Water pollution and the way agriculture affects this global dilemma Research Paper

Water pollution and the way agriculture affects this global dilemma - Research Paper Example Water Pollution and the way agriculture affects this global dilemma Water pollution is becoming an increasing problem throughout the world today. Some of the people identify the main cause of water pollution to that of agriculture activities. For instance, in the United States, the cause of pollution is forty-eight percent of stream and river water and on the other hand, forty-one percent of the lake water because of agricultural activities (Sustainable Table, 2011). This issue has largely become a ‘global dilemma’ as the topic aptly puts it. This requires a detailed study of the topic. The question therefore arises as to how agriculture leads to this global dilemma, and how adversely it affects and endangers the lives of the species. Various studies have shown that indeed modern agricultural system has had a significant role in increasing the water pollution. Agriculture is a major contributor in European countries to the cause of water pollution, both ground and surfac e water (Echaore-McDavid, 2007). Pollution has a non-point source, and thus, it does now allow its measurement. ‘Non point source accounts for almost half of water pollution and agriculture remains the largest contributor to it’ (Sustainabletable, 2011). In addition, the same study also states that almost 50-70% of the pollution of the surface waters originates mainly from agricultural lands in the form of fertilizers and animal wastes (Roberts, 1995). Not only this, but the use of pesticides, specifically the synthetic herbicides, have also caused a major concern, since these an easily leach into the ground water and pollute it. In aquifers, the nitrate concentration may also increase due to the intensity of the usage of fertilizers (Echaore-McDavid, 2007). In addition, the storage of manure in lagoons often becomes a source of water pollution. ‘When these lagoons leak during storms or rain, they may rupture and overflow’ (Sustainabletable, 2011). Leaking lagoons subsequently lead to the emission of antibiotic residues and harmful bacteria, which leaches into the water surface (Sustainabletable, 2011). The building of dams to aid irrigation in agriculture also alters the stream flow regimes that lead to the degradation of the aquatic and riparian habitats. The run-off due to rain and storms also pose an additional problem. Surface run off from agricultural lands carries salts, fertilizers, pesticides, pathogens and other pollutants, and dumps into aquifers and other water sources. The water sources used for drinking water poses a threat to human and animal health (Shortle & Abler, 2001). A study carried out by the US environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) found that agriculture is the leading cause of poor quality in river and lakes (Shortle & Abler, 2001). However, this problem is not limited to the United States only. This problem is very significant in developing countries, where the majority of the population depends upon agricu lture for their livelihood. This in essence does prove that the problem of water pollution is indeed a global dilemma. According to Shortle and Abler (2001), a process known as eutrophication, the nitrogen, and phosphate present in fertilizers runs into the water, and thus, causing the algae to bloom. This reduces fish life. Aquatic vegetation also disappears. The marine eco system therefore gets disturbed. The pesticides in water supplies may also risk human health. This water pollution also reduces the availability of public drinking water, thus putting a strain on our scarce water resources. Modern agriculture systems have also led to increase in salinity and water logging due to irrigation. This has destroyed large amounts of lands, especially in developing countries (Shortle & Abler, 2001). Hence, this has become clear through all the review literature explained above that water pollution has indeed become a

Reading notes Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Reading notes - Article Example Theodore cites the railroad business and Hollywood as two examples of businesses that have suffered the effects of myopia, also referred to as shortsightedness (Theodore, 2004). The invention of airplanes and cars pushed railway transport out of business, and they lost customers because they focused on the railroad business, and not the transportation business. They concentrated more on the product, railroad, rather than on their customers in the transportation business. Similarly, Hollywood concentrated in the movie business, rather than the entertainment business, which resulted in their fizzling out after the invention of television (Theodore, 2004). The two examples show that narrowing down the scope of a business is detrimental to growth. In the end, it makes a business susceptible to future competition. As population growth continues, so is the consumer base (Theodore, 2004. Management should focus on strategies that produce followers, in terms of customers. Largely, customer-creating and customer-satisfying strategies are relevant in virtually all sectors of the economy, and are more important than production strategies. The most important part in the article is that customers are the most significant asset of an organization, and managers must ensure they retain them through establishment of strategies that apply to their demands and are responsive of future

Focus Plastics Plc - Producer of Moulded Plastic Essay

Focus Plastics Plc - Producer of Moulded Plastic - Essay Example The household items under the brand name ‘focus’ remain almost stagnate i.e. in 1993 it was worth 6056,000 pounds and in 2005 it remains at 6533,000 pounds. But the new product range under brand name ‘concept’ comprising storage years, mixing bowls, strainers, salad bowls, towel holders and other kitchen items, sales have grown from 3411000 pounds in 1997 to 16210,000pound in 2005. In 2005, the company started a new product range with brand name ‘concept office’ comprising filing trays, storage boxes and a range of desk items. This latest and new range of products proved very successful in the very first year of its launch and contributed 1320,000 pounds in sales. The company has divested itself completely from its industrials customers. The company has inculcated a reputation for household products for its quality in the minds of the consumers’. It has used latest technologies and trained manpower but being in an industry, where entry ba rriers are low, it faces on the inherent threat from smaller manufacturers on the pricing front. The company has planed its manufacturing facilities with a process-based layout and having all sorts of injection - molding machines of various ages from latest Robotic devices to operate manually. At the planning level, scheduling all the machines and maintaining inventory levels as well as utilization of equipment, output rates &scrap rates has to be monitored by the planning manager. In this particular area, the company is facing the problem company is also inclined to develop new and innovative products regularly because of the market requirements. Needs and preferences of customers are changing fast and the company has to cope up the changing need of its customers. So the company is always trying to develop newer products but in the process faces some problems in developing products continuously and timely.Now company is facing a new dilemma that whether it may continue with its pro duct range under brand name ‘Focus’ or to emphasize on the other product ranges namely under brand name ‘concept’ & ‘concept office’ in this situation company has to evaluate its production and operations capacities and to find out the right kind of strategies for production, warehousing and distribution.

Education Essay Example for Free

Education Essay â€Å"Education is the most powerful weapon, which you can use to change the world†. (1) When thinking about going back to school to finish my degree, I came upon this quote by Nelson Mandela. It touched me for two different reasons. The first, because I have not finished my own education; and second, because I am getting my degree in elementary education to be a grade school teacher. When trying to figure out which school would be best for my lifestyle and what I wanted to accomplish, there were several factors to consider. The main factors were degree, cost, time, and what fit my personality best. In today’s society, a college degree is a necessity. It is no longer an option or privilege. Most people feel the need to look good in the eyes of society. With that, comes a degree and with going to school for so long, comes a debt to be paid. WGU is by far the cheapest and quickest way to get a college degree. In today’s society, those are the top two factors when looking into going to school. With the economy being what it is, everyone is trying to better himself or herself to get a better job and make more money. If you’re looking to get your degree, WGU is the answer. The first thing I did when looking into colleges, was look for the schools that had a degree in elementary education. Not only that, but an accredited college with my degree. Several came up; options of online programs or schools with a physical campus. After seeing all the different choices, I had to think about what would work better for me. I am not a fan of a classroom, or a specific time to be in one. I hate driving to school. I am never motivated to do work, unless it is on my time, in the comfort of my choosing. Also, with the job I had at the time, I would not have been able to have a set schedule. So, I decided that online would be the best option. Although WGU does not have a specific degree in elementary education, it did have a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies (K-8), which satisfies the requirements. WGU also has one of the more flexible schedules in the online world. In today’s day and age, most everyone going to school has a job. Some even have a couple. WGU is not only aware of that, but they encourage it. They work with your prior obligations so that you don’t feel like school is taking over your life. Once figuring out that online was my best option, I then needed to weigh in on the cost. This was a bit tricky, since every online program sets their price differently. Some did it by the amount of credits taken each semester, some did it by the amount of classes, and WGU priced by term. That was initially what had caught my eye. I had never heard of that before. One set price for the six-month term; no matter how many credits you took? I was shocked. After doing all the calculations of what classes I still needed to complete my degree, WGU was the cheapest – by far. I also needed to see which schools applied financial aid, which most do. But with most of the school’s costs for just the classes, financial aid wouldn’t even make a dent. With WGU, it would pay for tuition, books, fees, etc. , plus extra for cost of living. Sounds like a no brainer, but I wanted to make sure I got the best education for the time I was going to put into it. Which brings me to my next point. I took my top three choices, by degree and cost, and looked into how much time I could put into it and how much time was required of me, for both semester/term and total, to finish my degree. All of them required at least 12 credits per semester/term to be considered full time. Which was what I wanted and needed for financial aid. Two of the three did not allow more than 18 credits a semester, with there being three semesters in a year. But WGU allowed as many credits as you are able to complete per each six-month term. So, although there are only two terms in a year, you could potentially finish school quicker, if you set your mind to it. This is an imperative point to be made when thinking of the future. WGU is the only school online that allows and encourages students to take as many courses as they can handle in a 6-month period. The last factor I had to look at was whether the school was going to fit my personality or if it would be a waste of my time and money. Once all signs pointed to WGU, I called. I spoke with a very nice and informative woman, who told me exactly what to expect and what would be expected of me. She told me that I would be talking with a mentor, in my degree, once a week for the entire time I was in school. I would also have a community for each course, along with course mentors, to reach out to for help understanding the information. She told me about the website and how easy it was to navigate through, and how organized I would be with the degree plan and other tab options they have. She ended the call with emailing me a couple informational packets, along with letting me know I could call or email anytime with any questions. After we hung up, I felt so warm and welcomed. Again, I was shocked. How could a simple phone call make me feel like I was already part of a community? That woman had to have been a great salesperson in a past life, or the school was really just that great, that it made her love her job more than one would think. Either way, she sold me. It sounded like I would fit this school more than any I have looked into in the past and I had made my decision. If you are looking for a school that makes you feel like more than just money in their pocket, some place where you feel important, then WGU is the school for you. After looking at all the research and all the facts, I decided on WGU. When combining my degree with cost, time, and my personality, WGU had it all. The cost alone can sell the school to any Joe Shmoe, but that really was just the icing on the cake for me. With the economy today, and most everyone having to work at least part time, no one has time for school. WGU has the most flexible schedule that works with your free hours, so that you don’t have to stress about getting things done by a certain time. WGU does not only have people who are there for you when you have a question, but they are there for you to root you on and they genuinely want to see you succeed. Who wouldn’t want a bunch of cheerleaders to stand on the sidelines of your own dreams? I have looked into several options for continuing education, and I would, hands down, recommend WGU over any other school out there.

Balance Sheet Analysis Applebees International 2004 Essay -- Finance F

Balance Sheet Analysis Applebee’s International 2004   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In analyzing the common-size balance sheet for Applebee’s, it is noted that the total current assets has jumped from 11% to 14% of the total assets. The total assets for Applebee’s has jumped 6% from 2000 to 2001 driven by increased in the total current assets of 28%. Of those 28% increase, they consisted of 88% increase in the Cash & Equivalents (increased of $10.6 millions) caused by the decreased in the Capital Stock repurchasing in 2001 by Applebee’s. The repurchase of capital stock has decreased by 31% as noted from the year-to-year percentage changes of the Statement of Cash Flow which equivalent to about $11 million dollars. The other current assets increased was from the other Current Assets category; there was an increase of 92% from 2000 to 2001. Due to the higher earnings for Applebee’s, there was an increase in income tax due. A significant component of the increase of other Current Assets was from increased in prepaid incom e taxes with net deferred income tax asset of $6.7 millions dollars.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The intangibiles has also decreased from 18% to 16% in common-size balance sheet for Applebee’s from 2000 to 2001. This is equivalent to a decrease of 7% from year to year percentage change. This change was driven by amortization of intangible assets related to previous acquisitions of other franchisee restaurants by Applebee’s.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There was a trend in rise of the net property & equipment related assets since 2002 to 2004. This boost in net property and equipment assets was related to the acquisition strategy conducted by Applebee’s. For the $34 millions acquisitions of 21 restaurants in Washington D.C. area on November 7, 2002; $24 millions has been allocated to the fair value of property and equipment plus $10 millions in goodwill. This has caused a jump in net property & equipment assets for 2002 to jumped 16% and Intangibles assets to jumped 12% when compared to 2001. Since most of the purchased are by cash, this has caused a 31% decreased in the Cash & Equivalents for Applebee’s balance sheet. For the 11 Applebee’s restaurants acquisitions in Illinois, Indianan, Kentucky, and Missouri for $21.8 million on March 24, 2003, $7.9 millions were allocated to the fair value of property and equipment, the other $16.6 millions went to goodwill, plus a net liabilities in addi tions of $1.3... ...ense has decreased 82.8% from 2000 to 2004. All the above are contributing factors in Applebee’s achieving higher earnings, a 75% increase in net earnings from 2000 to 2004. Average shares has fall due to consistent share repurchasing programs by Applebee’s. Overall, the common-size analysis of the income statement are relatively consistent over the five years of study. Cost of goods has stayed consistent between 74%-75%, the Depreciation and amortization is between 9%-11%, income from Continue operations and Net Income are also both between 9%-10% in common-size analysis for income Statement. No unusual flutuations has been discovered. As of December 26, 2004, our liquid assets totaled $10,924,000. These assets consisted of cash and cash equivalents in the amount of $10,642,000 and short-term investments in the amount of $282,000. The working capital deficit increased slightly from $50,359,000 as of December 28, 2003 to $51,041,000 as of December 26, 2004. This increase was due primarily to increases in the loss reserve and unearned premiums related to the captive insurance subsidiary and accounts payable and was partially offset by increases in inventories and receivables.

Heroes Must Die :: English Literature Essays

Heroes Must Die Blaine the big was half badger and half troll. He was a huge beast (nearly twice the height of a human) and was almost completely covered in spikes. He hated his space colony. He lived with fake trees, fake grass, fake rain, and all sorts of fake things. He longed to live on Earth and see the real things. He tried multiple times to break into the space airports and enter a ship to Earth, but the wizard guards always caught him. One day, while Blaine was sleeping, the DANGER 1 alarm went off. The alarm was only used for extremely dangerous situations. Blaine and his pet dorg (a big dog trained to kill), Leo, ran out to see what the commotion was about. He felt cold fear run all down his body. There, right in front of him, was a huge troll. Trolls had horribly big bodies and had spikes everywhere below the neck. It smelt horrible and had a double-ended axe. â€Å"What do we have here?† the troll said. â€Å"Don’t hurt me-I’m half troll. You wouldn’t hurt me would you?† stammered Blaine. Blaine decided to go for the friendly approach. â€Å"Your axe looks †¦ marvelous,† he said. Trolls loved to hear their weapons get compliments. This troll was no exception. â€Å"You think so? I really like my axe. My name’s Pete the Perilous. So, what other half are you?† â€Å"I’m Blaine. I’m half badger as well as half troll,† answered Blaine . Blaine decided that Pete wasn’t all that bad. â€Å"What troll dynasty are you from?† Blaine asked. â€Å"Oh, I’m not a troll. I’m a seronto,† said Pete. â€Å"What!† blurted Blaine. Serontos were extremely rare these days because of their not-so-smart minds. Serontos have the power to change into anything they want, and a lot of times they would turn into something deadly. Therefore, the wizards kill them not knowing they were serontos. â€Å"Turn into something smaller!† hissed Blaine. With a â€Å"pop† he turned into a pen. Blaine hastily put the pen into his pocket. Just then, a score of wizards came around the corner, all with their staffs out. â€Å"Did you see a troll around here?† the eldest wizard asked. â€Å"No† replied Blaine. He didn’t dare tell the wizards that the troll was actually a seronto, because the wizards would have just taken him to the ejection room (a room where you are sent into space to die), innocent or not because of the chaos he created.

Contract and Demand

This is a case of a sales firm which operates for 203 days in a year. Each day the firm operates, it generates revenue (profit) of Rs. 10 Lac. At the beginning of the year, the employees’ union confronts the management of the sales firm over wages and the union presents its demand. The management either accepts this, or rejects it and returns the next day with a counteroffer for wage to be paid to the employees. The firm can open and start functioning only after an agreement on wage is reached between the management and the union.As per the prevailing law in the state and the industry, it is the union’s turn to present its demand on the first day/round of negotiation. At this point the management may either accept or reject the demand made by the union and wait till the next (second day of the year) day to come with its offer. Where again the union has the choice to either accept or reject the offer made by the management and go on to the next (third day of the year) da y to make their demand to management. The rounds of negotiation may go on and on till the last day unless an agreement is reached between the parties over wage. x 5 = 20 (Please indicate the demand and offer in Rupee value and indicate the pay off for both union and management as [a, b] where a = union’s pay off and b = management’s pay off) a. What would be the union’s wage demand on the 1st day/round of wage negotiation between management and union, and in case management accepts it what would be the management’s pay off from such negotiation? b. Who would make an offer or place a demand on the 4th day/round of wage negotiation? What would be the offer / demand? What would be the pay off of each party (union and management) in case the offer / demand made is accepted by the other party? . Who would make an offer or place a demand on the 200th day/round of wage negotiation? What would be the offer / demand? What would be the pay off of each party (union and management) in case the offer / demand made is accepted by the other party? d. Who would make an offer or place a demand on the 203rd day/round of wage negotiation? What would be the offer / demand? What would be the pay off of each party (union and management) in case the offer / demand made is accepted by the other party? Name- SID- SMS ID- Centre Name-