Factory Farming Essay Essay

Factory farming is one of the most controversial topics talked about around the world. Most people just believe their perfectly packaged meat from the supermarket comes from a normal farm. Little do they know, it’s much more than that. Consumers have no idea what animals go through just for them to have a great chicken or steak dinner. Jessica Leader of the Huffington Post states, 99% of the meat in the United States comes from factory farms. (Leader, paragraph1). Factory farming according to Webster’s Dictionary is a farm on which large numbers of livestock are raised indoors in conditions intended to maximize production at minimal cost. This doesn’t sound so hurtful or damaging, but according to the Huffington Post, these operations cause distress for the animals that live there, and they are given chemicals, antibiotics and sometimes they even have diseases (Paragraph 2). Factory farming, in my opinion is really animal savagery and there is nothing healthy or positive about it. There are actually many health and environmental problems associated with industrial farming. For example, Jonathan Foer in his book, â€Å"Eating Animals† states â€Å"These animals are genetically engineered, restricted in mobility and fed unnatural diets.† (Page 34) Anything unnatural obviously can’t be healthy for the animals let alone the people who are being fed these animals after they are packaged and sent away to markets. In addition, factory farms are not healthy for the environment. A farm with 10,000 hogs produces as much fecal waste as a small city with 40,000 people, says Robert Martin of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of public health. (Kristof, Nicholas, page 2). Food people are consuming and fecal waste should not even be in the same association with each other. The hogs in a single country of North Carolina produce half as much waste as all of the people living in New York City. That fact right there clearly shows that factory farms are usin g very unsanitary conditions just to harm these animals, as well as the environment. Although not intentional, these farms hurt the animals without a care because people need to eat. Mass amounts of waste is a perfect example of air pollution. Soil used for vast crops as well as the manure are  the largest contributors to air pollution from the farms. Another big health risk of factory farming is the use of chemicals/antibiotics. Antibiotics are medicine prescribed from a doctor to humans or animals to kill infections and more then 80% of antibiotics was produced in 2011 to be fed to livestock. (Leader, #2) Factory farmers are giving these to the animals who aren’t sick. Routinely they are given antibiotics, in order to help them grow quicker in small living conditions. Infections can also be given because of antibiotics, which puts Americans at risk everyday because of overuse (Paragraph 13). The animals are fed the medicines to fight disease that they don’t have, pretty much infecting the humans as well. People could be getting sick because of the f oods their eating everyday without even knowing it. Taking antibiotics not prescribed to you sometimes allows unwanted bacteria to grow causing a person to get sick when they weren’t going to be in the first place. Although there seems to be no positive reasons as to why factory farming could benefit anyone, the only benefit besides people not starving really is it’s efficiency. Because it’s a fast and organized system, these farms have no choice but to make a lot of money for themselves and the government. Consumers are obviously buying all things that are being made mainly because they don’t really know what’s being put into the meat they are buying. Because there are not enough reasons to convince me why factory farming is positive to anyone at all, I think that it’s a very negative way to get our food. Kristof states in his article â€Å"Is That Sausage Worth This?† that animals, â€Å"Live out their adult lives without exercise or meaningful social interaction; it’s like a life sentence of solitary confinement in a coffin†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Kristof, Nicholas, Paragraph 7). In no way, shape or form is that fair to an innocent animal. Animals shouldn’t have to be kept prisoners in small places just to be poisoned, killed and eaten. All of the various drugs and chemicals are harming the animals and humans that it touches. More animals are being slaughtered and fed different chemicals that aren’t safe for people to be eating all the time. If the government truly cared about societies health, they would try to stop unsanitary and unhealthy conditions such as this. In 1906, a situation just as similar to this had risen with the meat packing industry. In that year, Upton Sinclair a reformer/socialist released his book The Jungle which told a horrible story of Chicago’s meat packing industry. Because of this book, society started to change severely. The issue of the unsanitary and unfair working conditions got to the president and he knew he had to make a change. President Theodore Roosevelt had a bill signed on June 30th of that same year, called The Meat Inspection Act. This banned packers from using unhealthy dyes, chemical preservatives and adulterants. By studying what happened to improve the industry in the 1900’s I believe that our food system could then make some changes. This act should still be in effect, but the way it’s been worked around, it seems as if factory farming really isn’t harming people at all. It’s an undercover system. Obama already started trying to fix these problems by undertaking a push beginning in 2010 to strengthen antitrust of the meat industry. Kristof, Nicholas, Paragraph 4). I still believe that overtime they could find better products to give the animals that are safer and healthier for both them to live a little longer, and us to be healthier. Personally, I believe that if people including myself start to buy more healthier, organic foods, and less meat, producers will start to realize that maybe people are seeing the truth. Organic foods are just made in a safer way, without really harming animals and they’re also more nutritious as well. Also, in some way people need to be informed of what’s really being put into their food and actually try to make a difference instead of sitting there and watching themselves be harmed by things that should be giving them a better well being. Over time, hopefully factory farms die out and there will be a better system to produce our foods. Analysis of Sources Form Give the following information for each source that you use in your research paper. Source 1) Title of Source 9 Facts About Factory Farming that Will Break Your Heart . Name of Author Jessica Leader . Date of publication March 17, 2014  . Publisher: The Huffington Post . Where did you find the source? Online . Type of Source (Is your source a book, magazine, newspaper, journal, etc?) The source is an online article from a newspaper. Credentials of the author: Check your source for information about the author or google his/her name) Jessica Leader is the Huffpost Green associate editor. Publisher: How long has the publisher been in business? What other publications does the publisher publish?____Not sure how long the publisher has been in business, but she wrote several articles in the Huffington Post . Reasons why this source is reliable:____Real information and real live pictures to show how gruesome factory farming is. Reasons why this source may be unreliable: There may be some opinions listed, not all people may be heart broken from this. Source 2) Title of Source Eating Animals . Name of Author Jonathan Safran Foer . Date of publication 2009 . Publisher: Little, Brown and Company . Where did you find the source? I was told to read this novel last semester in English 12. Type of Source (Is your source a book, magazine, newspaper, journal, etc?) Source is a book . Credentials of the author: Check your source for information about the author or google his/her name) Foer is most known for his two novels Everything is Illuminated and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Known especially for his storytelling in non-traditional ways . Publisher: How long has the publisher been in business? What other publications does the publisher publish? His first novel was published in 2002, and he’s written many other books as well. Reasons why this source is reliable: first hand source, someone who has experienced and studied factory  farming on his own. Reasons why this source may be unreliable: The novel includes a lot of his opinion and a reader may interpret those things as facts. Source 3) Title of Source Is That Sausage Worth This? Name of Author Nicholas Kristof . Date of publication February 19, 2014 . Publisher: The New York Times . Where did you find the source? CUNY online library . Type of Source (Is your source a book, magazine, newspaper, journal, etc?) Online, newspaper article. Credentials of the author: Check your source for information about the author or google his/her name) Columnist for The New York Times since 2001, writes op-ed columns that are in the paper twice a week. Mr. Kristof won the Pulitzer Prize two times, in 1990 and 2006. Publisher: How long has the publisher been in business? What other publications does the publisher publish? He joined the Times in 1984, and as well as columns in the paper he is the author of a chapter in a book on George W. Bush. Reasons why this source is reliable: He has been in the business for a very long time, so he is clearly smart and speaks facts. Reasons why this source may be unreliable: Newspaper columnists can too make mistakes when writing. Source 4) Title of Source The Unhealthy Meat Market . Name of Author Nicholas Kristof . Date of publication March 12, 2014 . Publisher: The New York Times . Where did you find the source? CUNY online library . Type of Source (Is your source a book, magazine, newspaper, journal, etc?) Online, newspaper article. Credentials of the author: Check your source for information about the author or google his/her name) Columnist for The New York Times since 2001, writes op-ed columns that are in the paper twice a week. Mr. Kristof won the Pulitzer Prize two times, in 1990 and 2006. Publisher: How long has the publisher been in business? What other publications does the publisher publish? He joined the Times in 1984, and as well as columns in the paper he is the author of a chapter in a book on George W. Bush. Reasons why this source is reliable: He has been in the business for a very long time, so he is clearly smart and speaks facts. He wouldn’t continue to be working with the Times if he wasn’t knowledgable. Reasons why this source may be unreliable: Sometimes there are errors in breaking news. WORKS CITED Leader, Jessica. â€Å"9 Facts About Factory Farming That Will Break Your Heart (GRAPHIC PHOTOS).† The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 17 Mar. 2014. Web. 14 Oct. 2014. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/17/factory-farming-facts_n_4063892.html Foer, Jonathan Safran. Eating animals. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2009. Print. Kristof, Nicholas. â€Å"Is That Sausage Worth This?.† The New York Times. The New York Times, 19 Feb. 2014. Web. 15 Oct. 2014. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/20/opinion/kristof-is-that-sausage-worth-this.html Kristof, Nicholas. â€Å"The Unhealthy Meat Market.† The New York Times. The New York Times, 12 Mar. 2014. Web. 15 Oct. 2014. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/13/opinion/kristof-the-unhealthy-meat-market.html

India’s Role in the Climate Change Summit Essay

The worlds nation today adopted a package dubbed the cancun Agreements buildings blocks for a future legal treaty to address climate change amid concerns that commitments to avert acceptable level of global warming remain missing. Negotiators from 194 countries agreed on a set of decision that the un climate secretariat said would set all governments â€Å"more firmly on the path towards the low emissions future† and provide support to developing countries on their action on climate change. India played a key role at the climate change summit , proposing a new mechanism to allow international scrutiny of all countries’ including India’ s action to crub emission of greenhouse gases. The invironment minister Jairam Ramesh also signalled that India would eventually consider legally –binding crubs on emission, a shift from its long standing position. Some environmental grouos have criticised these moves by India. But climate change analysts have said India’s proposal for serutiny of the climate climate change exchange actions reflect an acceptance of the principal of transparency. ‘’ And (Rmesh’s) assertions on legaklly binding actions is an indicator that India is willing to shift from the position of doing nothing to joining the global community in fiting climate change ,†an analyst in Cancun said. ‘’This does not mean India will accept legally – bending cuts next year,’’ he said . The Cancun documents of ficially recognise emissions curbs targets set by industrialised and developing countries and once every year by the developing countries. But the target of cutting global emissions by 50 % by the year 2050- part of the draft circulated yesterday – has been replaced by text calling for ‘’ subsantial’’ reductions in blobal emissions by 2050 . The Cancun decision pledge US$30 billion in fast start finance from the industrialised countries to support climate action in developing countries. The goal is to raise this to US$ 100 billion by 2020. Thew agreements also  recognise the need of countries to work towards the keeping the rise in the aversge global temperature below 2 degree c. ‘’ Cancun has done its job ,’’ said chistiana Figueres, head of the UN climate change secretariat after the agreement was adopted today. ‘’ lt is not what is required but it is the essential foundation on which to build greater collective ambition Figueres said. But several environmental group including Indias centre for science and Environment have pointed out thst the emission reduction pledge made by all countries so far are way below the whst is required to keep the rise in the average temperature.

CMR Enterprise Essay

This particular case depicts the history and issues faced by a relatively small company active in the custom architectural millwork industry for the past 25 years. The new owners wanted the newly-acquired company to grow even further. The first few months seems to have been a success – Marcus spent a lot of his time with employees and customers, learning the field since he was, as mentioned in the text, an â€Å"outsider†. However, keeping the company’s integrity and image intact was a priority. However, the problems outlined in the case seems to start – or at least have been worsened – with what will become CMR’s largest account, Blackstone Homes. Problem Identification After reviewing the text in question, three major problems stand out: 1) Customers change requests: When Blackstone Homes sell a house, it does – of course! – come with a pre-finished and installed kitchen, included in the price. However, if the customer wishes, he or she would visit CMR’s showroom and they would build these woodwork according to their new specifications. The added cost will then be charged to the contractor, which will later add it to their bills. This takes time and lead to price increases. This is, in part, what contributed to the clash with Blackstone Homes. 2) IT solution not adapted: InfoCentral, the software implemented by Marcus, does not work out as intended and do not fit the business needs. It is not always updated as required by the employees. According to the text, it may be helpful for the commercial and financial/accounting side, but is lacking several features for its residential counterpart to be really as useful as it can be. 3) Deteriorating business relationship The business relations between the two companies started well and was fulfilling for both part. When the business expended, so did the problems. The root cause seems to be the change requests made by the homeowners. This lead to late delivery, poorly reviewed performance and then the 7% price increase. Future homeowners started considering the prices charged by CMR to be too high. We could therefore expect lower level of sales and revenues in the future. Alternatives generation While we will mostly concentrate our alternatives on the three points mentioned above, we will also include other alternatives, even if they may not be realistic or feasible in the short/medium term. 1) Review customers change requests: We obviously cannot stop change requests and modifications made by the customers. The company and its employees pride themselves by offering flexibility and higher customers’ satisfaction. It would be therefore self-destructive for CMR to put a term to these showrooms. Any person also deserve to have reasonable alternative options when they are buying an object, a home more than anything. However, there is a clear misunderstanding between CMR and Blackstone Homes regarding the fixed allowances for kitchen ($6,000) and the final cost of the installation. In order to solve this issue, it may be a good thing to review the billing part: Instead of having the installation costs â€Å"forwarded† to the contractor, all expenses over $6,000 (parts + labor) should be charged to the homeowners themselves; customers can have access to all options made available by CMR, whilst eliminating cost forwarding and the said related disagreements. 2) Software adaptation It seems clear from the text that the whole issue also come in part from InfoCentral. In order to remediate this issue, we would suggest that all account managers from CMR and employees involved with this software should meet and discuss its performance. What should be changed, what must be kept, or what should be included in order to fit everyone’s needs. However, for any IT solution to bring tangible additional value, it must be easy to use and should not impose additional work. It is supposed to simplify the work, not making it more complicated. 3) The right people on the right place Again, according to the text, there was a clear misunderstanding between both parties; it was even referred as a â€Å"shouting contest†, which is far from being a normal and healthy business relationship. The Key Account Managers (from both sides) could not agree on contract terms and conditions. It could therefore be a good thing to change points of contact and see if the situation can be resolved; a stronger relation, transparency, honesty and â€Å"business awareness† between the two companies might also help straighten things out. 4) Additional ideas The solution to increase profit may not be by simply increasing selling price. We would suggest CMR to run an audit on their Supply Chain, Logistics and Selling, General & Administrative Expenses to see if cost reductions are possible. Could modern machinery help cut their production costs? Could they outsource some of their non-core business or reduce raw material costs by creating a joint-venture with a competitor? Chasing down inefficiencies in the production line can be even more effective than a price increase. Recommendations Using the previous points, we would suggest the three following recommendations: 1) Change the billing process: If possible, all additional costs over $6,000 should be charged to the homeowner directly. In order to make this easier for the customers, offering various financing options may be a good idea. 2) Adapt InfoCentral: Review, correct and revamp the software in order to meet real business needs. May be a good thing to check what competitors are using. 3) Organize recurrent meetings: The situation with Blackstone did not get bad in one day. It may be a good idea to set up weekly or monthly operational reviews; meetings lasting no longer than 30 minutes, where all potential issues can be discussed among stakeholders and managers. The idea is not to let such situation worsen and take the correct actions as soon as possible.

Competitive Dimensions of Operations and Supply Chain Strategies Assignment

Competitive Dimensions of Operations and Supply Chain Strategies - Assignment Example These factors influence the level of satisfaction between the company and the customers. The characteristics of the supply chain that influence this level of satisfaction also gives directions the strategies to be put in place. They include speed, flexibility and quality. All the structural strategies/approaches to improve the supply chain should be based on increasing the speed of flow of information and products in the market, enhance its flexibility as well as maintain a top-notch quality level. The structure of the supply chain should ensure that the product moves from one end to the other within the shortest period. All through the logistic activities, prompt information flow between departments should be smooth (Chi, 2010)On the flexibility issue, the structural designer of the supply chain should bear in mind and include alternative ‘routes’ to be used in case a problem is encountered along the primary route. For instance, in case of delays in transportation of a product to a customer may be due to mechanical challenges, are there any other alternatives that can be promptly applied? This concept also applies to information sharing. The last factor is the quality, whereby it is achieved through the combined subtotal of speed and flexibility. If an approach in the supply chain is highly flexible and ensures fast movement of products and information, then the whole chain is considered of quality (Sukati, I., Abdul H 2011). The decision on the approaches to monitoring the movement of products and information should be aimed at increasing speed and maintenance of flexibility. This way the management of a supply chain will be facilitating quality and hence meeting customers’ as well as company requirements. Sukati, I., Abdul H (2011). An investigation of the relationship between supply chain management practices and competitive

The Female Entrepreneurship in Comparison to Its Male Counterparts in Essay

The Female Entrepreneurship in Comparison to Its Male Counterparts in UK - Essay Example The involvement of women in entrepreneurship is crucial for the growth of every nation's economy. In the UK, women gained the right to vote only in 1918 (Peele, 2004 p251). This shows that women were marginalized in the past and were prevented from taking a full and active part of the economy. However, ninety years after women gained the right to vote in Britain, the lot of women has increased significantly. In the 1970s, women became more proactive in matters relating to entrepreneurship. This paper examines the trends in the increase in the numbers of women involved in entrepreneurship in the UK since the 1970s. It identifies the core concepts of and theories of female entrepreneurship in relationship to changes in trends and improvement the bridging of gaps between UK female entrepreneurs and their male counterparts. It also evaluates the elements of female entrepreneurship in Britain in relation to female entrepreneurship in other nations around the world. Theories of Female Entr epreneurship Female entrepreneurship is a combination of structured and chaotic methods which lead to women establishing and running businesses (Ho Chu, 2004 p111). This means that there are two main ways that female entrepreneurship comes up. In the first route, female entrepreneurship is a conscious effort made by females to set up businesses by learning the art and science of entrepreneurship. This way, there are structured methods and means that enable women to set up businesses. On the other hand, Casson et al (2008) identify that most women find themselves in entrepreneurial positions by circumstances which lead them to take up business ownership positions around the world. Thus, in this context, female entrepreneurship is simply seen as a phenomenon whereby women establish or gain ownership of businesses in a given nation. This conception, therefore, views the process through which females get to rise to this level. Another view put forward by Carter (2005 p11) is that female entrepreneurship can best be evaluated and understood if it is viewed in direct contrast to male entrepreneurship. In this vein, Carter begins her thesis by stating that entrepreneurship has been traditionally viewed as a man's thing. As such, the involvement of females is a study that is meant to bridge the gap that has been created by the stereotypes that have existed in society for generations. Whereas the first view examines the procedure through which a woman acquires the position of entrepreneurship, the second view tries to view the whole concept of female entrepreneurship as a method of reducing the injustices of the male-dominated society. Thus, the second view diagnoses the reasons why women are not often seen in business ownership roles and try to find ways of addressing the issue. This has been seen as a feminist position because it adopts a conflicting position to the status quo and demands some degree of recognition of women through positive discriminatory measures wh ere necessary (Greer & Greene, 2004). Either way, the fundamental view of female entrepreneurship is to identify the characteristics, training and innovation systems that are necessary to keep females in business ownership roles (Ho Chu, 2004). It involves amongst other things, the motivation, expertise, and expectations that female entrepreneurship adds up to society (Carter & William, 2003).

Fast Food Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Fast Food - Research Paper Example Nonetheless, it does not make it an easy endeavor, as it also requires strategic thinking concerning how to undertake it. There are those that will shy away from it due to high costs incurred at the beginning and those who embrace it simply because there is a constant market. In the same way, consumers have become more aware of health hazards associated with fast food forcing restaurants to come up with healthier options. Outline of Opposing Side The most pressing challenge facing the fast food industry is the fact there is an increasing awareness of health implications of fast foods. Previously, the fast food was the go-to business owing to its cheap aspect in the face of hard economic times. Fast food outlets were able to cash out on such times by offering promotions, discounts and cheap combination meals. At the same time, consumers enjoyed convenience in form of fast deliveries. Presently however, fast food outlets have been faced with challenges stemming from health concerns suc h as the health reform bill passed in 2010 aimed at combating obesity that calls on fast food restaurants with 20 or more outlets to reveal the calorie content of their meals on the menus. This has called for innovation in the industry where restaurants have to look for ways in which they can package their meals in a healthy manner while still making them attractive. This is particularly so with children meals that are usually offered with toys making them more attractive to them; for instance Happy Meals offered by McDonalds. Legislators suggested that such complementary items attracted children to unhealthy meals. Coming up with healthy alternatives costs more and as such restaurants are faced with an uphill task of creating consumer loyalty where for instance consumers will be encouraged to purchase more expensive items after getting them ‘hooked’ on the low-priced ones (â€Å"More than menus†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ). Second to health concerns is loss of family tradition as a n effect of dependence on fast food. This comes from the fact that fast foods offer convenience and low priced items at a time when most people are leading hectic lifestyles defined by long working hours and work plus school routines leaving no time for getting home to prepare a meal. Getting a meal has become a matter of picking up the phone and making an order that is then delivered in no time. Traditional family bonding that happened during meals has faded because of this as people eat away from home so dinner conversations that created time for catching up have become a thing of history. Even with expensive meals, many young people are able to afford them, as many are keen on making extra money after school or during school breaks (Hager 5). It has been reported that approximately 25 percent of adults eat at a fast food restaurant where a typical meal comprises of three hamburgers along with four packets of French fries every week. Such meals are considered junk foods, as they a re high in fat and salt and if a soda accompanies them there is high sugar and calorie contents summing up the junk food definition as being low in nutritional benefits. Sugar-sweetened beverages that have over time increased in portions served account for nearly 20 percent of calories consumed by Americans. This is what causes type 2 diabetes and increased body weight where one consumes this continuously without exercising. High saturated fats along with salty meals cause heart disease, blood

What inferences can you draw from this passage What are the Assignment

What inferences can you draw from this passage What are the implications - Assignment Example Such persons will work with very limited supervision and does quality work thus improving the firm’s reputation. Such hardworking employees often get promoted to higher ranks (Peterson, 1988). On the other hand, an ambitious employee feels motivated and yearns to achieve the set goals. Such a person strives to ensure that he meets the required standards of his work place and acts as a motivating factor to other workers. Such motivated workforce leads to improved output of the organization. Moreover, a contentious employee is also dependable (Peterson, 1988). They are willing to work with each other in the firm. They can help fellow workmates in doing their duty in case there is need. Conversely, if a person is not conscientious, he will be lazy, non-dependable and not ambitious (Peterson, 1988). Such persons are a nuisance to the organization and will lead to a decline in the general output of the organization. Furthermore, another important trait is emotional stability. Just like the first case, a person who is calm, self-controlled and secure will have great positive implications to the organization (Peterson, 1988). A person who is self-controlled will always work with other employees at all situations. They know how to control their emotions and can help each other solve their problems. A secure employee works with more confidence in him (Peterson, 1988). Such employees will yield more positive results to the firm. Calmness is a virtue that calls for gentleness. Such a person earns great respect from the clients and workmates thus an improvement to the firm’s reputation (Peterson, 1988). Conversely, an employee who lacks self-confidence, is not secure, and is rude. Such will lead to destruction of the firm’s reputation thus impacts in low income to the

Successful Implementation of Electronic Health Information Technology Research Paper

Successful Implementation of Electronic Health Information Technology - Research Paper Example In case of these, the system is destroyed, replaced, and a new life cycle begins (McGonigle and Mastrian 201-202). There are various risks involved in the purchasing and implementing of the HIT system. An organization therefore, needs to follow particular steps to avoid the risks. According to McGonigle and Mastrian, a waterfall model is necessary in guiding the steps involved in purchasing and implementing of a new HIT system (205). This model mainly includes feasibility, analysis, design, implementation, testing, and maintenance. In New York’s Bezalel Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, before the purchase of a HIT system, the management, in collaboration with the concerned staff ensure that the previous system is analysed, including its effectiveness and failures. This way, it becomes easy to identify the needs of the organization, as well as the capacity, and type of the specific system to be purchased. This is because a new system is capable of either solving problems or creating new problems in an organization. Therefore, the main step is to identify, and analyse the workflow of the previous system, and its strengths and weaknesses, which need improvement. This ensures the purchase of the right technology that will serve the needs of the organization (McGonigle and Mastrian 206). Implementing of the new technology in this company involves the selection of programming codes, which best suit the new technology. This includes the right language of programming for the new technology, and other programming codes, based on the requirements of the new acquisition. Testing involves the programming units of the system, its integration level, data capacity, and testing of the whole system. Of great importance is the volume of data the system can accommodate. Beta testing by a team of employees ensures that the system works according to commands in its task execution. Finally, the staff is briefly trained on

About privacy and confidentiality in social applications Essay

About privacy and confidentiality in social applications - Essay Example Legal frameworks and ethical standards of various nations protect the interests of the users of social applications such as search engines and wikis in regard to their privacy and confidentiality of personal information. This includes protection of user information from unauthorized access, use or sale of confidential data by hackers. The designers and administrators of social applications are therefore mandated to ensure that private data on users is treated with utmost confidentiality. Regardless of this, the privacy and confidentiality of user information has been infringed by being exposed to unintended or unauthorized parties and used for unintended purposes by system attackers. This essay gives a critical analysis and discussion of the privacy and confidentiality of data and information within social applications including blogs, social networking applications, blogs and wikis. The paper includes a comprehensive review of literature with an aim of giving a background analysis o f the research on the topic. Past literature within journals, conference and workshop papers are analyzed including the methodologies used by the investigators on confidentiality and privacy within social applications. The proposed approach for an investigation into the privacy and confidentiality of data within social applications is also presented within this essay. The paper is based on the assumption that the breach of privacy and confidentiality of users is the greatest challenge that is facing social applications. Surveys on privacy and confidentiality within social networking applications and text chats reveal that these two aspects are considered to be an ethical standard and the recognized around which the development, maintenance and use of social applications should be based (Belanger & Crossler, 2011). Qualitative studies on legal frameworks and regulations on privacy and confidentiality reveal that these aspects are considered as one of

Evaluate the Financial Performance of a Business Assignment

Evaluate the Financial Performance of a Business - Assignment Example Balance sheet Income statement and Cash flow statement. These are the basic statements normally prepared by profit-oriented corporations. These statements help in knowing the profitability and financial soundness of the business concern. These are prepared at the end of a given period of time. Financial statements are used as an important tool to communicate the financial information to parties outside the organization (such as investors, creditors, and other external decisions makers). The Balance Sheet; The purpose of preparing balance sheet is to report the financial position (amount of assets, liabilities, and shareholders’ equity) of a firm during a particular period of time. A balance sheet contains complete information about assets, liabilities, and shareholders’ equity of the company. Assets; Assets are things which have economic value and that which are owned by the company. It include tangible asset, such as plants, trucks, equipment, and inventory. It also in cludes intangible asset, such as trademarks and patents. Cash itself is an asset. Tangible asset can be divided into two, Current asset and fixed asset. Current asset represent the company’s liquidity. This is where companies list all of the stuff which can be converted into cash in a short period of time, usually a year or less (Kennon 2012). Fixed asset is an asset held with the intention of being used for the purpose of producing or providing goods or services, and it is not meant for sale in the normal course of business (Accounting for Fixed Assets n.d). Liabilities: Liabilities include all kind of obligation that a company have. The term liabilities mean the amount of money that a company owes to others. Shareholders’ equity; It is also called capital or net worth. The following formula summarizes what a balance sheet shows: ASSETS = LIABILITIES + SHAREHOLDERS'EQUITY Income Statements; Income statement is a statement which shows the revenue that earned by the com pany during a specific period of time (usually for a year or some portion of a year Income statement also shows the expenses, and the cost associated with the earning of revenue. Income statement also gives information regarding how much the company earned or lost over a period of time. This statement helps to calculate earnings per share (EPS), and it also tells how much money shareholders would get, if the company decides to distribute the whole earnings of the company. Income statement can be also called the statement of operation, or statement of earnings. Statements of Cash Flow; A cash flow statement is a statement that contains a detailed report regarding the company’s inflows and outflows of cash. Cash flow statement is helpful in knowing the net increase or decrease in cash for the period. It is prepared by using the information and reports in the company’s balance sheet and income statement. Cash flow statement is helpful in recognizing the, changes in cash b alance(increase or decrease) sources of cash uses of cash There are three parts included in the cash flow statement. They are (1)  operating activities; (2)  investing activities; and (3)  financing activities. 2. Compare appropriate formats of financial statements for different types of business The financial statements explain from where a company's funds come from, where it goes and where it is at present. â€Å"Owners and CEOs use these statements to manage a business, bankers to check its creditworthiness, and investors to

Should Pluto be considered as a Planet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Should Pluto be considered as a Planet - Essay Example In the end around 2700 astronomers agreed that the solar system be divided into two categories called 'Planet' and 'Dwarf Planet'. Pluto being put in the category of 'Dwarf Planet' that means it will no longer be placed in the company of eight planets viz. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. A new distinct class of objects called 'Dwarf planets was decided with Ceres, Pluto and 2003 UB313 (temporary name) being the first three members of this club. When Pluto was discovered, in 1930 astronomers assumed that it had a mass comparable to Earth's. Only gradually, in the ensuing decades, did celestial mechanicals come to realize that this grossly overestimated. Pluto turned out to be less than 1% of Earth's size. With the advent of powerful new telescopes on the ground and in space, planetary astronomy has gone though an exciting development over the past decade and we are bound to find many more dwarf planets in future, if we continue placing them all in the list of 'Planets', in the company of Earth moon then we'll doing injustice to this elite club members having such distinctive features as life, air, water, atmosphere etc. Astronomy, the branch of physics studying celestial bodies, gives room for improvements and evolutions with newer discoveries. Since the time in 1930 when Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto, many similar objects were discovered in the outer solar system, most notably the Trans-Neptunian object Eris which is slightly larger than Pluto. If we continue to treat Pluto as a Planet, it is bound to give room for more debates for including some more names in the list. Pluto is very unlike its inner neighbors, the gas giants Uranus and Neptune. This thought led to the exclusion of Pluto from the refurbished Hayden Planetarium in New York City when it unveiled its spiral planet walk. This goes on to prove that Pluto's place in the list was being doubted for long. We now know of thousands of small icy bodies in a zone called the Kuiper Belt and at least 100 of them are like Pluto. Studies are still on to look for many more. The article states that 'there are two fundamentally different ways to define planets. One is to treat the planets as dynamically interacting ensemble with bodies that perturb each other gravitationally. This approach is what led to Pluto originally being considered as massive as the Earth-to account for the perturbations on Neptune and Uranus that were supposedly the basis of Percival Lowell's prediction of a trans-Neptunian planet. But as the decade rolled by, astronomers realized that apparent irregularities in the motions of the outer planets were attribution to an erroneous mass assigned to Neptune. Pluto, discovered by coincidence roughly where Lowell said it should be, is actually an irrelevant lightweight compared to the main family of planets.' Pluto, Eris and others require to be studied and analyzed further, before we arrive

The Philosophy on the Legalization of Drugs Essay Example for Free

The Philosophy on the Legalization of Drugs Essay There are many controversial topics being debated about in the United States. One topic most often debated about is the legalization of drugs. Of course people have their own beliefs and opinions on the subject, but are the arguments discussed about actually valid? Is there enough evidence supporting the premises they claim? These are questions we should ask when observing the arguments people are presenting to defend their beliefs. I believe that drugs should not be legalized for several reasons, but as stated above, different people have different opinions. One of the arguments presented from the people who believe that drugs should be legalized is that the government should not interfere with people’s activities as long as it is not affecting other people’s rights. They state exactly, â€Å"As far as morality is concerned, the decision to use or not use drugs is a personal one that does not directly impinge upon the rights of others, and the government should never forbid activities that do not impinge upon the rights of others. I believe that there are many things wrong with this argument, but the main problem here is that there is no evidence to support the premise, therefore I see it as a false premise. I don’t understand how they can say that drugs doesn’t impinge upon the rights of others when there are drug related crimes happening every day. When people are high on drugs, their minds are altered. Many times while under the influence of an illegal substance, people will commit crimes and put other people’s life in danger. This obviously affects the rights of others because people should not have to be put into danger because of other people’s â€Å"activities†. The legalization of drugs would make it more easily accessible, which in the end would result in more crimes and more people getting hurt. Another argument presented is that everything is dangerous. They state â€Å"Driving on the freeways in L. A. is very dangerous and leads to a good many deaths and injuries; thus, it creates suffering in loved ones, and society as a whole is often called upon to pay for the medical expenses of those injured in accidents. The point is this: if youre going to forbid drugs for the above reason, then you ought to forbid anything which is in the least bit dangerous. † This argument is questionable. Yes, it is true that everything is dangerous, but that is not the part of the argument that is under question. What it is that’s under question in this argument is what they’re saying about forbidding anything that’s dangerous if they’re going to forbid drugs that are dangerous. It is true that everything is dangerous, but drugs are not only dangerous, but they are mind altering. If you go about your day and face dangers, being under the influence of drugs makes your dangers so much higher, because you are not in a stable state of mind. So with this argument we must question the dangers of normal activities versus mind altering activities. The legalization of drugs will definitely result in more danger, and make regular activities dangerous. For example driving, it is illegal for people to drive under the influence, but if people are going to be high all the time, they will most likely not hesitate getting into a car to get to where they need. As they stated, driving is a dangerous activity. The point here is, driving under the influence is an even more dangerous activity. Drugs are not necessities, but in current times, driving is a necessity. We should continue to try and keep people safe by prohibiting the unnecessary dangers.

Values And Beliefs Influenced By Diamond Industry Cultural Studies Essay

Values And Beliefs Influenced By Diamond Industry Cultural Studies Essay The power of advertising throughout the 20th and 21st century has been great upon the American popular culture as well as the rest of the civilized world. This is so because advertising infiltrates and shapes our cultural dialogue/space by influencing and directing its course. Furthermore the influence of the advertising/marketing machine has singlehandedly changed many cultural beliefs and their values. This is effortlessly evident by analyzing the diamond industry, which has been shaping beliefs and values of romantic love within our society and beyond. These values and beliefs influenced by diamond industry or to say Diamond Cartel, have become deeply embedded within our popular culture. This was achieved by constant and ingenious advertising over the last 80 years. Even though diamonds are gemstones with great properties they are not as valuable as they are portrayed in our society. The rule of thumb for the high value of the gemstones or anything else in general is that those ge ms or precious metals have to be rare. Hence the fact that diamonds are actually abundant on our planet is a fact very well hidden from the general public. The extreme value of the diamonds is not achieved by their valuable properties, but mainly via the monopoly held by the diamond cartel. DeBeers or the diamond cartel over the years has carefully planned and used advertising as well as various marketing strategies to grow their diamond empire and by doing so they achieved unfathomed wealth. They did this by twisting, influencing and finally transforming our cultural values, into a belief that diamonds are the ultimate symbols of everlasting love. The effect of this aggressive 80 years long marketing campaign structured by DeBeers is that for the; engagements, weddings, anniversaries, Valentines Day and all the other meaningful love associated events in our life; the diamonds are seen as the greatest gift of love. This is so even though diamonds and their production are far from the affectionate or compassionate industry, in reality its quite contrary. Most buyers are unaware that in gifting their lovers with these aesthetically-beautiful symbols, they are supporting industries which damage the environment, utilize forced labor, cause serious health problems, and contribute to violent conflicts. (Donohoe, 2008, p. 164) Introduction The allure of diamonds we can trace throughout the known history, they are the hardest, the most enduring and sparkling of all precious stones. The word diamond comes from the Greek word adamas, meaning unconquerable. As far as our reliable records reach back into the dim and mystic ages, we find the diamond occupying a prominent position in the estimation of man. (Endlich, 1878, p. 30) A diamond is a translucent precious stone made from one of the earths most widespread element; carbon and it is one of the best known allotropes of carbon. The creation of diamonds began very early during the formation of the planet. They were formed deep within the earth, cooked by extreme temperatures and pressure. When the planets surface cooled, a volcanic activity forced hot magma to the surface, bringing with it the diamonds. However not all diamonds are found where they first came to the surface, because consequential erosion of the top soils over millions of years transported and deposited diamonds along the river banks, the shorelines or on the bed of the oceans. The most important diamond value looked upon by man is its highest hardness and thermal conductivity of any bulk material, making it perfect for industrial applications in cutting and polishing. Above all other of its qualities, which at present determine its value, the superior hardness to all substances then known, seems to have impressed the Ancients. (Endlich, 1878, p. 30) There are two ways of mining diamonds and they are Pipe Mining and Alluvial Mining. The Pipe mining refers to the extraction of diamonds from the volcanic pipes, as for the Alluvial mining it is a process where diamonds are extracted from the alluvial deposits which are sand, gravel and clay that have been naturally enriched with diamonds by soil and water erosion as mentioned above. Background Until the late 1800s diamonds were a genuinely rare stone found only in a small number of riverbeds in India and in the jungles of Brazil. The entire world production of gem diamonds amounted to only several pounds a year. In 1870, however vast diamond deposits were discovered in South Africa. Almost immediately diamonds were being mined by the tons, this inevitably caused diamonds to flood the market. To the financiers who developed the South African mines this fact spelled imminent danger for their investments, because at the time diamonds had little intrinsic value and their price depended to a great extent on their scarcity. They feared that overdevelopment of diamond mines in South Africa and beyond, will cause diamonds to lose value and become only semiprecious gems. Quickly, the major investors realized that they need to control the diamond trade in order to perpetuate the illusion that the diamonds are rare/scarce. Hence in 1888 they created DeBeers Consolidated Mines Ltd., which was incorporated in the South Africa. Shortly after its incorporation, DeBeers took control over all aspects of the world diamond trade. DeBeers a diamond cartel took many forms and it used many different names for its operational units all over the globe. In Europe, it was called the C.S.O. or the Central Selling Organization, in London it operated under the name of The Diamond Trading Company, in Israel it was known as The Syndicate, and in Africa it disguised its South African origins under subsidiaries with names like Diamond Development Corporation and Mining Services, Inc. For most of the time since its inception DeBeers Consolidated Mines Ltd., not only directly owned or controlled all the diamond mines in southern Africa but also owned diamond trading companies in England, Portugal, Israel, Belgium, Holland, and Switzerland. DeBeers Consolidated Mines Ltd., became the most successful cartel pact in the history of the modern trade. While all other commodities, such as the other precious gems, gold, silver, copper etc., oscillated wildly with the economic conditions; diamonds have continued to move upward in price every year since the great depression or better to say since the beginning of the aggressive marketing campaign employed by DeBeers in order to promote diamonds. It is easy to conclude that the Diamond cartel had conceived their business plan with two parts; first to control the supply of diamonds, than to influence the demand. What De Beers did and are doing even today is a classic textbook example of a monopoly, for this reason they are forbidden to operate on the United States soil, stemming from the provisions in the Sherman Act, which states that any conspiracy in restraint of trade is unlawful. Nonetheless, they were and still are selling 50% of the worlds annual diamond sales in the USA; through their various subsidiaries or American dealers who can purchase diamonds only from the cartel, what we have to realize is that this is going on since the late 1800s until modern time. Thought the South African source of the worlds diamonds supply is still going strong, we, as a nation, sport more than half of the sparkling carbon crystals worn anywhere. (MacDill, 1929, p. 125) Even thought their business practices are very important for the analysis of their ethical business operation, I will focus more on their marketing plan and the efforts done over a period of the last century, where they strived to control and influence the masses, public opinion and ultimately shape cultural beliefs all over the globe. B. Ingenious and constant advertising efforts of the De Beers diamond mining cartel since 1930s has profoundly affected and shaped our popular culture within the United States and beyond. During the great depression, diamond industry experienced its first and last so far; diamond crisis, during which the price of diamonds was declining worldwide. This turn of the events has motivated DeBeers a diamond cartel to begin their aggressive advertising campaign, which influenced public opinion and changed cultural beliefs worldwide. They needed to change public attitudes towards diamonds and influence them to believe that diamonds have value beyond the economic worth. In September of 1938, after Harry Oppenheimer then CEO of De Beers Consolidated Mines Ltd, has traveled to New York City and meet with Gerald M. Lauck, the president of N. W. Ayer advertising company, the advertising plan was devised. Two goals of this campaign are; first to persuade men to buy bigger diamonds, second to persu ade women that diamonds are necessity to romantic love and courtship. II. Diamonds as symbols of everlasting love. A. First and the most effective marketing strategy employed by DeBeers has been the marketing of diamonds as a symbol of love and commitment. DeBeers realized that in order for diamonds to become a symbol of love and courtship they had to change their meaning completely. They set out to do this trough three main ways; a. trough movies and royalty, b. news stories linking diamonds and love, c. advertising campaign. What was necessary was the creation of a mass mentality in which women would perceived diamonds, not as precious stones that could be bought and sold according to economic conditions or fashion, but as an inseparable part of courtship and married life. (Epstein, 1982, p. 6) Overall impact of this campaign on the popular culture has been that diamonds are central when thinking about the rituals of romantic courtship. Today, diamond engagement rings are commonplace and are seen as the essential part of our courtship. Since 1939 an entirely new generation of young people has grown to marriageable age. To this new generation, a diamond ring is considered a necessity for engagement to virtually everyone. N.W. Ayers memo. (Epstein, 1982) After the world war two, the diamond industry realized that they are in a desperate need of a slogan, which will represent their symbols of love. In 1948, N.W. Ayer Son coined a now ultra famous slogan A Diamond is Forever. Today this slogan is seen and understood by general masses as an allusion to the eternity of love. What is peculiar about this slogan is that in reality it has actually arisen from the fear that people will place second hand jewelry back on the market, which would ultimately undercut prices of the diamonds. The prestigious US magazine, Advertising Age, in its January 1999 edition, proclaimed A Diamond is Forever the most recognized and effective slogan of the twentieth century. B. Second strategy of DeBeers cartel aimed to extend the symbolic meaning of the diamond rings from the engagement to the anniversaries, which will symbolize reassurance of lasting love. Therefore in their second marketing strategy they began focusing on a 10 year anniversaries. Once this strategy proved to be successful De Beers extended anniversaries even further and began advertising campaign for their third marketing strategy/idea, which was focusing on the 25th anniversary. Furthermore in their fourth marketing strategy DeBeers decided to expand their target market to the men as the recipients of diamonds, which as well proved to be successful. The most recent major DeBeers marketing campaign or strategy #5; is the expansion of the existing target market to the women as buyers of diamonds for themselves, doing this mainly by associating diamonds with the independence. Even though there is some positive empirical data it is still too early since the inception of this strategy, for the same to be evaluated. Another successful promotion that falls within the frames of strategy # 1, 2 and 3, is the eternity ring campaign, which was presented as a symbol of continuing affection and the admiration of the loved ones. Like wedding rings, eternity rings are a symbol of everlasting love. Although eternity rings are frequently given to celebrate an anniversary or other special event such as the birth of a child, there is no precise occasion for which to give this exceptional gift. Given as a tangible symbol of the promise to love forever, an eternity ring is a beautiful way to show the love of your life how much she means to you. What does Thomas Shelby think is amusing about the Eternity Ring is that at the height of the cold war, the Russian diamonds from Siberia, which are in the eternity ring were successfully marketed and sold in USA . Latest in the major campaign of diamond rings is the Trilogy Ring, which is representing the past, present and the future of a love relationship. Three stones. Three stories. But only one you. The Trilogy ring frames three diamonds one to represent your past, another to represent your present and the last to represent your future. The perfect embodiment of your life story? III. Diamonds as symbols of esteem, prestige and sophistication. A. De beers and N.W. Ayer Son are responsible for the creation of the idea that diamonds are rare and valuable, and that they are also an essential signs of love, esteem and prestige. Analogous to the campaign, which was transforming the diamonds into the symbols of love, a subliminal undercurrent of prestige was ever present, underlining and accenting the meaning of diamonds. For this subliminal undercurrent the idea was to correlate diamonds with the sophisticated undertone of art and classiness. Hence N.W. Ayer also arranged for movie stars to appear at social events adorned with diamonds. The agency used its influence to modify film scripts and movie titles to feature diamonds more prominently. Motion pictures seldom include scenes showing the selection of or purchase of an engagement ring to a girl. It would be our plan to contact scenario writers and directors and arrange for such scenes in suitable productions N.W. Ayers memo to DeBeers. (Epstein, 1982) In addition to Hollywood, DeBeers used the royalty worldwide to act as the promotional agents for the diamond industry, once again accenting prestige, esteem and sophistication. The result of these marketing campaigns is that global annual sales of diamonds rose up from 23 million US dollars in 1939 to 50 billion in 2001. IV. Conclusion Empirical and analytical data collected over the past decades about the DeBeers Ltd. or diamond industry in general, shows a very unfavorable and completely opposite reality than it is portrayed in our general society. Edward Epstein discovered that the real business of the diamond industry is the restriction what comes out of the ground, what got cut, how much went on the market and at the same time creating the idea that there is a great demand. Besides these unethical and illegal business malpractices DeBeers is associated with the Apartheid regime because they made use of many institutions that created Apartheid in South Africa. Another known fact is that DeBeers created mining workforce from the black people living on the land, by creating taxes for their land. Furthermore working conditions for these miners in South Africa were poor, with not much food, living in conditions where hostels had 20 people per room and all this while mining 60 hours a week. Moreover in India over 10 0.000 children under the age of 13, comprise a significant part of the Indian labor pool that cuts small diamonds, which ultimately makes possible for the production of cheap jewelry in the western world. The most atrocious trait diamond cartel has is its direct responsibility for influencing loss of the human life trough diamond wars. DeBeers were connected to many conflict diamonds, dubbed Blood Diamonds because of the loss of human life and blood spilled in support of the diamond production and control of mines in some African countries. So how it is that these accepted symbols of love, which come from human exploitation, suffering and even death, flourish in our society and are seen as symbols described above? To answer this we have to turn to the analysis of the advertising in general, and in which ways it affects and influences a human psyche. First of all we have to understand that the advertising is a discourse trough and about objects. In our case the diamond story or DeBeers is a discourse of a story about love, intimacy and family, and this story is told through and about diamonds. To understand this hyper-commercialized world we have to make sure that we ask the right questions about the power of advertising. The wrong question is; does an advertising campaign increase sales of that particular product or a brand. But the right question would be in cultural perspective; how does advertising influence the way we think about ourselves, about the world, about what is good and bad, as well as right or wrong. We have to think about how advertising influences our values and our identities. And finally we have to understand that advertising talks to us about subjects that are important, but it does it trough the medium of things. This extremely successful diamond advertising campaign has changed very little since its inception in 1938 for the reason that it has been fantastically successful in the endeavor of influencing the demand and sale of diamonds. Three general points to draw from the diamond advertising examples are; 1. The present has been constructed by actions in history, 2. Advertising power is based on making sure other competing messages about products are not allowed to be heard, 3. Our ideas about things that matter to us like family, friends, intimacy, sexuality, security etc. are shaped by the broader cultural environment of which advertising is a key part. It is said that the cartels greatest accomplishment is that it has created and upheld the illusion that the diamonds are scarce and valuable, even though approximately 130 million carats (26,000 kg (57,000 lb)) of diamonds are mined annually. Although all these deceptive messages and beliefs are played upon us as society, we have to remember that the diamond deception is not a one-person play, because deceiver and deceived play a part in this deception collaboration.

A Dolls House :: A Dolls House Essays

A Doll's House    The author, Henrik Ibsen, who wrote other social commentary plays (like Ghosts, Enemy Of The People, and Pillars Of Society), made a departure in this plays ending by having the protagonist run away rather than staying to set an example and continuing to struggle for the better along side others. This scenario creates a sad, troubling and for Nora unjustified ending as she, the protagonist in A Doll's House, leaves Torvold, her husband. She destroys any hope that married couples can reconcile differences and learn to change and grow with one another. Nora's exit is a self- destructive assertion of her childlike and romantic view of life, that somehow, someway, things will work out even though there is no plan on her part as to how.   By leaving, Nora, with no expectation of a support system, provides no significant transforming effect upon her family's lives and views.   Nora has an egotistical and self-centered idea about life and this is further exposed when she dec ides to abandon her family. Everyone must compromise at some time in their lives. This leads to cooperation in family and in society and is the essence of survival and growth. Nora's need to be in control and her role playing manipulations, makes her an equally guilty party in the promotion and continuation of a stilted and stifling middle class lifestyle that was Norway in the mid 1800's.    The title sets up the metaphor - this is truly a doll's house. But in this case the main    characters are not only the dolls themselves but the doll master and mistress each vying for    power and control. This is a central conflict of the play. Torvold may be the master in the eyes    of society and adopt a conventionally controlling tone but Nora has the real control by her    power of manipulation. Nora is the one who is getting her own way, eating macaroons and    spending money (and getting more) as her wishes prompt. Appearing confident and happy    she shows no sign of dissatisfaction with the role. She gives the porter who brought    the Christmas tree an over-generous tip despite a lack of money

Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler and Bertolt Brecht’s Mother Courage and Her

Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler and Bertolt Brecht’s Mother Courage and Her Children Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler and Bertolt Brecht’s Mother Courage and Her Children present two strongly defined female heroines whose actions not only adversely affect the other characters’ lives but also suggest a fundamental problem with their societies. Both playwrights establish the macroscopic view of society’s ills in the microscopic, individual characters of Hedda and Mother Courage. Both characters have an indomitable magnetism that, on the one hand, allows them to control others but, on the other, causes them to make desperate choices that reflect a repressive society. Ibsen creates in Hedda Gabler a dominating, fiercely controlling female heroine who controls everyone in her circle, from her weak husband Tesman, to Lovborg, Mrs. Elvsted and even, to a lesser degree, Judge Brack, who reverses roles with Hedda by the end of the play. Hedda, as a chameleon figure, alternately shifts her manipulative tactics to maintain control, and each character cannot stay away from her influence. Only when Hedda has lost control of Lovborg, does she resort to an act of supreme self-control: suicide. Judge Brack believes he has won in his battle of wills with Hedda and believes he remains â€Å"the only cock in the yard†¦Ã¢â‚¬  at the play’s end. Nevertheless, her suicide reinforces her superiority because she has claimed the ultimate position of control in the play. Judge Brack cannot assert his lustful intentions through coercive blackmail, and she will not relinquish the power to any character or realization, whether it is Tesman’s loving yet remonstrative pleas or Judge Brack’s slyly conniving wiles. She defines her own role by her self-inflicted death... ...she does choose this role, ultimately valuing profit over her children’s safety. She continues on this journey without her children even as the play ends. Both characters, Hedda and Mother Courage, express values dictated by society. Though Mother Courage’s actions destroy her family and Hedda’s suicide destroys herself and her unborn child, both characters choose these destructive paths. In effect, they become like the society itself, embodying its values and motivations, its limitation and corruption. Neither Hedda nor Mother Courage possess any real individual power or self-control to overcome a society that forces them to act destructively. Ibsen and Brecht represent society’s power to coerce characters like Hedda and Mother Courage into accepting values that refract social ones as destructive to them as to the society that informs their characters.

Improving the Educational System Essays -- Education Teaching Learning

Improving the Educational System ï » ¿Teachers are committed to challenging all students to succeed, whatever their abilities, interests, social and cultural background, gender, prior attainment or aspirations. As future teachers, we need to know the aspects of society, so that we can ensure that each one of our students is successful and achieves his or her potential through the education provided. In this paper, I will be using the articles from the Social Class/Race and School Finance section of the class to evaluate the effects of social stratification, cultural capital, and social reproduction, school financing, and school environment. Social stratification lies at the core of society and of the discipline of sociology. Social inequality is a fundamental aspect of virtually all social processes, and a person's position in the stratification system is the most consistent predictor of his or her behavior, attitudes, and life chances. Social stratification links almost all aspects of society together, and therefore understanding what is happening to social stratification helps us understand a wide range of other changes in society. In the article â€Å"Social Class Differences In Family-School Relationships: The Importance of Cultural Capital† by Annette Laureau, summarizes a study of family-school relations and cultural capital. The results(of the study) suggest that social class position and class culture becomes a form of cultural capital in the school setting(Laureau, 1987). The families of working class lacked money, time, individual educational attainment, value of education, and high expectation on their children where as the middle-class families had all the advantages to support their children’s achievement at school. Lareau shows the effortful evidence that parents with resources will be able help their children attain much higher aspiration. This research uses the concepts of social and cultural capital to student behavior. Social capital may take the form of information-sharing channels and networks, as well as social norms, values, and expected behaviors. High status cultural signals include the attitudes, preferences, knowledge, behaviors, possessions, and credentials that function as informal academic standards, and that are generally defined by the dominant class. Individuals who lack the required cultura... ...help to improve the education these students receive. Improving the learning environment is the first step to rebuilding our inner city schools. More importantly, programs for the students and families will improve their future. The educational systems in America have many faults, but if more people become aware, things can only improve. It is hard to make any pinpoint decisions to improve the educational system because it is such a epic problem. I believe as a future teacher, I may be able change things, and with time maybe equal education for everyone won’t be just a far away dream. Bibliography: References Kozol, J.(1991). Life on the Mississippi. In Save inequalities: Children in American’s schools. New York, NY: Harper Perennial Kozol, J.(1991) Other people’s children. In Save inequalities: Children in American’s schools. New York, NY: Harper Perennial Laureau, A(1987) Social class differences in family-school relationships: The importance of cutural capital. Sociology of education, 60, 73-85 MacLeod, J. (1995). Ain’t No Makin’ It: Aspirations and attainment in a low-income neighborhood. Boulder, CO: Westview Press Revised Edition

Basic Health Care Language Essay

In the space provided, write each term’s definition as used in health care. You must define the term in your own words; do not simply copy the definition from a textbook. In the space provided after each term’s definition, provide a sentence that illustrates the importance of the skill, concept, procedure, organization, or tool to which the term refers. In your explanation, you may wish to consider the following: How has it influenced health care? Why is it important to understand the appropriate application of the term or concept? Save the completed worksheet as a Microsoft ® Word document with your name in the file name. Submit the file to your facilitator. Note. You must define 10 basic health care terms in this worksheet. Therefore, in addition to the terms provided for you below, finish the additional spaces on the worksheet with terms from your reading or discussion you were not previously familiar with and had to research. Submitted by: [Type your name here.] Term Definition in your own words Use the term in a sentence as it applies to the health care industry. Treatment

Producer Responsibility Scheme To Regulate Electronic Waste Environmental Sciences Essay

To reexamine and analysis the execution of the manufacturer duty strategy in South Korea, Sweden and United States ( Maine ) , for doing recommendations for the future acceptance of manufacturer duty strategy in Hong Kong on e-waste direction. Abstraction Hong Kong is good known as the hub of the newest engineering and electronic merchandises. While many Hong Kong people are fascinated by the latest theoretical accounts of nomadic phones, computing machines and advanced engineerings, the direction of electrical and electronic waste ( e-waste ) in Hong Kong is under-developed and this may take to risky impacts on the environment. Producer duty strategy ( PRS ) , besides known as drawn-out manufacturer duty ( EPR ) has been established for the direction of e-waste in assorted states for old ages. At the terminal of April, 2010, the Hong Kong authorities finished the audience on PRS for e-waste direction. A new legal model will be introduced to turn to the job of e-waste disposal in 2011. In this thesis, the current state of affairs of e-waste direction in Hong Kong will be reviewed. it is so followed by an analysis on the feasibleness of the 2010 PRS audience papers. To instil treatment, I will besides compare and contrast the e-waste P RS in Sweden, South Korea and United States ( Maine ) . Based on the international reappraisal, Hong Kong can larn from the strengths and failings of different strategies and do mentions for the hereafter patterns on e-waste direction. Introduction What is e-waste? Internationally, there is no standard definition of WEEE/ E-waste. Different states use their ain definitions and readings of the term â€Å" E-waste/WEEE † . ( UNEP, 2007 ) . In this thesis, e-waste means electronic and electrical waste. E-waste is by and large defined as any cast-off, excess or broken electrical or electronic device which is dependent on electrical currents or electromagnetic Fieldss in order to work decently and equipment for the coevals, transportation and measuring of such current. ( Environment Bureau, 2010 ) . It includes different types of equipments such as family contraptions, IT and telecommunications equipment. E-waste contains a batch of contaminations such as heavy metals e.g lead ( Pb ) , quicksilver ( Hg ) etc. and brominated fire retardents. Cathode Ray Tubes ( CRTs ) in proctors contain Pb may take to dirty. Lead will stamp down the encephalon development of kids. Toxic quicksilver may roll up in the fat of fish and through nutrient concatenation will be intake by homo. ( Greenpeace, 2010 ) Without proper disposal and direction, these chemicals would be released to the environment doing serious wellness jobs to human and damage the environment. Therefore, proper direction of e-waste is indispensable. 1.2 Definition of manufacturer duty strategy and extended manufacturer duty Producer duty strategy is an environmental policy instruments for commanding disposal of merchandises when they at the terminal of life. ( Hester & A ; Harrison, 2009 ) It suggests that everyone should portion the duty on e-waste direction. Manufacturers and consumers need to be responsible for the merchandises from the design to the concluding disposal intervention. ( Environmental Protection Department, 2005 ) Furthermore, it mandates the return dorsum of e-waste to a proper intervention. PRS has been implemented for pull offing e-waste in many states including Japan, Switzerland for old ages. It showed positive consequence for handling of EOL e-waste. PRS has two types: corporate manufacturer duty and single manufacturer duty. In CPR, manufacturers are responsible for the cost based on market portion. They need to pay the cost proportionally. In IPR, each manufacturer is responsible for financing the operations referred to the waste from his ain merchandises. ( Hester & A ; Harris on, 2009 ) In other states, extended manufacturer duty ( EPR ) is a more popular term. EPR farther emphasizes on the manufacturer ‘s duty. In other words, â€Å" Extended Producer Responsibility is the construct that makers and importers of merchandises bear a grade of duty for the environmental impacts of their merchandises throughout the merchandises ‘ life-cycles, including upstream impacts built-in in the choice of stuffs for the merchandises, impacts from makers ‘ production procedure itself, and downstream impacts from the usage and disposal of the merchandises. Manufacturers accept their duty when they design their merchandises to minimise the life-cycle environmental impacts and when they accept legal, physical or economic duty for the environmental impacts that can non be eliminated by design. † ( Davis, 1994 ) There are two purposes for the PRS. First, it emphasizes the duty of manufacturer for the collection and recycling of the e-waste. Second, it encourages manufacturers to modify the design of merchandises. So, it could cut down the sum waste and risky effects. ( The Sierra Club, 2009 ) E-waste state of affairs in Hong Kong The volume of e-waste coevals has increased at a rate of 2 % yearly during 2005-2008. In 2008, about 71400 metric tons of e-waste was generated. Presently, approximately 80 % of e-waste are recycled and re-used in Hong Kong or other states. The staying 20 % of them are disposal. Landfill sites in Hong Kong are about making their maximal capacities. The 20 % of e-waste so is a resource that should be reused, recycled. ( Environment Bureau, 2010 ) In general, e-waste is collected by private second-hand traders. Majority of e-waste are exported to other developing states such as Mainland China and India for recycling or recycling ( Greenpeace, 2010 ) . However, many storage countries for e-waste are non regulated. It would do dirt taint from leaching of heavy metals and other toxic chemicals. ( Environment Bureau, 2010 ) Besides, an e-waste recycling programme was launched in September 2005 by Environmental Protection Department and St James ‘ Settlement. They accept the e-waste from the populace at designated aggregation points. The gathered e-waste is brought to the recycling Centre for mending or leveling. The repaired electronic contraptions are donated to the needy. Sometimes the repaired goods are sold in charitable bazar to counterbalance portion of the operating cost. ( Environmental Protection Department, 2010 ) However, this programme can non cover with e-waste job in Hong Kong. Therefore, a proper e-waste direction policy is needed. Reappraisal on the audience paper At the terminal of April 2010, the Hong Kong authorities finished the audience on PRS for e-waste direction. A new legal model will be introduced to turn to the job of e-waste disposal. Harmonizing to the Product Eco-responsibility Ordinance ( Cap 603 ) , the proposed e-waste strategy would cover bulky electrical and electronic equipment including telecasting sets, rinsing machines, iceboxs and air-conditioners, and computing machines merchandises ( TWRAC ) , for illustration personal computing machine, pressmans and laptop. ( Environment Bureau, 2010 ) Figure 1-1 The proposed e-waste strategy in Hong Kong ( Adopted from Environmental Bureau, 2010 ) The proposed e-waste strategy is summarized in Figure 1. The major aim is to portion the duty for the aggregation, intervention and disposal cost of e-waste in a safely and sustainably manner. The duty is shared by assorted stakeholders: Consumers would necessitate to lend the collection and handling costs of regulate e-waste when purchasing new regulated merchandises. They besides need to guarantee the regulated e-waste would be handled likely. They may set up the handling to a municipal aggregation installation, a second-hand trader or a charitable organisation. Importers, distributers and retail merchants would necessitate to stick on the regulated merchandises with specific labels, including the costs of e-waste strategy and charging system Retailers would take back the old electrical contraptions on a â€Å" new for old † footing without charges. They will besides dispose decently to the appointed WMC. The appointed WEEE Management Contractor would supply aggregation and recycling service for e-waste. Second-hand traders and recyclers would dispose the regulated e-waste that collected from consumers. They are regulated by the import and export control and licensing demand for recycling, hive awaying and leveling of e-waste. Government would move as a proctor to reexamine the system, roll uping fees and jurisprudence enforcement. It would besides advance public credence and instruction and help the settling up of the manufacturer duty strategy on e-waste. ( Environment Bureau, 2010 ) Collection of fees would be taken by importers and distributers. They would pay the fees when the regulated merchandises were brought to Hong Kong for local sale. This cost could finally be recovered along the supply concatenation. Another option is retail merchants would roll up the fee from consumers when sale the relevant merchandises when a dealing is completed. The fees for little e-waste ( such as a little telecasting ) would about $ 100. For bulky e-waste would bear down around $ 200- $ 250. Fees for computing machine merchandises would be lower but no clear sum is listed in the audience paper. ( Environment Bureau, 2010 ) There are some extra steps proposed: A landfill disposal prohibition to e-waste will be introduced for forestalling utile stuffs ended up in landfills. Import and export control of e-waste would be under a permission system by authorities. A licensing demand is needed for the e-waste dismantlement, recycling and storage. ( Environment Bureau, 2010 ) In the undermentioned thesis, the PRS plans of South Korea, Sweden and United States ( Maine ) will be studied. By utilizing three standards, physical duty of assorted stakeholders ( Consumers, local governments, manufacturers and consolidators ) , cost allotment of assorted stakeholders ( Consumers, local governments, manufacturers ) and roll uping and recycling rate, remarks are made for the hereafter pattern on e-waste direction in Hong Kong.2. Review of PRS plans in other states2.1 South Korea 2.1.1 Background of the PRS After fall ining the OECD in 1996, the environmental policy of South Korea authorities is influenced by the way of western states. In 2001, the authorities implemented EPR as an indispensable policy in the field of recycling. ( Murakami-Suzuki, 2008 ) On the other manus, consumers and environmental NGOs had criticized the improper disposal of e-waste by the three major companies. To salvage their trade name image, they had understanding with authorities to continue greater manufacturer duty. ( Lee & A ; Na, 2010 ) In 2003, a Producer Recycling ( PR ) system was launched which emphasized the duty of makers in e-waste recycling. Until now, there are in entire 10 points: they are rinsing machines, TVs, air conditioners, iceboxs, Personal computers, sound, nomadic phones, pressmans, duplicators and facsimiles. ( Lee & A ; Na, 2010 ) ( Murakami-Suzuki & A ; Chung 2008 ) 2.1.2 System of e-waste direction Figure 2-1 General e-waste flows in South Korea ( Adopted from Murakami-Suzuki & A ; Chung 2008 ) The PR system puts the speech pattern on manufacturers. Manufacturers need to roll up the e-waste from consumers on a ‘new-for-old ‘ footing. Each electrical contraption that is regulated in the system has certain mark recycling rate to accomplish yearly. Therefore, manufacturers used runs and other aggregation contractors to run into the recycling mark. ( Lee & A ; Na, 2010 ) There are three ways for the manufacturers to carry through their duty. First, they can construct ain recycling works and execute the recycling occupation. The 2nd manner is to contract out the occupation to commercial recycling workss. The 3rd manner is to pay money to the Producer Responsibility Organization to assist them recycling the e-waste. If they fail to make the recycling marks, they need to pay the fee which is reciprocally relative to the compulsory recycling rates. ( Murakami-Suzuki & A ; Chung 2008 ) Local governments are responsible for patroling illegal dumping of e-waste. Illegal dumping declined greatly due to the monitoring of the citizens groups called â€Å" ssu-parazzi † ( ssu means rubbish in Korean and parazzi from the Italian word â€Å" paparazzi † which means newsman ) . ( Lee & A ; Na, 2010 ) Local governments will pay pecuniary wagess to citizens for describing illegal dumping instances to the governments. Government besides needs to roll up the e-waste which is non based on replacement purchase from consumer. ( Lee & A ; Na, 2010 ) Consumers have three ways for disposal of e-waste. First, they can give the e-waste to the 2nd manus traders. The second-hand traders will give back some bit value to the consumers. The second-hand traders will so reassign to the exporters and export out the e-waste. Second, they can pay to the municipalities which are local governments for roll uping the e-waste. The local governments will transport the e-waste to the exporters or recycling workss for the intervention of e-waste. Third, they do n't necessitate to pay any fee when on a ‘new for old ‘ footing. The retail merchants or manufacturers will roll up the e-waste for free. They act as a co-operator with other stakeholders to take part in the strategy. Some of them may move as the â€Å" ssu-parazzi † to supervise the illegal dumping of e-waste. 2.1.3 Cost borne by different stakeholders Manufacturers bear the entire cost for both aggregation and recycling. First, they can run their ain logistic squad and recycling workss. Second, they can pay fee to the commercial recycling companies. Third, they may pay the fee to the Producer Responsibility Organization ( PRO ) for roll uping and recycling the e-waste. Consumers do non necessitate to pay any disposal fee when buying a replacing regulated electric merchandise. So, an unseeable fee is added when consumer purchases electrical merchandises. They merely need to pay the aggregation cost when necessitating local governments to roll up the e-waste. They may necessitate to pay 2000-8000 won ( about HKD $ 14- $ 56 ) to the local governments for roll uping the e-waste. ( Gangnam-gu Office, 2004 ) Government needs to bear the fiscal cost for the collection of illegal dumped e-waste and pay the money wages for citizens. ( Lee & A ; Na, 2010 ) 2.1.4 Collecting and Recycling rate of e-waste Figure 2-2 Collecting and Recycling rate of e-waste in South Korea in 2002 and 2004 ( Source from Park, 2006 ) After the execution of the PR system in 2003, the collection and recycling rate addition about 50 % in Television, icebox and rinsing machine. For air-conditioner and computing machine, a singular rise in the collection and recycling rate. The merchandise recycling has been continuously increased. About six million dozenss ( 550 million kilogram ) of e-waste in sum has been recycled during 2003-2007. The recycling rate is about 11 kg/capita/year in 2003-2007. ( Ministry of Environment, Republic of Korea, 2010 ) 2.2 Sweden 2.2.1 Background of the PRS The PRS for e-waste was launched in Sweden on 1st July 2001. Simultaneously, a not-for-profit service supplier El Kretsen was set up. El Kretsen operates a national-wide aggregation and recycling system for e-waste. It runs the system in coaction with Swedish governments. The local Swedish governments manage and fund the aggregation points where the families could go forth the e-waste. El Kresten manages and financess the transit fee, the pre-treatment and recycling for e-waste. Eleven classs of e-waste are regulated by El Kretsen. They include merchandises for family contraptions, IT and other equipment. ( El-Kretsen, 2010 ) 2.2.2 System of e-waste direction Figure 2-3 General flow of e-waste in Sweden ( Future Energy Solutions, 2003 ) The strategy does non put any recycling marks. Manufacturers and distributers pay the fee to El Kresten, based on the current market portion, for pull offing the regulated e-waste in a corporate duty method. The cost will reexamine yearly. Families can return the e-waste to any of the 700 countrywide municipal aggregation sites. Commercial sectors can return the e-waste free of charge to the distributers or manufacturers based on â€Å" new for old † buying. Otherwise they can give to the commercial aggregation Centres which are financed by El Kretsen. When the commercial consumer does non buy a new merchandise, the e-waste is non covered by this PRS and it ‘s the last user ‘s duty. Municipal aggregation sites are run by municipalities and the concern aggregation sites are organized and financed by El Kretsen. Logistic and transport spouses will roll up the e-waste from both municipal and concern aggregation sites and conveyance to the intervention spouses. Treatme nt and recycling spouses dismantle and recycle the e-waste. El Kretsen would pay the money to logistics and intervention spouses by the weight of e-waste hauled and the existent intervention costs. ( Future Energy Solutions, 2003 ) 2.2.3 Cost borne by different stakeholders El Kretsen financess the concern aggregation sites, transit and recycling cost of e-waste. Household ‘s aggregation sites are run by local governments which are non based on manufacturer duty. Households wage revenue enhancements to back up the cost of runing the municipal aggregation sites. Manufacturers pay money to El Kretsen harmonizing to their corresponding market portion, i.e. , every provider ‘s proportion of entire gross revenues in the old twelvemonth. Any excess will be credited to the corresponding manufacturer ‘s history. ( Future Energy Solutions, 2003 ) The fee is considered several factors. Here is an illustration: Table 2-1 Model for computation of fees by El Kretsen ( Future Energy Solutions, 2003 ) The fee is measured by four factors: weight, return rate, intervention cost and material value. When transit and intervention costs are high and the stuff value is low, the fee is higher. Alternatively, if the stuff value is high and the intervention cost is low, the fee is much lower. Normally, for bulky material, the fee is around a‚ ¬8- 26 ( about HKD $ 84 – $ 273 ) and for little contraption, it is about a‚ ¬0.025. ( Future Energy Solutions, 2003 ) 2.2.4 Collecting and recycling rate of e-waste Figure 2-4 Recycling rate of e-waste in 2004-2008 by El Kretsen ( El-Kretsen, 2010 ) The above figure showed the collection and recycling rate of e-waste from all the aggregation points by El Kretsen. The system in Sweden achieved the highest collection and recycling rate reported in Europe with a sum of 15.8kg/capita/year in 2006. ( Sander et el. , 2007 ) 2.3 United States ( Maine ) 2.3.1 Background of PRS In 2004, an e-waste jurisprudence founded on EPR construct was adopted by the Maine legislative assembly. It was the first â€Å" drawn-out manufacturer duty † jurisprudence in United States. In January 18 2006, the family e-waste programme was launched to guarantee electrical contraptions were recycled at the terminal of life. Merely family generated covered electrical devices ( CED ) are considered in the Maine programme. CED referred to telecastings and computing machine proctors with screens larger than 4 in. ( 10.2 centimeter ) . ( Wagner, 2009 ) In 2009, the programme added desktop pressmans, game consoles and digital image frame as CED. ( Department of Environmental Protection, State of Maine, 2010 ) 2.3.2 System of e-waste direction Figure 2-5 General flow of e-waste in Maine ( Department of Environmental Protection, State of Maine, 2010 ) Local governments decide how to roll up the family e-waste. There are different ways to roll up the e-waste: agreement of pick-up service, set up for aggregation sites, or keep periodic one-day aggregation. Consolidators received the e-waste. They need to screen the regulated merchandises by trade name names and step the weight. Then, they send bills to the makers for the transit, managing and recycling fee. They will besides supply informations and study to Department of Environmental Protection ( DEP ) . After that they send the e-waste to recycler. Retailers must merely sell the regulated merchandises with makers that are in conformity with Maine ‘s E-waste Law. Maine DEP monitors the programme. It besides conducts instruction and enforces Torahs. ( Department of Environmental Protection, State of Maine, 2010 ) 2.3.3 Cost borne by different stakeholders Manufacturers bear about all the cost under the EPR programme. Before the programme started, there was no charge to the manufacturer. After the programme was launched, in 2006 and 2007, the sum charges are US $ 764000 ( about 6 million HKD $ and US $ 1938500 ( about 15 million HKD $ ) severally. The mean recycling charges were about US $ 9.53 ( HKD $ 74 ) per computing machine proctor and US $ 16.62 ( HKD $ 130 ) per telecasting. The manufacturers need to pay the cost harmonizing to the trade name and weight to the consolidators. Orphan CEDs is waste which can non place the makers or the makers are no longer in concern. Existing manufacturers need to pay a pro rata portion of the recycling orphan CEDs. ( Wagner, 2009 ) Figure 2-6 Maine population and family EOL fees charged in 2008 ( Wagner, 2009 ) Different metropoliss or towns in Maine have different EOL fee. Citizens can dispose free of charge or even necessitate to pay over USD $ 11 per point ( HKD $ 86 ) . However, over 50 % of families need to pay less than US $ 5 ( HKD $ 39 ) per point due to the displacement of cost to the manufacturers. ( Wagner, 2009 ) 2.3.4 Collecting and Recycling rate of e-waste Figure 2-7 Household CED points collected in Maine in 2005-2008 ( Source from Wagner, 2009 ) The figure of points collected and recycled after the EPR programme adopted addition by 108 % in the first twelvemonth, 170 % in the 2nd twelvemonth and 221 % in the 3rd twelvemonth. ( Wagner, 2009 ) The collection and recycling rate is about 1.8 kg/capita/year in 2008. ( Department of Environmental Protection, State of Maine, 2010 )3 Comparison of the EPR systems in South Korea, Sweden and United States ( Maine )Table 3-1 Comparison for the physical function of assorted stakeholders South Korea Sverige Pine tree state Consumers Dispose the e-waste via three methods Act as â€Å" suu-parazzi † Take the e-waste to aggregation sites Take the e-waste to the local governments via different methods Local governments Set mark recycling rate Monetary wages to citizens who describing illegal dumping Run the municipal aggregation sites Set criterion for aggregation Ensure fight among the consolidators Manufacturers Construct ain recycling workss Pay money to the PRO for recycling and interventions Contract out the occupations to commercial recycling companies Collect commercial e-waste Pay money to El Kretsen for managing the e-waste Pay money to the consolidators for all the transit and intervention cost Consolidators Manufacturers El Kresten Approximately 10 companies In South Korea, since the electrical contraption industry is oligopolistic and is dominated by three companies, viz. , Daewoo, LG and Samsung. Collection, transit and recycling are besides carried by the manufacturers. ( Lee & A ; Na, 2010 ) There is no aggregation sites are operated in the system of South Korea. Consumers have different methods to dispose the e-waste. Due to the bit value given by the second-hand traders, most of the consumers prefer this manner to dispose the e-waste. ( Murakami-Suzuki & A ; Chung 2008 ) Another alone system is the outgrowth of â€Å" ssuparazzi † in South Korea. Local governments will give money wagess to the citizen who reports illegal dumping of e-waste. This control method is thought to be responsible for a crisp diminution of illegal dumping. For Sweden, the lone consolidator El Kretsen takes the most physical duty in the EPR system. It mandates the commercial aggregations sector, organizes and financess the transit and recycling spouses. Local governments run the municipal aggregation sites. Consumers merely need to reassign the e-waste to the aggregation points. For Maine, local governments via different paths collect the e-waste from consumers. Consumer should follow the methods by local authorities and return the e-waste. Consolidators sort off the trade name and direct bills to manufacturers for the transit and intervention cost. Table 3-2 Comparison for cost allotment of assorted stakeholders South Korea Sverige Pine tree state Consumers Free on a â€Å" new for old † footing Buy tickets when disposed with municipality Taxs EOL fees Local governments Receive tickets fee from consumers Receive revenue enhancements from consumers Collection cost of e-waste Manufacturer About the entire cost About the sum cost which pay to El Kretsen About the sum cost which wage to the consolidators Consumers do non necessitate to pay any excess fee under the â€Å" new for old † rule when buying the regulated points in South Korea. They may necessitate to purchase a tickets when disposal of e-waste from local governments. In Sweden, the aggregation cost of domestic e-waste is received from the revenue enhancements of all citizens. In Maine, consumers normally merely necessitate to pay the EOL fees which are less than US $ 5 per points for Televisions or computing machine proctors. Local governments in three topographic points receive money from consumers for aggregation cost. In Sweden, the local governments merely cover with the domestic e-waste. In the three topographic points reviews, manufacturers bear about the full cost in the PRS. In South Korea, manufacturers need to build the ain works for intervention of e-waste. It is an single duty system. Otherwise, they may contract out the occupation to commercial recycling workss or pay fees to the PRO. In Sweden and Maine, the manufacturers pay to consolidators based on market portions. In add-on, in Maine, the manufacturers portion the cost for handling the orphan e-waste by pro rata. Table 3-3 Comparison of roll uping and recycling rate South Korea Sverige Pine tree state Roll uping and Recycling rate ( kg/capita/year ) 11.0 15.8 1.8 In this tabular array, Sweden achieved the highest collection and recycling rate among three topographic points. It may due to a big classs of e-waste included in the Swedish system. South Korea besides got a comparatively high rate. It may due to the consequence of mark recycling in the system. The collection and recycling rate is really low when comparing to two other topographic points. First, the Maine plan merely covered domestic TVs and computing machine proctors. Second, the end-of-life fee besides contributed to it because some consumers may donate to charitable organisations instead than pay the EOL fees. ( Wagner, 2009 ) Table 3-4 Comparison of undertaking methods for illegal dumping South Korea Sverige Pine tree state Undertaking methods Monetary wages None None In South Korea, the pecuniary wages has attracted some citizen groups and organisations supervising the illegal dumping. In Sweden, there is no inducement for families to dispose the e-waste illicitly. It is because the use of municipal aggregation points is free of charge. Furthermore, the aggregation points are normally closer than topographic points which are suited for illegal dumping. ( Sasaki, 2004 ) For commercial sectors, there are some companies dumped the e-waste in municipal aggregation points. It is because El Kretsen can non separate the e-waste is come from families or concern sectors. ( Sasaki, 2004 ) . In Maine, due to the EOL fees, some e-waste possibly illicitly dumped. However, there is no information related to demo the figure of instances. ( Wagner, 2009 ) Table 3-5 Comparison of strengths and failings of the PRS systems Strengths Failings South Korea High recycling rate Monetary wages for describing illegal dumping Merely focal point on mark recycling rate, non the environmental-friendly intervention Sverige High recycling rate One not-for-profit consolidator – El Kretsen Excessively many classs of e-waste Taxs from citizens Municipal aggregation point can non separate e-waste from house servants or commercial sectors United States ( Maine ) Low cost for intervention Have step to cover with the orphan e-waste Low recycling rate Merely focal point on domestic e-waste Cumbersome for consolidators to screening the e-waste Orphan e-waste payment by manufacturers Illegal dumping due to EOL fee Korean ‘s pecuniary wages for describing illegal dumping is alone among three states. It greatly decreases the sum of illegal dumping of e-waste. Another alone characteristic is target recycling rate. The mark rate must be reached by the manufacturers. Otherwise, a levy is imposed. Therefore it maintains a high and stable collection and recycling rate. However this system merely focuses on the elevation of the recycling rate but non the intervention quality. Producer merely want to carry through the mark rate. There is no inducement for manufacturer to handle the e-waste decently. In Sweden, the recycling rate is highest among three reviewed topographic points. It may due to a assortment of e-waste is included in the system. Furthermore, there is no bear downing for disposing e-waste in municipal aggregation point. It may besides increase the inducement of domestic consumers to dispose the e-waste decently. Furthermore, El Kretsen covered about 90 % of e-waste. A large not-for-profit company integrates all the e-waste could hold better organisation of aggregation and transit for e-waste. However, the Swedish strategy has eleven classs of regulated e-waste. Many industries and companies are kicking about the complexness of the merchandise classification. ( Future Energy Solutions, 2003 ) On the other manus, the running cost for municipal aggregation sites come from the revenue enhancements from citizens. It is unjust to the citizens who do non utilize the service in the PRS system. In add-on, the municipal aggregation points receive e-waste free of charge. Some concern companies may dump the e-waste into the aggregation point illicitly. In United States ( Maine ) , the monetary value of consolidator services to manufacturer is administrated by the DEP yearly. The consolidators need to subject the lowest cost agenda to the manufacturers and local governments. Therefore, manufacturers can take the best offered monetary value for the services of consolidators. Furthermore, this is the lone PRS which have step to cover with orphan e-waste among three reviewed topographic points. It divides the intervention cost to manufacturers by pro rata. The collection and recycling rate is lowest among three reviewed topographic points in Maine. It is because the system merely focuses on domestic e-waste. Furthermore, the regulated e-waste merely included TVs and computing machine proctors. A big sum of e-waste The Maine ‘s progrmamme is cumbrous because every e-waste needs to screen by trade name. The consolidators besides need to enter the weight of e-waste. Furthermore, approximately 10 consolidators are responsible for screening the e-waste and direct bills to the manufacturers. Therefore, this system is time-consuming and increases the administrative costs for both consolidators and manufacturers. The manufacturers besides criticize for bearing the duty for the orphan e-waste. ( Wagner, 2009 ) Orphan e-waste means the e-waste trade name name can non be identified. They need to bear excess cost for the intervention of orphan e-waste by pro rata. Due to stop of life charge, consumers need to pay money to the local authoriti es when they dispose the e-waste. They may illicitly dump the e-waste. However, there is no statistic found in my research.4 Remarks for the PRS in Hong KongAfter the analysis of the PRS systems in South Korea, Sweden and United States ( Maine ) , it indicates that different stakeholders bear different proportion of physical and fiscal duty. Furthermore, a good Praseodymium should hold high collection and recycling rate. Since few electrical or electronic merchandises are produced locally in Hong Kong, manufacturers ‘ duties are in fact importers, distributers and retail merchants ‘ duty. For makers, it will be individually considered in the undermentioned subdivision.4.1 Physical DutyConsumer should co-operate in the PRS. They should dispose the e-waste to the aggregation sites or return back to the retail merchants or distributers. They could besides supply remark for the PRS to the authorities to implement a better system for e-waste direction. Incentive for consumers to take the e-waste back to the retail merchants or the aggregation sites is the of import measure. Collection sites should be easy accessible. Therefore, authorities and retail merchants or distributers should put up the broad spread aggregation sites in the 18 territories. They should supply a convenient manner to the consumers for disposal of e-waste. In Hong Kong, it is hard to put up ain recycling workss by manufacturers like the PR system in South Korea. Retailers and distributers should continue more duty. From the experience of South Korea and Sweden, labeling of the regulated merchandises should be done by the retail merchants or distributers. Therefore, consumers are able to cognize the cost of the PRS for the intervention and recycling of e-waste. Hong Kong has Numberss of retail merchants and distributers ; they may form or fall in a consolidator like El Kretsen in Sweden. With a cardinal consolidator, an enhanced organisation of aggregation and transit could be achieved. The retail merchants and distributers can pay the fee straight to the WEEE direction contractors Quality of intervention for e-waste is of import. The recyclers should handle and recycle the e-waste suitably. Environmental Protection Department can direct officers to look into the intervention procedure in the recycling works on a regular basis. Recyclers should follow the demands purely which are set up by authorities. Otherwise, authorities would ticket the recyclers. Monetary wages in South Korea has successfully decreased the figure of illegal dumping. Hong Kong authorities can larn from the experience of South Korea to put up some wages for describing illegal dumping.4.2 Financial ResponsibilityThere are two ways of bear downing methods from the experience of three topographic points. In Maine, the consumers need to pay the end-of-life fee when they dispose the e-waste. In Hong Kong, there is a building waste disposal bear downing strategy similar to Maine. However, it leads to big sum of illegal dumping in the New Territories. If the e-waste charging follows the same method, it likely leads to big sum of illegal dumping. In South Korea and Sweden, the fee is already included in the monetary value of the electrical contraptions. Therefore, it will enforce the fee to the importers and distributers, which is non welcome by them. In Hong Kong, after the audience paper released, the importers and distributers have unsatisfied to this option. However, in this option, Consumers do non necessitate to pay any fees when disposing the e-waste. This will diminish the inducement for consumer to dispose the e-waste illicitly. The two options have their ain pros and cons. Further treatment is needed. For the orphan e-waste, there is no step shown in the audience paper in Hong Kong. In the reviewed topographic points, merely Maine ‘s plan has steps to cover with it. First, retail merchants should merely sale electrical merchandises of manufacturers that are participated in the plan. It can diminish the figure of orphan e-waste coevals. Second, the intervention cost is divided by manufacturers by pro rata. It can ease the fiscal load from authorities to the manufacturers. Hong Kong can put up similar pattern to cover with the job of orphan e-waste.4.3 Collecting and recycling rateDifferent topographic points have different classs of e-waste included in the PRS. The proposed PRS in Hong Kong has similar regulated points to that in South Korea. After the execution of PRS in Hong Kong, the collection and recycling rate should accomplish a similar rate which is 11.0 kg/capita/year. Swedish plan achieve the highest rate which is 15.8 kg/capita/year and Maine ‘s plan merely r eached 1.8 kg/capita/year. These two values should be the favourable rate and lower limit rate that Hong Kong PRS should make severally.5 DecisionAfter reexamining the PRS in South Korea, Sweden and United States ( Maine ) , different states adopt the PRS with alone features. The Hong Kong authorities can larn from the strengths and failings of different strategies and do mentions for the hereafter patterns on e-waste direction. The authorities should happen a balanced point of duty among assorted stakeholders for e-waste directionLists of MentionDavis Gary. ( 1994 ) . Extended Producer Responsibility: A New Principle for a New Generation of Pollution Prevention. 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( June 2003 ) . Study into European WEEE Schemes. Gangnam-gu Office. ( 2004 ) . One stop big volume waste intervention system. Retrieved January 1, 2011 from hypertext transfer protocol: //waste.gangnam.go.kr/ Greenpeace. ( 2010 ) . Contamination of e-waste. Retrieved November 27, 2010 from Greenpeace: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.greenpeace.org/china/ch/campaigns/e-waste/pollution Il-Ho Park. ( November 2006 ) . Policy Direction on E-Waste Recycling in Korea. Lee Soo-cheol, & A ; Na Sung-in. ( 4th June 2010 ) . E-waste Recycling Systems and Sound Circulative Economies in East Asia: A Compararive Analysis of Systems in Japan, South Korea, China and Taiwan. Sustainability, page 1632-1644. Lindhqvist T. ( 2000 ) . Extended Producer Responsibility in Cleaner Production: Policy Principle to Promote Environmental Improvements of Product Systems. Ming Pao. ( 28th December 2010 ) . Electronic Products levy consultaion. Ministry of Environment, Republic of Korea. ( 2010 ) . Extended Producer Responsibility. Retrieved January 1, 2011 from hypertext transfer protocol: //eng.me.go.kr/content.do? method=moveContent & A ; menuCode=pol_rec_pol_rec_sys_responsibility Rie Murakami-Suzuki and Sung-Woo Chung. ( 2008 ) . A Comparative Study of E-waste Recycling Systems in Japan, South Kore nad Taiwan from the EPR Perspective: Deductions for Developing States. Soo-cheol Lee and Sung-in Na. ( 4th June 2010 ) . E-waste Recycling Systems and Sound Circulative Economies in East Asia: A Compararive Analysis of Systems in Japan, South Korea, China and Taiwan. Ronald E. Hester and Roy M. Harrison. ( 2009 ) . Electronic waste direction. Royal Society of Chemistry. Knut Sander, Stephanie Schilling, Naoko Tojo, Chris new wave Rossem, Jan Vernon, & A ; Carolyn George. ( 2007 ) . The Producer Responsibility Principle of. Sweden. Kohei Sasaki. ( December 2004 ) . Examing the Waste from the Electrical and Electronic Equipment Mangement Systems in Japan and Sweden. The Sierra Club. ( May 2009 ) . Producer Responsibility Recycling. Retrieved January 1, 2011 from hypertext transfer protocol: //www.sierraclub.org/committees/zerowaste/producerresponsibility/index.asp UNEP. ( 2007 ) . E-Waste Vol. 1: Inventory Assessment Manual. Travis P. Wagner. ( 19th July 2009 ) . Shared duty for pull offing electronic waste: A instance survey of Maine, USA. Waste Management.