Causes of Environment Free Essays

cause of environmental degradation The primary cause of environmental degradation is  human disturbance. The degree of the environmental impact varies with the cause, the habitat, and the plants and animals that inhabit it. ————————————————- Habitat Fragmentation Habitat fragmentation carries long term environmental impacts, some of which can destroy entire ecosystems. We will write a custom essay sample on Causes of Environment or any similar topic only for you Order Now An ecosystem is a distinct unit and includes all the living and non-living elements that reside within it. Plants and animals are obvious members, but it will also include other components on which they rely on such as streams, lakes, and soils. Habitats become fragmented when development breaks up solid stretches of land. Examples include roads which may cut through forests or even trails which wind through prairies. While it may not sound all bad on the surface, there are serious consequences. The largest of these consequences are initially felt by specific plant and animal communities, most of which are specialized for their bioregion or require large areas of land to retain a healthy genetic heritage. Area Sensitive Animals Some wildlife species require large stretches of land in order to meet all of their needs for food, habitat, and other resources. These animals are called  area sensitive. When the environment is fragmented, the large patches of habitat no longer exist. It becomes more difficult for the wildlife to get the resources they to survive, possibly becoming threatened or endangered. The environment suffers without the animals that play their role in the food web. Aggressive Plant Life A more critical result of habitat fragmentation is land disturbance. Many weedy plant species, such as garlic mustard and purple loosestrife, are both opportunistic and invasive. A breach in the habitat gives them an opportunity to take hold. These aggressive plants can take over an environment, displacing the native flora. The result is habitat with a single dominant plant which doesn’t provide adequate food resources for all the wildlife. Entire ecosystems are threatened with extinction, according to the National Resources Defense Council. Effects of Environmental  Degradation One of the greatest challenges facing humanity is environmental degradation, including deforestation, desertification, pollution, and climate change – an issue of increasing concern for the international community. Environmental degradation increases the vulnerability of the societies it affects and contributes to the scarcity of resources. Climate change will lead to an increase in the intensity and frequency of weather extremes, such as heat waves, floods, droughts and tropical cyclones. The people hardest hit by climate change and environmental degradation are those living in the most vulnerable areas, including coastal communities, small island nations, Sub-Saharan Africa and Asian delta regions. It is the poorest of the poor, who lack the resources to prepare, adapt and rebuild, that are most affected. Environmental degradation can lead to a scarcity of resources, such as water and farmable. Extreme weather events, such as severe flooding, increase the spread of waterborne diseases, such as malaria and diarrhoea. The effects of the major environmental problems on both health and productivity are: a. Water pollution and water scarcity: As per the estimation of UN, more than two million deaths and billions of illnesses a year are attributable to water pollution. Water scarcity compounds these health problems. Productivity is affected by the costs of providing safe water, by constraints on economic activity caused by water shortages, and by the adverse effects of water pollution and shortages on other environmental resources such as, declining fisheries and acquifer depletion leading to irreversible compaction. b. Air pollution: As per the estimation of UN, urban air pollution is responsible for 300,000—700,000 deaths annually and creates chronic health problems for many more people. Restrictions on vehicles and industrial activity during critical periods affect productivity, as does the effect of acid rain on forests and water bodies. . Solid and hazardous wastes: Diseases are spread by uncollected garbage and blocked drains; the health risks from hazardous wastes are typically more localized, but often acute. Wastes affect productivity through the pollution of groundwater resources. d. Soil degradation: Depleted soils increase the risks of malnutrition for farmers. Productivity lo sses on tropical soils are estimated to be in the range of 0. 5-1. 5 per cent of GNP, while secondary productivity losses are due to siltation of reservoirs, transportation channels and other hydrologic investments. e. Deforestation: Death and disease can result from the localized flooding caused by deforestation. Loss of sustainable logging potential and of erosion prevention, watershed stability and carbon sequestration provided by forests are among the productivity impacts of deforestation. f. Loss of biodiversity: The extinction of plant and animal species will potentially affect the development of new drugs; it will reduce ecosystem adaptability and lead to the loss of genetic resources. g. Atmospheric changes: Ozone depletion is responsible for perhaps 300,000 additional cases of skin cancer a year and 1. million cases of cataracts. Global warming may lead to increase in the risk of climatic natural disasters. Productivity impacts may include sea-rise damage to coastal investments, regional changes in agricultural productivity and disruption of the marine food chain. Conclusion:  The impact of environmental disasters can be devastating on the social, economic, and environmental systems of a country or region as well as the global ecosystem. Environmental disasters do not recognise man-made borders, and threaten the legacy left to future generations of a clean and supportive environment. Because of the interdependency of earth ecosystems international co-operation is paramount to prevent, and when disaster strikes, respond to relieve quickly and effectively the effects of environmental disasters. Thus, Governments, International organizations and communities must work together – at all levels – to lessen the risks associated with environmental degradation and its contributing factors, such as climate change, and ensure that vulnerable people are prepared to survive and adapt. At the same time, companies, organizations and individuals must also ensure that their work is environmentally friendly and sustainable. Similar essay: Disadvantages of Plants Living on Land How to cite Causes of Environment, Essay examples

Compare Democratic and Autocratic Leadership free essay sample

Leadership, a crucial element in business, can be defined as â€Å"a process of influencing the activities of an organized group toward goal achievement† (Yukl, 2013, p. 76). There are four main types of leadership styles: the autocratic, democratic, paternalistic and laissez-faire leadership styles. Daft (2008, p. 44) suggests that â€Å"the extent to which leaders should be boss-centered or subordinate-centered partly depends on organizational circumstances. † After taking into account the organizational circumstances, companies should be able to select suitable types of leadership styles. Therefore, it is worth arguing that the democratic style of leadership should be applied more frequently than the autocratic style of leadership, for example, in companies adopting flat organizational structure. Power division, followers’ motivation and decision quality in both styles are compared in the following essay. Before proceeding to the comparison and contrast, it is necessary to firstly explain the autocratic and the democratic leadership styles. In autocratic leadership style, leaders have full authority over others in making decisions. We will write a custom essay sample on Compare Democratic and Autocratic Leadership or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Salem, 2013) Not only do leaders monitor the efforts of the followers, but often they track followers’ schedules closely as well. (Leadership-toolbox, 2008) On the other hand, democratic leaders share authority with followers and pay attention to participation in order to complete the allocated tasks. (Salem, 2013) Participation can be persuasive and consultative, which implies â€Å"facilitating the conversation, encouraging followers to share ideas, and then synthesizing all the available information into the best possible decision. (Leadership-toolbox, 2008) Companies in flat organizational structure which has relatively few layers of management can obviously work better if applying the democratic leadership style. Turning to the section of power, the level of power division in the two leadership styles differs. Regarding to the autocratic leadership style, as the leaders retain authoritarian control over all decisions, followers may not have a single chance to impact the outcomes. â€Å"They learn that it is safer to suppress their innate capacity and wait instead for commands. (Cloke and Goldsmith, 2002) In democratic companies, however, humanity is usually adhered during the operation. (Semler, 1989) Democratic leaders normally uphold the right of followers to affect decisions by provid ing opportunities for them to voice their concerns. Companies in flat organizational structure with â€Å"a wide span of control and a chain of command,† (Nicholas, 2009, p. 325) can better guarantee the right of followers through face-to-face or indirect interaction. Ricardo Semler (1989), CEO of SEMCO, a manufacturing company in Brazil which advocates democratic leadership style and adopts flat organizational structure, agrees that workers should be treated as competent and trustworthy adults and should be offered freedom to question and express their opinions. Various ways of distributing power cause wide ranges of consequences, among which the motivation of followers tends to be the most notable part. Martin Evans (1970, p. 277-298) and Robert House (1971, p. 12-339) have developed an abstract theory of leadership called path-goal theory. It reveals that leadership behavior has considerable impact on followers’ motivation, gratification and efforts. In autocratic leadership, it is hard for leaders to balance the authority with the morale of followers. Autocracy can typically lead to dissatisfaction and misunderstanding about decisions as well as a high level of administration. Besides, â€Å"too much direct scrutiny and too heavy pressure can squelch the upward mobility of followers. † (Yukl, 2013, p. 9) On the contrary, democracy helps followers to build confidence and to reduce stress in jobs. If a company which implements flat organizational structure leads democratically, followers can be fully engaged and be treated with dignity in consultation. As a result, only minimal supervision may be required despite the number of followers (Nicholas, 2009) and a higher degree of decision acceptance may be gained. Followers may feel more proud and more motivated if their companies succeed. Thus, involving followers in making decisions is indispensable for strengthening the motivation. Having considered the motivation, the quality of decisions also varies in the light of the differentiated power control in two leadership styles. In autocratic style, because of less contribution from followers, companies may fail to reach creative decisions and eventually spoil the performance. In stark contrast, due to a healthy environment of communication, followers in democratic style, if have more knowledge and detailed information, can cooperate with leaders to create and select the best alternative and to achieve their compatible goals with joint efforts. In companies having flat organizational structure, for instance, Google, engineers have unprecedented right to choose which projects they work on. The feasibility is proved by pioneering products such as Gmail and Google Project Glass. (Kahney, 2008) The innovation of companies in flat organizational structure thrives when democracy is implemented. However, there is an exception. From the perspective of democratic leadership style, it is comparatively time-consuming to make collaborative efforts. After consistent consultation, democratic leaders may have to decide among overwhelming possibilities and slow down the process. In the opposite, autocratic leaders set objectives and allocate tasks by themselves, so they can decide far more speedily and efficiently than democratic leaders in an emergency. Referring to the statistics, â€Å"most descriptive case studies support the benefits of democratic leadership style. †(Bradford and Cohen, 1984) A rigorous analysis of over 500 such studies by Johnson and Johnson (1989) showed that supportive processes are far superior to conflict-inducing processes concerning group performance and members’ satisfaction. Accordingly, it is wise for leaders to conduct a substantial amount of counsel and empower their followers. Although distinguished in the modes of processing, the autocratic and the democratic leadership styles should both be achievement-oriented. Two styles of leadership are supposed to serve the same objective, which is enabling companies to successfully accomplish the targets with a decent standard of performance. It is clear from above that, in terms of power separation, enthusiasm of followers and decision quality, democratic leadership style modifies better than autocratic leadership style, especially in companies having flat organizational structure. In fact, diverse kinds of companies may need to adopt special styles of leadership according to their specific organization structures, culture or industries. Nevertheless, it is an increasingly accelerating trend to combine and adapt the autocratic and democratic leadership styles to the needs of particular companies.

Zhou Bicycle Company location ... free essay sample

Zhou Bicycle Company location is in the state Seattle Washington in which it was founded in the year 1981 by a professor named Yong-Pin Zhou from the University of Washington. The main origin for its revenue for the company comes from Airwing. The Zhou Bicycle Company has retail outlets stores which are about 400 miles in distance from the distribution center. The retail outlets collect orders from ZBC in which the lead time is 2 days. Then they check to see if the distribution center supply has the merchandise available. ZBC does not do any backorders because they end up losing the value of the business. They offer an extensive number of bicycles in which the most favored model is the Airwing that brings in the most profit for the company. The ZBC company deals out a wide selection of bicycles in which a number of models comes from supplier in China. This usually takes up to 4 weeks after the bicycle has been ordered. We will write a custom essay sample on Zhou Bicycle Company location or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page With the required payments in the transmissions of written documents. They need to have a customs clearance to comprise with the ZBC approximates every time an order is fulfilled of 65.00. ZBC pays for the purchase of the bicycle which is abruptly 60% of the manufactured retail price on all models that are obtainable in the inventory cost of 1% a month or 12% every year from the purchase price paid by ZBC. I would propose that the future plans for ZBC is to develop an inventory plan for 2016. ZBC needs to continue to have a 95% customer service level to reduce the chances of any losses and to minimize the misplaced orders. It would benefit ZBC to Collect the statistics from past periods because this will help in forecasting the Airwing prototype for the sales of 2016 in which it be used with the future inventory planning of ZBC. Develop an inventory plan to help ZBC. What I would recommend ZBC to do is maintain higher level of inventory on hand then it already has. To justify ZBC needs no to ensure that the inventory is on a month to month basis. They should direct their attention to the projected sales for the entire year and continue a 10% inventory counting to project the annual sales. The reason for this is based on the reality of the bikes being transported from China which takes time and costs ZBC from receiving the bicycles being brought into Washington State. Then ZBC should continue to buy additional bikes to for its monthly purchases from China in which the inventory is selling. Discuss ROPs and total costs. The first costs would be to generate an inventory that would go sufficiently with their first view. Still, in time with the loss of sales from other suppliers in the cutbacks with costs of bringing bicycles into the United States. In the long run the entire costs will lessen and then the growth of profits will be successful. The main opinions are to combine the procedures with the new bicycles that are brought into the country which will warrant ZBC to center on the main part of the business to satisfy their customers. How can you address demand that is not at a level of the planning horizon? When it comes to the planning horizon they should take the into account the projected sales. They should not use month to month foundations but, instead they should take a whole year outlook. From a long-term standpoint they will need to make certain the bicycles are available for customers so they will not go to other retailers to capitalize on expanding its sales and to lessen costs related t o bring bicycles into the country. Parker Hi-Fi Systems location is in Wellesley, Massachusetts which is part or the Boston suburb in which they sell high quality products such as home entertainment systems. When they assemble their components, they use producers from all of over the world. In spite of the fact to their greatest extent Parker Hi-Fi Systems obtains components from companies that sell in large quantities from the East Coast. Some of their adverse items are LCD screens, which comes straight from their distribution center. An example, is the LCD screens are transported from Foxy, LTD which is located in Taiwan, and Boston International airport in which high quality speakers are acquired from famous manufactures such as Boss. Parker Hi-Fi Systems uses suppliers such as Raktim Pal, which accepts the order and then sets free the LCD screens one time only each month. Parker Hi-Fi Systems yearly needs are to have 500 units which are 2 each working periods and the company component price is 1,500. Parker has a relation to being small in capacity in which their quality focal point is preferably less volume and focused on the companys suppliers. The company is not often able to acquire the amounts of discounts. The company Foxy assures the delivery inside of one week preceding the receipt of the order being processed. When Parker Hi-Fi Systems receives their orders from their manufacture they have never been shorted on the LCDs. The initial time and date is one to five days. The company activity uses a percentage system that causes the preceding inventory belonging to the same costs. There obtain costs are 500 for every order which comprises the existing costs of labor that comes with every order that goes through customs and pickups at the airport. Then they have deliveries to the company in which they maintain the documentation and then they arrange to have a check issued. The importance is that the efficiencies from the supply chain. Parker CEO has told Raktim to consider come with an idea to buy the LCDs. The initial zone is closely and thoroughly checked for viable savings in inventory.

The Internet1 essays

The Internet1 essays In the early 1960's, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) became very concerned about the possible effects of nuclear attack on its computing facilities. As a result, it began to examine ways to connect their computers to each other and to weapons installations that were distributed all over the world. The DOD charged the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (now known as DARPA) to fund research that would lead to the creation of a worldwide network. The Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET) was an experimental wide area network (WAN) that consisted of the four computers networked by DARPA researchers in 1969. These first four computers were located at the University of California at Los Angeles, SRI International, the University of California at Santa Barbara, and the University of Utah. By 1990, a network of networks, now known as the Internet, had grown from the four computers on the ARPANET to over 300,000 computers on many interconnected networks. As ARPANET grew to include more computers, researchers realized the need for each connected computer to conform the same set of rules. The Network Control Protocol (NCP) was developed as the first collection of rules for formatting, ordering, and error-checking data sent across a network. Vincent Cerf, who is often referred to as the Father of the Internet, along with his colleague Robert Kahn, developed the Transmission Control Protocol and the Internet Protocol (referred to by their combined acronym TCP/IP), which are still used today. The Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) includes rules that computers on a network use to establish and break connections. The Internet Protocol (IP) includes rules for routing individual data packets. The term Internet was first used in 1974 in an article written by Cerf and Kahn about the TCP protocol. The open architecture philosophy ensured that each network connected to the ARPANET could continue using its own protocols ...

6 Steps to Compose a Professional Masters Research Proposal

6 Steps to Compose a Professional Masters Research Proposal 6 Steps to Compose a Professional Masters Research Proposal If you have completed your undergraduate studies, and you are interested in undertaking further studies to advance your academic career and qualifications, then the next stage of your assessment may include a master’s research proposal. What Is a Master’s Research Proposal? A master’s research proposal aims to demonstrate that you have identified a research subject that is worthy of investigation and study. It is also essential that you demonstrate that the research subject that you are considering is something that is manageable within the timescale that you would have available. The criteria that you need to consider is that your proposed research project would make a significant contribution to the understanding of that subject or the field in which you are studying. In this article, we will walk through some of the key elements that you need to include or consider in your master’s research proposal. Step 1 Title While at this stage of the process, the title that you give your research proposal is provisional only, it is important that you are clear and concise in your title, make sure that the reader can immediately understand the subject that you are proposing to study. Step 2 Introduction In the introduction, you should immediately highlight the questions that are central to the research that you are proposing. You need to be able to articulate the contribution that your research will make to the chosen field of study. Step 3 Background In this ‘background’ section, you are essentially taking the questions that you identified in your introduction and expanding on them, giving more depth and context. Try and set out your research questions in as much detail as possible. Explain to the reader the specific areas that are going to be exploring and why it is important that these areas are explored. Reinforce the contribution that this research will make to your academic discipline. Step 4 Research In this section, you need to set out the research methods that you will be using in this piece of work. Detail the sources that you intend to use, detail the analysis that you will need to complete. Also, make it clear where you are going to access the information that you need. Ensure that you are able to explain how this research is going to help you answer the research questions that you have identified in the introduction. Step 5 Schedule This part of your paper is particularly important for demonstrating that you have considered whether this project is manageable within the time period that you have available. This type of masters research is expected to take three or four years. Map out the work involved and demonstrate how you will be able to deliver your research within the time available. Step 6 Bibliography Any reference points that you have used in this proposal need to be properly documented in the bibliography part. This is the basic academic practice. Use a standard bibliography format that is accepted by your academic institution. A successful Master’s research proposal is an important step when taking your academic studies to the next level. Make sure that you consider all of the different requirements and give yourself the best chance for success.

Distinct Varieties of Masculinity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Distinct Varieties of Masculinity - Essay Example The feminists believe that the discrimination curtails women rights and seek to see the situation changed. (Piper 2009) Masculinity refers to masculine which denote something related to a male who include men and boys. (Piper 2011) defines masculinity as an expression to serve and not to be served expressing a sacrifice for the woman, which requires giving direction and having a final say. While looking at the distinct values of masculinity arises from the comparison of feminist and masculinity where feminist seek for equality between men and women, but some things constitute for womanhood and others manhood. The essay below discusses the comparison of the two in regard to distinct variety of masculinity. Distinct varieties of masculinity To begin with thoughts and experiences of men, they help in understanding gender in terms of the masculine variables, as opposed to feminist. (Rotundo, p. 106) argues that women beauty lured men from their known pleasure and secure culture to follow ing women. Therefore, opining that gender gets socially construed with masculine thoughts and behaviors arising from social and cultural processes. The scholar opines that the new complex culture, give rise to the conception of self made manhood. (Rotundo, p. 80 ) Explains the boy’s culture, which prepared boys, for rough and competitive world of politics and business, also the youth culture characterized by debating clubs, where they learned new skills and how to compete in socially acceptable ways. Similarly, (Rotundo, p 86) expresses the idea of masculinity by demonstrating thinking and experiences during both boys and youth culture. Both cultures have great emotional depth involving wrestling, fisticuffs’ and rehearsals for marriage by teenage boys in preparation for adult responsibilities. The thoughts of young men inclined to taming girls while driven by desires for sex and home cooked food because they regarded women to be different from men. More so, the develo pment of culture had many think that masculinity manifested in the success of men in both business and politics. Argument and opinion Rotundo’s argument that masculinity can be traced from the thoughts and experiences of as construed in the cultural and social development has a lot of merits and some controversies. The following reasons support Rotundo’s argument: that culture develops and so the thinking and experience of a person changes as the social and cultural responsibility change; people do grow and so changes occur, so masculinity can be examined at different stages of one’s life as Rotundo considers the issue in different cultural stages; argument that a society undergoes economic and social changes (Rotundo, p. 22) requires that man change masculinity to adopt with the new roles. Therefore, this concept of distinct of masculinity is worthy agreeable with since the feminine assume its feminist like ways. Secondly, transforming masculinity can be

Industrial Services of America, Inc. and Its Strategies Essay

Industrial Services of America, Inc. and Its Strategies - Essay Example On liquidation, Harry Kletter purchased majority of the shares and on the eve of 1980s, he started a new company concerned with the selling of equipments associated with handling and disposal of solid waste. The new company operated with a new trade name known as Waste Equipment Sales and Services Company (WESSCO). WESSCO finally joined with CWS (Computer Waste Systems), a company that had specialized in giving consultations in relation to solid waste management to a number of businesses operating in diverse industries. The merging of these two firms led to the establishment of business operations headquarters at Louisville in Kentucky. Since then the company has acquired a number of recycling units in several regions. Besides purchasing of business units, the company has also seen itself enter into merger with other companies. Currently, the company is resorting to contracting third parties’ services in collecting and disposing solid waste. This will see ISA increase its cove rage area in regards to offering its services leading to amplified profits. Although the company has its operation in two sectors, that is, recycling and waste management, ISA is considering about concentrating in recycling activities. The reason behind this decision might be due to its efficiency in the recycling operations (Consonni, Giugliano & Grosso, 2005). External environment Industrial Competition The recycling business especially in the metal sector is very competitive in the US market. ISA faces stiff competition from those firms that have access to metal source. It is alleged that some companies have access to cheap scraps giving them a chance to sell the finished products at relatively low prices. The tough competition is further enhanced by existence of rivals that have adequate financial capacity, physical resources such as trucks and efficient marketing strategies among other factors such as large market share. ISA also fears that its competitiveness might adversely b e affected by weak economy and unfavorable market conditions (Consonni, Giugliano & Grosso, 2005). Risk Associated With Depending Upon One Customer ISA is exposed to great risk by depending on one customer that contributes over 60% to its profit. ISA majorly depends on North American Stainless pertaining to sale of its recycled metals. Environmental Regulations and the Government Policies The government and the environmental organizations frequently monitors the operations of all company’s that deals in recycling of materials in addition to management of wastes to ensure their practices are in line with laws and regulations governing the environment as well as company’s operations. Such policies entail environmental, health and safety issues such as Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Failure to comply with these laws ISA might find itself in the trouble of paying fines and thus affecting their profitability (Cointreau, 2001). Internal organization Managemen t team ISA brags of having experienced and qualified management team including the president and chief operating officer, Mr. Brian Donaghy as well as the vice president of the ISA Recycling, Mr. James Wiseman. The team management is cooperative and competitive and work closely with its employees to achieve the organizations’ goals. Employees At the end of 2010, ISA had about one hundred and eighty five employees who were employed on a full time basis. Ninety-eight of the employees are employed in recycling;