School Drop Out Rates Essay Example

School Drop Out Rates Essay One of the greatest gifts to have been bestowed upon the children of our nation is the offering of equitable academic education.   It is by means of the education presented that we as individuals are able to develop and advance the necessary skills to lead productive and prosperous lives.   In retrospect, while many may look back thankfully at the knowledge gained throughout our school years, the same may not be said for everyone, as dropout rates continue to play a dramatic role in today’s society.  Ã‚   So what are dropout rates and how are they important to not only the individual dropout but to society as well?   Throughout the following we will answer these questions as well as analyze various methods of measurement, the validity of those measurements, minority and ethnic groups affected and potential solutions regarding this crucial issue.If â€Å"knowledge is power†, then why would one opt to negate such an extraordinary gift?   Though the idea of schoo l for certain students can undoubtedly be difficult, uncomfortable and boring at times, the consequences rendered from ridding themselves of this learning process can be far more overwhelming in the long run.   Low paying jobs, illiteracy and quality of life issues are only a few such consequences.   Furthermore, individual dropouts are not the only ones to suffer from these effects.   Communities with higher dropout rates tend to have greater percentages of residents collecting public assistance, tax revenue losses and elevated crime rates.   For instance, it is believed that dropouts are 3.5 times more likely to commit crimes.   That being said, 75% of prison inmates have not graduated from a high school program. This in turn spurns greater prison costs. Additionally, studies have shown that illegal drug use may increase among high school dropouts. (Smink, J., Drew, S. Duckenfield, M., 2006)Sadly, children may also find themselves victims in the educational push and pul l as they become prone to repeating the cycle of their parents. (Smink, J., Drew, S. Duckenfield, M., 2006)   As children, we gained much knowledge by what we saw and what we â€Å"believed† to be correct.   On that note, if parents do not take their own education, or lack thereof, seriously, then it stands to reason as to what direction their children will take?   Yet, to speak of ill effects may not be enough.  Ã‚   In order to at least comprehend the magnitude of this ongoing issue and its social ramifications, governing entities must be able to statistically evaluate information that presents itself as a means to develop solutions.   Dropout rates may serve this very purpose.Since the 1970’s dropout rates have gradually decreased, yet issues of educational abandonment remain.   The compilation of data used to study dropout rates can be a promising tool not only in determining school performance but they may also be helpful in deciphering trends.  Ã‚   By studying these rates, the development of special services devoted to the reduction and prevention of dropouts from state to state can be initiated.   It is noteworthy to mention that available services come from partnered efforts such as governmental and community agencies as well as through business.  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Students generally are considered to have dropped out when they leave school, do not transfer, do not graduate and do not return to school in the next year.†Ã‚   Methods of determining dropout rates vary, however, dependant upon the question to be answered, such as specific age groups, yearly percentages or combined grade levels over a period of time.   Some of the most noted rate structures are Longitudinal, Attrition, Annual and Status Rates.   (Creech, 2000)Longitudinal Rates are useful in determining â€Å"the percentage of 9th graders who do not graduate in five years†.   Using division (No. of dropouts / No. of original class members) this rate is easily generated and offers the student a greater period of time to obtain their high school certificate.   However, due to limited availability of necessary information like that of the actual number of school transfers, the rates may not be wholly accurate.   For this reason, Longitudinal Rates are mainly projections of yearly rates.   (Creech, 2000)Similarly, Attrition Rates are determined by 9th grade percentages but do not allow for the extra (5th) year and like Longitudinal Rates certain necessary information may be lacking to accurately arrive at true percentages.   These rates are computed by subtraction and division methods using the number of 9th grade students enrolled four years prior minus the total number of graduating students and then dividing by the 9th grade enrollment numbers.   (Creech, 2000)   While difficult to understand, the following example may serve to clarify any confusion.   If we had 450 total students enrolled in 9th grade an d four years later only 350 graduated, it is obvious we would have 100 students who would considered dropouts.   If we then take those 100 students and divide it by the 450 students initially enrolled our Attrition Rate would result in 22.2% dropout rate covering that four-year period of time.School performance percentages are the primary goal of Annual Dropout Rates which compares enrollment for the months of May and June to those of the following September.   Although overall dropout percentages from year to year are easily determined by this method, state variations on grade levels included display no uniformity.   As a result, state-to-state comparisons are not feasible.   Another disadvantage of analyzing only the number of dropouts for that given year is lower percentage rates that may not paint a complete picture of the actual problem.   For instance average rates compiled over a period of four years may not correspond to yearly rates.   Lower rates can also be at tributed to the grade level variations, as states including 7th and 8th grade students in their final percentage.   Typically, students of younger age groups do not dropout of school until much later when restrictions are lifted.   In this sense, underestimation seems inevitable. (Creech, 2000)Status Rates are accumulated through U.S Census Bureau Population Surveys and are used to determine dropout rates among specific age groups and are the most beneficial or accurate rates for comparison of state-to-state percentages.   For example, Status Rates may report the percentage of 16 through 19 year-olds who have not graduated high school and who are not enrolled.   (Creech, 2000)   According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES, 2001) â€Å"in October 1999, there were 3.8 million 16-24-year-olds were not enrolled in a high school program and who had not completed high school†, regardless of when they attended school.   Consequently, 11.2% of 16 throu gh 24-year-old dropouts in the United States fell within this category.  Ã‚   Through such rates the overall dropout problem existing within our population is revealed. Status Rates can greatly aid in the furtherance of developing additional education and training designed to help incite dropouts to more readily participate within the nation’s economy as well as lead more productive lives.The NCES also computes annual Event Rate Statistics.  Ã‚   These rates encompass, ages 15 through 24-year-olds in grades 10-12 who have dropped out in the year preceding the data collection and is a valuable measure as to the effectiveness of educator’s ability to keep students enrolled.   It is important to mention that with the statistical calculations for Event Rates, students are viewed as having completed a high school program whether through traditional class work or by receiving their certification via alternate means such as a GED.   It is estimated that while over the last 25 years Event Dropout Rates have fluctuated, an overall decrease has been recorded from 6.1% in 1972 to 5.0% in 1999.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Event Status Rates (1999) also determined â€Å"5 out of every 100 young adults who were enrolled in high school in October 1998 were no longer in school and had not successfully completed high school†.   Event rates are collected through Current Population Surveys (CPS).   Such surveys allow for calculations to be determined based on characteristics such as ethnicity, sex, location of residency and income level.   For instance, the NCES has compiled data in 1999 that supported the fact that students of families in the lowest 20% of household incomes had a five times higher likelihood of dropping out of school.   Which minority groups overall are more likely to dropout of school can also be determined through Event Rates.   (NCES, 2001)According to calculated percentages Hispanics make up the majority of school dropouts among minor ity and ethnic groups.   As Creech (2000) points out, statistics set forth by the NCES, determined that 38% of Hispanic students had dropped out of school in 1998, whereas, only 17% of black students were estimated to have dropped out within that specified year.   Figures such as these may be largely due to language barriers of students born abroad or living with families where English is used primarily as a second language.  Ã‚   Overall black and Hispanic students were 2-3 times more likely to drop out of school than white students.   Other social influences that may contribute to higher   drop out rates are pregnancy, behavioral problems and self-esteem issues.   In order to combat these problems, special programs for groups like teen parents and those whose first language is not English must be instituted.   (Creech, 2000)Yet, even with the mass amounts of technical information offered as to the various methods and calculations of dropout rates, we are left with th e question, are dropout rates valid as a true account of the nationwide problem?   As discussed in earlier paragraphs, accuracy is not always achieved.   For instance, most school informational systems do not have a means to track students who have transferred to other schools or who have failed.   During calculations of Longitudinal and Attrition Rates, the only information taken into account is the number of enrolled students compared to non-enrolled students over a given time period.   As a result, actual transfer students are included as dropouts when such is not the case.   While it has neither been proved nor disproved, states that have adopted the Exit Exam policies before certification can be received, may lead to a greater percentage of students failing.   This in turn will not only lower graduation rates but may increase inaccurate dropout percentages. (Greene, J. Winters, M.A., 2005)In fact, the mere defining of the term â€Å"dropout† can in itself cr eate reporting inaccuracy.   This is primarily caused by a great number of states that differ in their opinion as to who should be counted as a dropout.   Furthermore, these variances make it nearly impossible to compare the rate of dropouts between states or statistics presented in previous years.   (Creech, 2000)Status Rates have also been criticized.   Sum and Harrington (2003) believe Status Rates, as calculated by the U.S. Department of Education are â€Å"substantially biased†.   One reason may be the denominator attributed to Status Rates that does not allow for future dropouts in students 18 through 24 years of age.   The problem being, as research has shown, it is more likely these students over the age of 18 will decide to drop out of school as they are well over the average age of their peers.Another issue presented is the exclusion of those students who have left school but have acquired their GED.   While the positive aspects of obtaining a GED may be inspiring, studies have determined that the GED is not an equitable assessment of a traditional high school diploma.   Moreover, students age 18 through 24 who have been institutionalized or imprisoned are also excluded from Status Rate calculations.   (Sum, A. Harrington, P., 2003)Overall, prevention is key in the reduction of dropout rates.   Legislative enforcements like that of The Education and Economic Development Act (2005) have been enacted to improve academic achievement while focusing on career choice, work skills and graduation rates.   (Smink, J., Drew, S. Duckenfield, M., 2006)   In addition, it may prove significantly beneficial for policymakers to set in place more advanced data   systems that can better predict and detail those students who are most likely to dropout of school.   Means of intervention via education administrators must also come into play for schools that have repeated performance issues that may diminish student motivation and incr ease dropout rates.   (Achieve, Inc., 2006)In summary, while the implementation of calculating dropout rates can be beneficial tools to the researcher, they may not serve the best interest of the community or students assessed.   Without an accurate depiction of the existing problem we cannot achieve the goal of preventing and/or reducing dropout rates. Still, we must continue on through trial, error and heated debate, in hopes of a better tomorrow for our young adults. School Drop Out Rates Essay Example School Drop Out Rates Essay One of the greatest gifts to have been bestowed upon the children of our nation is the offering of equitable academic education.   It is by means of the education presented that we as individuals are able to develop and advance the necessary skills to lead productive and prosperous lives.   In retrospect, while many may look back thankfully at the knowledge gained throughout our school years, the same may not be said for everyone, as dropout rates continue to play a dramatic role in today’s society.  Ã‚   So what are dropout rates and how are they important to not only the individual dropout but to society as well?   Throughout the following we will answer these questions as well as analyze various methods of measurement, the validity of those measurements, minority and ethnic groups affected and potential solutions regarding this crucial issue.If â€Å"knowledge is power†, then why would one opt to negate such an extraordinary gift?   Though the idea of schoo l for certain students can undoubtedly be difficult, uncomfortable and boring at times, the consequences rendered from ridding themselves of this learning process can be far more overwhelming in the long run.   Low paying jobs, illiteracy and quality of life issues are only a few such consequences.   Furthermore, individual dropouts are not the only ones to suffer from these effects.   Communities with higher dropout rates tend to have greater percentages of residents collecting public assistance, tax revenue losses and elevated crime rates.   For instance, it is believed that dropouts are 3.5 times more likely to commit crimes.   That being said, 75% of prison inmates have not graduated from a high school program. This in turn spurns greater prison costs. Additionally, studies have shown that illegal drug use may increase among high school dropouts. (Smink, J., Drew, S. Duckenfield, M., 2006)Sadly, children may also find themselves victims in the educational push and pul l as they become prone to repeating the cycle of their parents. (Smink, J., Drew, S. Duckenfield, M., 2006)   As children, we gained much knowledge by what we saw and what we â€Å"believed† to be correct.   On that note, if parents do not take their own education, or lack thereof, seriously, then it stands to reason as to what direction their children will take?   Yet, to speak of ill effects may not be enough.  Ã‚   In order to at least comprehend the magnitude of this ongoing issue and its social ramifications, governing entities must be able to statistically evaluate information that presents itself as a means to develop solutions.   Dropout rates may serve this very purpose.Since the 1970’s dropout rates have gradually decreased, yet issues of educational abandonment remain.   The compilation of data used to study dropout rates can be a promising tool not only in determining school performance but they may also be helpful in deciphering trends.  Ã‚   By studying these rates, the development of special services devoted to the reduction and prevention of dropouts from state to state can be initiated.   It is noteworthy to mention that available services come from partnered efforts such as governmental and community agencies as well as through business.  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Students generally are considered to have dropped out when they leave school, do not transfer, do not graduate and do not return to school in the next year.†Ã‚   Methods of determining dropout rates vary, however, dependant upon the question to be answered, such as specific age groups, yearly percentages or combined grade levels over a period of time.   Some of the most noted rate structures are Longitudinal, Attrition, Annual and Status Rates.   (Creech, 2000)Longitudinal Rates are useful in determining â€Å"the percentage of 9th graders who do not graduate in five years†.   Using division (No. of dropouts / No. of original class members) this rate is easily generated and offers the student a greater period of time to obtain their high school certificate.   However, due to limited availability of necessary information like that of the actual number of school transfers, the rates may not be wholly accurate.   For this reason, Longitudinal Rates are mainly projections of yearly rates.   (Creech, 2000)Similarly, Attrition Rates are determined by 9th grade percentages but do not allow for the extra (5th) year and like Longitudinal Rates certain necessary information may be lacking to accurately arrive at true percentages.   These rates are computed by subtraction and division methods using the number of 9th grade students enrolled four years prior minus the total number of graduating students and then dividing by the 9th grade enrollment numbers.   (Creech, 2000)   While difficult to understand, the following example may serve to clarify any confusion.   If we had 450 total students enrolled in 9th grade an d four years later only 350 graduated, it is obvious we would have 100 students who would considered dropouts.   If we then take those 100 students and divide it by the 450 students initially enrolled our Attrition Rate would result in 22.2% dropout rate covering that four-year period of time.School performance percentages are the primary goal of Annual Dropout Rates which compares enrollment for the months of May and June to those of the following September.   Although overall dropout percentages from year to year are easily determined by this method, state variations on grade levels included display no uniformity.   As a result, state-to-state comparisons are not feasible.   Another disadvantage of analyzing only the number of dropouts for that given year is lower percentage rates that may not paint a complete picture of the actual problem.   For instance average rates compiled over a period of four years may not correspond to yearly rates.   Lower rates can also be at tributed to the grade level variations, as states including 7th and 8th grade students in their final percentage.   Typically, students of younger age groups do not dropout of school until much later when restrictions are lifted.   In this sense, underestimation seems inevitable. (Creech, 2000)Status Rates are accumulated through U.S Census Bureau Population Surveys and are used to determine dropout rates among specific age groups and are the most beneficial or accurate rates for comparison of state-to-state percentages.   For example, Status Rates may report the percentage of 16 through 19 year-olds who have not graduated high school and who are not enrolled.   (Creech, 2000)   According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES, 2001) â€Å"in October 1999, there were 3.8 million 16-24-year-olds were not enrolled in a high school program and who had not completed high school†, regardless of when they attended school.   Consequently, 11.2% of 16 throu gh 24-year-old dropouts in the United States fell within this category.  Ã‚   Through such rates the overall dropout problem existing within our population is revealed. Status Rates can greatly aid in the furtherance of developing additional education and training designed to help incite dropouts to more readily participate within the nation’s economy as well as lead more productive lives.The NCES also computes annual Event Rate Statistics.  Ã‚   These rates encompass, ages 15 through 24-year-olds in grades 10-12 who have dropped out in the year preceding the data collection and is a valuable measure as to the effectiveness of educator’s ability to keep students enrolled.   It is important to mention that with the statistical calculations for Event Rates, students are viewed as having completed a high school program whether through traditional class work or by receiving their certification via alternate means such as a GED.   It is estimated that while over the last 25 years Event Dropout Rates have fluctuated, an overall decrease has been recorded from 6.1% in 1972 to 5.0% in 1999.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Event Status Rates (1999) also determined â€Å"5 out of every 100 young adults who were enrolled in high school in October 1998 were no longer in school and had not successfully completed high school†.   Event rates are collected through Current Population Surveys (CPS).   Such surveys allow for calculations to be determined based on characteristics such as ethnicity, sex, location of residency and income level.   For instance, the NCES has compiled data in 1999 that supported the fact that students of families in the lowest 20% of household incomes had a five times higher likelihood of dropping out of school.   Which minority groups overall are more likely to dropout of school can also be determined through Event Rates.   (NCES, 2001)According to calculated percentages Hispanics make up the majority of school dropouts among minor ity and ethnic groups.   As Creech (2000) points out, statistics set forth by the NCES, determined that 38% of Hispanic students had dropped out of school in 1998, whereas, only 17% of black students were estimated to have dropped out within that specified year.   Figures such as these may be largely due to language barriers of students born abroad or living with families where English is used primarily as a second language.  Ã‚   Overall black and Hispanic students were 2-3 times more likely to drop out of school than white students.   Other social influences that may contribute to higher   drop out rates are pregnancy, behavioral problems and self-esteem issues.   In order to combat these problems, special programs for groups like teen parents and those whose first language is not English must be instituted.   (Creech, 2000)Yet, even with the mass amounts of technical information offered as to the various methods and calculations of dropout rates, we are left with th e question, are dropout rates valid as a true account of the nationwide problem?   As discussed in earlier paragraphs, accuracy is not always achieved.   For instance, most school informational systems do not have a means to track students who have transferred to other schools or who have failed.   During calculations of Longitudinal and Attrition Rates, the only information taken into account is the number of enrolled students compared to non-enrolled students over a given time period.   As a result, actual transfer students are included as dropouts when such is not the case.   While it has neither been proved nor disproved, states that have adopted the Exit Exam policies before certification can be received, may lead to a greater percentage of students failing.   This in turn will not only lower graduation rates but may increase inaccurate dropout percentages. (Greene, J. Winters, M.A., 2005)In fact, the mere defining of the term â€Å"dropout† can in itself cr eate reporting inaccuracy.   This is primarily caused by a great number of states that differ in their opinion as to who should be counted as a dropout.   Furthermore, these variances make it nearly impossible to compare the rate of dropouts between states or statistics presented in previous years.   (Creech, 2000)Status Rates have also been criticized.   Sum and Harrington (2003) believe Status Rates, as calculated by the U.S. Department of Education are â€Å"substantially biased†.   One reason may be the denominator attributed to Status Rates that does not allow for future dropouts in students 18 through 24 years of age.   The problem being, as research has shown, it is more likely these students over the age of 18 will decide to drop out of school as they are well over the average age of their peers.Another issue presented is the exclusion of those students who have left school but have acquired their GED.   While the positive aspects of obtaining a GED may be inspiring, studies have determined that the GED is not an equitable assessment of a traditional high school diploma.   Moreover, students age 18 through 24 who have been institutionalized or imprisoned are also excluded from Status Rate calculations.   (Sum, A. Harrington, P., 2003)Overall, prevention is key in the reduction of dropout rates.   Legislative enforcements like that of The Education and Economic Development Act (2005) have been enacted to improve academic achievement while focusing on career choice, work skills and graduation rates.   (Smink, J., Drew, S. Duckenfield, M., 2006)   In addition, it may prove significantly beneficial for policymakers to set in place more advanced data   systems that can better predict and detail those students who are most likely to dropout of school.   Means of intervention via education administrators must also come into play for schools that have repeated performance issues that may diminish student motivation and incr ease dropout rates.   (Achieve, Inc., 2006)In summary, while the implementation of calculating dropout rates can be beneficial tools to the researcher, they may not serve the best interest of the community or students assessed.   Without an accurate depiction of the existing problem we cannot achieve the goal of preventing and/or reducing dropout rates. Still, we must continue on through trial, error and heated debate, in hopes of a better tomorrow for our young adults.

Oxford Referencing †Citing a Journal Article

Oxford Referencing – Citing a Journal Article Oxford Referencing – Citing a Journal Article At some point, you may need to reference a journal article when writing a dissertation or essay. And when using Oxford referencing, you’ll need two things for this: footnote citations and an entry in the bibliography. The format of Oxford citations can differ depending on the version of the system used, so make sure to check your style guide if you have one. However, the general rules for referencing a journal article are as follows. Citing a Print Journal Article in Footnotes Footnote citations are indicated with superscript numbers in the text: This is how it should appear in your document.1 Source details are then given in a footnote at the bottom of the page. The first time you reference a journal article, use the following format: n. Initial(s). Surname, â€Å"Article Title,† Journal Title, volume, number, year, page number(s). The â€Å"page number(s)† bit here should point to the specific part of the article cited. Using this format, you should end up with something like this: 1. T. Walker, â€Å"Beating the System,† Economics 101, vol. 10, no. 4, 2007, p. 167. If the article you’re citing has two or three authors, meanwhile, you can use and to separate the last two names: 2. O. Duffy, S. Taylor and J. Tokunago, â€Å"Using Mulch to Improve Your Crops,† Ecology Reports, vol. 6, no. 8, 2009, pp. 34-35. And if it has more than three authors, use â€Å"et al.† after the first name: 3. M. Larkin et al., â€Å"Determining Time,† Space and Beyond, vol. 12, no.4, 2015, p. 16. This will provide all the information your reader needs to find the article in question. But you will also need a bibliography entry (see below). Citing an Online Journal Article in Footnotes The format for citing an electronic journal article is similar, but most versions of Oxford referencing also require a URL and date of access in these cases: n. Initial(s). Surname, â€Å"Article Title,† Journal Title, volume, number, year, page number(s), URL, accessed day month year. For instance, we would cite an online journal article as follows: 1. T. Walker, â€Å"Beating the System,† Economics 101, vol. 10, no. 4, 2007, p. 167, https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3998/mpub.14486 , accessed April 6, 2019. Alternatively, you could give the name of a database instead of a URL. The key in both cases is to clearly show how you accessed the article. Subsequent Footnotes After the first citation, you can use a shortened format if you end up citing the same journal article again. Depending on the style guide you’re using, there are two ways to do this: Latin abbreviations or a shortened footnote format. Repeat Citations: Latin Abbreviations Many versions of Oxford referencing use three Latin abbreviations: Ibid. (meaning â€Å"in the same place†) – Used to cite the same source twice in a row. These are known as consecutive citations. Make sure to include a new page number if you’re citing a different part of the same text. Op. cit. (meaning â€Å"in the work cited†) – Used when citing a different part of the text in a non-consecutive citation (i.e., when you have cited at least one other source since the initial footnote). Use this after the authors surname. If you have cited more than one source by the author in question, include a shortened source title for clarity, too. Loc. cit. (meaning â€Å"in the place cited†) – As above, but used when citing the same page as in the initial footnote citation. In practice, then, repeat citations would look something like this: 4. L. Stephenson, â€Å"Replacing BMW Tires,† Practical Help for Aspiring Mechanics, vol. 76, no. 7, 2010, p. 22. 5. Ibid. p. 27. 6. R. Rose, â€Å"Carburetors and Me,† Automotive Anonymous, vol. 34, no. 6, 2011, p. 16. 7. Stephenson, op. cit., pp. 29-31. 8. Rose, loc. cit. Here, footnotes 4, 5 and 7 all cite different parts of the Stephenson source. Footnotes 6 and 8, meanwhile, both cite page 16 of the Rose source. Repeat Citations: Shortened Format Alternatively, some versions of Oxford referencing abbreviate repeat citations by giving the author’s surname and a page number. If you have cited more than one source by a single author, moreover, make sure to include a shortened title to indicate which source you are citing: 4. L. Stephenson, â€Å"Replacing BMW Tires,† Practical Help for Aspiring Mechanics, vol. 76, no. 7, 2010, p. 22. 5. R. Rose, â€Å"Carburetors and Me,† Automotive Anonymous, vol. 34, no. 6, 2011, p. 16. 6. L. Stephenson, â€Å"Driving through Spain,† The European Road Trip, vol. 12, no. 6, 2003, p. 87. 7. Stephenson, â€Å"Replacing BMW Tires,† pp. 29-31. 8. Rose, p. 16. Here, for instance, footnotes 4 and 7 are both for one of the Stephenson articles, while footnotes 5 and 8 are for the Rose article called â€Å"Carburetors and Me.† We include a title in the repeat Stephenson citation to distinguish it from the source in footnote 6, which is also by Stephenson. Journal Articles in an Oxford Bibliography At the end of your document, you will need to list all sources in a bibliography. The format to use here for a journal article is: Surname, Initial(s), â€Å"Article Title,† Journal Title, volume, number, year, page number(s). Note that, in the bibliography, you should include the full page range for a journal article, not just a pinpoint citation for the page(s) cited. In addition, as with footnote citations, you will need to include a URL/database name and a date of access for online journal articles. In practice, then, a journal article in the bibliography would look like this: Stephenson, L., â€Å"Driving through Spain,† The European Road Trip, vol. 12, no. 6, 2003, pp. 74-87. Walker, T., â€Å"Beating the System,† Economics 101, vol. 10, no. 4, 2007, pp. 160-167, https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3998/mpub.14486 , accessed April 6, 2019. And if you’d like someone to check your document, including footnotes and the bibliography, get in touch with our academic proofreaders today.

RISK ASSESSMENT AND RISK MANAGEMENT - APPLICATION OF MODELS Assignment

RISK ASSESSMENT AND RISK MANAGEMENT - APPLICATION OF MODELS - Assignment Example Further, estimates show that the people living in developing nations, particularly women and children are more affected by indoor air pollution due to their reliance on bio fuels like coal, dung, wood etc (WHO 2006). Thus indoor air quality has been a major area of concern for scientists and policy makers in the recent years due to its implications for health and welfare. Hence, the risk assessment and risk management of indoor air quality deserve special attention. This report discusses the risk assessment and risk management of indoor quality using the NAS model. The NAS model consists of hazard assessment, exposure assessment, risk characterization and risk management (Common Wealth of Australia 2002).All these steps focusing on indoor air quality are discussed in detail in the following sections. A hazard is defined as an agent’s ability to produce any harmful effect on environment or health. It is not same as risk but can be the factor that can be a source of risk or risk factor. Hazard assessment involves two steps .They are hazard identification and dose response assessment (Common Wealth of Australia 2002).In the hazard identification stage of indoor air quality , it is determined whether nor not particular agents of indoor air are harmful to health or environment. The hazard identification for indoor quality is done based on epidemiological, toxicological and occupational or indoor studies. Hazard identification describes qualitatively the capability of agents to produce harmful effects .It is based on indoor observations that may potentially create adverse impacts on health or environment (ECA 2000). After identifying the hazards, the next step is doze response assessment. This describes quantitatively the links between the agents and adverse effects. The dose assessment is done using chamber studies

Proposing a Solution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Proposing a Solution - Essay Example However, Muslims suffer from outrageous discrimination and oppression in German society, which is the blatant violation of human rights entrenched by some United Nations conventions (I suppose there are some). Well, we cannot overlook the fact that, compared to other European countries, Germany provides relatively wide range of opportunities for immigrants’ employment; but Muslim immigrants face barriers in employment related to their religion and ethnicity (Muehe 21), which endangers their welfare and ability to earn their living in the host country. German employers show profound bias in their policy, for they would rather hire a jobless German meeting the requirements than an immigrant worker, who will inevitably the very last resort. This unfair policy seems very controversial, for â€Å"since the 1990s, analysts have pointed to Germanys ongoing need for immigrants to bolster economic development and maintain a dynamic workforce, given the rapid aging of the countrys popu lation† (Oezcan). In other words, don’t Muslim workers deserve equal employment prospects after all they have done for Germany? Moreover, Muslims experience vast cultural and religious discrimination in German environment, which gradually forces them to integrate and assimilate via various sadistic language courses and governmental integration programs. German government first admits Muslim immigrants into the country and then considers five or six million of them a problem that needs to be handled. Muslims experience blatant rejection of their religion and are virtually forced to hide their Islamic centers in unmarked buildings on the outskirts of the cities (Brenner), and the number of mosques in Germany is unbelievably small: Berlin, the great capital if this tolerant state hosts only four big mosques! Muslims are violently persecuted by anti-fundamentalist activists of German descent: for instance, peaceful

Strategic marketing management (examination) Term Paper

Strategic marketing management (examination) - Term Paper Example The culture of an organization may prove so hard to change when change facilitators think of a unitary culture for an organization. In real world, no company operates as a uniform whole, but various units of a company may display different culture, which make subcultures of an entire organization. Changing organizational culture demands a deep understanding of the existing culture and clear knowledge about what culture the management intends to inculcate in the company to replace the old culture. Therefore, planning should always be done based on existing corporate culture because employees are already familiar with what is expected of them and know what values the company embrace. For example, Google gives its employees the freedom to explore new ideas and staff members have easy access to co-founders as well as executives. If the company wanted to implement a culture that takes away the autonomy of employees in the way they work and create a barrier to founders and executive access , it is most likely that employees will rebel against the proposed change. Penetration pricing: under this pricing strategy the company decides to set artificially low prices for its products in order to attract more customers and establish loyalty among existing customers, thus expanding market share. For example, Apple can decide to set prices for it Smartphone lower than its competitors such as Samsung in order to regain its market share. The approach was utilized by France Telecom as well as Sky TV to widen their market share. Skimming pricing: Using this strategy, a company can set high initial price for its product and then gradually lowers the price of the product to gain more market share. For example, Apple Company may have set high price for its Smartphone then later reduced the price amidst competition so that it can make it available to low market end and increase the company’s market share. Franchising is a business

Behaviour through a lifespan perspective

Behaviour through a lifespan perspective What are the advantages and disadvantages of viewing behaviour through a lifespan perspective for social work practice? This assignment will look at the advantages and disadvantages a social worker viewing behaviour through a lifespan perspective may encounter. It will look at developmental theories that relate to the chosen service user group, and how, as a social worker, this knowledge would increase understanding of the service user and how this in turn may affect the role of a social worker in practice. The service users age group being explored in this assignment will be older adults aged from 65+. Lifespan development starts from conception and finishes with the death of each individual. During each individuals lifespan there are constant changes and developments taking place, the majority of stages and life changes each individual passes through are due to their common psychological and biological heritage as humans and are shared by all people. Culture and social class, and the individuals environment are all factors that help shape the course of development (Niven. N.1989). There are five main theoretical approaches for lifespan development; these are biological, cognitive, humanist, behaviourist and the psychodynamic approach. Ageing in late life is shaped by the accumulation of life events and the proximity of death; a misperception about ageing is that disability and poor health in later adult life are inevitable (Davies, M, 2002). During each individuals lifespan, they will experience a series of crises and life transitions. Throughout the lifespan there are certain periods or stages where each individual will face a transition from one state to another. These periods have been referred to as life crises by some psychologists, each crisis needing to be resolved in order to progress to the next stage. Each individual proceeds through the stages of development, and the way in which they deal with each crisis in each stage of development shapes their personality (Niven, N, 1989). Other approaches agree that there are certain stages in development that have significance for each individual, but they state that there are also other events that can also shape development these being experienced by some indiv iduals but not all. Retirement is just one of a number of changes that need to be adjusted to in late adulthood, among the others are declining health and physical strength along with physical and sensory impairment which can result in increased dependency on others in late adulthood (Beckett.C.2002). Several physical and cognitive changes also take place in old age (Bee Mitchell, 1984) cited in (Sugarman. L. 1990. Pg 53). The bodily changes that are associated with ageing are summarized in five words- slower, weaker, lesser, fewer and smaller. As ageing occurs experience gained throughout the lifespan helps the individual and they learn to compensate for the many gradual declines that accompany old age. (Corse 1975) cited in (Sugarman. L. 1990. Pg 53) concludes that experience, intelligence, and education can help maintain normal perceptual and sensory functioning. Many changes in appearance take place in old age. Outward appearances begin to show ageing, older peoples skin begins to lose elasticity, which causes lines and wrinkles to appear, hair loss and grey hair may be one of the first signs of ageing, and hearing and eye sight now begin to deteriorate (Windmill.V.1987). Internally the kidneys, lungs, heart and intestinal tract all begin to function less and there may be deterioration of muscles which can literally cause old people to shrink. The reduction of calcium in the bones makes the old person more prone to fractures and brittleness of the bones is also a problem in the older population. Arthritis is one of the more serious health problems affecting older people and for most people these changes may be gradual (Windmill.V.1987). A social worker needs the basic insight of childhood studies, as without them it would be difficult to assess adults on adulthood theories alone. Freud is credited with beginning the psychoanalytic approach. The central assumption of this approach is that behaviour is governed by the unconscious as well as the conscious processes; some are present at birth while others develop over time. (Beckett.C.2002) The second assumption of the psychoanalytic theory is that our personalities have a structure that develops over time. Freud proposed three parts of the personality- the id, the ego, and the superego. Freuds key assumptions were that adults personalities depend on childhood experiences; he assumed children go through five psychosexual stages. The first being the oral stage, the second the anal stage, and the remaining stages being the phallic stage, the latency period and the genital stage. (Beckett.C.2002). When looking at human lifespan development, Erik Eriksons theories can be of use to a social worker. Erikson was a student of Freud; however he had some very different ideas. He thought development was psychosocial and due partly to maturation and partly due to society. Erikson also thought that personality development continued across the lifespan, unlike Freud, who suggest personality development finished in adolescence. Erikson (1980) cited in (Niven, N, 1989, pg 155) proposed eight stages of development which he called developmental crises, these being viewed more as a period of difficulty or dilemma. They are times when individuals face a turning point or transition in their lives often involving a degree of stress associated with having to resolve each dilemma. Not only do these transitions of change affect the individuals behaviour they also affect their family and friends. Eriksons stages are phrased in terms of an opposition between two characteristics and each individual mu st successfully negotiate the task or stage in order to be able to move on to the next one. Erikssons eighth stage (late adulthood) is integrity vs despair; this suggests if the individual has managed to negotiate the previous stages, then the individual will have developed a sense of integrity. This refers to the acceptance of the limitations of life, with the sense of being a part of a larger whole which includes previous generations. It enables the individual to approach death without fear, if one looks back on ones life and sees it as unsatisfactory, despair occurs and a feeling of what if prevails. Erikson suggests that at each transition individuals may need to revisit unresolved issues from previous stages. The main strength of Eriksons theory is that it offers a framework for explaining changes in childhood and adulthood. His work has been criticised in that it represents a set of assumptions instead of precise descriptions of relationships and causes. A disadvantage here is the lack of empirical evidence- this is also another criticism of Eriksons work. The advantages for a social worker using Eriksons theory is that it provides markers for those events in a service users life that may be proving difficult and in using this approach, social workers can highlight the problems that are likely to affect people during specific stages of their life. (Niven. N. 1989). An area of life course development most associated with older adults relates to end of life issues. In the later stages of adulthood the end of life is expected. Death is the end of biological and physical functioning of the body. Factors to be taken in to account for social workers working with service users who have suffered a loss, are gender and cultural differences, as these can affect a social workers understanding of what may count as a loss and what in turn can be done about it (Currer. C 2007). Each individuals reaction to grief and emotional trauma is as unique as a fingerprint. When thinking about bereavement and loss it is useful to look at attachment theory, Bowlbys (1946) cited in (Davies, M, 2002), major work was Attachment and Loss; sadly it is the case for many individuals in later adulthood that there is a price to pay for the benefits of forming attachments. According to Bowlbys attachment theory adults, who as children had secure attachments with their carers, are able to form satisfactory relationships in adult life and this will help them to cope with the pain of bereavement in later life. Bowlbys aim of this originally was to explain the consequences for personality development and how severe disruption of attachments between infant and mother could have negative effects on development. (Butterworth. H. Harris. M. 2002). Adults who did not have secure attachments as children can be identified, according to Howe (1995) cited in (Davies, M, 2002), who suggests that avoidant individuals are the ones who show self reliance. They may display delayed reactions to grief, they attempt to be emotionally self reliant and are wary of forming relationships. This means the loss of someone who is close to them usually triggers defence mechanisms- they may not cry or appear to be upset but are vulnerable to future losses. Exaggerated reactions to grief can be accounted for when the individual has not adjusted or come to terms with earlier loss of an im portant attachment relationship. On the other hand ambivalently attached individuals may experience self-blame and guilt when their partner dies. Where there has been an insecure attachment in childhood (an attachment that does not meet the childs needs- the need for safety and security etc) Bowlby (1998) cited in (Beckett. C. 2006) suggests the anxious child will try to protect themselves against anxious situations. The child uses a variety of psychological manoeuvres and this results in what Bowlby called a faulty working model of themselves and of other relationships. To maintain this model the child will use defensive exclusion to avoid feelings that may threaten the childs already precarious stability. Attachment theory is backed up by empirical evidence. This is beneficial as it can help social workers identify causes from an individuals past and this helps to provide explanations for present behaviours and their ability to deal with change (Beckett. C.2006). Each individuals reaction to grief and emotional trauma are as unique as a fingerprint. When looking at loss it is important to remember that older people may lose friends, abilities, connections and many other things that are important to them. The significance of grief and loss in old age is dismissed by the ageist stereotype that older people will be used to loss because they are at an age where they have experienced lots of it. However the reality is that loss can be cumulative at this age and this results in negative experiences for those whose loss or grief is not recognized or addressed (Thompson.N. et al. 2008). It is important that social workers take a holistic approach to understanding life course development in older adults, as life course is central to any understanding of ageing. A social worker should be aware that an individuals life experiences and life course developments are affected by several factors- these include economic and social aspects, historical, cultural, psychological, and cognitive and physiological influences. (Crawford, K, Walker, J, 2007). All transitions expected or unexpected, sudden and unplanned, present opportunities and challenges for the individuals development and growth. Each individual will have different experiences of transitions even when the life event is common to many in society, each person will respond and adapt to that change in a unique way. (Crawford, K, Walker, J, 2007). There are disadvantages for social workers when viewing individuals through a lifespan perspective as most of the theories being used are Euro centric (European studies) and cannot be applied to all cultures. As a social worker care must be taken when using any of the behavioural approaches as they raise the issues concerning the use of power and oppression. The social worker should not focus too much on narrow behavioural issues at the expense of the larger picture (Beckett.C.2006). It is in a social workers interest not to oppress or discriminate service users but to treat them with unconditional positive regard, not forgetting to treat each service user as an individual with their own opinions and values. The theories used do have limitations as not all individuals or cultures fit the suggested norms and each person develops at a different rate. As a social worker knowing about the different viewpoints from theorists and their suggested viewpoints may enable a better understanding of what problems a service user may be experiencing. When working with service users from any age range, it is important that the social worker does not influence these transitions with their own life experiences. References Beckett.C.(2006).Essential Theory for Social Work Practice. Sage Publications Ltd. London. Beckett.C. (2002). Human Growth Development. Sage Publications Ltd. London. Bee.H. Boyd. H. (2003) 3rd Ed. Lifespan development. Pearson Education Inc. Boston. USA Butterworth. G. and Harris. M. (2002). Developmental Psychology. A Students Handbook. Psychology Press Ltd. Hove. East Sussex. Crawford. K. Walker. J. (2007) 2nd Ed, Social Work and Human Development. Learning Matters Ltd. Exeter. Currer. C. (2007). Loss and Social Work. Learning Matters Ltd. Exeter. Davies. M. (2002) 2nd Ed. The Blackwell Companion to Social Work. Blackwell Publishing Ltd.Oxford. Niven. N. (1989) Health Psychology. An Introduction for Nurses other Health Care Professionals. Churchill Livingstone. Sugarman. L. (1990). Lifespan development. Concepts, Theories and Interventions. Routledge. London. Thompson.N. Thompson. S. (2008) The Social work Companion. Palgrave Macmillan. Basingstoke. Windmill.V. (1987). Human Growth Development. Hodder and Stoughton Ltd. Kent.

Patrick Geddes Revisiting Ideas Behind the Evolution of Sex :: Essays Papers

Synopsis of the Reading and Its Impact in History Patrick Geddes Revisiting Ideas Behind the Evolution of Sex During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, scientists armed with important discoveries and novel techniques began to reevaluate the theories of race and sex. One of the important thinkers of this time was the Scottish biologist Patrick Geddes. Like many other scientists of the time, Geddes applied Darwinian evolutionary theory to other non-scientific contexts. Although Geddes is more commonly associated with social ideologies such as economics, education, and urbanization, this examination will be limited to the impact of his ideologies regarding societal gender roles and sex-determination on society and the scientific community. The book entitled Sex, co-written by Patrick Geddes and J. Arthur Thomson was published in 1914 and concentrated on these issues of sex. The authors extrapolated on initial claims from their first book together, The Evolution of Sex by utilizing more â€Å"current† discoveries. The foundations for the ideas inherent in both books stem from August Weismann’s germ-plasm theory and Darwin’s evolutionary theory. Use of the latter theory is unsurprising since Geddes was the protà ©gà © of T.H. Huxley, often referred to as Darwin’s bulldog because of his infamous advocation of Darwinian theories. Nonetheless, the importance of Geddes work on societal gender roles and sex-determination is evidenced through his descriptions that allude to male superiority, while maintaining the view that women are not defective.. Geddes work described the evolution of sex to argue societal gender roles as naturally caused. The conception of roles as â€Å"naturally caused† implies fixed or invariable innate differences between the sexes which, through evolution, is made more apparent in higher organisms. This is central to the belief behind Geddes basis of gender roles. In the second chapter of his book Sex, Geddes begins by attributing significance to the microbial act of conjugation where two Vorticella connect to partially exchange genetic material before they separate. He describes these unicellular organisms as, â€Å"Analogues of males and females among multi-cellular organisms†¦ they are like ova and spermatozoa which have not formed ‘bodies’† (Geddes, 23). Here, Geddes is correlating the act of conjugation to the act of sexual intercourse by the coming together and the exchange of genetic information.

Environment on Darfur After the Conflict Essay

The world has experienced a lot of conflicts for quite a long time throughout history. All the time there is a conflict, the damages caused is mostly documented in terms of how many casualties have been reported, and the impact it has caused on the economy. It is however rare to hear people talking on the effects these conflicts can have on the natural environment or which steps have been taken to protect the natural environment from such conflicts. The natural environment for a long time has been a silent victim of the conflicts that occurs either locally or internationally leaving the repercussions to be felt for quite some time. In many cases, the impact the war and other conflicts have been having on the environment has been generally very devastating. There are many pollutants that are released in the environment during the war which can end up affecting the natural resources. On the other hand, there are other natural resources that are depleted during the conflict leaving the environment at a worse position. A major problem is that most of the current conflicts are witnessed in the developing countries which do not have the economic capacity to deal with the environmental problems hence causing a major setback. Africa has had quite long cases of civil wars some which started during the colonial period and still taking place to now. These countries have been mostly been fighting over the borders which were drawn by the colonial powers for their on interests. Most of the wars taking place in Africa are as a cause of fighting for natural resources such as fertile farming land or water. Due to the long history of these civil wars in Africa, it is difficult to know exactly what these conflicts have caused to the environment. However, looking at the rate of the loss of biodiversity in the affected regions, it can be easy to realize how serious the situation has left the damage to the environment. Darfur Conflict and the Impact It Has Caused on the Environment Southern Sudan has witnessed along civil war that has caused many nations through the United Nations body and the African unity to try and broker peace in the region and bring things to the normal situation. The conflict that is being witnessed in the region right now is considered as a war between the different ethnic and tribal lines (IRIN, para 2). The sides that are mostly conflicting are the government’s military and the Janjaweed group. There are other rebel groups that have also made the situation to be worse. The major cause of the war in Sudan has been attributed to fighting for water between the Baggara nomads who moved to the south, a region mostly occupied by the farming communities to search for water. This conflict has led to many casualties being reported throughout. Despite putting in place a government of national unity, and increasing the presence of the African Union Peace keepers, the situation has not improved in any way (Borger, para 2). There have been many reasons given as a source to the Darfur conflict, though the major reasons have been cited to be the increasing population which the current natural resources can not hold, hence making these people to fight for the scarce resources. On the other hand, there have been claims that the conflict is as a result of the Arab dominants intention to wipe out the black Africans. This has even made the United States to refer to this as a form of genocide in the area. Whichever the cause of the war, it has caused so many untold damages. The focus on this conflict has always been the number of people who have died in the region, or the number of those displaced. It is important that people’s life and welfare is put first. This is what has been the major concern of many bodies, organizations and other nations. However, like many other conflicts, little concern has put on what effect this conflict is causing to the environment (AP, para 6). As earlier argued, the war in Sudan was triggered by the environmental problems which led to the communities to fight over scarce resources. It is however a worrying trend that the continued conflict is further endangering the environment that is supposed to support the whole population. The environment has been made worse by this conflict and made the land to become uninhabitable. This means that the tension between the conflicting communities gets to be more intense when it occurs that the natural resources are not going to support all of them as expected (Beyrer, & Pizer pp 67). Environmental degradation in Darfur has been on the rise due to the continued conflict. It means that the conflict that started as a result of the environmental problems is being escalated by destroying the environment further. The issues in Sudan over the environment indicate how complex the environmental matters can be in the causing breach to peace. This region has witnessed the decreased cases of traditional methods of environmental management systems, and in some places being disregarded completely. The conflict over resources in Darfur was at a local level but expanded to national level where political and economic marginalization was heightened. Ethnic differences have contributed to making the matters worse to the situation. Therefore, despite having the political and economic factors leading to the problems in Darfur, the major issue surrounds natural resources (de Montesquiou, para 8). The Sudanese Arabs moved to the south to look for pasture for their animals due to the prolonged drought that was experienced in their regions. This led to them conflicting with the black farmers whose land the Arabs were grazing on. The grazing of the animals on the farming land worsened the situation as there was increased soil erosion which made land to be poor for farming. When the black farmers realized that the Khartoum government was indifferent in solving the matter, they rebelled against them. By rebelling, the people started to fight destroying many manmade and natural resources that were on the way (Borger, para 7). When the nomads inhabited the farming areas, they started to cut down the trees. To the farmers, the cut trees were very important as they provided shade for their crops and holding together the soil to avoid erosion. Due to the conflict of interest, these important natural resources were destroyed as they were caught in between the fighting. With no trees cover, the problem of lack of rainfall becomes even heightened, which is a big trouble to both the farmers and the nomads since they cannot be able to get rain that is important for the crops and animals respectively. Due to the bare land caused by the cutting of the trees, it has become harder for the farmers at the refugee camps to go back to their homes as they can not carry out any meaningful activities to such bare lands. With this kind of the situation, it becomes difficult to control human suffering without further harm to the environment (HPN, para 3) Many people have been killed in the conflict while millions of others have been living in the camps after being left homeless. At the camps, the refugees need to be given their basic needs. Water is a very important commodity that no human beings can do without. In fact as argued throughout, the conflict has been surrounding fighting for water resources. Therefore, while at the camps, the refugees have to be provided with water. This has led to the humanitarian organizations to dig boreholes to help the refugees get water. Considering that the land in Darfur is largely dominated by hard rocks, it means that the rains that fall in the short season mostly wash away, hence, the boreholes depends on the underground reserves. Considering the rate at which the reserves are being used, it is tough to imagine the consequences that await the Darfur people when the reserves will finally be depleted. The situation might lead to the refugees being moved to another region that can support them. There are already some areas that have reported the drying up of the boreholes. Apart from water, the refugees also need other resources for their daily work. There have been many trees that have been cut by the refugees near the camps to provide them with firewood. The trees are also cut and used to construct and reinforce the makeshift houses of the refugees. This implies that trees are being used at a higher rate than they are being replaced. There are some refugees who are involved in some economic activities. The common economic activity that the refugees are involved with is making mud bricks. The refugees are involved with this activity mostly because it does not need skilled labor, and the materials are readily available. A lot of water is usually used in the making of the bricks. A lot of water is used considering the dryness on most of the camp soils. Furthermore, since the refugees want to make a lot of money, they try to make as many bricks as possible. The more work they do, the many materials are required. The areas that the soil for making the bricks is dug usually leaves many holes indicating the rate at which the soil is being depleted. The formation of a layer of soil takes many years, however, the refugees depletes many layers in a very short time. It is very bad to notice that the fertile soils that can be used for agricultural production is actually used for the making bricks. These soils can not be replenished in the short run as it is being depleted. In the areas that the refugees remove the soils to make the bricks, they leave the tree roots exposed which contributes to the wilting of the trees (Homer-Dixon, pp 19). Therefore, this still adds the woes the refuges already have. Furthermore, since to make the bricks requires a lot of water, it means that the refugees have to compete on how to use the water for the domestic work and the production of the bricks. In the end, the action contributes to the hastened depletion of the water resources. The bricks cannot be complete if they have not been burnt in the kiln. The kiln requires using a lot of firewood. This means several trees have to be felled to be used in the kiln. One kiln can take as many as 35 trees for the bricks to be ready. This shows the impact this single activity can have on the important natural resources. There have been increased sand dunes in the areas that had once been covered by trees just a few years ago. This is all because of the refugees activities in trying to earn a living. Most of the dams in Sudan are drying and having a lot of sedimentation as a result of deforestation. Many dams have lost their holding capacity due to these reasons (HPN, para 8). Once the war comes to an end as is presupposed, the refugees will have to go back to their homes to start a new life. They will first need to rebuild their damaged homes, which will basically require that they cut more trees to build these homes. Considering the already cut trees in their former homes, there are therefore no trees left behind to cater for their needs. This implies the building materials will have to be sourced somewhere else, which automatically will be increasing the base of the damage to other regions. Having realized the impact the conflict is leading to the refugees affecting the environment, especially on trees, several organizations like the US aid have helped the refugees to design the cooking stoves that uses a completely reduced amount of fuel as a way of the saving the environment. This stoves though taken as a move to save the environment, it has a big impact on the social and cultural life (de Montesquiou, para 11). Since the conflict is between two ethnic groups with two distinct lifestyles, each group undertakes an activity that they think will destroy the other. For instance, the nomads usually graze their animals on the farmers’ crops. This leaves the farmers with nothing as their crops are destroyed by the animals. On the other hand, the farmers on their side burn the grazing lands for the nomads. This is even a worse action to take as it does not only affect the nomads in terms of lacking food, but it affects the farmers themselves in that the burning of the ground destroys the important living organisms that are found in the soil which helps in improving the soil fertility. This means that the soil is left unproductive which will affect both the nomads and the farmers in the long run. Furthermore, the nomads are used to grazing their animals and moving from one region to another after the feeds in that area have reduced. However, due to the conflict, the migration routes for the nomads were blocked by the farmers. This made it impossible for the nomads to move from one region to another with their animals, hence meaning overgrazing in one region. The overgrazed areas will generally have very poor production as there will be increased soil erosion (Homer-Dixon, pp 29). In general, humanitarian issues are usually given much priority over the environment as a short term solution to any crisis. Therefore, whatever actions that are taken by the involved bodies do not give much or even any consideration to the environment. For instance, when the refugee camps are set up, it is aimed at providing security and a better life to the refugees. No consideration is put on what activities the refugees are going to carry out that might affect the environment whether in the long or short run. This is being evidenced by the number of boreholes drying up in various refugee camps (HPN, para 16). There are hundreds of thousands of the Darfur refugees who have been granted asylum in Chad. The Chadian locals are thus forced to compete for the natural resources in their territory with the refugees. Putting in mind the activities the refugees are engaged with, and the major aims of the organization that are associated with the taking care of the refugees which are just humanitarian care, the refugees can have a very big impact on the environment of the host country. The refugees in the camps hopes for someday to go back home. This implies they cannot have long term projects that will help in the development and taking care of the region that has granted them asylum. This might make them to be at loggerheads with the host country and thus be denied the asylum (Gouroukoun, para 7). Furthermore, as the refugees enter the Chadian soil, it is not guaranteed that they have their safety. The Janjaweed have been following the refugees in their camps attacking them. This has also posed danger to the Chadian nationals making them to move closer to where there is security in their country. In essence, the Chadian people are not even free in their own land because of hosting the refugees. As the Chadian moves to the place they feel is more secure, they also cause congestion and constraint to the resources that are supposed to host them. There are many other effects that the conflict has caused to the environment. As the conflict rages on, both sides are heavily armed. The weapons used to attack one group leave a lot of damages to the environment. For instance, there have been many crops, homesteads and the grazing grounds for each group that have been burnt by the opposing group. The oils and chemicals used to burn these properties, and the residue of the burnt products find their ways into the water bodies contaminating them. This on the other hand affects the lives in the water bodies. Furthermore, as the crisis continues, weapons used like bombs have continued to pollute the environment and their effect left in the environment for along time affecting the quality of life. It is very difficult to find crops growing in a region that has experienced a battle field. This is because of the effect that the weapons and chemicals used in the process have on the environment. It is common to find that the areas that had been bombed can not sustain any agricultural activity. It thus means that as the communities fight over the scarce natural resources and keep on destroying them during the fight, it only helps in escalating the problem they are already facing (Homer-Dixon, pp 41). The Janjaweed and the other militias in the Darfur conflict are always in the hideout. Most of the hideouts are in the forests. This implies that they have to depend so much on the forests for their own needs. For instance, they have to cut down the trees to use for fuel, hunt wild animals for food, and all these activities upsets the natural environment settings. There are many regions that used to be occupied by trees and wild animals like the elephants and the antelopes but when looked at now are bare because of the activities that have been taking place in the regions. Conclusion The Darfur crisis has actually been said to have started for over three decades ago. However, it only escalated in 2003 when the current crisis became out of control. The major cause of the war has been attributed to lack of enough natural resources. The problem is that because the fights were due to the protection and the need to acquire more natural resources, it is ironical that the same resources are being destroyed. In essence, this seems to increase the problems already faced. This has created the vicious cycle of the war in the Darfur region. Therefore, unless the concerned bodies look for a way of dealing with the problem of these natural resources, it is not possible to stop this war despite the many peace agreements that might be signed by the leaders of the region. Work Cited AP. Darfur conflict worsens environment, 2007. Retrieved on October 29, 2008 from http://platform. blogs. com/passionofthepresent/2007/06/darfur-conflict. html. Beyrer, Chris & Pizer, Hank. Public Health and Human Rights: Evidence-based Approaches; ISBN 0801886465, JHU Press, 2007. Borger, Julian. Darfur conflict heralds era of wars triggered by climate change, UN report warns, 2007. Retrieved on October 29, 2008 from http://www. guardian. co. uk/environment/2007/jun/23/sudan. climatechange. de Montesquiou, Alfred. Darfur violence leaves environmental scars, 2007. Retrieved on October 29, 2008 from http://www. msnbc. msn. com/id/19357602/. IRIN. SUDAN: Climate change – only one cause among many for Darfur conflict, 2007. Retrieved on October 29, 2008 from http://www. globalsecurity. org/military/library/news/2007/06/mil-070628-irin03. htm. Gouroukoun. Chadians Increasingly Feel Impact of Darfur Conflict, 2006. Retrieved on October 29, 2008 from http://www. voanews. com/english/archive/2006-04/2006-04-21-voa44. cfm. Homer-Dixon, F. Thomas. Environment, Scarcity, and Violence; ISBN 0691089795, Princeton University Press, 2001. HPN. Environmental degradation and conflict in Darfur: implications for peace and recovery, 2008. Retrieved on October 29, 2008 from http://www. alertnet. org/thenews/newsdesk/HPN/10adb58d76337a4eb2b436c319bf427e. htm.

Developing Your Empowering People (Delegating) Skill Essay

Ricky Lee is the manager of the contracts group of a large regional office supply distributor. His boss, Anne Zumwalt, has asked him to prepare by the end of the month the department’s new procedures manual that will outline the steps followed in negotiating contracts with office products manufacturers who supply the organization’s products. Because Ricky has another major project he’s working on, he went to Anne and asked her if it would be possible to assign the rewriting of the procedures manual to Bill Harmon, one of his employees who’s worked in the contracts group for about three years. Anne said she had no problems with Ricky reassigning the project as long as Bill knew the parameters and the expectations for the completion of the project. Ricky is preparing for his meeting in the morning with Bill regarding this assignment. (Robbins, 2012) Assignment. Prepare a 350- to 1,050-word paper detailing how your team would handle the situation described in the scenario The Facts. Presented here are what I consider to be the facts on this scenario. * Rick Lee is the regional manager for the contract group of a large office supply * Rick Lee Reports to Anne Zumwalt * Anne requested Rick to prepare the new department procedures manual * The deadline for the manual preparation is the end of the month * Bill Harmon works for Rick Lee * Bill Harmon has worked in the contract’s group for about three years * Rick asked Anne if he can delegate the preparing of the new manual to Bill * Anne agreed to have the project to Bill Chain of command Anne Zumwalt Rick Lee Bill Harmon Anne Zumwalt Rick Lee Bill Harmon Rick should consider the following five behaviors when he meets with Bill to discuss the delegation of the project (Robbins, 2012): 1. Clarify the assignment: a. Rick must present to Bill the requirements of the project. That is, to prepare the new department procedures manual that will outline the steps to be followed in negotiating contracts with office products suppliers who supply the organization’s products. b. Rick must specifically indicate to Bill he is delegating this responsibility onto him if Bill is willing to accept the project. c. The time constraint of the project has to be clearly stated. According to the scenario, the project hast to be completed by the end of the month. Rick is ultimate project responsibility for successful completion of the project so he needs time to review the manual the manual and incorporate changes before the manual is completed. d. Rick and Bill have to agree on what the end result should be before Bill accepts the task 2. Specify Employee’s range of discretion: e. Bill project is to prepare the new procedures manual, detailing the steps of the contract negotiation process. It is important Bill is aware to what extent he is authorized to make decisions on the steps to be taken, and the order. Rick must indicate he will have the final say regarding the procedures outlined in the manual, and Bill should consult with him if questions arise while defining the creating the procedures. f. Bill will be taking on responsibilities beyond his current role. Bill will be taking part of the Rick’s responsibilities, so he must be made aware he is only dealing with matters related to the preparation of new manual 3. Allow employee to participate: g. Rick and Anne should discuss with Bill the extent of Bill’s responsibility while working on this project. Rather than informing Bill of the extent of his authority, he must participate in making the agreement of the extent of the authority. If Bill is required to use other resources, to what extent is he authorized to set resource’s utilization priority. 4. Inform others that a delegation has occurred h. Bill is part of the contracts group. Rick must inform the rest of the office that Bill has accepted the responsibility of preparing the new manual. i. Also the suppliers have to be informed of this delegation. It is very likely that Bill will be contacting them in the process of generating the new manual. j. Rick must also notify other managers within the organization who may be involved in the preparation of the new manual. k. The communication to other has to indicate the project, and the extent of the authority Bill has been delegated in order to successfully complete the project. 5. Establish feedback channels: l. Rick must agree with Bill on how the progress of the project will be tracked. In addition to tracking the project progress, Bills performance has to be monitored as well. Periodic meetings should be held between Rick and Bill to discuss the progress of the meeting and Bill’s performance. It is not clear from the scenario how much time is available to complete the project. A brief 5 to 10 minute meeting in the morning every other day could be setup between Bill and Rick to discuss the project. m. At the end of the project Rick should have a close out session with Bill to discuss the entire project. In this session Rick should provide feedback to Bill on his performance, based on the parameters that were defined at the beginning of the project. Bill should be recognized for the success of his work, pointing out those areas where he did a great job. Also Bill should be informed of the areas he needs to improve. References Robbins, Stephen P., Mary Coulter. (2012) Management, 11th Edition. Pearson Learning Solutions, VitalBook file.

The Bastille essays

The Bastille essays "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" wrote Charles Dickins while attempting to describe pre-revoulotion France. (Tale of Two Cities, 1) The 3rd estate, though consisting of 98% of the population, had no power, and little money. The 1st and 2nd estates, on the other hand, enjoyed endless luxeries. The bourgeoisie, or middle class, was especialy discontented at having money, but no power. Enlightenment ideas spread throughout France. The notion that the first two esates have great privilages at the expence of the majority did not meet the standards of the ever popular enlightenment thinkers. The 3rd estate grew angry. As the years passed, france tumbled into dept. Expensive wars like the Seven Years' War and the American Revolotion emptied the pockets of King Louis XVI. Deficit spending for years cuased the government to be bankrupt. Inflation ran rampid across France, and some starved, not able to keep up with sky high price of bread. In Paris, confusion. Better than 800 French gathered outside of the Bastille, a and old midevil castle used now as a jail for political prisoners. The crowed wanted weapons and gun powder rumered to be stored there. Also, tension increased when word spread that royal troops were going to occupy the city. On July 14,1789, Launay, the govener of the fortress, refused to open the gates to angry Paris mobs. The mob charged Launay's small garrison (80 Invalides, and 30 swiss Guards) fired on the mob and slaughtered 100 civilians (Fracois Furlet, 77). This enfuriated the mob. 300 French Guards and some citizens led by a non-comissioned officer called Hulin a nd a and an officer in the Queen's Infantry, Elie, placed four cannons in position to fire at the main draw bridge. Launay surrendered at five: "Elie accepted his surrender and promised him safe conduct, but there was little hope of persuading the mob to respect this promise: the people felt that they had been betrayed...

Media Reaction Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Media Reaction Project - Essay Example The report objective is to investigate whether race played any role or influenced administration of capital penalties to defendants. Racial bias is not constitutionally right and should be eradicated at all cost possible. The paper main focus is correlated to the racial profiling and prosecution as taught earlier in the semesters. The paper focuses on the judgement that was mainly influenced by the race of the defendant in the case of Furman Vs the state of Georgia. In this dissertation, we mainly base on the case of Furman and try to figure out the unfair justice that was administered to him by the Jury. Furman indeed committed a crime as he had entered in a private home without permission most probably to steal. Unluckily for him, one of the family members of that house while stealing found him in the act. He wanted to run away but on his attempt, his gun tripped and fell down. The weapon was stuck it went off shooting the family member. The state treated the case as homicide instead of manslaughter base on the circumstatences that he murder occurred. Furman was guilty even before the case started and he was sentenced to the death by the famous Georgia death penalty for homicide. Furman was mentally ill and a black American. He had five votes for him and four votes against him. Instead, the court decided to apply other statutes an act that was unconstitutional. The court never considered the fact that Furman was not sane this reveals the poin t of racial discrimination in the case. He was not given chance for a fair trial for the logical thing was for the judge to instruct that a medical examination be carried out on him and determine the state of his mind to stand trial. I decided to use the case of Furman as it has solid evidences that show that the prosecution judged against him was unfair. Analyse the jury decision in totality, how the voting was done and their concluding

REFLECTIVE ANALYSIS - IMPORTANCE OF INDIVIDUAL GROWTH IN Essay

REFLECTIVE ANALYSIS - IMPORTANCE OF INDIVIDUAL GROWTH IN ORGANIZATIONAL WORK PERFORMANCE - Essay Example This topic examines the importance of creating policies that enable the increasing of the capacity of existing labor force within the organization in line with the organization’s business needs. This thereby ensures that there is overall capacity to achieve set short and long-term goals and objectives. To establish this, the topic targets the issues affecting individuals’ place and meaning within the firm. How does the firm treat its members? Are the members satisfied by their current job? Are the efforts and interests of the members streamlined with those of the organizations? What is the impact where there is a mismatch and conflict between these two forces i.e. the individual and the organization? The topic draws from module studies under employee dignity, employee branding at work and talent management processes and programme development. Models in talent management will especially be useful in the arguments herein due to my perceived strong linkage between the modu le of employee dignity and branding at work (which is a representative association of employee and work performance). The models that I have focused on in addition to those in the, class modules are the Job Competency Assessment model (JAC) and the ‘high impact talent management’ model. ... A deliberate and well-designed plan must be at the core of its total business strategy as opposed to being a limited human resource function (called upon during hiring of employees and performance review process) in relational to personal working experiences. Literature review To elaborate better how the selected topic provides a point of focus for reflective analysis, a prior understanding of the key terms used is very essential. It helps avoid ambiguities and minimize assumptions that they reader might have based on prior interactions with the terms and, therefore, localizing its contextual use to within the reflective limits. Definition and differentiation of terms There has been a lack of convergence between different professions as to what exactly dignity is (Sayer, 2007). Most debates about dignity have taken to broad approaches of political (such as citizenship); social (such as mutual satisfaction and welfare) and economic (such as pride in work, autonomy and responsibility) attributes that have only served to further the gap between the definitions and make it more ambiguous than before. However, a basic elaboration based on its function would reveal that dignity is a basic property, characteristic or attribute of human beings that ably reflects their worth. Talent refers to those individuals who demonstrate highest levels of potential for positive impact in the performance of organizational tasks and responsibilities (Workitect, Inc., 2011). Collectively, it comprises a team of individuals with excellent qualifications and unique competencies which have the capacity to improve the organization’s performance significantly. Closely related to this and also fundamental to its management is talent intelligence. Talent