tools. What these guns will be used for is decided by the hands that hold them. Guns are evil, or more guns means more crime, are only myths. According to NRA’s America’s First Freedom (qtd.

Writing for university assessments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Writing for university assessments - Essay Example opportunity for students to learn different strategies for approaching writing tasks so that one may communicate theories learned and relay an understanding of a particular topic to specific audiences. In writing for university assessments a student’s task is to communicate an understanding of a topic. In this regard, this essay is written with the objective of proffering the features of an academic essay in which this aim is achieved. An academic essay is a short piece of literary work written for the purpose of expressing the students’ thoughts, reflections, and reactions on diverse topics usually with a developed thesis used to establish the validity of the discourse. According to Duffin (1998, par. 1), academic essays â€Å"may vary in expression from discipline to discipline, but any good essay should show us a mind developing a thesis, supporting that thesis with evidence, deftly anticipating objections or counter-arguments, and maintaining the momentum of discovery†. Several literatures are available presenting rules for effective writing. Despite the span of time which evolved, the rules for effective writing remain the same and remain true and applicable to contemporary writing. For academic essays to be effective in communicating an understanding of the defined topic there are standard features that must be present. The following portion would proffer features of an academic essay accomplishing required objectives. Effective writing needs more than rules to compose a fairly effective essay. Rules are merely practical guides that give the writer direction and focus on the concepts and theories which he already has a competent grasp of. An academic essay requires the following basic features to be effective in the achievement of its objective: (1) a given topic; (2) an organized structure; (3) appropriate resources or reference materials; (4) adherence to prescribed writing style, correct grammar, and citations; and (5) reviewed, edited, and revised

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Effects of Migration Essay Example for Free

Effects of Migration Essay There are a lot of different reasons as to why people migrate, one being forced migration, where people are told to move because they could be at risk because of war or natural disasters. Another is internal migration, where people leave their country either permanently or temporarily, and could also be to escape from natural disasters or for work. Immigration is when people move to another country permanently, and could be because of a number of reasons. There are a lot of people that move from LEDC’s to MEDC’s like Mexico to America, North Africa to Europe and Japan from China, for many of those different reasons. Indonesia is far overpopulated and so the government is trying to ease population pressures on Islands such as Java by spreading out development to some of the more remote islands like Maluku. This means that many people living in Indonesia will migrate away, as overpopulation means there is a lack of resources in that area, such as food, water and even jobs. A lot of pressure is put on the areas they migrate to because over three million people have moved there. A lot of the rainforest in the area has had to be cleared, which has led to soil erosion. This also means that a lot of the land is then not suitable to be used for farming anymore. What makes it worse is that wild animals destroy the crops, which causes a major shortage. A problem that has occurred is that there has been conflict between the migrants and the local population. The trans-migrants receive land as an encouragement to move, and the locals think of this as favouritism. The tension then grows as sometimes the government give areas of land that locals used for shifting cultivation to the migrants. Even though much of Indonesia’s population has migrated away, its population is still rapidly growing, and the scheme to Trans-migrate isn’t working as well as planned. Many trans-migrants are coming back after not having much success following their leave. Transmigration isn’t helping the growing issues of over-population. Depending on the specific circumstance, migration can be either positive or negative in the long run for a country. It could be bad for the country  they’re leaving, as it could leave many jobs with not enough people to fill them, and the decreasing population could then mean the country loses money and end up with less resources. However, it could also mean that there are now enough resources for the population as the country was overpopulated before, and could have had too many jobs for the amount of people living there. The host country also could have a positive impact from the migrants, for example cheap labour and migrants could be willing to do jobs that the local population don’t want to do, and they bring more money into the country. But the country could also be affected negatively, like if that country becomes overpopulated and then there are too many people for the amount of jobs, and then they claim benefits and live off the government, as well as the shortage of resources that would soon follow.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Does Technology Hold the Key to Improved Life Expectancy?

Does Technology Hold the Key to Improved Life Expectancy? Andrew McMahon Stone   Introduction. Life expectancy is the average period a person may expect to live1. Almost universally, females live longest, as do MEDC dwellers. Globally, life expectancy has increased by 40% in the last 50 years (1960s: 50 years – present: 70 years). However, this is just an average so there will be extremes, for example, the oldest recorded person alive now is almost 116 years6 and there are babies that die within days of birth. Technology means developing, applying or studying tools and methods, thus, in context: the machinery used in hospitals; access to knowledge for educational health; and the development and use of medicines. In my family, life expectancy has stayed constant as my great grandparents lived into their eighties, two of my grandparents are still alive (aged 80), although one died at 48 years*. However I think that my brother, my cousins and I will survive for longer, given that my ancestors died from rare, non-genetic causes like cancer and brain haemorrhage. *My great grandfather was in the Great War and was shell shocked and spent the rest of his life in a mental hospital. Causes I believe that the main cause of improved life expectancy is the rate of the country’s technological growth but there are other factors, some natural, some human (Table 1) Table 1: factors affecting life expectancy There exists a correlation between population size and area and life expectancy, especially if we look at ‘extremes’, for example Monaco is the smallest country in the world, by area and almost population, and it has the highest life expectancy rate of 85 years for males and 93 years for females2. Similarly, China has the biggest population and has one of the biggest areas in the world yet it is in the top 100 for life expectancy and is rising with its population2. This might suggest that it is easier to provide access to smaller and larger concentrations of people, but then in the UK, we know that many rural dwellers often have to travel in excess of 40 miles to reach a hospital. This could prove fatal in terms of an emergency if people can’t be reached in time, thus this is where telecommunications technology and internet accessible health education (what to do if a person has a heart attack or stroke) are vital. I am very fortunate to live in an urban area and I have two hospitals within 15minutes drive of my home. Lifestyle choices affect the life expectancy of a person because someone might choose to eat healthily and exercise regularly and so, in theory, have a higher life expectancy than someone who chooses not to. This is a social factor, controlled by personal decisions, but it is mostly an MEDC issue. In LEDCs people often have little/no choice about their lifestyle as they may be limited by food/water supplies. Access to educational information via internet technology may help people make informed choices and improve life expectancies but if disregarded, then access to technology is of no benefit. Hereditary conditions like cystic fibrosis (the UK’s most common life threatening inherited disease7) can affect the life expectancy of a person as the average life expectancy for a person with CF is 37 years. There are70,000 sufferers worldwide)8 . Hereditary conditions affect people in both MEDCs and LEDCs although technologies in MEDCs are helping treat people with CF, so their life expectancy is slowly improving. The cost of such technologies is often prohibitive in LEDCs. Personal income is also a key determining economic factor. Those with more disposable income will have more opportunity to access health technology and more easily afford healthier food choices, which should result in improved life expectancy. However, it can result in poor lifestyle choices like over-eating or binge drinking so can have the opposite effect. This is unfortunately common in MEDCs, particularly the UK and USA, exacerbated by ‘supersize me’ in food outlets and BOGOF offers in supermarkets. War and conflict can be a big contributing factor to lowering life expectancy, with technology contributing in a negative way. Weapons have been developed that can kill more people more easily. Armed forces are mostly composed of men, which help explain why in some countries, they have a lower life expectancy than females. In Cambodia the life expectancy rate went down for men from 43 years in 1966 to 31 years in 1977 and for women from 46 years in 1966 to 34 years in 197714. This was because of a mass genocide by the Khmer Rouge regime15 that killed between one and two million people. In Telford, where I live, the life expectancy for males is 77.4 years which is 1.5 years less than the England average of 78.9 years. And the Telford life expectancy for females is 82 years which is 0.9 years less than the England average of 82.9 years. 9 Technology its impacts on life expectancy The true effects of technology on life expectancy depends on how you define technology; If you define technology as the access to information via the internet I would have thought that the world’s life expectancy would have reacted positively to the exponential growth of internet users in the last 20 years in figure 2. Figure 1 does show that the world’s life expectancy has increased in gradient but only very slightly steeper to the rate of growth before the early 90s. Figure 110: changes in life expectancy global Figure 2: internet users – globally (in red)11 This implies either that there are still countries that dont have a lot of internet users or that the amount of internet users does not directly affect the world’s life expectancy. I believe there is a link. To prove this, 96% of Iceland’s population13 are internet users and the average life expectancy is 81.28 years13, which puts it 6th in the world. Conversely, 0.8% of Eritrea’s population are internet users, the lowest in the world, and its average life expectancy is 61.42 years which is nearly 10 years below the worlds average. Nationally, in the UK, 87% of us are internet users and our average life expectancy is 80.05 years3, although I appreciate that the link between the two isn’t ‘exclusive’. At a personal level I have looked up symptoms to determine what illness I have and also researched how to improve my fitness which I believe will affect my life expectancy. Mobile phone technology enables people to access information about healthy lifestyles. I have a smart phone which can help me access information on any issue I might have with my health so that I can try to combat it. Nationally (UK), there is 97% coverage of the country, which enables almost everyone with an internet enabled phone or broadband connection to access. OAPs are encouraged to gain internet skills via free classes available at local libraries. Another factor contributing to improved life expectancy could be the amount of investment into research and development. Israel put the biggest percentage of their GDP into research and development, 4.2%, and their average life expectancy is 80.96 years which makes them 17th in the world. However Ethiopia only put 0.1 billion dollars into research and development which is only 0.17% of their GDP and I believe that this is a reason why their average life expectancy is 55.41 years, 14 years below the world’s average. In my country, the UK, 1.7% of the GDP is spent on research and development which is equivalent to 38.4 billion dollars5. With that money, university graduates have invented and designed technology to improve life expectancy like the portable defibrillator and the discovery of the hepatitis B vaccine 16. Non-profit organizations have also achieved similar eg a syringe that breaks after the first use to stop the spread of diseases like HIV. At a personal level my lif e expectancy has been enhanced by vaccines and medicines eg Hepatitis B immunisation as a child and the annual influenza vaccine. Continually evolving technology is bringing new developments into existence like 3D printers that can bio-print specific organs to replace failing ones although only a bladder has been printed so far. Personally all of my family have had scans sometime in their lives to diagnose specific illnesses or injuries that, if they and not been diagnosed, might have caused a lower life expectancy, eg bowel cancer screening and breast cancer screening. Technology cannot work without trained professionals! Technology can only hold the key to improved life expectancy if it is properly managed. Trained professionals are needed to operate scanners in hospitals and governments in LEDCs might not be able to afford them or to provide the training to get them and so technology would be irrelevant and ineffectual. Technology is also ineffective in places where infrastructure is either poor or non-existent e.g. electricity and internet access. Scenarios One of the biggest factors that affect life expectancy in LEDCs is maternal and infant health. Maternal and infant mortality rates are higher in LEDCs, further contributing to lower average life expectancies. If we can ensure safer births, we can improve life expectancy and the need to have so many children. This is where technology could come into play to assist midwives in challenging situations. Even without access to electricity and internet, updated written literature and health/hygiene guidance could be provided to help the situation. You could argue that this isn’t technology, but actually you need technology to design, print and distribute the books. And with the relatively new invention of the 3D printer, organizations could make models for midwifery that teach them in a practical way. If everyone in the world had access to technology I do think that globally life expectancy would increase significantly simply because of the sheer wealth of information available on the internet and people being able to gain health education. But the likelihood of everyone having access to technology in the future is low. For some, eg indigenous tribes and small groups isolated from modern civilization, there is a desire to remain untouched by external influences. Charities and wealthier governments could continue to send appropriate technology to LEDCs. I also believe that technology will develop further in the future and will eventually be able to help eradicate diseases and cancers. Conclusion I think that technology is key to improved life expectancy and I think in the future it will become the biggest influential factor. This is because other factors, I believe, will be controlled by technology. People will be able to make informed decisions regarding lifestyle choices and risks of poor lifestyle choices. If this doesnt stop them from choosing that lifestyle then the technology is there to help them with the ‘side effects’ or ‘symptoms’. Hereditary conditions will be easier to treat and cure, I think, enabling improved life expectancy. Quality of life, I also believe, will be enhanced by technology eg better quality housing. Technology is also getting cheaper by the year so should be more affordable. In the future access to clean water wont matter either because if there is an unclean water supply then filters can be fitted. Technology is (and will even more in the future) helping to reduce fatalities from happening when natural disasters occur by, simulating, in the process of building buildings that are less likely to fall, and aiding response times for emergency services to be faster. Bibliography. 1 https://www.google.co.uk/#q=define+life+expectancy – Definition of life expectancy. 2,3,5 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_HYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_life_expectancybHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_life_expectancyy_life_expectancy World rankings for life expectancy in different years. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Esperanza_de_vida.PNG – World map of life expectancies (2008). http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/eco_tec_ach-economy-technological-achievement Technology achievement index by country. 5http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countrHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_research_and_development_spendingiHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_research_and_development_spendinges_by_research_and_development_spending 6 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_living_supercentenarians 7 http://www.globaladventurechallenges.com/choose-charity/cystic-fibrosis-trust/ 8 http://www.cff.org/aboutcf/ 9http://www.hpa.org.uk/web/HPAwebPageHPAwebAutoListDate/Page/1278943975984 10 https://www.google.co.uk/#q=world+life+expectancy 11 http://www.theawl.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Screen-shot-2010-08-17-at-2.11.10-PM.png 12 http://wHYPERLINK http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/421390/Watch-that-tells-your-time-to-diewHYPERLINK http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/421390/Watch-that-tells-your-time-to-diew.express.co.uk/news/uk/421390/Watch-that-tells-your-time-to-die 13http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_numbHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_number_of_Internet_userseHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_number_of_Internet_usersr_of_Internet_users Internet users. 14http://www.google.co.uk/publicdata/explore?ds=d5bncppjof8f9_met_y=sp_dyn_le00_inhl=endl=enidim=country:KHM:LAO:MMR#!ctype=lstrail=falsebcs=dnselm=hmet_y=sp_dyn_le00_inscale_y=linind_y=falserdim=regionidim=country:KHM:LAO:MMRifdim=regiontstart=-94435200000tend=473644800000hl=en_USdl=enind=false 15http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2012/02/20122314155454169.html 16http://www.theguardian.com/education/2006/jul/05/highereducation.uk2 Discoveries by UK universities.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Edward Rowland Sill: An Early American Poet Essay -- Biography Biograp

Edward Rowland Sill: An Early American Poet Edward Rowland Sill was born in Windsor, Connecticut, in 1841. His mother's side of the family was religious, while his father's family was scientific. Deeply rooted in New England heritage, the Sill family could trace their ancestry back to Jonathan Edwards. Sill's background in religion and science led him to a life-long struggle between faith and doubt. He has been described as a "poet of antithesis, torn between intellectual conviction and spiritual question" (Ferguson 1). These qualities strongly shaped his personality as well as his writing style, and influenced him throughout his life as a poet and teacher. As a child, Sill was weak and constantly in poor health, leading to a chosen life of seclusion. Although he remained active in his later years both teaching and writing, Sill constantly struggled with his introspective qualities. He was quiet and shy, despite a "talent for friendship" (Ferguson 22), which he displayed upon entering Yale at age sixteen. At Yale, Sill spent two years in academic rebellion, refusing to conform to general expectations, and instead choosing to think for himself and follow his thirst for knowledge. During his last two years at Yale he matured into a deep thinker, still yearning for ultimate knowledge. The poems Sill published in the Yale Literary Magazine signaled the start of his writing career. Despite his university education, Sill remained indecisive about his future career. His love of knowledge pulled him in all directions, from writing to medicine. To make his final decision, he moved to California with his good friend Sextus Shearer. Ultimately, Sill spent a majority of his life writing and teaching, both on the East coast and the ... ...nd down. Send down Thy love, Thy life, Our lesser lives to crown, And cleanse them of their hate and strife: Thy living love send down. Send down Thy peace, O Lord: Earth’s bitter voices drown In one deep ocean of accord: Thy peace, O God, send down. Bibliography "Edward Rowland Sill." The Cambridge History of English and American Literature in 18 Volumes (1907-21). XVII.II. 14 Nov. 2002 < www.bartleby.com/227/0314.html>. Ferguson, Alfred Riggs. Edward Rowland Sill: The Twilight Poet. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, 1955. Sill, Edward R. "The Fools Prayer." 14 Nov. 2002 <http.//www.eyeontomorrow.com/ embracingthechild/Cfoolspray.html>. ---. "Opportunity." 14 Nov. 2002 <http.//www.geocites.com/sscolari0001/Opportunity.hyml>. ---. "Send Down Thy Truth , O God." 14 Nov. 2002 <http://www.cyberhymnal.org/ hym/s/d/sdttogod.htm>.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

The Use Of The Word Love :: essays research papers

Six months after I met a young man, he expressed to me how much he loved me. Being sixteen years old, I thought it to be very flattering but I could not accept him saying this to me. The word, love in the romantic sense, is something that would take so much out of me to say to a person. Love is something that you express to someone that you can not, in any way, see living your life without. The last time I saw the young man who supposedly loved me, was on my seventeenth birthday when he told me I was a waste of his time. Love is the strongest emotion and most powerful word anyone can say to someone else. Some people use the word love everyday as though it is not as big of a deal as it really is. Jewel's song, "Always," illustrates a definition of love. The first line of the song totally defines love in the same way I do with, "Please don't say 'I love you,' those words touch me much too deeply." With this one line, my entire definition of love is presented. There are other things people can love: a pet, family members, certain kinds of food but these are all loved by a different kind of love. There are millions of ways you can love, but this kind of love does not happen all the time to a person. It is the kind of love that is not there at the beginning, but grows inside you. This kind of love is for another person that you can not see your life without, even though at one time it was without that person. To express this to someone is to propose to commit your life to that other person. The other person may not feel the same way and that is why it is hard to accept someone saying that. One expressing their love to another is the greatest compliment one could ever receive for they are wanted in someone else's life forever.There are some people that do not understand the meaning of love and use it all the time as though it was just some word that makes people happy. The young man who told me he loved me also told me a month later that I was a waste of his time. He is an example of someone using the word just to make others or even himself happy.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Chemistry Lab 3 Properties of Gases

Dex Cimino 3/24/2013 CHE101, Tamburro Lab 3 – Properties of Gases Data Table: Experiment Results| Gas| Flamereaction| Glowingsplint| Limewaterreaction| Bromothymolblue reaction| Hydrogen| Popping| extinguish| brownish| green| Oxygen| Brighter| reignite| redish| blue| Hydrogen & oxygen| exothermic| extinguish| brownish| Blue-green| Carbon dioxide| extinguish| extinguish| Milky| yellow| Alka Seltzer| -| -| -| -| Breath| None| extinguish| none| blue| I did not have any alka seltzer =/ Questions A.Give two reasons why we fill the gas generator test tubes almost to the top with chemicals? The first reason is because we want to obtain pure gas and by minimizing the amount of air in the top this will maximize the gases purity. Also some gases may react differently with air. Minimizing contact with air assures a better outcome. B. What happens to the zinc in the hydrogen generation experiment? It dissolved and formed hydrogen and zinc chloride. C. What happens to the manganese in the oxygen generation experiment? The manganese seemed like a catalyst because it sped up the rate of the chemical reaction. Read this Practice Test Chem 105D. Write a balanced equation for the reaction between O2 and H2. 2H2 + O2 ==> 2H2O E. What is the function/purpose of the bromothymol blue in the CO2 experiment? The Bromothymol blue changed color from clue to green and then it turned yellow. After the CO2 was mixed with water, I think carbonic acid was formed. This can measure the amount of CO2 present, a lot of CO2 will show yellow and very little or no CO2, the bromothymol will remain blue. F. Bromothymol blue is blue in the presence of basic solutions, and yellow in the presence of acidic solutions.If your solution is a murky green, what might you assume about the solution? I would assume that the solution is neutral if it is a murky green. With acidic solution, the blue turns yellow. Flow Chart 1. Fill four test tubes with ? distilled water. 2. Add 2-3 drops of bromthymol blue to each test. Part 1: Oxygen 3. Add a small amount of manganese dioxide in an empty test tube. Then add a small amount of Hydrogen Peroxide. 4. Immediately stopper the test tube. 5. Take the stopper out. 6. Repeat these steps for Part 2: Hydrogen and Part 3: Carbon. 7. Record data and answer questions.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Evaluating the Research Process Essay

Literature Review The following paper will address the research process using the article Assessing Pregnancy Intention and Associated Risks in Pregnant Adolescents. The research process consists of nine parts that include; selecting a problem, formulating a hypothesis, reviewing the literature, listing the measures, describing the subjects, constructing a design, constructing and identifying measurement devices, analysis of the data, and generating conclusions (Neutens & Rubinson, 2010). The literature review shows that adolescent pregnancy is a multifaceted problem. Adolescent pregnancy has risk factors that must be taken into account. Ethics Some of these risk factors would be the ethical considerations. The Nuremberg Code which was established in 1947 tried to provide regulations. These regulations were to prevent any more atrocities in human research (Neutens & Rubinson, 2010). One of the ethical considerations would be informed consent. Informed consent came about after the Nuremberg Code. Informed consent is about telling the subject about the details of the research, any risks or benefits that could come about (Neutens & Rubinson, 2010) Ethical considerations must be taken into consideration when performing tests on human subjects. If anything is not disclosed in the informed consent, it would leave the researchers vulnerable to a lawsuit as well as invalidating the research study. In the article, Assessing Pregnancy Intention and Associated Risks in Pregnant Adolescents, informed consent was followed. â€Å"Informed consent was obtained from the participant and if the participant was younger than 18 years old, con sent was obtained from her guardian with assent of the minor (participant)† (Phipps & Nunes, 2012). The researchers found the subjects during their first prenatal care appointment to the â€Å"Women and Infants Hospital Women’s Primary Care Center, Providence, RI between March 2002 and February 2005† (Phipps & Nunes,  2012). Steps were taken to ensure that the participants would be considered adolescents even after their babies were born and that they would understand what was expected of them. The research study was conducted by using research assistants that interviewed the participants. They were questioned about their â€Å"demographic characteristics, life plans, social supports, peer and family relationships, financial support, behavioral risks, and medical history† (Phipps & Nunes, 2012). In example, research surveys â€Å"included validated questions where available and where not available content-relevant questions were assessed for face validity. The surveys underwent a process of review and revision that included both clinical experts and age-relevant volunteers† (). In the survey, subjects were asked about pregnancy planning, so that the assistants could assess the subjects’ level of agreement with statements. The statements were coded to assess for risk factors. The stat ements ranged from trying to getting pregnant and best age to get pregnant as well as overall feelings about pregnancy (Phipps & Nunes, 2012). Statistical Analysis All of the information that was gathered by the research assistants from the participants is used in the statistical analysis to determine the significance level. â€Å"The significance level of a statistical hypothesis test is a fixed probability of wrongly rejecting the null hypothesis, if it is in fact true. The significance level is typically set at five percent† (â€Å"The Statistics Glossary†, n.d.). So anything higher than five percent would be considered statistically insignificant. The researchers â€Å"did observe significant associations between our pregnancy intention metrics and known risk factors for poor outcomes† (Phipps & Nunes, 2012). There were two dimensions of pregnancy intention that the researchers assessed. The two significant dimensions were emotional readiness and planning. Emotional readiness was more â€Å"strongly associated with risk factors for adverse pregnancy outcomes. Pregnant teens identified as not emotionally ready were at increased risk for delayed prenatal care, inadequate prenatal care utilization, delayed use of prenatal vitamins, recent smoking, recent drinking, recent drug use and depression† (Phipps & Nunes, 2012). The findings in the research study article is statistically significant. The study showed that emotional readiness and planning are critical for having a  healthy pregnancy. Before this study came out, researchers thought that being emotionally ready was not nearly as important to pregnancy as proper health care. However, if one is not emotionally ready it can affect getting proper health care. Research Conclusions The conclusion to this study determined that emotional readiness and planning are the main risk factors for adolescent pregnancy that has adverse outcome. This study tests the thought that emotional readiness and planning are the two most important factors against family type as the most important risk factor. If the study was looking into preventing adolescent pregnancy, then family type is the most important risk factor. Emotional readiness and planning are important so that one will have a healthy pregnancy. The results to this study are appropriate. There is enough information to determine that the article was indeed effective. The statistics provided in this study were quantitative in nature. The data was collected in an ethical manner. This can be determined by the appropriate exclusion criteria. The article further indicates that previous research was conducted on the topic adolescent pregnancy. This research enabled the creation of a scoring method to identify adolescents tha t are at risk for pregnancy. The results to this study are very appropriate and there is enough information to determine that the article was indeed effective. The statistics provided in this study were clearly listed and defined. The data was ethically collected and appropriate exclusion criteria were indicated to avoid producing biased results. The article further indicates that previous research was conducted on the topic of adolescent pregnancy. This research enabled the creation of a scoring method to identify those at risk of adolescent pregnancy. The article, Assessing pregnancy intention and associated risks in pregnant adolescents, looks into risk factors for adolescents becoming pregnant and having a health pregnancy. The article uses the research process to come to the conclusions that family type, emotional readiness and planning are all important. Family type is statistically important because it states that an adolescent is more at risk for pregnancy if they come from a less than ideal home. Emotional readiness and planning is statistically important because they can affect pregnancy outcome. These conclusions are the same con clusions that the researchers came to in their article. References Neutens, J. J., & Rubinson, L. (2010). Research techniques for the health sciences (4th Ed.). San Francisco, CA: Pearson Benjamin Cummings. Phipps, M. G., & Nunes, A. P. (2012). Assessing pregnancy intention and associated risks in pregnant adolescents. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 16(9), 1820-7. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10995-011-0928-0 The Statistics Glossary. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.stats.gla.ac.uk/glossary/

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Land Acquisition in Zambia

Due to the effects of food price crisis of 2007-2008, there was growing concern among the nations about the food security. There was surge in demand for food products by the food importing countries and subsequently food-producing countries imposed some restrictions on the food exports of food grains. In order to meet the growing demand of food and face increasing pressures on natural resources and water scarcity, the countries with land and water constraints needed an alternative means of producing food. Acquisition of farmland in the developing countries by these countries seeks to ensure food security. More on the land acquisition drive) These investments are not driven by the notion of comparative advantage in the large-scale production of indigenous crop (Mann and Smaller; 1; January 2010). The higher oil prices in 2007-2008 were another driver, which triggered interest of developed countries to acquire land for energy crops. Global financial crisis also encouraged investors to invest in foreign lands. The value of both food and fertile land was set to increase, making them an attractive new investment. Budgetary resources in developing countries may not be enough to meet infrastructural investment required to use the land to its potential. Some developing countries are seeking foreign investment to exploit their surplus land which is currently unused or under-utilized. This may lead to creation of jobs in rural areas and there may also be investment in health and education sector. Technology transfer by the investor countries may lead to increase in farm productivity. However these investments are not without trade offs. There are concerns about the impact on local poor people, who lack access to and control over land on which they depend. There can be local unemployment because of projects with imported workforce and high degree of mechanization. It will also lead to increase in regional land prices through soaring competition with regard to acreage and resources, and thus less access of land to poor people. Foreign investors can also emerge as strong competitors to local producers, especially small households. There is also risk of land conflicts in territories without well defined land titles (Bicker and Breuer; 37; April 2009). In some cases, the land leases are justified on the basis that the land being acquired by the foreign investor is â€Å"unproductive† or â€Å"underutilized. † However, there may be that the land is being used by poor for purposes such as grazing animals and gathering fuel wood or medicinal plants. These uses tend to be undervalued in official assessments because they are not marketed, but they can provide valuable livelihood sources to the poor. †(Von Braun and Meinzen-Dick; 2; April 2009) Large-scale land acquisitions may further jeopardize the welfare of the poor by depriving them of the safety-net function of this type. There can be misappropriation of arable land, displacement of indigenous people without compensation and migration to cities. So it is crucial to ensure that these land deals, and the environment within which they take place, are designed in a ways that will reduce the threats and facilitate the â€Å"win-win† situation for all the parties involved. According to Sustainable development innovation briefs (January 2010), â€Å"There are three sources of law governing foreign investment in agricultural land. 1) Domestic law 2) International investment contract 3) International investment agreements (IIAs) According to Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives of Republic of Zambia, Zambia has the best surface and underground water resources in Africa, with many rivers, lakes and dams. Sharing borders with eight countries, Zambia is centrally situated as a gateway to both southern and central Africa. This location is strategically advantageous by placing Zambia in a position to exploit the growing regional markets of SADC and COMESA, and be an active participant in regional and international agriculture trade initiatives (Source: The best of Zambia). Even with resource endowment for development of a wide range crops, livestock, and fish given the diversity of its agro-ecological zones, there was lack of cultivation because initially labour was forced toward mining sector. Urbanization kept the people to cities only. There was lack of infrastructure and utilities in rural areas which imposes a higher social cost in moving towards agriculture sector. The policies which took place were directed towards the development of mining sector, neglecting agriculture. It is generally seen that the developed countries are mainly with expanding industrial sector. These developed countries have initially accumulated the surplus in agriculture sector and then invested that surplus for expansion of industrial sector. So there is need to develop agriculture initially. Zambia is rich in mineral resources. To explore the potential there is need to develop agriculture sector. In Zambia, most farmers are insecure in the ownership of the land they work in. Less than 5% of them have leasehold title for their land. Most farmers pay rent to titleholders or have some kind of sharecropping arrangement with the title owners. Others depend on land owned either by the government or private owners, or on council or forestry land for their living. Those living in areas of customary land use do not need to be consulted before mining operations are allowed, and are usually not even aware of the possibility of placing land disputes before the Lands Tribunal (MacCuish and Frankel on behalf of Halifax Initiative Coalition). The efforts of the Agriculture Department to mark off ownership and use of agricultural areas were hindered by the lack of information about who owned the land. According to report of Global Times ( 9 September 2009), The Zambian government is to devise measures that would smoothen and quicken the acquisition of title deeds by prospective land owners, this was done in a bid to empower the less privileged people to own land in the country. The poor people can use land as collateral for them to access loans for land development. According to Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives of Zambia (26 January 2010), â€Å"Out of 75 million hectares land of Zambia, 43 million hectares (53%) is classified as medium to high potential for agriculture production. So far only 6. 02 (14%) of agricultural land is currently utilized. Irrigation total potential is 2. 7 million hectares out of which about 156000 hectares is under irrigation†. Framers are given a good price for grain but due to lack of market access the move is outweighed by poor infrastructure. Zambia endowed with rich natural resources needs investment by foreign investors to strengthen Zambia’s economic muscle (Zambia Mail dated May 11, 2010) Acquisition of land by the foreign investors is controversial and carriers many risks. Foreign investment can also be made through contract farming and out-growers scheme or joint venture or provision of infrastructure by the investor country. (David Hallam; 6; December, 2009) According to FAO (2001), â€Å"Contract farming can be defined as an agreement between farmers and processing/marketing firms for the production and supply of agriculture products under forward agreement, frequently at predetermined prices. The arrangements also invariably involve the purchaser in providing a degree of production support through, for example, the supply of inputs and provision of technical advice. The basis of such arrangements is a commitment on the part of the farmer to provide a specific commodity in quantities and at quality standards determined by the purchaser and a commitment on the part of the company to support the farmer’s production and to purchase the commodity†. In contract farming, farmers have to loose some freedom over the choice of crops they want to grow. The main commodities produced by small-scale farmers in Zambia under contract farming arrangements are cotton, tobacco, coffee, sugar, paprika and fresh vegetables. Of late honey, livestock (pigs and dairy cattle) and organic products are also coming up. Likilunga; 3; December 2005) Nevertheless, joint ventures between foreign investors and local producers or their associations as partners might offer more spillover benefits for the host country. Mixed models are also possible with investments in a large-scale core enterprise at the centre but also involving outgrowers under contracts to supplement core production. Some governments have been active in encouraging foreign involvement in such enterprises, as in the Tanzanian sugar sector or the so-called â€Å"Farm Blocks† in Zambia (David Hallam; 6; December, 2009). Zambian government has embarked on a programme to open up viable farm blocks in various parts of country to be involved in primary production and value addition. In Farm Block Development, Government has to provide basic infrastructure such as road, bridges and electrification. The design of Farm block is as follow. There is one core venture of 10,000 Hectares with commercial farms of 1000-5000 Hectares and small holdings of 30-300 Hectares. (Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives of Zambia; 26 January 2010). The type of business model to be adopted depends on certain characteristics of the economy i. e. olitical and social conditions, specific circumstances, the commodity concerned etc. Land acquisition and commercialization of agriculture is favorable, when economies of scale are important or there is need for investment in infrastructure. Contract farming or outgrower scheme is desirable when there in need to involve small landholders, but in contract farming care should be taken that contracts are properly implemented and there is no exploitation of smallholders by the big firms. The litigation process in Zambia takes too long and therefore enforceability through litigation process is costly and therefore not resorted to. There is weakness of enforceability when contract is breached. Donor funding forms a big part of Zambia’s spending plan (The Africa report; October 2009). China, India, South-Korea and oil-rich gulf countries with land and water constraints are turning to Africa as food security blanket. Saudi Arabia is interested in area of agriculture in Zambia. China is proposing to acquire 5 million acres of land to grow jatropha. Jatropha is a perennial plant, which can be used as biofuel. Plantation have yield after 2-3 years. In the short run there will be loss but in long run there will be gains. Income generated from plantation will vary from year to year. Growing Jatropha needs long term investment, which is vulnerable to risk due to uncertainty in price, yield, labour cost and rate of interest. Biofuel can provide hedge against climate change. Jatropha can also be used as a substitute for expensive kerosene, fertilizer and diesel. It needs less water so there is no need of major irrigation facilities. Jatropha can be planted during spare time in idle or fallow land, for which lot of officially unused land and degraded bush land seems available. Cultivation of Jatropha on abandoned agricultural, deforested or degraded land has the potential to improve the nutrient content of the soil and reduce erosion. Thus, this may improve the value of the land. However, the expanding use of land for the Jatropha production, even though it is marginal land, could mean that people living in the area would have to find other places for collecting firewood, herbs and fields for pasture land etc. So the selection of land for production should be done very carefully. Land grab in Africa mainly for biofuels has serious implications for food security. This however but it depend on the ownership of the land and how much space the production of Jatropha takes up. Biodiesel is mainly used by developed countries. If the price of food grains increases, then the people in developing country will suffer. Food security could even decrease where land and water resources are commandeered by the international investment project at the expense of domestic smallholders or where foreign investments push up land values. There can also be worst case scenario that there is production of 100 unit’s energy biodiesel from the inputs of 127 unit’s energy. The advertising that agro-fuels will assist farmers is based on the notion that the decisions about the use of the land remain decentralized within the country. Farmers should be given free will to decide how to plant Jatropha to produce oil for lamps or sop or bio-diesel for their vehicles. But the scenario set up by the large corporations is not what is desirable. There is usurpation of huge tracts of African land for overseas consumption and if they ruin the ecosystem, they conveniently make a move to other areas (MS Zambia Newsletter August 2009). Production of Jatropha is mainly done by the Out grower schemes. It is found that mostly there were no formal contracts for production. Even if contracts exist, there was no enforcement. Even farmers are not satisfied with Outgrowing system. Firms promise to endow the farmers with technology but fail to turn up again to provide information on technical issues. Production is targeted toward export and fails to benefit Zambian people. This can be confirmed by the fact that there exist no refineries in Zambia. There is need to set up a monitoring committee which can observe that all the contracts taking place are implemented. Strict actions should be taken if contracts are not enforced. The land grabbing has become very sophisticated and the poor are bound to suffer. There is need to lobby government for some policy changes. Civil societies should come up for the benefit of small holders and there is need to sensitize and assist the poor access and legally own land. Building the capacity of small scale farmers and their organizations to be part of the new agribusiness dispensation through direct investments as well as in partnership with foreign investors is desirable. There is need to empower the rural communities’ access and communally own land through ‘Community land titles’ to protect them in the future land concessions. (MS Zambia Newsletter August 2009). There is need by government to put more conducive environment by setting up â€Å"small claims courts’. There is need for further training of small-scale farmers so that they can develop skills in negotiating for good prices for their commodities. (Likilunga; 12; December 2005) â€Å"Extensive control of land by other countries can also raise questions of political interference and influence. (David Hallam; December 2009). Government maintains secrecy in the deals involving foreign investors. This lack in transparency undermines government accountability and gives an opportunity for corruption. Some recently reported land deals were associated with allegations that investors had paid cash or in-kind contributions to business or other activities run by high government officials or even the president in a personal capacity (e. g. Hervieu, 2009), even where private ownership is formally recognized most of the land is controlled by state (Cotula, Vermulen, Leonard and Keeley; 69; 2009). It has been seen that incomes are very unevenly distributed in Zambia. â€Å"Bottom 80% of populations in terms of earning are reported to have acquired only 31. 3% of total income, while the top 20% of population claimed 68. 87% of total income†. (Zambian Economist, 31 May, 2008). Non availability of written agreement on land acquisition has created disputes in some settlement area. A vigorous consultative process on land acquisition has to be adopted o minimize these land disputes. It is required to have all the deals in the written form. Appropriate Resettlement policy should be in place and adequate compensation should be give to the displaced farmers. Farmers generally practice subsistence farming and the land of cultivation is scattered. Most of the rural population keeps on migrating within the country. The liberalization of the agriculture sector and other reforms in Zambia, were accompanied by the decline in cultivated land and maize production. The proportion of households selling to the market and concentration of serves in central areas was also reduced. (Sangrario Floro and Schaefer: 84; fall 1998). With privatization, subsistence farmers have to move out. Before the reforms, Government bore all the transportation expenses both within and between regions and gave huge fertilizer subsidy so the prices of food grain as same for all producers. After reforms of 1990s, it was found that the cost of production has increased drastically because of high transportation costs and removal of subsidies for fertilizer, forcing farmers to sell at farm gate only. Thus the supply to market was nil. Evidence can be taken from the copper mines in Zambia, which was privatized in 1991. Large tract of land was required for development of new mines. There was often negotiation with local chiefs for land. Local people were persuaded on the trust that they will be relocated to other areas. Most often interest of local people was in variance with that of investors. Sometimes the local chiefs enter into secret deals with investors and accepted bribes as an inducement to persuade their subjects to acquiesce to investors’ demands. Impact of large scale mining on local community has been negative. There were social conflicts, destruction of livelihood, dislocation and displacement of local communities and environment degradation (Simutanya, ISS paper 165; July 2008). In case of foreign investments, it is noticed that Zambians were not given many job opportunities and people were placed from permanent to rolling contracts leading to casualization of labour. If agriculture land is given in foreign hands, it can lead to similar consequences. Foreign investors are driven by profit motive. They generally us capital intensive techniques driving labour out of work force. They also try to minimize wages to capture more profits in their hands. Profit, rather than having any impact on Zambia economy, is placed in banks or re-invested in companies outside the country. But it is also seen that with privatization, all workers came as a union, there was increase in the minimum wages. It can also be expected from agriculture sector. If all agricultural workers work in a huge tract of land then even they can coordinate themselves and demand for better wages and better working conditions. ). The economical benefits were also marginal, leading to large inequalities. In 2009, more than 80% of Zambia’s foreign exchange earnings and 15. 9% of GDP came from copper mining. (iol. co. a: Zambia copper mines: More local benefits urged; April 2010). In 2006, the contribution of mining to PAYE[1] was 54%, to VAT[2] was 45% and to employment generation was 58%. (Source: Zambia Development Authority). But Zambia fails to influence World market prices. (Source: www1. america. edu) Fluctuations in copper prices can impact the whole economy. So there is need to develop agriculture sector also as a safety net. But in which direction policy should be made is yet to be decided. The policy recommendations should be such that it should not affect the social and environmental climate of the country.