The character Dee walker,alice everyday use Essay

The character Dee walker,alice everyday use - Essay Example She is the successful daughter, â€Å"the child who has made it† (Walker, Para. 3) and carved a place for herself in the outside world. Her style of dress, in striking shades of yellow and orange, ethnic jewelry and hairstyle all deliberately accentuate her African heritage and call out loudly for attention. They constitute her apparently defiant statement of identity. Dee’s use of the Swahili style of greeting, â€Å"Wasuzo-Teano† (Walker, Para. 21), and her adoption of the name, â€Å"Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo† are also meant to reinforce her assertion of her roots. Dee’s veneer of pride in her heritage is like her â€Å"sunglasses which hid everything† (Walker, Para. 82). A deeper study of Dee’s personality reveals that she has actually rejected her roots. â€Å"She had hated† (Walker, Para. 10) her childhood home. Her attitude towards her mother and sister is marked by criticism and condescension. Dee takes pictures of them as if they were curiosities and includes the house and the cow, but not herself. She does not see herself as a part of their world. Her change of name is again a rejection of her lineage. The name Dee, which has passed down to her through generations of her family, is more a genuine part of her heritage than the affected African name she has adopted. Her rejection of her past is irrevocably made by her statement about the old Dee: â€Å"She’s dead† (Walker, Para. 27). Dee covets the churner top and dasher, not as treasured parts of her past life, but as pretentious artistic curios to be flaunted as exotic ornaments. Likewise, her estimation of the quilts, â€Å"they’re priceless!† (Walker, Para. 52) is not based on the value of her love for the grandmother and the aunt who made them, but on their considerable monetary value as antiques, which will make a striking fashion statement. Dee does not know who made the dasher, nor does she know how to quilt. Unlike her sister Maggie, who will use

Employment Essay Example for Free

Employment Essay The Organization that we selected as our topic of discussion in our Project Paper is the Wal-Mart Corporation. Sam Walton is the founder of Wal-Mart. He opened his first store called Wal-Mart Discount City in Rogers, Arkansas in July of 1962. Their corporate office is currently located in Bentonville, Arkansas. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. incorporated its stores on October 31, 1969. In 1972, they started selling stock on the New York Stock exchange. Although, though the company has had controversial operational business practices they have grown to be the largest Retail Corporations in the world. In 1997, Wal-Mart was able to become the largest private employer in the United States. In that same year, their annual sales totaled over $105 billion. In 2010, Wal-Mart has over 2. 1 million employees worldwide. There 2010 fiscal year sales exceeded $400 billion dollars (Wal-Mart About Us, 2010). I have been a loyal customer of Wal-Mart for years. Therefore, I was shocked when I found out about some of Wal-Marts questionable unofficial policies through talks with friends and family members who worked for them in the past and some who currently employed by them. My mother in law worked for them from 2006 thru 2008. She was required to work 8-hour shifts without a lunch break on a regular basis. One of my cousins was required to clock out because he was about to be in overtime and continue to work to keep labor cost down. I decided to Google Wal-Mart, to see if other people experienced the same injustice. I was stunned to see some of the practices of this company I loyally supported. According to an article released by the Associated Press on 12/24/08 called Wal-Mart to Pay Workers Up to $640 Million it will pay as much as $640 million to settle 63 lawsuits over wage-and-hour violations, ending years of dispute. Wal-Mart faced 76 similar class action lawsuits in courts across the country as of March 31, 2008. These violations range from having employees clock out and continue to work without pay, denying them with lunch breaks that they are entitled to by law, non-payment for overtime worked. They have also had issues with discrimination against women, resulting, from denying them promotions and paying them less then their male counterpart even though they held the same position, and in some cases, women had seniority over the men (Associated 2008). It is widely known that Wal-Mart pays its associates below the average retail wages. In 2008, the average full time Associate (34 hours per week) earns $10. 84 hourly for an annual income of $19,165. That is $2,000 below the Federal Poverty Line for a family of four. In 2007, Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott earned $29. 7 million in total compensation, or 1,551 times the annual income of the average full time Wal-Mart Associate. Consequently, large portions of their employees qualify to receive Government Assistance to support their families. They are well aware that they pay their fulltime employees below the poverty level. In fact, Wal-Mart actually encourages their employees to take advantage of the Government Assistant Programs (Wake Up Wal-Mart, 2008). Wal-Mart does not offer its associates affordable healthcare insurance benefits. According to Wal-Mart employees, when they complained about high the cost of the insurance and lack of coverage it offers their managers would simply suggest that they try to qualify for Medicaid or Medicare. According to Wal-Mart Facts. om, If an average full-time Wal-Mart employee chooses the least expensive family coverage plan, they would have to spend over 20% of their income before the health insurance provided any reimbursement. An average full time Wal-Mart Associate faces a serious family health issue. They have to pay the entire out-of-pocket maximum for the least expensive health plan, which adds up to pay 53% of their income (Wake Up Wal-Mart, 2008). I am just a customer of Wal-Mart. I am an accountant, so I budget my money pretty well and I love a good bargain. However, when I look at this organization and their business practices all I see is greed. Therefore, as a customer I have to question my whether or not to continue to support this business if they persist on behaving in such an manner that is clearly unfair to its employees. This is not a struggling organization. It brings in sales exceeding $100 billion annually. Wal-Mart has the resources to make their employees NEEDS a priority. I would like to believe that they are sincerely willing to make the necessary changes. Wal-Mart’s management behaves immorally towards its employees. They do not value their employees’ needs, rights, or the labor laws that the US put into lace to protect them. Wal-Mart’s low price on everyday household products is what sets them apart from other discount retailers. Their employees help make it possible for them to dominate their competitors in the discount retail market and maintain their competitive advantage. It is essential for employees to feel that the company that employs them provides an ethical organizational culture in order for them to feel a sense of job security and to be motivated to be productive for the company. What is Organizational Culture? What type of OC does Wal-Mart reflect?  What effect does their OC have on employee job satisfaction, morale, and performance? What can management do to improve their employee relations? According to our text Organizational Behavior, 11th Edition, a company’s organizational culture is a shared set of beliefs and values within an organization. The culture is the behaviors that employees feel they are required to fit in order to meet the expectations of their organization (Schermerhorn, Hunt, and Osborn, Uhl-Bien, 2010, p. 12). On of the OCI’s that the Human Synergistic Study addresses the Aggressive/Defensive Culture. The cultural norms are built upon a value structure whereby management puts its own interests before those of its key constituents—its customers, employees, suppliers, and even stockholders. Members place priority on doing what is best for themselves over the long-term best interests of their organization. Previous organizational successes (due to prior leadership, technological patents, or good business strategies) fuel the arrogance and short-term orientation of management and allow Aggressive/Defensive organizations to continue to appear effective—at least for a while. However, as shown by John Kotter and James Heskett’s study of 207 organizations (and consistent with research based on the OCI), this type of value structure prevents organizations from effectively adapting to changes in their environments and ultimately has a negative impact on their financial performance (Human Synergistic 2006). Your business strategies shift; your organization’s values should not. Organizational values guide employee actions and influence business practices. They help provide meaning for employees searching for an emotional connection to work each day. Also known as ground rules or operating principles, at their best values are actionable guidelines, not to be confused with abstract beliefs that are merely â€Å"held† or posted on a plaque (Organizational Values, 2008). † In an Aggressive/Defensive Culture, management tends to have very little value for people. There focus is on setting goals and meeting them by any means necessary. They are very competitive and want to devour the competition. Some of the characteristics of this type of culture are oppositional, competitive, motivated by power, and perfection. Managers may oppose things indirectly, stubborn, always has to be right, avoids admitting mistakes, resists suggestions made by others, and have a strong need to win or dominate. Their members do not feel any sense of job security. Employees typically believe that they have to go with the follow in an effort to avoid the label â€Å"troublemaker† in order to keep their job. They fears managements’ retaliation and often feel as though they are in a hostile work environment (Human Synergistic 2006). Staff turnover is near 20-year highs for many companies. Two research firms, Walker Information and Hudson Institute, recently joined forces to conduct a nationwide employee loyalty study. Their results confirmed that staff loyalty is in short supply. Only 24 percent of employees consider themselves truly loyal, committed to their organization and its goals, and planning to stay at least two years. Thirty-three percent of employees were high risk, not committed and not planning to stay. Thirty-nine percent were classified as trapped. They plan to stay, but are not committed to their employer. Among those who felt they worked for an ethical organization, 55 percent were truly loyal. For those who did not feel they worked for an ethical organization, the loyalty figure was 9 percent (Lowenstein 2006). Creating a culture within the organization that nurtures loyalty, commitment, advocacy and productivity from the moment the new hire walks through the door and throughout the lifecycle of the employee will go a long way to sustaining customer loyalty behavior. The good news is that employees, particularly those in customer service, seek trust and trustworthiness; and they desire to be active contributors to that effort (Lowenstein 2006). The benefits for business of adopting ethical human resource management practices and viewing employees as human capital to be developed and to provide a unique advantage in the marketplace can be utilized as part of a corporate social responsibility strategy. Effective corporate social responsibility requires that along with minimizing harm to the environment, a company needs to be aware of the social impacts of its operations and ensure that they are not harming human stakeholders (Tracey Lloyd 2009). The importance of health insurance as an employee benefit is also illustrated by the fact that more than one quarter of Americans report that they or an immediate family member have encountered job lock, passed up a job opportunity, stayed at a job they would otherwise have quit, or had not retired solely because they needed to keep the health insurance coverage they were receiving. According to another survey, employees are moderately satisfied with their benefits, with 39% of full-time workers reporting this, which is a rise from 32% in 2003 (Reddick 2009). Employers who hope to retain solid, hard-working employees should be prepared to offer basic employee benefits. In addition to salary, good benefits provide important resources that not only help build a positive working relationship between employer and employee but also promote good work habits and financial practices (Thompson 2010). Wal-Mart problem is their leadership style. It reflects many of the characteristics of an Aggressive/Defensive Culture. Its issues stem from them putting their interest before the needs of their members. It does not value its employees as of Human Capital. Employees are just another resource used to achieve the organizational objectives. Wal-Mart leaders invest a lot into making decisions and strategies that will get the best prices for their customers and keep their competitive advantages. Nevertheless, they are not investing enough time and effort in training managers on how to treat their human capital. As a result, managers are presented with problems that they have no been trained for and they avoid the issue or make bad decisions. I find it hard to believe an organization as large and successful as Wal-Mart can make these types of mistakes and they go unrecognized or resolved for so long. Several people had to have been complaining about the errors before having to go before a judge. Considering the validation of the errors during the trial investigation, it is safe to say that if Wal-Mart had done its due diligence prior to trial they would have resolved this pay issue. There is no reason a company of Wal-Mart’s size and resources could not have identified and addressed the discrepancy prior to it escalating to a court issue. Which raises the question of, was this done intentionally or their employees concerns or grievances are not a priority to them. This type of mmoral behavior ultimately leads to employees distrusting the company, resulting in a low morale, lack of motivation, and high turnover. Every company has a distinct set of characteristics that drives the decisions, practices, policies, procedures, and organizational goals, which in turn affects the organizations’ atmosphere. The biggest influences are going to come from the visions and standards that the Senior Leaders of the company. Wal-Mart’s employees do not feel any emotional connection or sense of value from their organization, which leads to a lack of job satisfaction, loyalty, and commitment. Of course, this is going to show up in how employees treat customers. All Wal-Mart has to offer is low prices, there is very little customer service. For example, I pulled up to customerservicescoreboard. com and some one posted this comment. â€Å"Wal-Mart has the worst customer service, worse yet, they ignore any inquiry and advertise that they value it I really have to commit to not shopping there any more lines are long, cashiers are slow and dont even help put bags in carts. Their greeters wont get carts and roll their eyes, the bathrooms are a mess, the shelves are empty, I hope they get what they deserve ower customer count and lower profits today I tried once more and wasnt disappointed, no carts, very long lines and best yet customer service said there was no manager on duty and there were not customer complaint forms go figure. mad at Wal-Mart 4/1/10 2:21PM â€Å". In order to change this Wal-Mart has to consider ways to attract and retain productive employees (Customer 2009). Another issue is the lack on emphasis on teamwork. Employees concerns and suggestions have no validity. They are not included in any part of the goal setting or decision making process on the individual store retail level. The â€Å"my way or no way† management attitude does not work. There has to be some compromise. SOLUTIONS Wal-Mart has to change their leadership style. The CEO and other major Leaderships need to take a more active role in establishing acceptable managerial behavioral procedures and rules to direct the organization. Instead of reacting to all of the bad press concerning their employee relations they need to take a more active approach to dealing with all of the stigmas attached to the company. For example, they can start by sending out a corporate communication-notifying managers and employees that the company is about to undergo so major changes to and are about to invest in an organization overhaul that will put just as much value in taking care of the associates that make their sales possible and they put into their valued customers. Wal-Mart can continue to ride the cloud of success with no regards to the long-term ramifications of lack of change, but these are the cost of avoidance. Change will be forced upon them one of two ways. The lawsuits will continue to come and the courts will make to settlements high enough that Wal-Mart will feel the financial sting of their unethical behavior. Secondly, they will start to see a significant decrease in their sales because of the poor customer services rendered by their distrusting, low morale, and unmotivated associates. Considering how large Wal-Mart’s organization is this change would be a major project they could consider doing it in-house, but I suggest they hire an outside consulting firm that to oversee the project in order to get some fresh ideas and strategies. Of course, they would be collaborating with Wal-Marts project team in order to what the deliverables are to complete the project. Wal-Mart Leaders need to ensure total participation by giving the project team the financial and staff resources needed to complete the project. The first step would be to perform a training needs analysis and determine where the practice and policy breakdowns are occurring. Then address the issue, by establishing a new uniform policy, updating the employee handbook, training managers and employees on the new policies, and finally enforcing it. This project will take about a year to prepared, reviewed, and implemented. Prioritization will be according to the most critical needs, such as proper employee pay protocol, anti- discrimination policy training, and team building programs. For example, have a workplace diversity class set up to teach managers how to cultivate diversity and to prevent discrimination. Require that managers have a complete training class annually. Address and investigate all allegations of discrimination immediately. Written documentation is required for discrimination allegation, investigation, and resolution steps that taken. The only way to ensure that employees feel a since of organizational justice is to uphold the companies policies on the matter. Consequently, immediate punishment is required if an employee found guilty of the allegation. Send out corporate communication, notifying employees of the companies’ commitment to improve employee relations. Send the communication via email and display it in high traffic areas. Express managements desire to include employees in some of the decisions that directly affect them by establishing an Employee Involvement Team to be apart of the project. That will help Management and employees address employee concerns and grievances, such as a fair and competitive wages and health insurance package. Allowing employees to be apart of the decision making process will help management get feedback on the best ways to go about achieving up coming goals, while building team commitment, loyalty, and moral. There will be annual policies will be reviews and revision if necessary. Managers and employees will complete skill assessment tests annually. There will be skill-training classes set up to teach managers how to promote effective communication and leadership abilities. Issue training results to department heads and certificates of completion to participants. Finally, collect feedback from the managers and employees to evaluate, results and feelings on the process improvements. Leave a comment section to get their feelings on the companies’ efforts to improve employee relations. Identify remaining problems and work with the In-house Project Team and the Employee Involvement Team to improve them.

Molluscan Assemblage on the Intertidal Zones of Butuan Bay

Molluscan Assemblage on the Intertidal Zones of Butuan Bay MOLLUSCAN ASSEMBLAGE (UNIVALVIA AND BIVALVIA) ON THE INTERTIDAL ZONES OF BUTUAN BAY, AGUSAN DEL NORTE, NORTHEASTERN MINDANAO ARIEYL C. JAMODIONG INTRODUCTION Coastal zone is one of the marine environments where the most intense and harsh conditions in the world occurs. This aquatic biome often deals with the changing of tide daily allowing extreme exposure to sunlight so that high temperature, increase salinity (due to intense evaporation) and low water supply is often experienced in this area. Moreover, this part of the aquatic world is open to strong action brought about by the wave thereby making this region the most severe environment to live in. In spite of this, vast array of animals exist because they are well adapted to these extreme conditions. Among these diverse organisms are the molluscs which are the most familiar form of invertebrates on earth. This group of animal is very important ecologically and economically since they create a vital link in the marine food web (Burkepile 2007; Castell Sweatman 1997) and the edible forms are source of protein for human consumption, while the shells are known for its use as raw materials for poultry feeds, cement producer, fertilizers, ornamentals (Paul et al 2014; Tabugo et al 2013; Del Norte-Campos et al 2003; Floren 2003; Schoppe et al 1998) and even has the potential as antiviral drugs (Chatterji et al 2002). Due to these, the coastal zone can therefore be considered as the most productive and since it is easily accessible, this region is vulnerable to impacts of anthropogenic activities (Vaghela et al 2010). Without a doubt, exploitation of natural resources (i.e unregulated harvesting) are now causing catastrophic effects on the molluscan fauna of the intertidal zone (Doloroza Dangan-Galon 2014; Jontila et al 2014; Gomez Mingoa-Licuanan 2006) as a result of rapid increase in human population, tourist development and commercial demands. Interplay among environmental (sediment size, wave action, salinity of the interstitial water, organic matter and calcium carbonate contents of the sediment) and biological factors (predation, competition and recruitment) affects the temporal and spatial changes in species abundance in biological communities (Flores-Rodrà ­guez et al 2014; Esqueda-Gonzalez et al 2014; Rahman Barkati 2012; Batomalaque et al 2010; Rios-Jara et al 2009; de Arruda Amaral 2003; Azouzi et al. 2002). In the Philippines, intense human activities (for instance, harvesting, tourism and fishing) has resulted to un-controlled over exploitation of natural resources especially commercially important species despite international and local laws that banned the harvesting of these valuable commodities. In order for sustainable use of marine and coastal living resources to become successful, sufficient information on biological diversity must be done. Studies on diversity and abundance on molluscs in the country a re inadequate which include the works of Dolorosa Dangan-Galon (2014), Picardal Dolorosa (2014), Dolorosa Jontila (2012), Batomalaque et al (2010), Dolorosa Schoppe (2005) with relatively few works done in Mindanao, Philippines (Manzo et al 2014; Tabugo et al 2013). Therefore, the aim of this study is to do assessment on the abundance of molluscan assemblage (gastropods and bivalves) in the intertidal zone of Butuan Bay with the following objectives: (1) to measure the physical and chemical parameters of the water (DO, temperature, salinity and pH), and the sediment contents (total organic matter, calcium carbonate and grain size); (2) to come up with a list of gastropods and bivalves by identifying collected molluscs; (3) to compare the abundance and diversity of these molluscan assemblage between established sites; and (4) to identify which among the physical, chemical and sediment contents that may control or influence the distribution and abundance of gastropod and bivalve a ssemblage. It is hoped, that monitoring molluscan biodiversity of any marine ecosystem specifically the easily accessible intertidal zone will allow appropriate assessment of the effects of anthropogenic (e.g., pollution, unregulated harvesting, habitat degradation and fishing practices) as well as natural (e.g., hurricanes and currents) factors on species diversity and abundance. MATERIALS AND METHODS Description of the Study Area Butuan Bay is located in the northeast section of Mindanao and is part of Bohol Sea. It has a latitude of 9 °04†²N and longitude of 125 °22†²E (http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php/Butuan_Bay). The well-known Agusan River, which is the longest river in Mindanao, brings freshwater into Butuan bay. The bay is an important fishing ground where most of the fishermen catch tuna and sardines (Wernsted Spencer 1967). Sampling Stations Four sampling sites will be positioned on the intertidal zones of Butuan Bay, Agusan del Norte for the assessment of molluscs (Figure 1). These sites will be chosen on the basis of the type of substrate and presence of industries, beach resorts and bamboo houses or shanties constructed along the coastline. Station 1 will be situated at Barangay Pook, Tubay where San Roque Metals Inc. is present. The company is involved in nickel mining which dumped its wastes directly into the coast causing the water to turn into a brownish coloration. The intertidal flat is composed largely of broken corals and is characterized by rubble substrate that may have resulted from the mining demolition. Station 2 will be established along Barangay Marcos, Magallanes where Eurasia Match Inc. (EMI) is located. The company is one of the biggest Figure 1. Geographical locations of the four sampling sites in the intertidal zones  of Butuan Bay, Northeastern Philippines (http://www.maphill.com/philippines/region-10/agusan-del-norte/simple-maps/silver-style-map/) distributor of match in the country. About 250 meters away from this station is the outlet of Agusan River which was reported to have carried with it run-off waters contaminated with residues of mercury and cyanide believed to have come from Mt. Diwalwal, the biggest mining site located in Compostela Valley (http://www.bar.gov.ph/digest-home/digest-archives/94-2003-4th-quarter/3282-oct-dec03-mercury-contamination-in-agusan-river). The intertidal flat is distinguished by a muddy flat substrate. Station 3 will be established at Barangay Sta. Ana, Nasipit where the Aboitiz floating power barge was situated. The barge makes use of petroleum to provide electricity to the entire province of Agusan del Norte during long episode of power shortage. Fish pens are also visible along the area. This area is made up of muddy flat with mangroves situated along the shoreline. Station 4 will be placed at Barangay Vinapor, Carmen where the intertidal zone hosts diverse species of corals and seagrass b ed. This site is devoid of any industries although several beach resorts are present. Establishment of Transects and Quadrats Three transects, with lengths of 50 meters and positioned perpendicular to the shore, will be placed on the intertidal flat of each sampling site. The interval between transect lines will be 50 meters. Along each transect, four 11 meter quadrats set 10 meters apart from each other, will be laid. Within each quadrat, all environmental parameters, sediment samples for analysis of sediment contents, and all molluscs seen will be quantified â€Å"in situ† and will be gathered, respectively. Forty-eight quadrats (48 m2) will be laid down on the intertidal zones for the entire sampling sites during low tide. Employing a GPS (Garmin GPSMAP 76S), coordinates for each sampling sites will be taken. â€Å"In situ† determination of environmental parameters and the contents of the sediment Determination of the physical and chemical factors namely, dissolved oxygen, temperature, pH and salinity will be done directly on the field using the portable DO meter (AMSTAT, AMT07), pen type pH meter (PH-009) and refractometer (ATAGO), respectively. Fifty grams (50g) sediment samples will be collected for the analysis of total organic matter and calcium carbonate using a plastic corer. Soil samples for the grain size determination will be obtained by gathering 200g sediments using a grab sampler. Sediment collected will be placed separately in a Ziploc bag and labelled properly. Three sediment samples for the sediment content analysis will be obtained in every quadrat and will be placed inside the freezer until laboratory analysis. Field collection of Molluscs samples Samples for the collection of epifauna molluscs will be done by means of picking up live organisms seen on the sediment inside each of the quadrat. Specimens gathered will be stored inside a labelled plastic container and will be preserved with 10% formalin-seawater solution. Conversely, infauna species will be collected using a grab sampler which will be pushed to a depth of 15cm in the center of the quadrat. Sediment sample for the infauna species will be placed in a Ziploc bag. Laboratory analysis of Molluscs samples Infauna species will be removed from the soil by sieving through a sieve with a 500 µm mesh opening. Molluscs retained on the sieve will be transferred to a tray and each species encountered will be hand-sorted and preserved in 10% formalin-seawater solution. Immediately, all molluscs will be cleaned, identified to species level and counted. A voucher specimen of each representative species will be set aside and its soft tissues will be removed, its shells will be cleaned and measured to the nearest 0.1 mm using a Vernier caliper and then pictures will be taken using a digital camera (Sony Cyber-Shot, 16 MP). Counts will be expressed as numerical and relative abundance. Numerical abundance will be expressed as number of individuals per m2, while relative abundance for each species will be calculated as a percent of total molluscan species present. Molluscs will be identified using the standard works of Springsteen Leobrera (1986) and the illustrated guides to marine gastropods (ht tp:// www.gastropods. com.) and seashells (www.seashellhub.com, www.jaxshells.com.). Laboratory analyses of organic matter contents in the sediments and grain size Determination of calcium carbonate concentration and total organic matter will be quantified using the method described by Moghaddasi et al (2009). Calcium carbonate will be done by drying the sediment samples inside an oven at 70 °C for about 8 hours. Then, around twenty-five grams (25 g) will be weighed (W1), mixed with HCl (0.1 N) and will be stirred until no CO2 bubbles appeared before it will be stored. After 25 hours, the sample will be filtered and the upper liquid phase discarded. The residual sediments will be dried at 70 °C for 8 hours and reweighed again (W2). Calcium carbonate percentage will be measured by the following formula: CaCO3 (%) = 100 (W1-W2) / W1 For the total organic matter (TOM) analysis, a pre-weighed crucible (C) half-filled with the sediment samples will be dried at 70 °C for 24 hours and afterwards reweighed (A). Subsequently, sediment samples will be placed in a furnace at 550 °C for about 12 hours, then will be allowed to cool before it will be reweighed again (B). The total organic matter will be calculated as follows: TOM (%) = 100 (A-B) (A-C) Grain size will be determined following the method described by Das (2009) using 100g oven-dried sediment which will be sieved using series of screen sieves of 3.35 mm, 0.841 mm, 0.595 mm, 0.31 mm, 0.149 mm, and 0.074 and 0.053 mm mesh opening. Soil particles retained on each sieve will be taken and weighed separately. The percentage of each particle fraction will be computed as shown below: Percentage weight= Dry weight of grained sediments x 100 Total dry weight of sediments Particle size will be determined based on the USDA Soil Textural Triangle. Statistical Analyses Index for diversity profiles will be calculated using Shannon-Weaver Index, Margalef Index and Menhinick Index in order to determine changes in the composition of molluscs species. Variation on the abundance of molluscan species between sampling stations will be analyzed using One-way ANOVA. To know which among the environmental parameters and sediment contents that may influence the numerical abundance of molluscan assemblage, the Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) will be used. Similarities among molluscan assemblage will be determined using the Cluster Analysis (Wards Method). PAST (PAleontological STatistical) software version 2.17 will be employed for all the statistical analyses (http://folk.uio.no/ohammer/past/) (Hammer et al., 2001). LITERATURE CITED Azouzi L., Bourget E., Borcard D., 2002 Spatial variation in the intertidal bivalve  Macoma balthica: biotic variables in relation to density and abiotic factors. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 234:159–170. Batomalaque G. A., Arce B. G. P., Hernandez M. B. M., Fontanilla I. K. C., 2010.  Survey and spatial distribution of shoreline malacofauna in Grande Island, Subic Bay. Philippine Journal of Science 139 (2):149-159. Burkepile D., E., Hay M. E., 2007 Predator release of the gastropod Cyphoma  gibbosum increases predation on gorgonian corals. Oecologia 154(1):167–173. Castell L. L., Sweatman H. P. A., 1997 Predator-prey interactions among some  intertidal gastropods on the Great Barrier Reef. J. Zool. 241(1):145–159. Chatterji A., Ansari Z. A., Ingole B. S., Bichurina M. A., Marina S., Baikov Y. A., 2002 Indian Marine Bivalves: Potential Source of Antiviral Drugs. Current science 8(10):1279-1281. Das B. M. 2009 Soil Mechanics Laboratory Manual. 7th Edition, Oxford  University Press Inc, New York. de Arruda E. P., Amaral A. C. Z., 2003 Spatial distribution of mollusks in the  intertidal zone of sheltered beaches in Southeastern of Brazil. Revista Brasileira de Zoologia 20(2):291-300. Del Norte-Campos A. G., Declarador M. B., Beldia R. A., 2003 Catch  composition, harvest and effort estimates of gleaned macroinvertebrates in Malalison Island, Northwestern Panay. University of the Philippines Visayas J Nat Sci 8:129–141. Dolorosa R. G., Dangan-Galon F., 2014 Species richness of bivalves and  gastropods in Iwahig River-Estuary, Palawan, the Philippines. International Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Studies 2(1):207-215. Dolorosa R. G., Jontila J. B. S., 2012 Notes on common macrobenthic reef  invertebrates of Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, Philippines. Science Diliman 24:2:1-11. Dolorosa R. G., Schoppe S., 2005 Focal benthic mollusks (Mollusca: Bivalvia and  Gastropoda) of selected sites in Tubbataha Reef National Marine Park,  Palawan, Philippines. Science Diliman 17:2:1-10. Esqueda-Gonzalez M. D., Rios-Jara E., Galvan-Villa C. M., Rodriguez-Zaragoza  F. A., 2014 Species composition, richness, and distribution of marine bivalve molluscs in Bahia de Mazatlan, Mexico. ZooKeys 399:43–69. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.399.6256. Floren A., 2003 The Philippine shell industry with special focus on Mactan, Cebu.  Coastal Resource Management Project of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. United States Agency for International Development, 50 pp. Flores-Rodrà ­guez P., Flores-Garza R., Garcà ­a-Ibà ¡Ãƒ ±ez S., Valdà ©s-Gonzà ¡lez A.,  Violante-Gonzà ¡lez J., Santiago Cortà ©s E., Galeana-Rebolledo L., Torreblanca-Ramà ­rez C., 2012 Mollusk species richness on the rocky shores of the State of Guerrero, Mexico, as affected by rains and their geographical distribution. Natural Resources 3:248-260. Gomez E. D., Mingoa-Licuanan S. S., 2006 Achievements and lessons learned in  restocking giant clams in the Philippines. Fisheries Research 80(1):46-52. Hammer O., Harper D. A. T., Ryan P. D., 2001 PAST: paleontological statistics software package for education and data analysis. Palaeontologia Electronica 4:1-9. Jontila J. B. S., Gonzales B. J., Dolorosa R. G., 2014 Effects of poaching on  Topshell Tectus niloticus population of Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, Palawan, Philippines. The Palawan Scientist 6:14-27. Manzo K., Estandarte M. H., Dalipe R. E., Ulangutan J., Lecera J. M., Acob A.,  Diamalod J., Salmo W., Jumawan J., 2014 Survey and diversity of  intertidal mollusks in Alabel and Maasim, Sarangani Province,  Philippines. AACL Bioflux 7(6):449-457. Moghaddasi B., Nabavi S. M. B., Vosoughi G., Fatemi S. M. R., Jamili S., 2009 Abundance and distribution of benthic foraminifera in the Northern Oman Sea (Iranian side) continental shelf sediments. Research Journal of Environmental Sciences 3(2):210-217. Paul P., Panigrahi A. K., Tripathy B., 2014 A study of marine molluscs with  respect to their diversity, relative abundance and species richness in North-East coast of India. Indian Journal of Applied Research 4(12):538-541. Picardal R. M., Dolorosa R. G., 2014 The molluscan fauna (gastropods and  bivalves) and notes on environmental conditions of two adjoining protected bays in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, Philippines. Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies 2(5):72-90. 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Dieting :: Vegan Health Food Diet Essays

As we begin our journey into the twenty-first century, society has turned to the Internet to find out what is going on with the world. With society searching for all the answers on their computers, we may soon be finding solutions to what and how we should be eating. Often, the articles read may be misleading and do not cover both sides of the issue. In recent years, several dietary movements have arisen from the objection to the inhumane treatment of animals. Medical evidence has linked these diets to many health benefits and risks. Dieting and the types of food that we consume have been shown to affect our lives in ways that we have been unaware of, such as cholesterol levels, heart disease, and colon cancer. These types of diseases in western societies are results of excess, rather than of deficiency. According to the American Dietetic Association, vegetarians have a lower risk for these diseases (http://envirolink.org/arrs/vo/ArgumentMedical.html). With medical arguments in favor of cutting meat out of one's diet, a more extreme vegetarian diet has gained attention. A vegan diet is considered a strict type of vegetarianism. In this article, I will define veganism and also outline the beneficial qualities and concerns of following this type of diet as research has shown. What is Veganism? Veganism is the strict following of a vegetarian diet in which no animal products are consumed. This diet excludes any meat, fish, eggs, or dairy products. Many vegans must take supplements to obtain the vitamins and minerals needed for one's health, which are missing from diet alone. Being vegan is not only following a scheduled diet, but also a complete lifestyle. The "perfect vegan" bans any type of animal products such as leather and animal-tested cosmetics from their life. Veganism has its origins in the inhumane treatment of animals. Many vegans have done research into the livestock business and have found disturbing results. By witnessing institutionalized cruelty, vegans support their plight with this documentation and work together to promote their cause. Many vegans feel that it is not only a diet, but the embodiment of ahimsa-- the philosophy of non-violence towards and all-encompassing respect for all sentient beings (http://envirolink.org/arrs/vo/BeingVegan.html). Vegans are also concerned with the environment. A report issued by the U.S. Departments of Commerce and Interior says that 1/3 of all raw materials consumed in the U.S. are involved in the production of our animal-based foods, as is over half of the water (http://envirolink. Dieting :: Vegan Health Food Diet Essays As we begin our journey into the twenty-first century, society has turned to the Internet to find out what is going on with the world. With society searching for all the answers on their computers, we may soon be finding solutions to what and how we should be eating. Often, the articles read may be misleading and do not cover both sides of the issue. In recent years, several dietary movements have arisen from the objection to the inhumane treatment of animals. Medical evidence has linked these diets to many health benefits and risks. Dieting and the types of food that we consume have been shown to affect our lives in ways that we have been unaware of, such as cholesterol levels, heart disease, and colon cancer. These types of diseases in western societies are results of excess, rather than of deficiency. According to the American Dietetic Association, vegetarians have a lower risk for these diseases (http://envirolink.org/arrs/vo/ArgumentMedical.html). With medical arguments in favor of cutting meat out of one's diet, a more extreme vegetarian diet has gained attention. A vegan diet is considered a strict type of vegetarianism. In this article, I will define veganism and also outline the beneficial qualities and concerns of following this type of diet as research has shown. What is Veganism? Veganism is the strict following of a vegetarian diet in which no animal products are consumed. This diet excludes any meat, fish, eggs, or dairy products. Many vegans must take supplements to obtain the vitamins and minerals needed for one's health, which are missing from diet alone. Being vegan is not only following a scheduled diet, but also a complete lifestyle. The "perfect vegan" bans any type of animal products such as leather and animal-tested cosmetics from their life. Veganism has its origins in the inhumane treatment of animals. Many vegans have done research into the livestock business and have found disturbing results. By witnessing institutionalized cruelty, vegans support their plight with this documentation and work together to promote their cause. Many vegans feel that it is not only a diet, but the embodiment of ahimsa-- the philosophy of non-violence towards and all-encompassing respect for all sentient beings (http://envirolink.org/arrs/vo/BeingVegan.html). Vegans are also concerned with the environment. A report issued by the U.S. Departments of Commerce and Interior says that 1/3 of all raw materials consumed in the U.S. are involved in the production of our animal-based foods, as is over half of the water (http://envirolink.

Polaroid Corporation

Polaroid | Why Polaroid failed Polaroid | Background Information 1937 | founded by Edwin Land first to switch to colored dyes 1948 | launch of instant film cameras first & only brand within its category 1982 | Edwin Land left the company early 90s | introduction of digital cameras Oct 2001 | couldn‘t compete with digital cameras & filed a bankrupcy Consumer Centric Marketing | Why Polaroid failed? 2 Polaroid | Edwin Land Factory of innovation 535 patents Block-buster creator House Genius Edwin Land centric company Product-oriented Showman Marketing is what you do when your product is not good† Consumer Centric Marketing | Why Polaroid failed? 3 Polaroid | Contextualizing Competitive Advantage competitiveness level market orientation sales orientation product orientation production orientation until mid 80s supply < demand supply = demand supply > demand 4 innovative excellence first mover cult status brand identity Consumer Centric Marketing | Why Polaroid failed? Polaroi d | Changes in the market competitiveness level market orientation mid 80s onwards sales orientation product orientation production orientation rices for conventional cameras drop 1-hour-photo shops emerge home computers & digital cameras supply > demand 5 supply < demand supply = demand Consumer Centric Marketing | Why Polaroid failed? Polaroid | Reactions & Cause of Failure Polaroid stayed product-centric Failed to anticipate market changes & implications Ignored opportunity despite having technological expertise & fixated on Polaroids „As electronic imaging becomes more prevalent, there remains a basic human need for a permanent visual recordâ€Å"Reaction to changes too slow Loss of key brand asset & competitive advantages Consumer Centric Marketing | Why Polaroid failed? 6 Polaroid | Loss of Competitive Advantage limited interactivity (social network etc. ) lack of convenience (10 pics at a time) expensive compared to digital cameras emergence of instant printing shops. brand identity adopted by digital camera competitors Polaroid nowadays perceived as ‚artsy‘ & ‚retro‘ Consumer Centric Marketing | Why Polaroid failed? 7 Polaroid | Way Around It & ConclusionPolaroid could have branded digital products as a logical extensions of its instant range if they had anticipated the changes early enough and reacted accordingly Concentrate on product & brand value rather than products & technology Keep up with the market trends Anticipate future changes & implications Satisfy a need â€Å"camera should go beyond amusement and record making to become a continuous partner of most human beings†¦ a new eye, a second memory. â€Å" (Land) Consumer Centric Marketing | Why Polaroid failed? 8 Polaroid | Sources Arvidson, Erik, „Polaroid Historyâ€Å", retrieved from http://www. how. com/info_8730013_polaroidhistory. html Camerapedia. wikia. com, http://camerapedia. wikia. com/wiki/Polaroid, viewed Oct 6th 2012 Haig, Matt (2011), „Brand Failures: The Truth About the 100 Biggest Branding Mistakes of All Time† Polaroid. com, http://www. polaroid. com/about-us, viewed Oct 7th 2012 Smith, Andrea Nagy (November 2009), „What was Polaroid thining? â€Å", in: Behavioral Research, A publication of the Yale School Of Management, retrieved from http://qn. som. yale. edu/content/what-waspolaroid-thinking Consumer Centric Marketing | Why Polaroid failed? 9

American reactions to the vietnam war Essay

It contains broad coverage regarding what happened in the demonstration and the reaction of the construction workers to the war. But it fails to provide wider coverage to America’s reaction as a whole, as it only explores one event, from a certain group, which were only a small minority of the American population. It provides some context by briefly explaining why the construction workers went on this demonstration, however some areas lack context as it isn’t entirely clear as to why they reacted so violently to the war. It portrays a precise and detailed insight as to how the ‘Hard Hat’ construction workers reacted to the war, however other areas of the representation lack sufficient detail, for example the author only briefly mentions how the police collaborated with the construction workers. However it does provide broad coverage as it mentions the different reactions to the demonstration, including a major American newspaper. This representation explores the ‘Hard Hat’ demonstration in great precise detail, giving a clear view into exactly what happened on that demonstration, and how the construction workers reacted to the war. Even though it explores the event in great depth it fails to include figures, dates or statistics. It also lacks context and detail in certain areas, for example it fails to mention why the police worked with the construction workers. However it does contain carefully selected quotes which shine further light upon the event, one quote stating that the police were working with the construction workers. The other quote is from a construction worker explaining why he went on the demonstration. In addition the representation completely agrees with what I know about the ‘Hard Hat’ demonstration. This representation is written in a very professional, analytical and factual style, which is mostly detached, making this piece mostly objective. However it is also quite unobjective, as there is a certain amount of emotive language used, for example ‘mob’ and ‘chased down’. It also contains a quote which arguably justifies the attack, explaining that one of the construction workers was doing it for his brother who was wounded in Vietnam. Overall this source gives a detailed insight as to how a group of construction workers reacted to the war, however this is only a small minority and their reaction doesn’t represent the reaction of America. It fails to give a broad view as to how America as a whole reacted to the war. In addition the event is explored in great depth and is written in a professional and analytical style. But it lacks precise detail with no use of figures or dates, and contains a significant amount of emotive language, causing it to be quite inaccurate and unobjective. In conclusion all three representations explore in detail how certain different groups among US society reacted to the war. I have come to the conclusion that representation two is the best regarding the way in which people in America as a whole reacted to the war. It broadly covers in great detail the reaction of many different group among the American population including, pacifist, liberalist and students. The reaction of these groups combined with a survey of public opinion; represent the reaction of a large majority of America. Even though it doesn’t go into as much detail as the other two sources, they only manage to focus on one group of people. This representation objectively and analytically explores in great detail how a number of different groups reacted, and it portrays the best, accurate, most vivid, broad image of how people in America reacted to the war. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Classics section.