National Cranberry Cooperative

NATIONAL CRANBERRY CO-OPERATIVE CASE STUDY * Nishi Sharma In 1971, National Cranberry Cooperative faced recurring operational problems that affected the productivity and relationship of NCC to growers. This analysis will discuss how NCC can improve its operation before the peak-season comes in. The analysis was based from facts cited in the case, using tools such as but not limited to process flow diagram, cost, benefit and utilization analysis, and work-force scheduling. The author recommends solution that will not just improve NCC's operations but will also increase plant's capacity and decrease its cost thereby leading to long-term savings for the growers. Problem Statement/Key Issues This case analysis will investigate two primary problems faced by NCC (1) Long waiting period of trucks during unloading of berries at RP1 and (2) Too much overtime cost. This case will also look at a secondary problem, specifically, the inaccuracy of grading of berries. Supporting Argument It is necessary to address the truck's queuing problem in 1970 in order to attain NCC's planned increase in output of water harvested crop from 58% to 70% the following year. The queuing/idle time during unloading also creates unnecessary costs particularly the cost of leasing trucks and hiring drivers. Also, Cranberries' market price is influenced by the government regulation Cranberry Marketing Order 1070, which mandates owners to scrap 10% or 200,000 bbls of harvested crops, thereby reducing income for the same resources used. With this, it is important that NCC manage its resources properly including scheduling of workforce (seasonal ; full-time) to reduce the costs like the overtime pay. With the cost amounting to $112,500 ($450,000/2Ãâ€"0. 5) incurred for paying extra premiums to second graded berries, it is important to look at the grading process and assess the need for installing an equipment that can help reduce the said cost. Alternatives The following are the alternatives proposed by Mr. Williston: 1. To buy and install new dryers 2. Convert dry berry holding bins to store water harvested or dry berries 3. Install Light Meter System for color grading PROCESS DIAGRAM – NATIONAL CRANBERRIES CO-OPERATIVE Assumptions:    We have assumed that: †¢ There is a cost associated with trucks waiting to be unloaded and it is $5 per hour. †¢ We have not considered per hour operating    cost of plant †¢ Overtime for both regular and part time worker has been taken to be $ 6. 50 per hour. †¢ In calculating the payback time, the same cost saving will occur every day. It is given in case that wet berries will make 70 % of total berries and that normal running hours for plant is 11 (12-1) hours. Case 1: 10000 bbl/day Wet Berries (WB) ( 7000 bbl/day Dry Berries (DB) ( 3000bbl/day Total Time = 11 Hrs WB feed=7000/11 = 637 bbl/hr DB feed= 3000/11 = 273 bbl/hr Minimum processing rate for WB is at dryers, which is = 600 bbl/hr Minimum processing rate for DB is = 1500 bbl/hr Hence, after 11 hours total accumulation of WB = (637-600)*11 = 407 bbl Overtime = 407/600 = 0. 7 hrs Now, assuming this is not a peak season, we have considered only 27 workers. Since plant is working suboptimal level during overtime , only two-third of the work force will be working on wet berries drying process. =2/3 work force = 20*(2/3) = 12 Savings per day = 12 * 6. 5= 78 Savings for season = 78* 90 = 7020 If we add another dryer, to save overtime cost, cost will be = 40000 Analysis Considering the cost of depreciation and cost of investment in dryer(8-10%) it will not be economical to buy another dryer. National Cranberry Cooperative Case Report: National Cranberry Cooperative Fill in your name in the header. Please read the Assignment Collaboration Guidelines in Course Syllabus: Collaboration between groups is not allowed; however, if you hear something from some other group, please give a reference. Below, write your answers to Questions 1-4 (on BB/Cases). Your analysis should be based on the assumptions listed in the Syllabus. If you need to make additional assumptions to answer a question, clearly state them, logically defend them, and then proceed to answer the question accordingly.The idea is to answer the questions concisely. Double spacing is preferred, 1. 5-line spacing is the minimum (consider the reader’s eye strain). 1. Mark the capacity and utilization of each resource in the process flow diagram at the end of this document. Briefly describe how you calculate the capacity and utilization here. [20 points] On average, 18000 barrels arrive over the 12hr span that the business is open. This means approximately 1500 barrels of berries are input into the process per hour (18000barrels/12hrs). The capacity of the Kiwanee dumpers was given as 3000 b/hr. and I was able to calculate the implied utilization by dividing the berry input rate by the capacity(1500bbl/hr divided by 3000bbl/hr). To calculate the actual utilization of the dumpers, you must first determine the flow rate of the system. Only 25% of the berries are dry and 75% are wet. This sums to 375 dry berries per hour (1500 input/hr x. 25) and 1125 wet berries per hour (1500 input x . 75). The dry berries have 16 bins that hold 250 barrels a piece, adding up to a total of 4000 berries that can be stored. The wet berries have 8 bins that hold 250 barrels and 3 bins that hold 400 barrels, adding up to 3200 barrels total for storage.The capacity of the DeStoners was given as 1500bbl/hr. The implied utilization would be the input rate (1500bbl/hr) divided by the capacity (1500 bbl/hr). Since the bottleneck does not impact t he dry berries, the actual and implied utilization will be the same for the dry berries in all facets of the operation. The capacity of the Dechaffers for the dry berries was also given as 1500 bbl/hr and once again the implied and actual utilization will be 1. 0. Switching to the Wet Berries, we see that there are two Dechaffers that can each store up to 1500bbl/hr, which will add up to a capacity of 3000bbl/hr.We can calculate the implied utilization of the wet berry Dechaffer by dividing the input rate (1500bbl/hr) by the capacity (3000bbl/hr) and the actual utilization by dividing the Flow Rate (600bbl/hr) by the capacity (3000bbl/hr). The Dryers set the standard for the wet berries because they are the bottleneck of the operation. There are three dryers that can process 200bbl/hr, giving us a total capacity of 600bbl/hr. The implied utilization is not very realistic because it takes the 1500bbl/hr input rate and divides it by the 600bbl/hr capacity. The actual utilization of a bottleneck is always 1. because it is operating at maximum capacity. Lastly, there are three separators that have a capacity of 400bbl/hr each, giving us a total of 1200bbl/hr. The implied utilization will be discovered as 1. 25 because you are taking the 1500bbl/hr input rate and dividing it by 1200bbl/hr capacity. The actual utilization can be found by 600bbl/hr (wet berries) plus 375bbl/hr (dry berries) and using them as your input rate. So you will divide the 975bbl/hr by 1200bbl/hr capacity and get . 8125. 2. Enter your answer and supporting arguments for question 2 here. [10 points] The current maximum throughput rate is 975bbl/hr. 75bbl/hr can be processed by the dry berries because they have the ability to operate at maximum capacity. On the wet berry side, the process is slowed by the dryers, which represent the bottleneck of the operation. Since the dryers can only process 600bbl/hr, we will add the 600bbl/hr and the 375bbl/hr to get a total of 975bbl/hr. 3. Enter your ans wer and supporting arguments for question 3 here. [30 points] *See attached diagram 4. Enter your answer and supporting arguments for question 4 here. [40 points] The possible capital investments I used were adding one more dryer, and swapping one bin from the dry berry operation to the wet berry.Buying the fifth Kiwanee dumper was a misguided investment because the real object should be to increase your bottleneck to speed up the operation. The capacity of the dumpers is 600bbl/hr, so having one less dumper would only drop this to 2400bbl/hr. The throughput rate of the entire system is only 975bbl/hr, so the focus ultimately should be turned to increasing the capacity of the dryers instead of the capacity of the dumpers. The attached excel spreadsheet will explain the ultimate benefits of the proposed capital investments I have offered. Bulk and Bag Separators C = 1200b/hrU = 1. 25, . 8125 Dryers C =600 b/hrU = 2. 5, 1. Destoners C =1500b/hrU =1. 0, 1. 0 Kiwanee Dumpers C = 3000b/h rU = . 5, . 325 Trucks in Queue Bins 1-16 storage =4000 Bins 17-27 storage = 3200 Dechaffers C = 1500b/hrU = 1. 0, 1. 0 Dry berries 375†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. bbl/hr Wet berries 1125†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ bbl/hr Dechaffers C = 3000b/hrU = . 5, . 20 Bulk and Bag Separators C = 1200b/hrU = 1. 25, . 8125 Dryers C =600 b/hrU = 2. 5, 1. 0 Destoners C =1500b/hrU =1. 0, 1. 0 Kiwanee Dumpers C = 3000b/hrU = . 5, . 325 Trucks in Queue Bins 1-16 storage =4000 Bins 17-27 storage = 3200 Dechaffers C = 1500b/hrU = 1. 0, 1. 0 Dry berries 375†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. bbl/hr Wet berries 1125†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ bbl/hr Dechaffers C = 3000b/hrU = . 5, . 20 National Cranberry Cooperative Case Report: National Cranberry Cooperative Fill in your name in the header. Please read the Assignment Collaboration Guidelines in Course Syllabus: Collaboration between groups is not allowed; however, if you hear something from some other group, please give a reference. Below, write your answers to Questions 1-4 (on BB/Cases). Your analysis should be based on the assumptions listed in the Syllabus. If you need to make additional assumptions to answer a question, clearly state them, logically defend them, and then proceed to answer the question accordingly.The idea is to answer the questions concisely. Double spacing is preferred, 1. 5-line spacing is the minimum (consider the reader’s eye strain). 1. Mark the capacity and utilization of each resource in the process flow diagram at the end of this document. Briefly describe how you calculate the capacity and utilization here. [20 points] On average, 18000 barrels arrive over the 12hr span that the business is open. This means approximately 1500 barrels of berries are input into the process per hour (18000barrels/12hrs). The capacity of the Kiwanee dumpers was given as 3000 b/hr. and I was able to calculate the implied utilization by dividing the berry input rate by the capacity(1500bbl/hr divided by 3000bbl/hr). To calculate the actual utilization of the dumpers, you must first determine the flow rate of the system. Only 25% of the berries are dry and 75% are wet. This sums to 375 dry berries per hour (1500 input/hr x. 25) and 1125 wet berries per hour (1500 input x . 75). The dry berries have 16 bins that hold 250 barrels a piece, adding up to a total of 4000 berries that can be stored. The wet berries have 8 bins that hold 250 barrels and 3 bins that hold 400 barrels, adding up to 3200 barrels total for storage.The capacity of the DeStoners was given as 1500bbl/hr. The implied utilization would be the input rate (1500bbl/hr) divided by the capacity (1500 bbl/hr). Since the bottleneck does not impact t he dry berries, the actual and implied utilization will be the same for the dry berries in all facets of the operation. The capacity of the Dechaffers for the dry berries was also given as 1500 bbl/hr and once again the implied and actual utilization will be 1. 0. Switching to the Wet Berries, we see that there are two Dechaffers that can each store up to 1500bbl/hr, which will add up to a capacity of 3000bbl/hr.We can calculate the implied utilization of the wet berry Dechaffer by dividing the input rate (1500bbl/hr) by the capacity (3000bbl/hr) and the actual utilization by dividing the Flow Rate (600bbl/hr) by the capacity (3000bbl/hr). The Dryers set the standard for the wet berries because they are the bottleneck of the operation. There are three dryers that can process 200bbl/hr, giving us a total capacity of 600bbl/hr. The implied utilization is not very realistic because it takes the 1500bbl/hr input rate and divides it by the 600bbl/hr capacity. The actual utilization of a bottleneck is always 1. because it is operating at maximum capacity. Lastly, there are three separators that have a capacity of 400bbl/hr each, giving us a total of 1200bbl/hr. The implied utilization will be discovered as 1. 25 because you are taking the 1500bbl/hr input rate and dividing it by 1200bbl/hr capacity. The actual utilization can be found by 600bbl/hr (wet berries) plus 375bbl/hr (dry berries) and using them as your input rate. So you will divide the 975bbl/hr by 1200bbl/hr capacity and get . 8125. 2. Enter your answer and supporting arguments for question 2 here. [10 points] The current maximum throughput rate is 975bbl/hr. 75bbl/hr can be processed by the dry berries because they have the ability to operate at maximum capacity. On the wet berry side, the process is slowed by the dryers, which represent the bottleneck of the operation. Since the dryers can only process 600bbl/hr, we will add the 600bbl/hr and the 375bbl/hr to get a total of 975bbl/hr. 3. Enter your ans wer and supporting arguments for question 3 here. [30 points] *See attached diagram 4. Enter your answer and supporting arguments for question 4 here. [40 points] The possible capital investments I used were adding one more dryer, and swapping one bin from the dry berry operation to the wet berry.Buying the fifth Kiwanee dumper was a misguided investment because the real object should be to increase your bottleneck to speed up the operation. The capacity of the dumpers is 600bbl/hr, so having one less dumper would only drop this to 2400bbl/hr. The throughput rate of the entire system is only 975bbl/hr, so the focus ultimately should be turned to increasing the capacity of the dryers instead of the capacity of the dumpers. The attached excel spreadsheet will explain the ultimate benefits of the proposed capital investments I have offered. Bulk and Bag Separators C = 1200b/hrU = 1. 25, . 8125 Dryers C =600 b/hrU = 2. 5, 1. Destoners C =1500b/hrU =1. 0, 1. 0 Kiwanee Dumpers C = 3000b/h rU = . 5, . 325 Trucks in Queue Bins 1-16 storage =4000 Bins 17-27 storage = 3200 Dechaffers C = 1500b/hrU = 1. 0, 1. 0 Dry berries 375†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. bbl/hr Wet berries 1125†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ bbl/hr Dechaffers C = 3000b/hrU = . 5, . 20 Bulk and Bag Separators C = 1200b/hrU = 1. 25, . 8125 Dryers C =600 b/hrU = 2. 5, 1. 0 Destoners C =1500b/hrU =1. 0, 1. 0 Kiwanee Dumpers C = 3000b/hrU = . 5, . 325 Trucks in Queue Bins 1-16 storage =4000 Bins 17-27 storage = 3200 Dechaffers C = 1500b/hrU = 1. 0, 1. 0 Dry berries 375†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. bbl/hr Wet berries 1125†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ bbl/hr Dechaffers C = 3000b/hrU = . 5, . 20

Comparison Of Different Waste Management Techniques Environmental Sciences Essay

Like incineration, gasification is a thermic procedure that uses high temperatures to interrupt down waste. It is still classed as incineration in the European Unions Waste Incineration Directive and has to run into the compulsory emanation bounds that it sets. Gasification is a procedure in which stuffs are exposed to some O, but non plenty to let burning to happen. The ensuing gas mixture of C monoxide, H and methane ( with smaller measures of C dioxide and N ) is called syngas and is itself a fuel. It has a calorific value so can be used as a fuel to bring forth electricity or steam or as a basic chemical feedstock in the petrochemical and refinement industries. The calorific value of the syngas will depend on the composing of the input waste waste to the gasifier. Both gasification and incineration are capable of change overing hydrocarbon-based risky stuffs to simple, nonhazardous by-products ( A Comparison of Gasification and Incineration of Hazardous Wastes Final Report Prepared for: U.S. Department of Energy March 30, 2000. There is non much indifferent informations available on gasification but the companies developing gasification claim the engineering has important advantages over traditional incineration of waste. These are as follows The procedure uses less oxygen significance that fewer air emanations may be produced incorporating possible pollutants. Less C dioxide is produced intending less impact on planetary clime alteration. Any C dioxide produced during gasification is present at much higher concentrations and at higher force per unit areas than in watercourses produced from conventional burning, doing them easier to capture ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www.netl.doe.gov/technologies/coalpower/gasification/basics/2.html ) The workss are are made up of little units ( modular ) which can be added to or taken off from as waste watercourses or volumes change ( e.g. with increased recycling in state ) and are hence more flexible and can run at a smaller graduated table than mass burn incinerators They are quicker to construct than conventional incinerators The procedures are claimed to bring forth a more utile merchandise than standard incineration that can be used as a fuel ( syngas ) The syngas may be used to bring forth energy more expeditiously, if a gas engine ( and potentially a fuel cell ) is used, while incineration can merely bring forth energy less expeditiously via steam turbines. ( Source – Eunomia Research and Consulting ( 2008 ) . Greenhouse gas balances of waste direction scenarios – study for the Greater London Authority ) .The syngas produced by gasification can be converted into many valuable merchandises, runing from electricity and steam to liquid fuels, basic chemicals, and H. Integration of multiple merchandises of gasification into industrial applications increases chances for added grosss The energy produced from gasification may be eligible for more Reclamations Obligations Certificates ( ROC ‘s ) than conventional incineration therefore increasing the possible income The treated fluke gas from an incinerator goes straight out into the ambiance. The treated syngas from the gasification works is used as a fuel in itself. When solid waste is incinerated one of the by merchandises is bottom ash which so has to be disposed of or treated and so disposed of depending on the content. When solid is processed in a gasifier, scoria is produced which can be can be sold, used as feedstock in chemical production processes, or recycled in other in-plant procedure operations. Sulfur compounds ( H2S and COS ) in the particulate-free syngas, usually a by-product of liquid gasification are typically removed and recovered utilizing conventional gas intervention engineerings from the refinery and natural gas industries. The ensuing by-product is high-purity liquid S which can so be sold and reused. ( A comparasion of gasification and incineration of risky wastes. Concluding Report. Prepared for the U.S. Department of Energy. March 2000 ) Emission degrees of SOx, NOx, and particulate from gasification systems are reduced significantly compared to incineration systems. In an oxidative incineration environment, S and N compounds in the provender are converted to SOx and NOx. In contrast, syngas killing systems for modern gasification systems are designed to recover 95 to 99 % of the S in the fuel as a high-purity S by-product A comparasion of gasification and incineration of risky wastes. Concluding Report. Prepared for the U.S. Department of Energy. March 2000 )The factors impacting the pick of bag filters or ESP in waste incinerators.Factor one: The type of waste being incinerated It all depends on what is being incinerated. . The features of the dust produced by the incineration plays a function in the pick as the combustibleness of some all right stuffs regulations out the usage of electrostatic precipitators. Bag filters are really efficient at roll uping all right particulates but non so good at big particulates so it depends on the merchandise of the incineration. ( Source Should I replace my Electrostatic Precipitator with a fabric filter, I. Fanthom, C. Cottingham. ) Most common ESP filtration is best used for ambient gaining control of light atmospheric dust. Unless a hob cleaning electrostatic precipitator is used, beginning gaining control or direct ducting from a heavy dust bring forthing incineration will rapidly make full up the aggregation plates. Heavy dust aggregation requires storage for a big volume of dust. The surface country of bag filters is much greater than surface country of electrostatic aggregation home bases and work better for dust gaining control of heavy dust bring forthing incineration than ESP would. ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www.dustcollectorexperts.com/electrostatic/ ) Factor two: Features of the airstream The features of the airstream can hold important impacts on the aggregator system. For illustration cotton cloth bag filters can non be used where air temperatures exceed 82 grades centigrade. Besides condensation of steam or H2O vapors can blind bags doing them uneffective. Assorted chemicals created in the airstream can respond with the H2O in the airstream and signifier caustic liquids such as sulfuric acid which can eat any metal in the bag i.e. if it is rearward jet bag filter with a metal coop. ESP ‘s can defy caustic stuff doing aggregation possible. The individual most of import factor act uponing the Elecrostatic precipitator is the electric resistance of the gas being caught. Fabric filters take dust from a gas watercourse by go throughing gas through a cloth and go forthing dust on the surface of the cloth. It is hence non sensitive to dust electric resistance. A fabric filter can work on emanation degrees of 10-20 mg/NM3 whereas an ESP needs to be sized to suit demands. Factor three – Cost With most designs of ESP ‘s they have to close the line down in order to keep them which incurs a cost. With most bag filters they can be changed online, non incurring a cost of closing down. The power ingestion utilizing a bag filter is higher than utilizing an ESP, evidently incurring more costs for more power. Bag filters need to be changed more often than an Electrostatic Precipitator. Typically bags need altering every 4 old ages. An ESP needs a full service every 20-30 old ages. Bag filters are extremely efficient and cost effectual due to the dust bar which is formed on the surface. ( ( Source Should I replace my Electrostatic Precipitator with a fabric filter, I. Fanthom, C. Cottingham. ) They can accomplish a aggregation efficiency of more than 99 % for really all right particulates. The ESP ‘s are more expensive to put in than the bag filters Dust tonss may be needed to be reduced before the Electrostatic Precipitation procedure ( precleaner may be needed ) hence adding to the cost. Factor four – Features of the dust. Hygroscopic ( i.e. a stuff which attracts wet from the ambiance. If non protected from contact with the ambiance ( by being stored under vacuity or under a dry gas ) some hygroscopic stuffs will finally pull so much H2O that they will organize solutions ) and these can blind bag filters doing them ineffective. Factor Five – Conformity with Environmental ordinances and jurisprudence. In 1990the Environmental protection Act ( EPA ) introduced Integrated Pollution Control ( IPC ) necessitating higher control of emanations in most industries. More late the waste Incineration Directive was introduced and has imposed important alterations on any procedure combustion waste stuffs. For illustration the entire emanation value for Cd is 0.05 mg/Nm3. ( Source the Waste Incineration Directive ) . Hence the type of intervention demands to be chosen in order to fulfill these ordinances. It will besides depend how near the waste incinerator is to edifices and the type of edifice i.e. is it near a residential country. Hence more ordinances need to be considered sing public wellness. Factor Six- Space How much infinite is at that place for the installings. ESP ‘s are larger than bag filters and therefore take up more infinite.Methods for cut downing heavy metals in landfill leachate.There are assorted methods for cut downing heavy metals in landfill leachate -biological, biodegredation utilizing anaerobiotic and aerophilic procedures and chemical and physical methods. One such biological intervention that has been investigated is utilizing vertiver grass ( N. Roongtanakiat, T.Nirunrach, S.Chanyotha, D. Hengchaovanich. Uptake of heavy metals in landfill leachate by vertiver grass ‘ Natural Science 37: 168-175. 2003 ) . They investigated the workss ability to uptake heavy metals from the leachate. The Surat ecotype vertiver workss were planted in pots and treated with landfill leachate. The vertiver grass took up more heavy metals as the strength of the leachate increased and the heavy metals were equally distributed in the shoot and the root. The consequences of the field test at the landfill site besides indicated that vertiver could be used in rehabilitating landfills and nearby countries. The vertiver workss were shown to decease after 80-85 yearss if 100 % leachate was used so they could non e straight used on immature landfills, but could be used on immature landfills if limited leachate were used. The shoot of the works should be harves ted sporadically in order to take the heavy metals from the contaminated dirt and to excite new growing for more consumption. Artificial wetlands combined with aerophilic interventions have besides been studied as a remotion method for heavy metals in leachate. The survey was undertaken at Alback landfill site in Sweden In 2003. ( Source – hypertext transfer protocol: //warrr.org/168/ ) . The leachate intervention system consists foremost of an aeration measure, followed by several wetlands with different deepnesss and flora, intermediate commixture and aeration in a ditch, and eventually deposit in a pool. An approximative sum of 120,000 M3 of leachate base on ballss through the intervention stairss yearly. Leachate samples were collected at different phases along the intervention way during a period of two months and the concentrations of Cd, Cu, Zn, nickel, lead and Cr were studied. The leachate samples were filtered with three different membranes with different pore sizes. Lead and Cr could non be detected at all in the leachate. The entire rates of decrease in the whole wetland system for Cd, Cu , and Zn concentrations were on mean – 83 % 74 % and 68 % severally. Nickel passed unchanged through the wetlands. The largest sum of metals in the leachate was already reduced during the first few metres in the wetland system, provided by deposit and aeration. Consequences of fractional process indicate that Ni and copperoccurred chiefly complex-bound to humic substances. Which are difficult to entree automatically or biologically. Zinc occurs largely in different ionic signifiers or bonded to atoms in the H2O. Harmonizing to environmental quality standards for natural Waterss in Sweden controlled by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, metal concentrations in the treated leachate are low and give rise to no or small hazard of biological effects. Further betterment to the wetland system ‘s heavy metal remotion rates is likely limited since a big sum of the metals appear as composites, which are difficult to entree automatically or biologically. ( Source  œ Persson, K. M. , Van Praahg, M and Olsberg.G, E. ( 2007 ) Removal of Heavy Metallic elements From Landfill Leachate by an Artificial Wetland During a Nordic Autumn. In: Eleventh International Waste Management and Landfill Symposium, 1-5 October 2007, S.Margherita di Pula – Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy. hypertext transfer protocol: //warrr.org/168/ ) Aerobic intervention can be used where leachate is recirculated through the waste mass and air is injected into the waste mass. An probe by M.Sartaj, M. Ahmardifar, A.Karmi Jastini ‘ ( Assessment of unmoved aerophilic intervention of municipal landfill leachate at research lab degree – Persian Journal of Science and Technology, Transaction B, Engineering. Vol 34 No.Bl. Pp107-116 2010 ) found that the remotion efficiency for Magnesium, Iron, Lead and Zinc was 93 % , 90 % , 43 % and 76 % severally. Leachate was collected in a container at the underside and pumped into another container at the top, from which leachate was recirculated back into the waste mass into which air was injected. Bacterias can be used to handle leachate for heavy metals. Bacterial floc on the on the leachate surviving in an aerated system with O degrees maintained above 5mg/l. The heavy metals are taken in by the bacteriums and incorporated into their cell biomass. ( Source – Arden Quarry Landfill – www.drydenaqua.com/leachate/leachate/leachpapers/123pdf ) Chemical intervention is besides used – Three armored combat vehicles are used in which pH is adjusted, metal precipate atoms coagulate and are flocculated and foods are added to promote microbic growing The usage of ferric and ferrous oxides as coagulates separate and clot the heavy metals leting remotion. The usage of oxidizers such as H peroxide or K permanganate react with the heavy metals and pull them out of the leachate leting remotion. Simple pH accommodation of the leachate causes the heavy metals to precipitate from the leachate and therefore be removed. ( Source – www.epa.gov/nrmrl ) Other methods include revolving biological contractors, drip filters, aerated lagunas, up flow anaerobic sludge cover reactors, chemical oxidization, surface assimilation, deposit, floatation, rearward osmosis and air denudation.Techniques for the separation of plastic types originating from municipal wastesPlastics can be separated by their rosin designation codification, a method of classification developed by the Society of the Plastics Industry in 168. See below Pet Polyethylene phenolphthalein – Fizzy drink bottles and oven-ready repast trays. HDPE High-density polythene – Bottles for milk and washing-up liquids. Polyvinyl chloride Polyvinyl chloride – Food trays, cleaving movie, bottles for squash, mineral H2O and shampoo.LDPE Low denseness polythene – Carrier bags and bin line drives. PP Polypropylene – Margarine bath, microwaveable repast trays. PS Polystyrene – Yoghurt pots, foam meat or fish trays, beefburger boxes and egg cartons, peddling cups, fictile cutter, protective packaging for electronic goods and playthings. OTHER Any other plastics that do non fall into any of the above classs. – An illustration is melamine, which is frequently used in plastic home bases and cups. ( Source hypertext transfer protocol: //www.wasteonline.org.uk/resources/informationsheets/plastics.htm ) The first point of separation can be at the clip of aggregation. The rosin codification is identified, as seen above, by a trigon formed by three trailing pointers with a figure indoors. This system allows segregation by what is desirable for a municipal recycling segregation system and what should non be included. Other types of separation include: DRY SEPARATION, utilizing the following techniques: Air classifiers -Air separation is used to divide different plastics, or even the same plastic, by the difference of the ratio between the surface of the flake and its mass. This is done by an air counter-flow, – an air flow lifts up plastics of light denseness material and the high denseness plastic corsets down utilizing gravitation. Mechanical classifiers -These are used on flakes of plastic and are largely used to divide flakes by size. Classifiers can be round, level, inclined, with slow or high frequence quivers etc. NIR ( Near Infrared Rays ) – These give a certain measure of energy to every individual piece of plastic and step the response ; this happens in footings of msecs. Its bound is the fact it can be used merely on crystalline points ( chiefly to screen PVC from PET bottles and flakes ) Laser spectral analysis -This penetrates the surface and steps emission spectra which depends upon heat capacity and thermic conduction so color does n't count. The response clip is long on this method so it is non mostly used. Polarized visible radiation -This used to look into differences of crystallinity and applies chiefly to the sorting of PVC from PET bottles but it can be used to screen any mixture of two plastics. UV light – This is used to divide polymers that exhibit different UV induced fluorescence. To human eyes, PET will remain clear while PVC turns black therefore this is a really common manner to manually screen bottles. Electrostatic separation is a system to pull or repel different plastics harmonizing to their charge.–WET SEPARATION, utilizing the following techniquesHydro cyclones heighten the difference of specific weight by centrifugal force, so seperating the plastics. It can be used on plastics of really similar weightsSink-float by preferable solvent soaking up is used when two polymers with same specific weight demand to be separated ; a dissolver ( intoxicant, ketone, etc ) makes one of the two lighter hence they can be separated. Hydrophobicity is the disfavor of H2O ; some polymers react in a different manner when traveling into H2O under certain conditions therefore separation becomes possible.Froth floatation means air bubbles attach to one solid advancing natation in a liquid and leave the other ( s ) to drop. Chemical Separation can besides be used including Hydrolysis, Glycolysis, hydroglycolysis .PyrolysisA new separation technique for assorted plastics using selective wetting features has been developed. The surface of specific plastics can be selectively changed from hydrophobic to hydrophilic by utilizing a wetting agent. Then, when little air bubbles are introduced into a separation cell, they adhere to the surface of the hydrophobic plastics and drift them to the H2O surface. The new separation technique is wholly different from conventional methods based on lone differences in denseness. Plastics with the same denseness can be separated by this procedure. The fictile centrifuge can be used for many intents: for dividing plastics from mixtures, riddance of foreign affair such as paper, fibres, aluminum foil, Cu wire french friess, sand, and glass from plastics ; elucidation of waste H2O incorporating all right rosin pulverization ; etc. ( Source K.Saitoh, I. Naguna, S.Izuni. ‘ New Separation technique for waste plastics. Central Research Laboratory, Mitsui Mining and Smelting Company. 1976 )

Environmental Economics Analysis Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Environmental Economics Analysis - Term Paper Example Environmental economics is a subfield of economics concerned with environmental issues (other usages of the term are not uncommon). In using standard methods of neo-classical economics, it is distinguished from green economics or ecological economics, which include the nonstandard approaches to environmental problems, environmental science/environmental studies, or ecology. (Wikipedia) The economic growth is, in fact, good for the environment, and there are limits to the contribution that economic growth can make to human well being. Forests are being depleted throughout the world since this is the economically optimal strategy for the owners. However, forests not only provide timber but also perform global ecosystem services. Forests absorb carbon dioxide, preserve biodiversity, prevent soil erosion, maintain hydrological cycle, etc. Hence, global environmental sustainability, a prerequisite for economic sustainability, might require that limits be placed on the depletion of natural resource stocks, even if it appears that this means sacrificing some of the monetary value of these stocks As the market cannot reflect all the values of the services provided by the natural environment, this implies that environmental sustainability places a constraint on economic growth. Because the services provided by natural resources are not traded in the markets, they are not reflected in the value of conserving natural resource stocks. In economic terminology, these are examples of market failures, and that is an outcome, which is not efficient in an economic sense. Here the inefficiency is caused because too much of the polluting activity will be carried out, as the polluter will not take the interests of those adversely affected by the pollution into account. This has led to controversial research into measuring well being which tries to measure when pollution is actually starting to affect human health and general quality of life.  Ã‚  

Give recommendation to Partners Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Give recommendation to Partners - Assignment Example In comparison, the second investment is a high interest saving account that provides 2% on a daily compounding basis for a six monthly investment. When compared through the effective rate of interest, the high interest saving account only provides up to 0.02% higher than the nominal interest rate of 2%. The two short term investments were then evaluated through future value analysis as well. The future value calculated for the Certificate of Deposit came out to be $2,030.15 which is $30.15 higher than the present value of $2,000 invested at the beginning of the six month period. In comparison to the Certificate of Deposit, the future value earned in the high interest saving account was $4,020.05 which is only $20.05 higher from the investment amount which was $4,000 for six months. This clearly indicates that the Certificate of Deposit is a better short term investment opportunity for the organization than the high interest saving account. There are various analyses which can be conducted on short term investment opportunities. A number of opportunities can be utilized in a combination as well to provide large savings for the organization. The main concept behind any short or long term investment is the investment objectives of the organization. If the organization believes in liquidity and requires ready cash then the best options would be those that help liquidate investments immediately. In that context high interest saving accounts may be a better choice than certificates of deposit, if high interest saving accounts do not have a conditional drawing clause. On the other hand, if the organization believes in saving rather than liquidity, then certificates of deposit would be a better choice in the short term where the money is fixed and cannot be drawn for the next six

The History and Meaning of the ninth Amendment of U.S Constitution Term Paper

The History and Meaning of the ninth Amendment of U.S Constitution - Term Paper Example However, the history and a careful interpretation makes it clear that it was designed as a reminder to the government that it is not permitted to reduce the meaning of the people’s natural rights (Barnett 9). The Ninth Amendment was a result of a disagreement between the Federalists and the Anti-federalist on the importance of including the Bill of rights in the constitution. The Federalist opposed the inclusion of the bill of rights because they believed that enumeration of rights was dangerous and unnecessary. They argued that the constitution delegated limited powers to the Federal government. The powers that were not delegated to the Federal government were reserved for the people. The Constitution, according to the federalist, does not give the government the power to violate individual liberties. The Federalists were scared that inclusion of a Bill of Rights, which protects certain rights, would imply that the government had the power to regulate such rights (Ostler 65). Their argument, for example, follows that the protection of the freedom of the press is unnecessary if the Federal government does not have the power to regulate the press. Another concern by the Federalists was th at enumeration of rights might leave the implication that those rights which are not enumerated are surrendered to the government. In their view, an enumeration of rights would not be exhaustive and this would affect the rights that are not listed (Towe 2). The Anti-Federalist, on the other hand, supported the inclusion of the bill of rights to the constitution. Their argument was that the constitution conferred excessive power to the Federal government and the Bill of rights would act as a check on the excess power. The Anti-Federalists countered the concerns of the Federalists with three arguments. Their first argument was that some rights were guaranteed in the constitution even without the bill of rights. The

Marketing Intelligence 3.3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Marketing Intelligence 3.3 - Essay Example The fact that they only use the Internet to advertise means that they are designing mostly for the younger generation; the old and the very young are neglected. Therefore, they should focus on introducing deigns for the older population, and even for the very young, in order to expand their clientele and to cater to a broader demographic. This would not only strengthen their market position, but would also increase the revenues. The fact that the company relies solely on the Internet and electronic social networking for advertisements (MLS 2012:1) could prove to be dangerous and detrimental to the growth and life of the company. It might be sufficient temporarily while the economy is down and the competition is low, but once the market conditions improve and become stable again, it might prove to be insufficient. Only a limited demographic has access to the Internet or uses the Internet for shopping and social networking. A huge portion of the demographic has been excluded this way. The company should take a serious thought into advertising through print media such as fashion magazines, newspapers, and flyers. This would not only increase the customer base substantially, but would also show to the customers that this is a serious company which is interested in serious business and is here to

International Environmental Agreements Assignment

International Environmental Agreements - Assignment Example As the study discusses  Kyoto Protocol was enforced on February 16, 2005, and its requirements to reduce greenhouse gas emissions were binding on the 35 industrialized nations that were party to its sanction. The United States was not among the parties to the Protocol's ratification. The U.S. under Bush’s administration precluded the protocol. Instead, the U.S. formulated a discretionary climate change policy that regulated the domestic emission levels.This paper stresses that  the U.S. continued its membership to the UNFCCC but avoided any involvement with the Kyoto Protocol. Surprisingly, by 2012, the U.S. had embraced some of the Kyoto Protocol’s regulations. The Kyoto Protocol is viewed as an essential initiative towards a genuine reduction of greenhouse gas emission worldwide. Currently, in Durban, adjustment plans are underway to develop new protocols agreeable to all parties, whose implementation is anticipated by the year 2020.  In 1991, an agreement was s igned between the U.S. and Canada aimed at addressing trans-boundary air contamination, whereby toxins discharged at one area travels from one location to another, deteriorating air quality both at the point of emission and the surrounding.  Under the Scientific and Technical Activities and Economic Research Annex, Canada and the United States consent to organize their air contamination checking systems; use good configurations and strategies for observing and reporting.

National Park Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

National Park - Essay Example The recent geological fossils discovery inclusive of 11,000 years sloth bones maintains the treasured specialty in the caves of Grand Canyon. Lots of animal tracks and marine fossils are eminent in the rock layers. The Colorado River resulted to Grand Canyon in its flow path hence unfolding more unique features both physically and geologically (Hall 56). The geological formations in this canyon contain precious minerals and metals that hold large historical information on earth formations. The main geological features clearly seen in Grand Canyon are the unique and complete sequence of rocks. There are over 40 layers of sedimentary rocks that are fully exposed in the Canyon. The park dates back between 200 million to 2 billion years ago. Most of these rocks were deposited in shallow and warm seas in North America. Another important geological feature is terrestrial and marine sediments in Grand Canyon (Abbott and Cook 158). Fossilized dunes believed to have an origin from an extinct desert other unconformities are also present in Grand Canyon area. A number of theoretical assumptions come into play when it comes to the formation of canyon geological features like rocks. Climate change, volcanism and continental drift serve as some of the scientific proofs towards formation of rocks. The erosive nature of Colorado River and the wind have resulted to exposure of the sedimentary rocks over a certain period. The reaction of the land to weather conditions over a long period with continuous living of plant and animals is the key behind fossils (Dowling and Newsome 162). The selection of the park is due to the unique feature and wide scope of geological features in the Canyon (Hall 56). Words cannot fully comprehend the speculations about this park hence it worth a visit. In accordance to the experience, there is a lot to see and learn about this spectacular geological ground. Depending on specified time of visit,

The Tragedy of September 11 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Tragedy of September 11 - Essay Example The paper "The Tragedy of September 11" explores the tragedy in the USA. After 9/11 the US residents were supportive of president’s Bush declaration of war. Americans had suffered a great human loss as a result of a cowardly attack on American civilians. The American citizens were outraged and wanted action and retaliation against the perpetrators that destroyed downtown New York. There was no clear target as far the attack coming from typical enemies such a war declaration from another country. The government decided that the entire Middle East region was at fault because many terrorist organizations loomed in the area. This characterization of an entire race was a carefully plotted plan which utilized imaginative geographies to justify a full blown attack against Afghanistan and Iraq which were perceived as the epicenter in which the terrorist were located and planned their attacks against western nations. This paper analyzes how the â€Å"War on Terror† has utilized imaginative geographies as an effective strategic tool to continue its presence in the Middle East for nearly six years. Imaginative geographies refers to the dramatization of the differences between a dominant culture and another culture, ‘us’ and ‘them’, employed by folding difference in distance as the key to create made up perceptions of events occurring in a place based on prejudice, racial disparity and other generalization of an opposite culture. The U.S military and its allies including the British regime utilized imaginary geography.

Native Americans Essay Example for Free

Native Americans Essay Native Americans were the first people living in the United States until Europeans arrived, sought to colonize and take over. During this time, Native Americans were subjugated to warfare, new government and losing their lands. Forced to submit to White settlers, many Native Americans have had to choose between assimilating into a White culture or preserving their heritage and ancestry. This essay will discuss public policy regarding Native Americans and provide some examples pertaining to ethnocentrism and cultural relativity. Public Policy and Ethnocentrism. From early on, Native American culture has been on a collision with White society. During the colonial period, the government did not want to have any issues with settlers and Native Americans. Schaefer mentions that Whites were to take precedence regardless of the needs or interference by tribes (150). The secretary of war was put in charge of the Native Americans with regard to any Federal communications. Later in 1824 the Bureau of Indian Affairs was created as an intermediary between the Native Americans and the government (Schaefer 150). As White settlers started to move west, they had felt that Native Americans were blocking their progress. This led to the Indian Removal Act that was passed in 1824 which forced several tribes to leave their ancestral lands. Schaefer also mentions, â€Å"the federal 2 government enacted legislation that affected them with minimal consultation† (151). The government’s goal was to weaken tribal institutions so that Native Americans would assimilate. The government still tried to make Native Americans become more like White homesteaders. In 1887 the government passed the Allotment Act which would turn tribal members into land owners. While each family was given 160 acres, there were some stipulations. Schaefer mentions that â€Å"the act prohibited Native Americans from selling the land for 25 years† (153). The other issue was with the Native Americans not knowing how to farm or utilize the land. They also did not receive assistance or training from the government and as a result, did not do well with homesteading. Since the land could not be legally sold, the Bureau of Indian Affairs ended up leasing the land to White landowners (Schaefer 153). During this time, it was believed that Native Americans should put aside tribal identities and assimilate into White culture. As time progressed, the Indian Reorganization Act which was also known as the Wheeler-Howard Act was passed in 1934 (Schaefer 153). This act was supposed to recognize tribal identity but still pushed for assimilation. Tribes would be allowed to create a constitution and elect leaders within reservations. The Reorganization Act did allow Native Americans to have more control over actions taken on their behalf. Schaefer mentions that this act had tried to unite government agencies with tribal dealings by immersing Native Americans in procedures common to White society (153). However, the act still allowed for non-Native Americans to control issues regarding reservations. Schaefer states that, â€Å"The Reorganization Act sought to assimilate Native Americans into the dominant society on the dominant group’s terms† (153). Moving Towards Cultural Relativity 3 After years of the United States government trying to force Native Americans to Assimilate, they have started to realize that their efforts were not facilitating pluralism. Schaefer mentions the Termination Act of 1953 â€Å"which was considered a controversial government policy towards Native Americans† (156). This act cancelled federal services such as medical care, schools, and road equipment that took effect immediately. There was no coordination between tribes or government agencies which affected the tribes in a disastrous manner. They were not able to perform some basic services such as road repair or fire protection without the government. While this policy was supposed to give Native Americans the ability to self-govern it was viewed as a way to reduce services and save money. With life on an Indian reservation being economically depressed, the government decided to try to lure Native Americans away from the reservations. In 1952 the Bureau of Indian Affairs had started programs to relocate Native Americans to urban areas. In 1962 one of the programs was called the Employment Assistance Program. Schaefer states, â€Å"the purpose was to relocate individuals or families at the government’s expense to urban areas where the job opportunities were† (157). This program was not successful as many Native Americans returned back to their reservations. Schaefer also mentions that this program had some unintended consequences where the Native Americans who left were better educated and created a brain-drain (157). This also caused many of them to understand the predicament that they were faced with in both the city and federal reservations. Through all that they have been through, Native Americans have managed to work collectively through Pan-Indianism intertribal social movements. It has caused them to unite within a common identity because of political goals. In 1944 The National Congress of 4 American Indians was formed in Denver, Colorado and registered itself as a lobby in Washington, D. C. (Schaefer 157). Their goal was to raise issues with regard to the Native. American perspective as it operated similar to the NAACP. This group was able to create the Indian Claims Commission and force the Bureau of Indian Affairs to stop the practice of termination. In 1968 the American Indian Movement was created to monitor police actions and document charges of police brutality (Schaefer 157). Schaefer states that â€Å"sovereignty which refers to tribal self-rule is supported by every U. S. president since the 1960’s† (160). This is a very complex legal relationship since there are numerous legal cases where the Supreme Court has to rule which tribes may rule themselves and where they might be subject to state and federal laws. Tribal members pay federal income, social security, unemployment and property taxes but do not pay state income tax if they live and work on reservations (Schaefer 160). Sovereignty links the actions of the federal government with individual American Indians. Schaefer argues that the government acts as a gatekeeper in determining which tribes are recognized (161). In 1978 the Department of the Interior established the â€Å"acknowledgement process† to decide if more tribes could qualify for a government to government relationship. Conclusion With all that the Native Americans have been through over the years it would seem that many of the early policies were not effective because they did not produce the desired results of forced and immediate assimilation. The only thing that the government was able to do was drive these people off their lands, relocate them and create a sense of distrust. I do feel that the 5 Employment Assistance program did contribute to having some Native Americans move out of their comfort zone and seek out other opportunities. It did cause many Native Americans to take collective action and form groups to lobby for their rights. With regard to sovereignty, it seems that Native Americans are trying to assimilate themselves by working with the government to gain recognition and reap the economic benefits. Today it seems that Native Americans are slowly assimilating into White society because of their involvement in protests, lobbying, politics and business. While Native Americans might not have achieved complete pluralism, they are still trying to adapt to contemporary society. References 6 Schaefer, R. (2012). Native Americans: The First Americans (13th ed), Chapter 6 (pp. 147- 171). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson.

Human Resource Development and Training Strategies

Human Resource Development and Training Strategies In the early 1980s, the field of personnel management shifted its function from handling staffing and related administrative activities to the development of people as a resource of the organization (Sims, R. 2006). Thus, here comes the field of Human Resource Development (HRD). The term HRD started out first simply as training, then involved into training and developmentà ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã‹â€ TDà ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â‚¬ °, and finally into HRD. Therefore, some confusion arise relating to the difference between Human Resource Development and training and development. In order to differentiate HRD and TD, the author illustrates this essay by clarifying the definition of HRD and TD, their respective main purpose, and the strategies of each term. Definition of HRD Because of the evolving nature of HRD, defining HRD is difficult. The first definition of HRD offered by Harbison and Myers related HRD to broad contexts, including economy, political, social and culture contexts, rather than just individuals and organizations. They defined HRD as a process to increase the knowledge, skills and capacities of all the people in a society: In economic terms, it could be described as the accumulation of human capital and its effective investment in the development of an economy. In political terms, HRD prepares people for adult participation in the political process, particularly as citizens in a democracy. From the social and cultural points of view, the development of human resources helps people lead fuller and richer lives, less bound to tradition.(Harbison and Myers, 1964) HRD was also referred as a learning experience provided by employees, leading to the improvement of their performance and/all personal growth (Nadler and Nadler, 1989). A recent definition from Swanson (2009) explained the term HRD as a process of developing and unleashing expertise which aimed at improving organizational system, work process, team, and individual performance. Definition of TD Generally speaking, training and development is defined as a field concerned with organizational activity whose objective is to improve the performance of individuals and groups in organizational context. To be specific, writers of some literatures have divided the term TD into two independent parts: training and development. Separated definition for each word is created, which makes the definition of training and development quite straightforward. Training was defined as a planned and systematic process to modify or develop attitude, knowledge or skills through learning experiences, to achieve effective performance in an activity or range of activities. (Garavan et al.,1995; Harrison, 1993; Reid et al. 1994) . A separate definition of development was that the growth or realization of a persons ability through conscious or unconscious learning, which usually includes elements of planned study and experience supported by coaching and counseling (Wilson, 1999). Similarities can be seen from these definitions that both HRD and TD provide human resource with learning to improve performance. However, their emphasises are different according to the definitions. TD focuses more on the improvement of individual performance, whereas HRD is a business approach which plays a crucial role in the improvement of whole organizational. II. Main Purpose of HRD and TD Main purpose of HRD The key functions of HRD are individual development, organizational development, career development and performance improvement. Actually, the main purpose of HRD is under debate of researchers and practitioners. Should it focus on increasing the performance requirements of its organizations and enhancing the productivity of the workforce or on developing the individual competency and skills? When practiced in productive organizations, HRD should contribute directly to the organizations goal. As a result, performance improvement becomes the main purpose of HRD. There are many aspects that HRD could improve performance: individual, process, as well as organizational levels. For instance, performance is impeded when the goal of an organization do not fit various internal and external realities (culture, for example). HRD could solve this problem by formulating a goal that fit in the organizational culture while a culture change process being implemented in order to support the goal of the organization. Main purpose of TD In many literatures, the purpose of TD concentrates on individual development. There is need to train and retrain the employees on continuous basis. TD has the goal of influencing basic values and beliefs of individual. Meanwhile, there are also technical and management TD programmes related to systems and procedures appeal to the inherent logic, and the planning methods and people skills appeal to the strategies of succeed. The relationship (or difference) of HRD and TD (and other HRD functions) could be illustrated by figure1: Figure1 (Haslinda, 2009) Although the main purpose of TD is individual development, which is one of the four key functions of HRD, we can not say that TD is a subset of HRD. HRD and TD are discrete entities. HRD is the integrated use of TD, organizational development, career development and performance development to improve individual, group, and organizational effectiveness. III. Strategies of HRD and TD 1. Strategies of HRD To contribute to the goals and missions of the organization, efforts of making HRD strategies must take place. First, there should be a clear overview of the relationship between the organizations missions, strategic agenda, and competitive environment. Followed by an assessment of the current capacity of workforce, special needs are identified. An evaluation system needs to be built in order to examine if the target competencies indeed enhance the actualization of organizational goals. Finally, the organization needs senior leadership and a culture that support lifelong learning of the work role of each employee. 2. Strategies of TD Training and development in an organization also requires a mechanism that establishes the competencies required by an organization to achieve success. Therefore, the strategy of TD includes 1) identifying the employees training needs, 2) finding out the HR strategic plan, 3) establishing personal developing plans and 4) evaluating the TD outcomes by assessment. The process could be revised over and over again. The strategies of HRD and TD have several points in common. However, those tiny distinctions make HRD a more strategically orientated organizational process. Conclusion In spite of the existence of some similarities, HRD and TD are differentiated in their definitions, purposes, as well as in strategies. HRD has roles that extend far beyond training and development (Stead and Lee, 1996). It is an extension (or evolvement) of TD and is associated with an organizations overall business success and employees TD process.

Child Labor - Economic Exploitation of Children Essays -- Foreign Dome

Child Labor - Economic Exploitation of Children   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Child labor is a serious problem in many parts of the world, especially in developing countries. It has been linked to many nations and cultures for hundreds of years. Child labor is defined by Article 32 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child: as any economic exploitation or work that is likely to be hazardous or interferes with the child’s education, or is harmful to the child’s health or physical, mental, spiritual, moral, or social development. Labor is defined as a difficult, or fatiguing mental and/or physical work. It wasn’t until the Industrial Revolution that it became the problem it is today. With the arrival of the factory system in the 18th century, during the 1700s, children as young as five were being used as workers in England. During this period, a law called the English Poor Act gave the government the responsibility to care for children that had no parents or whose parents were too poor to care for them. Under this law, the government would take these â€Å"pauper children† and place them in jobs where they could become apprentices and learn a trade. The law was not usually affective because when children were handed over to the factory owners and usually became slaves. This is a violation of the â€Å"Human Rights Document: Universal Declaration of Human Rights† in article 4, which states: no one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms. Children were used to tend to machines in factories and many worked in the dark, damp coalmines, carrying coal on their backs up ladders. Many children would work 10 to 15 hour days. This is a violation of the â€Å"Human Rights Document† in article 24, which states: everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay. They were forced to work in dangerous and unhealthy conditions, and their wages were incredibly small. There are many reasons why these children work; poverty, lack of education, lack of knowledge of one’s rights, and cultura l tradition are all contributing factors. These children are often deprived and mistreated. They may get beaten or severely punished for making even the slightest mistake. This is another violation of the â€Å"Human Rights Document† in article 1, which states: all human beings are bor... ...the child labor; they don’t have any legal power. The trade unions are weak and don’t have the funds to do the job. Over several years the proposed law, now known as the Child Labor Deterrence Act, has been reintroduced along with a companion bill in the House. However, no vote has been taken on the House bill and the proposal was still pending at the beginning of 1998.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some U.S. cities are passing laws to ensure that the goods they purchase are not made in foreign or domestic sweatshops. In 1992, the organization established the International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor (IPEC), which has implemented more than 600 action programs in 27 countries. The goal of these programs is to prevent and fight child labor by helping children withdraw from work in selected villages, provide support services for the children and their families, and change community attitudes towards child labor.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Putting an end to child labor requires changes on many fronts, especially on attitudes about child labor and the world’s poor. To help bring about changes in attitudes, activists in many countries are raising awareness that child labor violates fundamental human rights.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Andrea Dworkin :: essays research papers fc

Andrea Dworkin   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Andrea Dworkin has been an influential write, speaker, and activist for over two decades. She claims to be a feminist, and that her ideas are beneficial to women. This paper will show that many of her most popular beliefs are not only detrimental to society, but also not in the best interests of women.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In letters from a war zone, Andrea Dworkin presents a collection of speeches and short articles she has composed during her career as a writer and activist. Many of her articles deal with censorship and pornography. One claim is central to all of these, pornography is an act and not an idea, thus censorship is not relevant to it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In response to a New York Time Review of her 1981 book, Pornography: Men Possessing Women, Dworkin writes, â€Å"Pornography says the women want to be hurt, forced, and abused; pornography says women want to be raped, battered, kidnapped, maimed; pornography says women want to be humiliated, shamed, defamed, pornography says that women say no but mean yes - Yes to violence, yes to pain.† (Dworkin p 203)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In response to Dworkin's fiery rhetoric, Wendy Mcelroy writes that Dworkin has scientific backing and even cites evidence to the contrary. â€Å"In Japan, where pornography depicting violence is widely available, rape is much lower per capita than in the United States, where violence in porn is restricted.† Mcelroy attacks the belief that pornography cause violence, stating that even if a correlation is present, is does not necessarily mean there is a causal relationship. (McElroy 102)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lynne Segal sees in inherent harm in trying to link the two together. She believes that feminists who try to do so are wasting valuable time that could be spent on other important issues. â€Å"In the end, anti-pornography campaigns, feminist or not, can only enlist today, as they have invariously enlisted before, guilt and anxiety around sex, as well as lifetimes of confusion in our personal experiences of sexual arousal and activity.† â€Å"In contrast, campaigns which get to the heart of men's violence and sadism towards women must enlist the widest possible resources to empower socially.† (Gibson 19)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another argument of Dworkin's is that pornography should not be protected as free speech under the first amendment. It is her contention that protecting what pornographers say, is protecting what pornography does. Pornography is more than words. They are acts against women. â€Å"Pornography happens to women.† As a result, bans on such material are warranted, not only because it is harmfully and discriminatory to women, but also because there are no civil liberties that are violated in preventing an act.

On Morality Essay

What is Morality? The inevitable fore comings of being a child literally flash right before your eyes. One minute you are learning how to walk and talk and in the next you are graduating high school. We find ourselves constantly wondering where the hell all that time went. And in between all this growing up it seems we acquire a set of â€Å"morals† and â€Å"values†; merely things we tend to blame our actions and thoughts on. It’s like this illusory line comes into play where we place the good and the bad. Perhaps once you have a belief about something it becomes permanent and forever engraved in your head but I don’t think I have the particular values or perspectives on life as I once did. To think that one of a parent’s main ambitions is to produce a child and raise it to have said good morals and values. It is only slightly disturbing to think of Hitler or Stalin’s parents and wonder what happened? As an adolescent we are taught an abundance of things, but if asked to come up with pertinent examples, I think a lot of us would stutter to come up with a few. The problem is that these lessons and ideals become instilled in us therefore becoming second nature – no thought process needed. A moral is something so excruciating and hard to be defined. Everyone seems to have their own set, but how is it that the majority sees the differences between okay and not in agreement? The absence of an explanation leads me to conclude that your own values and morals are dependent upon the circumstances you are subjected to. The point that I am so desperately trying to convey is that certain situations I had to deal with as a child and a young adult have led to my morals and values consequently changing. Joan Didion once said, â€Å"I followed my own conscience. I did what I thought was right. How many mad men have said and meant it? † (On morality, 1965) A statement that is so relevant to my own thinking due to the fact that I have felt myself questioning where and how the â€Å"good and bad† contour was formed. If a mad man truly felt that a mass murder was right, and cohesive with his conscience, then who are any of us to circumscribe his well -being? When you think of this mad man in a different context, you resolve that maybe rather than being â€Å"mad† possibly, he has converted his pragmatic necessities into moral imperatives without second thought. â€Å"You see I want to be quite obstinate about insisting that we have no way of knowing – beyond that fundamental loyalty to the social code- what is â€Å"right† what is â€Å"wrong† what is â€Å"good† what is â€Å"evil†. I dwell upon this because the most disturbing aspect of morality seem to me to be the frequency with which the word now appears; in the press, on television, in the most perfunctionary kinds of conversation. † (Joan Didion, on morality) What Joan Didion and presumably I keep diverging back to is the improper use of the word. What truly matters is exactly that- the way in which you toss these words around. Words like morals and values are merely titles. The manuscript of my childhood may or may not have stayed but there are still reminiscent little bits that remind me of who I am and where I came from. So what is morality? I have no idea.

“Dune” by Frank Herbert and “Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain Essay

Oliver Wendell Holmes once said, â€Å"we do not read literature for improvement or instruction.† However, there are many reasons to disagree with Holmes’ conjecture; there is a great deal of literature that provides philosophical insight along with entertainment. The wisdom and education provided by books such as Mark Twain’s â€Å"Huckleberry Finn† and Frank Herbert’s â€Å"Dune† strongly contradicts Holmes’ view. â€Å"Huckleberry Finn† was a novel written two decades after slavery was abolished in the United States, yet it was set back in the time when slavery was abundant in the South. It has many instances of what could be perceived as racism, but the book is mostly against racism, mostly in its portrayal of Jim. â€Å"Huckleberry Finn† shows how Huck and Jim become friends throughout the course of the novel, showing that their friendship can transcend race, an idea revolutionary for its time. At a time when racial tensions were running high in the South, Twain’s book showed how a friendship between a white teenager and a black adult could be pure and authentic. While most adults in the book had many flaws, Jim is mostly compassionate, loyal and benevolent character. In fact, Jim is seen as more of a father figure to Huck than his own father was. When they undergo their adventure on the raft, Huck and Jim make a connection that was unheard of in those days between black and white men. This connection is shown by the line â€Å"I hadn’t had a bite to eat since yesterday, so Jim he got out some corn-dodgers and buttermilk, and pork and cabbage and greens-there ain’t nothing in the world so good, when it’s cooked right- and whilst I eat my supper we talked and had a good time†, which shows how much of a strong connection Huck and Jim really made. When Jim asks why a Frenchman can’t speak English, he simply mirrors the question of why a black man and a white man couldn’t be treated the same: â€Å"Is a Frenchman a man?† Huck’s change in attitude toward slavery over the course of the novel shows Twain’s true attitude toward slavery. At the beginning of the novel, Huck contemplates and even resolves to turn Jim into slavers, thinking that taking someone’s property is immoral. However, Huck’s attitude progressively changes throughout the novel; in Chapter 31 Huck says he would rather â€Å"go to hell† than turn Jim in. Jim’s longing for his family and the story about his dead daughter shows his humane side and shows that black men are no different from white men, thus they should not be treated differently. The novel â€Å"Dune† by Frank Herbert centers on a man named Paul Atreides and his struggle to gain back a planet that was given to him and brutally taken away by his longtime rivals. While the novel is one of science fiction’s best because of its plotline, the philosophical points made in the novel make it truly great. The novel uses religion as a driving force in politics at a time when religion was believed to be dying down. Another important revolutionary idea was the human control over ecology. The planet Dune was a desert wasteland, valuable only for its single resource: melange. Melange, a clear comparison to petroleum, was a resource harvestable only on Dune and was used in everything from prolonging life to powering spaceships for faster-than-light travel. People inevitably try to sculpt the planet to harvest this resource more efficiently, but run the risk of killing the sandworms, the producers of melange, and destroying the economy completely. However, the most important idea in the book is the concept of precognition, the ability to see into the future. The book shows it not as a positive quality, but as something that could ruin your life forever and make it a dull eternity; it poses the question â€Å"what is the point of living if you already know everything that will occur in your life?† Oliver Wendell Holmes said that we don’t read novels for instruction or improvement. However, I think that these two novels significantly oppose Holmes’ idea; they are not only for enjoyment, but they also contain a plethora of ideas that were revolutionary for their time. These works, among others, have provided inspiration and wisdom to countless readers. This is why most works are not simply for enjoyment, but also provide mental stimulation for those that seek it.

A Taste of Honey Play Analysis Essay

A Taste of Honey is a play written by Shelagh Delaney. Shelagh Delaney was born on the 5th of November, 1939 in Salford, Lancashire. At eleven years old she failed to pass the examination that would allow her to enter a grammar school, and she went to a secondary school named Broughton. She was accepted into the grammar school at a later stage as she has proved herself to be intelligent. She was seen to be a ‘late developer but by this time she had lost interest in her academic progress and so therefore did not continue on to higher education. Her first play was A Taste of Honey, which she wrote when she was 18, was accepted by a Joan Littlewood for production by Theatre Workshop Company. The first opening of the play was on the 27th of May at the Theatre Royal in East London. A Taste of Honey was transferred to West London on the 10the of February. For this play she received the Foyle’s New Play Award and an Arts Council Bursary. In the 1950’s England was felling the effects of World War II, so when Shelagh Delaney wrote the play she had experienced World War II. Also because of the World War only lower/ middle class groups would watch the play. Another factor that has caused the play, A Taste of Honey, to be a great success is that it contained issues that were never openly discussed and were consider to be illegal. For example: homosexuality- this was never discussed openly and was considered very bad, racism- Black people or people that were coloured were also considered lower class. The mood, tension and suspense had been built up during the play. In Act 1 Scene 2 Jo meets with her boyfriend and during a conversation he asks her to marry him and she accepts his proposal even though he will be away on his ship for six months and so she will have to wait before he can marry him. She is given a ring by her fiancà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½e which she wears around her neck instead of on her finger. This is because she doesn’t want her mother to see the ring. Back in the apartment Helen tells Jo that she is going to marry Peter. Peter enters and Jo starts to shout at both Helen and Peter, while Helen is defending and attacking both Peter and Jo. Peter, however, is ignoring or criticising Jo and flattering Helen. Helen and Peter leave and Jo’s boyfriend arrives and keeps her company. On Helen’s wedding day Jo is feeling sick and cannot attend her mothers wedding. Helen then see’s the ring around Jo’s neck and starts scolding Jo violently for think of marrying this young. Jo then asks about her father and Helen explains, and then runs off to her wedding. There is a lot that happens in this scene both Helen and Jo plan on getting married. And this has built up a lot of tension. But there moods with each other getting married are not positive. Helen is not happy with Jo considering marriage at such a young age. Jo is also not happy that Helen is marrying Peter but is unable to do anything about it. The timing of this happening is also coincidental as Helen and Jo both were planning to marry at the same time this cause the audience to build up suspense. The scene is ended with Helen leaving Jo behind this will leave the audience thinking of what is going to happen. The scene is ended with suspense so that the audience is egger for the next scene. Act 2 scene 1 begins and Jo’s pregnancy is quite obvious and her boyfriend has not returned. Jo and Geof, a boy she met in a fairground, return to Jo’s apartment. The scene beginning with Jo being obviously pregnant cause’s drama for the audience also Jo’s black boyfriend has not returned from his sale this make the audience think that the boyfriend will never return. Jo is currently living alone and is working in a shoe shop in the day and working at a bar in the evenings to pay the rent. This has set the mood of Jo’s environment to be busy and Jo seems to be very tired. As when she returns from the fair she falls onto her sofa as she is tired, she as says that she has to be up before half past seven. This makes us think that going to work is very necessary for her and she is finding it difficult. Geof, an art student, who had been thrown out of his lodgings, says that the reason he was thrown out was because he was behind on the rent. Jo challenges him and keeps on persisting that he is lying as she knows he is homosexual. She even states that ‘I always wanted to know about people like you’ she offends Geof with her insensitive mocking and curiosity. She finally says that Geof should tell her why he was thrown out (even though she knows why she wants to hear it from Geof) or get out Geof heads for the door to leave and is stopped by Jo begging for him to stay, ‘Geof Don’t go. Don’t go. Geof! I’m sorry. Please stay.’ I think that this shows that Jo wants some company as she is alone and finding it difficult to pay for the apartment. Jo is not threatened by Geof staying in her apartment as he is homosexual and is therefore not physically attracted to her she also says, ‘That’s why I’m letting you stay here. You won’t start anything.’ When Geof is with Jo the mood is peaceful and is not chaotic. Also, Jo’s character is different she is not as aggressive as before. The audience are interested in Geof as they want to know facts about him because of his homosexual personality. It might be that Geof was thrown out because he was homosexual and he doesn’t want to admit that he is gay, also in that period of time homosexuality was wrong. After Jo apologises they start talking and tell each other that they like each other and they are becoming closer and their relationship develops. There mood has changed and they are now talking about each other and asking questions about there past. Geof brings up the subject of the baby and Jo’s mother, he thinks that Jo should tell her mother about her pregnancy. Jo replied ‘Why?’ this shows that she still doesn’t think that her mother should have nothing to do with Jo’s baby. Geof then goes on to ask what kind of woman is she and Jo replies by saying ‘†¦she’s rich†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Geof says that she should be interested in her mother’s money as she will be needing it later for the baby, as the baby will be costing Jo more money then she can afford. When Geof says that she will need baby clothes a cot and a pram, Jo replies by saying, ‘I’m not planning big plans for this baby or dreaming big dreams.’ This shows that Jo has thought that she will look after the baby with the barest amount of money. Jo’s character is strange in comparison to other mothers. Most mothers will be hoping for the best for their children. Jo, however, is not interested; she has no idea to look after a child as she has never been looked after by her mother very well. I found it strange when Geof says, ‘You’re feeling a bit depressed, Jo.’ He was telling Joe how she felt and this shows that Geof is already having feelings for Jo. When Geof offers Jo a cigarette she declines it, she said she only smoked to annoy her mother. I think that this shows that Jo did things to annoy her mother to get revenge. Jo’s character to towards her mother does not change through out the play. Geof asks Jo about her black boyfriend when Jo answers the questions she is giving false answers. I think that she has forgotten about the boy and has moved on with her life. Geof sings two nursery rhymes; this lightens the mood and shows that Geof is still childish and young in heart. When Geoffrey and Jo go to bed Jo says, ‘You’re just like a big sister to me.’ This shows that Jo has no sexual attractions towards Geof and sees him more like a friendly sister who looks after her. Jo comments on the children’s appearance, ‘†¦look at those filthy children.’ I think this is because as she is pregnant she is thinking about children and looking at other children on the streets. She then says that is there parents fault, but then says, ‘His mother ought not to be allowed.’ Jo is referring to her own mother in a way as Jo was treated badly and sometimes thinks that her mother should not of had her. Geof is homosexual but still tries to kiss Jo and even asks to marry her. Jo declines, is it shown that Jo likes Geoffrey but she is not sexually attracted to him. I think that the reason Geof asked Jo to marry him is because he want to be normal or a least be treated normal. So if he gets married people won’t think that he is homosexual and as Jo has a baby it will save him the trouble. Geof knows that if he stays with Jo his life is heading nowhere, but he wants to stay with Jo, ‘I’d sooner be dead than away from you.’ Geoffrey has grown a strong feeling for Jo and visa-versa, however, Jo likes him as a big sister. Helen enters the room and the mood has changed, that tension between Jo and Helen is now strong. Helen is not surprised that Jo is in bed, she thinks that Jo should still be going to work in her condition. Helen’s character is still expecting much of Jo even when Helen is sick she would ask Jo to do the work. Jo doesn’t even welcome her mother politely, ‘What blew you in?’ Helen assumes that Geoffrey is Jo’s boyfriend. While Helen and Jo argue Geof enters defending Jo but is shut up by both the ladies. Even with Jo in pregnancy Helen is still as violent she is throwing threats at Jo, ‘I’ll give you such a bloody good hiding in a minute†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Then Helen knows that she was right and told Jo not to get married at such an early age but gets into a mess none the less. Helen then says that she didn’t come to argue but actually came to give money but Jo doesn’t want it even when she needs it not from her mother anyway. Helen does care about her daughter but doesn’t show it although she does show it more then Jo, ‘Look at your arms. They’re like a couple of stalks!’ she doesn’t want her daughter to be unhealthy. When Peter enters, the mood changes everyone is concentrating on him and want him out of the room. It is obvious that Peter is not in love with Helen and it maybe that she is not in love with Peter it might be that she only married him for his money. When Drunken Peter enters he insults the other three, when he sees that Helen is giving his money away he is angry with Helen, ‘Giving my money away again?’ Peter then takes his money back from Helen and therefore contradicting Helens offer of a home to Jo. When Peter leaves he calls Helen to com with her but she says no. Helen is unsure of her choice so asks Jo if she should stay with her and Jo replies no. I can see that Helen was unsure to make her decision and when she ask Jo and she said no she yelled out yes to Peter. When Peter asked Helen if she’s coming she replied no, however, Peter still insists that Helen come with her. I think that even when he has lost interest in Helen he doesn’t want to let her go, this is just like him and his money. Helen’s last act of affection is shown, she tells Geof to make sure that she goes to the clinic regularly. As soon as Helen leaves the mood has changed, it is back to that ‘jokey’ mood with Jo and Geof. This is shown when Geof says that at least Helen left her some money but Jo says that Peter took it back but she has a cigarette for him. Geof replies, ‘Oh, smashing†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ I have noted that their moods change and they are back to their original state. This scene is one of the most relevant scenes in the whole play; it shows the relationship between Jo and Geof from when it first started to when they have a strong bond. It also is the first scene with homosexuality init so this is very appealing to the audience. It also is the scene when Helen finds out that Jo is pregnant and is therefore quite dramatic. This scene is very significant to the play as without this the scene it would not be as effective.

Internet Technology, Marketing, and Security Essay

Social Media Marketing: The use of internet and social networking in the workplace has grown substantially over the last few decades. Because of this, individuals are now using the internet in various ways. Technologies such as social networking sites, blog sites and other innovations give individuals a chance to interact with one another (Apigian, Ragu-Nathan, Ragu-Nathan, & Kunnathur, 2005). Social media marketing is the process of marketing through the methodical use of technical concepts and techniques toachieve specific goals for a company. This is a form of internet marketing which used to achieve branding and marketing communication goals by participating in various media networks (Major, Pennisi, & Riese, 2010). There has been a steady incline in the use of internet and social networking in places of work over the past decade because of the web-based technologies that are being used for work and work related activities. Although social media is a relatively new trend, it is becoming a very important part of any business’s marketing and client base development platform. What could once be accomplished by a traditional website now needs to be supplemented by a vigorous and responsive utilization of the tools social media offers (Bosari, 2012). Due to the increased use of internet technology, a business cannot survive without the support of social media. Social media marketing increases the exposure and traffic of a business, and the businesses use this as a tool to gain marketplace intelligence, to generate leads and to develop loyal followers (Stelzner, 2012). Some of the important reasons why social media marketing has become exceedingly important to businesses of all sizes are: * Today’s consumers are more tech savvy and have started taking time to research online before making a purchase. With the presence of social media, the business can engage with the clients and reassure them about the product and as well as the company, thus giving the business a chance to reach out and actually connect with their audience, and making the product mor e real and reliable. * The social media sites also act as platform for a virtual social life, and having a presence there is a smart business move, especially for small businesses. This shows that it is smart to take the business to the target audience where they will come across one’s brand and product. * When many different people on a social media refer to a company’s content, then the articles related to the company, the search engines pay attention to this and in turn use this factor to provide better search engine placement for the content in your website (Stelzner, 2012). * Social media also provides the kind of transparency needed for a business. When someone likes the website, product or services provided by the company, everyone in the person’s social circle can see it, thus helping in creating a higher brand exposure. Advantages & Disadvantages of Social Media Marketing: The use of internet in day to day life and the number of people using internet everyday has changed the way many businesses think about advertising. Many of the businesses direct customers towards their social network pages than their own websites. There are definitely many advantages to this, but at the same time, there are a few drawbacks as well (Hoffman, 2010). Advantages to businesses through social media are: * The biggest advantage is that the businesses can connect with networks that are full of potential customers that they may otherwise never come across through traditional marketing methods. * Social media networks are the best platform for word of mouth marketing, the most effective way increase one’s sales. These sites also allow the customers to voluntarily promote the services and products within their network of friends, thus increasing the brand awareness. * Social media sites are perfect for communicating with customers and understanding their questions and concerns, and are also the best platform for market research. * These sites also help a business to keep close watch on what the competition is doing and how are they being received by the people, and plan their strategies accordingly. Disadvantages of social media marketing for businesses are: * The biggest drawback of social media networking is that advertising violates the users’ privacy policies. This is because, in order to provide the businesses with the information about the target audience, these sites gather personal information of the users and sell them to businesses, thus violating their privacy. Many also debate whether this is an ethical practice or not. * Businesses will have to invest money as well as other resources in order to keep themselves up to date, and to keep track of all the activity happening on their network. This could sometimes also be more time consuming than traditional marketing. * Social media can also have a negative impact on the productivity of the employees if they waste valuable time using these channels for personal use, and may also have a negative effect on the company’s reputation. Use of Social Media Marketing by Pepsi: The rise of technology, which is reshaping the world drastically, even the well-established brands have to play by the digital rules. No major industry in America immune to the need to adapt to today’s more â€Å"connected† world, where companies have to harness evolving relationships between technology, customers, and suppliers (U.S. News, 2012). While many brands are still cautious about the use of social media for business, Pepsi understands that cyberspace is a fertile ground for building relationships with customers who might not be reachable through the traditional marketing methods, and thus making Pepsi one of the most â€Å"connected† companies in the U.S. according to the U.S. News (Hatch, 2012). For the first time in 23 years, Pepsi did not place an ad in the Super Bowl, but instead, chose to spend the money on their new experiment: The Pepsi Refresh Project. This was not only an innovative strategy for brand marketing, but also ground breaking in regards to using interactive methods and social media on a new level. Pepsi has launched a digital dashboard which features a lot of references to pop culture which will help them bring in more of their target audience of 18-35 year olds, and the content being a part of Pepsi’s â€Å"Live for Now† campaign (Hatch, 2012). Brian Solis, a principal analyst at the Altimeter group and author of The End of Business As Usual: Rewire the Way you Work to Succeed in the Consumer Revolution says that â€Å"today’s connected consumers are getting groomed and conditioned to expect the world to come to them†, and Pepsi has already taken the first step in that direction by trying to connect with them, and trying make t hem feel like they want to be a part of the brand (Hatch, 2012). With this strategy, Pepsi showed how an established brand can effectively utilize five critical aspects of social media marketing in gaining more customer insight: consumer engagement, user-generated content, data aggregation, geo-local, and inbound marketing (Horton, 2012). i. Consumer Engagement – by launching the digital dashboard, Pepsi has encouraged the visitors of the website to comment on different TV shows which are related to pop culture. It has also encouraged them to select songs and encores for a Pepsi concert series in the summer featuring major artists, who will be selected by voting through Twitter by both live audience as well as the ones watching online. ii. User-generated Content – in social media marketing, customer reviews, comments, or other inputs from customers play a very important role. In order to keep track of this, Pepsi has started using a tool called SocialFlow which ranks the content within the audience segments, what the customers are interested in. By doing so, Pepsi is able to understand its consumers’ wants and needs, and in turn act accordingly in order to gain their loyalty. Moreover, by keeping track of the consumers’ views about its products, Pepsi is able to manage complaints before they can escalate (Horton, 2012). iii. Data Aggregation – with social media, a company has better access to different statistics of the consumers, which would be very hard to gather in the traditional marketing methods. This data helps Pepsi understand its consumers better and also tells them how they can attract new ones. iv. Geo-local Reach – with the increase in the usage of smart phones, Pepsi can now incorporate social media with location-base mobile marketing. v. Inbound Marketing – today’s consumers want to be listened to an d social media networks give them the perfect platform for them to communicate with the brand. Other Businesses Using Social Media: Ford Motors – The once great American automobile company, Ford Motors, was on the ropes in 2009. But it has now reported its biggest annual profit since 1999. There are many reasons for this turn about like: the closure of about quarter of their plants, the reduction of its labor and health care costs, and the sale or retirement of underperforming brands. Along with all of the above, Ford has also been engaging in first-time conversations with its customers (Roman, 2011). Ford invested around one-quarter of its marketing dollars on digital and social media, which was double the amount spent by any of its competitors. Ford now has â€Å"social media agents†, who openly converse with their customers on forums, message boards, enthusiast sites that are not owned by Ford, as well as through official Ford Twitter and Facebook accounts. They use customized search engine tools to find and respond to customer queries, comments or concerns, including about new product arrival, warranties and repairs (Tellem, 2012). Social networking sites have allowed Ford to meet customers where it might not have been possible previously through traditional advertising, and allowing them to go where the customers go. For example, Ford created the Fiesta Movement using social media, before the all-new fiesta went on sale in North America, to create a buzz about the car and as a way to introduce it to the market. This campaign inspired tens of thousands of people, not only to merely listen to the advertising, but also to engage in an ongoing dialogue with the company through channels of their own choosing: to post videos, to share feedback, and stay engaged and in touch with â€Å"The Ford Story,† very often via multiple feeds (Roman, 2011). Ford employees respond to an average of 2,000 people weekly via social media and the interaction have continued to rise from a year ago. Also, rather than dealing with the issues the traditional ways shows that the Ford is being proactive in resolving the consumers’ issues rather than wait for their calls and then react. This is win-win situation for Ford or any other company that proactively reaches out to consumers who have issues (Halliday, 2012). Whole Foods Market – Whole Foods Market believes that customers who are more knowledgeable about food are more likely to be their customers, so the company makes efforts to help people learn more about ingredients, locate recipes, etc. Keeping this in mind, and taking this policy to heart, 5% of Whole Foods Market’s tweets are promotional and 10% are content-based. The rest 85% are responses to customers. Rather than controlling everything from the headquarters, most of its Twitter activity comes from staffers in local stores, who know their local markets and can respond to local issues much faster. This also shows how Whole Foods has made social media a part of each and every one of its stores (Eckhouse, 2011). Not all the customers shopping at Whole Foods are serious foodies. Many treat Whole Goods as a supplemental grocery store – where they pick up special items or pre-made meals. Whole Foods uses social media to give these occasional shoppers more reasons to connect by announcing flash sales on seasonal items, and also to promote gift boxes (Friedman, 2011). With the help of social media, Whole Foods strives to: * Provide something to the customer – Whole Foods works hard to answer questions about recipes, wine, cheese, ingredients and health tips. The company found that customers who are more knowledgeable about food are more likely to be Whole Foods customers, so helping them learn more about food helps make the store more appealing as a destination (Eckhouse, 2011). * Serve all the customers – Whole Foods believes that everyone who enters a store should be respected irrespective of how often one visits the store. The company wants its staff to interact with each and every customer, and give them more of a reason to come and they will. For example, Whole Foods tweets out flash sales on seasonal items that will only be in the stores for a single day. Whole Foods also uses social media to promote its gift boxes as another way to reach its occasional customers (Eckhouse, 2011). * Encourages conversation – To use Twitter as a two-way communications tool, Whole Foods works diligently to get its followers to respond and interact. For example, it holds contests with questions about food and healthy living. Nor does it take itself too seriously. It posted cooking tips for insects on its website as an April fool’s spoof as well as a YouTube video making fun of an incredibly crowded and despised parking lot for one of its Los Angeles stores (Eckhouse, 2011). Future Impact of Social Media: In the current competitive world of global business, a company needs to make use of every tool available to gain an edge. One such tool is social media, which includes websites such as Facebook and Twitter, as well as blogs and forums. Social media has a direct impact on key areas such as marketing, transacting business and customer relationships. Some of the ways in which social media will affect businesses are (Edge, 2012): * Business performance driven marketing – with the help of social media and the various platforms it provides, companies have a better opportunity to interact with and understand consumers across multiple networks, and drive them to purchase. With so many options available and opportunities to understand performance, businesses will be focusing more on how social media drives business and marketing performance as opposed to just â€Å"getting the word out†. * Demand for innovations – with the increase in the usage of social technology and mobile integration, more agencies and brands will hire technology and innovation managers. They will be responsible for staying on top of trends in marketing technology and will be the digital leaders spearheading such projects. * Increase in consumer experience – along with technology, there will also be a change in the experience that takes place between brands and their customers online. Relations will become both more data driven and more interactive. Ideas will be bigger and brands will have to find innovative ways to create consumer driven brand experiences to woo their customers. References Apigian, C. H., Ragu-Nathan, B. S., Ragu-Nathan, T. S., & Kunnathur, A. (2005). Internet technology: The strategic imperative. Journal of Electronic Commerce Research , 6 (2), 123-145. Retrieved November 20, 2012, from http://www.csulb.edu/web/journals/jecr/issues/20052/paper4.pdf Bosari, J. (2012, August 8). The developing role of social media in the modern business world. 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