Deforestation and Biodiversity Essay -- Exploratory Essays Research Pa

Deforestation and Biodiversity While the loss of forests is clearly visible, a decline in biodiversity has a less apparent effect. The subtle loss of biodiversity fails to indicate the significance that fewer species in the ecosystem increases the fragility of life for all species. Despite the negative effects of deforestation and the consequential decline of biodiversity, trees are cut down for an economic and consumer benefit. Members of society need to determine how much economic cost they are willing to spend in order to preserve plant and animal species. To reduce the degree of deforestation, tree harvesters may use selective logging, which involves only the removal of trees that are the most economically beneficial. Trees with lower economic value are left standing. This method still has problems intrinsic with any kind of deforestation and selective logging also introduces new environmental problems. Tree harvesters need to build roads into the forests to remove the timber (Vandermeer and Perfecto, 1995). The road construction means that a greater surface of land will be covered by asphalt, which increases the amount of rainwater runoff that is not filtered by the soil before entering a stream. These streams are polluted by sediment carried by the rainwater. Vandermeer and Perfecto also say that selective logging introduces secondary damage when non-targeted trees are knocked down in the process of removing the desirable trees. In addition, selective logging over a long period of time leads to deterioration of the stand, which reduces the overall value of the forest when the loss of more valuable trees leaves lower grade timber behind (Vandermeer and Perfecto, 1995). Another change related to the effect of sel... ...eforestation/deforestation_3.html>. Sanchez-Azofeifa, G., Rivard, B., Calvo, J., Moorthy, I. (2002). â€Å"Dynamics of Tropical Deforestation Around National Parks: Remote Sensing of Forest Change on the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica.† Retrieved April 16, 2003, from BioOne . Southwick, C. H. (1996). Global Ecology in Human Perspective. New York: Oxford University Press. State Department. (2003). â€Å"Study Says Smaller Households threaten Worldwide Biodiversity,† January 15. Retrieved April 16, 2003, from United States Consulate Mumbai-India . Vandermeer, J. and Perfecto, I. (1995). Breakfast of Biodiversity: The Truth about Rain Forest Destruction. Oakland, California: The Institute for Food and Development Policy.

Hrd Needs Analysis: Salon Receptionist Training Program Essay

1) Identified Need: Â  a) The training program is a response to a felt need within Avatal Salon. Because the receptionists and the business as a whole feel that the operations at Avatal need to improve in order to meet the needs of our clientele, the business needs to reestablish proper training and operation methods. The desire is to improve efficiency and accuracy, as the staff is currently lacking in this area. b) Instruction can only address problems related to lack of knowledge, deficiency of skill, and attitude. i) The need identified is proper training in Salon Iris software used by the receptionists to gain knowledge on the different tasks it is able to pursue, step-by-step instruction on how to accurately use the software in various scenarios, and to eliminate the errors brought to attention by clients. c) Avatal Salon, to view in a business perspective, is at risk when any problems concerning booking appointments or lack of reminder calls are made because it is crucial that appointments are accurate to keep the salon in business. d) Currently, I have identified a need for software training, as the salon has received two to six complaints, weekly, each based on individual instances of inaccurate booking and pricing issues from clients. These complaints have arisen as a result of operational errors – receptionists have made mistakes in properly booking clients as well as failing to confirm appropriate appointment times. When an appointment is improperly scheduled, clients are receiving confirmation phone calls informing them of the times they should have been scheduled for as opposed to the time reflected in the stylist’s appointment book. These issues need to be addressed, and can be solved easily by proper use of Salon Iris software. 2) Applicability of Technology: e) Most hair salons have traditionally operated without the need for technology. Modern trends, however, have allowed salon-based software to create a more efficient and seamless experience for both clients and salon employees. f) Current use of the Salon Iris software available to Avatal provides to dozens of different actions that are beneficial to the business when the persons using it are properly educated. 3) Providing a Competitive Advantage: g) In the beauty industry, competition is constantly increasing. With countless salons in the area providing similar services, it is a smooth operational system that allows Avatal to thrive and meet the needs of their clients. ii) Losing business to the competition is a struggle every salon faces, all measures should be taken to not only keep all clients around, but also to keep them satisfied. iii) Every haircut, color application, eyebrow wax, and so on all contribute to the success of the business and just one mistake in an appointment can throw off the rest of the appointments for that particular hair stylist on the given date. iv) Furthermore, the salon software allows Avatal to track the profitability of the business by tracking the success of promotions, calculating the income from various services and product sales, and providing useful benchmarks for salon staff. 4) Utility of Formal Training Program: h) Implementing a training program when the salon is closed allows for formal instruction, an opportunity to provide feedback, highlights the major areas of concern, eliminates the pressure of making mistakes with clients loyalty at stake, and also lets even the employees with a bit more experience to gain knowledge beyond what they already know. i) Many receptionists have expressed feelings of being undertrained as a result of their own assessment as well as feedback from the clientele. j) Receptionists expressed feelings of incompetency to perform in their position because of the lack of training provided once the problem was brought to the owners’ attention. v) The group of new hires was trained on-the-job for only a short time with only brief knowledge and skills pertaining to the software that a more experienced receptionists offered during training. k) All eight receptionists currently employed by Avatal Salon will be mandated to participate in the training program. vi) Observing the learners and collecting data throughout the training program when all learners are being analyzed, rather than just the newly hired persons, will provide Avatal Salon with accurate data to prioritize the objectives being addressed by instruction as well as getting the group of learners to work together as a team. Furthermore, a uniform training program will allow the same accurate information to be communicated to all employees at one time, as opposed to on a case-by-case basis. l) Appropriate instruction will resolve the problem faced by Avatal Salon for the present time and also future training programs. vii) Instruction is intended to provide each learner with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform this position competently. viii) Instruction given in lecture, group discussion, and group role-play forms is intended to allow the group of learners to address the need for improvement and provide prioritization skills to carry out tasks in a time wise and orderly fashion. 5) Instructional Goals: m) Avatal Salon has targeted three areas that will be greatly served by instituting this new training program: ix) First, the training program will allow for current mistakes to be corrected. All receptionists will learn the importance of scheduling clients with the stylist they have requested. x) Next, the receptionists will be trained on accurate time scheduling. This refers to the duration of each appointment – if one appointment is scheduled for less time than is required for that specific service, every other appointment for that day will be affected. xi) Finally, the training program will go to the overall experience of clients. By cutting waiting time and inaccurate booking, clients will feel comfortable and confident when making their appointments, and this will help the salon’s client retention rate and success of referrals.

Minimum Wage Debate Essay

Poverty a problem the world has been faced with since things had value. People who live in poverty have families to feed and they have to work to feed them. As of October 2012 the minimum wage is 7.25$ an hour. That amount may have worked 3 Â ½ years ago when we implemented the new minimum wage but it doesn’t cut it anymore for the following 2 points. 1. Prices have been continuously getting higher. 2. Money is becoming worth less. Moving on to my first point prices are continuously getting higher. The average gas price for unleaded fuel in Virginia on July 7 2009 was 2.61$, a pound of bacon in July 2009 cost between 2/3$ and since then it has doubled in prices and now costs 5/6$. A kilowatt hour on average cost now cost 1.67 in July 2009 they cost almost .40$ less a 1.23$. These are only a few examples of the huge increase of prices on everything. People who were making the same amount of money 3 Â ½ years ago are making that same amount of money and can only afford around half of what they used to. A report from www.cnn.inflation.com shows that the huge increase in prices has led to a huge increase of people who are now classified as living in poverty. We need to increase the amount we pay these workers so that not only can we help balance the economy, but so we can help people get back on their feet. Moving on to my second point. Money is continuously becoming worth less. As of July 7, 2009 when he most recent minimum wage law was passed money has become worthless. According to www.minimumwage.gov money in the last 3 Â ½ years as become worth 5% less than its original value; meaning that when they made minimum wage 7.25$ now it is really only worth 2009’s equivalent of 6.88$. Though .37$ doesn’t seem like a lot once you add it up it can make all the difference, and for families who live paycheck to paycheck this can become a huge devastation. People always deserve to pay for what there government does. Though they are the ones that vote the politics into office it is the politician’s responsibility to make a better America. Poverty is like punishment for a crime you didn’t commit. ~Eli Khamarov, Lives of the Cognoscenti For these reasons Prices have been continuously getting higher, Money is becoming worth less. I urge you to pass tis bill.

Improving democratic boundaries through the internet Essay

Introduction The internet has changed the way many things are done. The traditional methods have been scrapped and newer more efficient and effective means are constantly being offered through and on the internet. The unique ability of the internet to render geographical boundaries obsolete allows anyone to access an almost infinite pool of information and to also share that information without regulation or control (Kalir 2002). The speed with which this information and exchange of ideas is facilitated by the internet makes it a potent medium for democratic plans. Given these benefits and advances that the internet has offered, it comes as no surprise then that the internet has also allowed democratic boundaries to improve by allowing for better communication and exchange of ideas. This discourse on the effect of the internet on improving the democratic boundaries will therefore attempt to show that the ability of the internet to bypass traditional boundaries and barriers to a free exchange of ideas and information has improved democratic boundaries despite the attempts of government to restrain or control this medium. Bypassing Traditional Boundaries As mentioned previously, the internet allows any person to access information from any place and also access any information available online. The ability of this medium to encourage the free exchange of ideas between people of any race or culture makes it easier to cross and overcome whatever boundaries may have been set in place traditionally (Lessig 2000). â€Å"Digital Democracy† which is the â€Å"use of digital communication technologies to enhance the democratic process by, among other things, making the process more accessible, increasing and enhancing citizen participation in public policy decision making, and increasing government transparency and accountability† plays a vital role in bypassing these traditional boundaries and improving the existing democratic boundaries by inviting democratic participation (Lim 2006). One of the reasons why the internet has been so successful at bypassing and improving these barriers is because of the fact that through the internet, â€Å"convergence† is achieved at a relatively low cost (Mitchell 2002). This means that people from all walks of life are not necessarily constrained by finances and such as to hamper or inhibit them from participating in the democratic process or in digital democracy. This in effects allows for a more mixed lot of participants and allows for a richer exchange of ideas and a greater participation from a wider demographic base (Lim 2006). Put simply, the relatively low cost of access to the internet at the present allows for more people to participate and also increases the amount of information available that is vital to the success of â€Å"digital democracy:† The greater scope for freedom, autonomy, creativity, and collaboration that the internet provides makes it a successful tool in bypassing the traditional boundaries and constraints that have prevented people in participating in the democratic process and thus by providing for such the existing democratic barriers are improved. Free Exchange of Ideas and Information Governments realized that as the internet was maturing there would be a need to control and regulate access to the internet as well as to control the content of the information on the internet (Simon 2001). Most of the regulations however have proven to be ineffective as more and more people were able to find means to bypass them (see bypassing traditional boundaries) and thus led to the formation of â€Å"social movements† on the internet which is a key to the improvement of democratic boundaries (Lim 2006). Social movements are broad social alliances of people who are connected through a shared interest in blocking or promoting social change (Trippi 2004). On the internet, with the amount of information available and the number of people participating, it is but a natural result that people who share similar beliefs form their own â€Å"societies† or those who do not have any firm beliefs are able to find something which they do subscribe to. According to Lim, â€Å"The ability of the internet to provide many people access to forums for deliberation on a range of public issues and the involvement of decision-makers in online forums assure participants that their voices will be heard. Their efforts contribute to building a new public sphere where rationality rules, citizen voices are heard, and public officials heed the demos. (Lim 2006)† By allowing more people to participate and exchange ideas freely, support for proper movements to improve the democratic situation of any state, can quickly be generated thus ensuring the success of the democratic process. Yet as pointed out by one writer, the limitations of such actions are still determined by the effective sphere of influence and control of the government over the geographical and political terrain (Barlow 2001). Improving Democratic Boundaries As shown by the arguments above, the internet indeed improves democratic boundaries and presents the opportunity to eventually create a world democracy. The boundaries that have traditionally existed to bar or hinder any interaction between peoples has been bypassed by the internet and thus allowing more people to interact with each other and to mobilize despite the geographical distances of each other. The convergence that this allows makes the generation of any support necessary to improve the democratic process easier and also allows for access to a larger support base. Another factor which has led to the success of the internet in improving democratic boundaries is the fact that it allows for faster and more exchange of information. This then allows more people to interact with each other and also form â€Å"social movements†. These social movements allow people to voice out their ideas collectively and thus improving the chances that their rights are not suppressed and that their voices are heard. The future of democracy on the internet is bright indeed. With the number of people and countries that have access to internet increasing, it is guaranteed that the democratic process will survive despite attempts of certain governments (China) at regulating this medium (Longworth 2001). Still, time and again, it has been shown that whatever controls and regulations governments attempt to set in place have always been bypassed thus ensuring that the future for democracy lies in the internet, in cyberspace. References: Barlow, J. (1996). A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace. Retrieved November 2, 2006, from http://www. eff. org/~barlow/Declaration-Final. html. Davis, S. , Elin, B. and Reeher, G. (2002). Click on Democracy: The Internet’s Power to Change Political Apathy into Civic Action. Boulder CO: Westview Press. Kalir, E. and Maxwell, E. (2002). Rethinking Boundaries in Cyberspace. The Aspen Institute: Communications and Society Program. Lessig, L. (2000). â€Å"Innovation, Regulation, and the Internet. † American Prospect 11, no. 10. Retrieved November 2, 2006, from http://www. prospect. org/print/V11/10/lessig-l. html Lim, M. and Kann, M. (2006). Democratic Deliberation and Mobilization on the Internet. Annenberg Center for Communication University of Southern California. Longworth, R. (2001). â€Å"Government Without Democracy. † American Prospect 12, no. 12. Retrieved November 1, 2006, from http://www. prospect. org/print/V12/12/longworth-r. html. Mitchell, W. (1995). City of Bits: Place, Space, and the Infobahn. Retrieved November 2, 2006, from http://cyber. law. harvard. edu/people/reagle/inet-quotations-19990709. html. Simon, L. (2001). Democracy and the Internet: Allies or Adversaries? Woodrow Wilson Center Press. Trippi, J. (2004). The Revolution Will Not Be Televised: Democracy, the Internet, and the Overthrow of Everything. Regan Books. â€Å"Political Influentials Online in the 2004 Presidential Campaign. † (February 5, 2004). Institute for Politics, Democracy and the Internet, Graduate School of Political Management, George Washington University.

Paper for international study classes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Paper for international study classes - Essay Example Before the discovery of oil in the Middle East states, the region had exhibited a hotbed characteristic of religious feuds over the rich Middle East resources and land. The declining of Ottoman Empire, for instance, paved the way for the rise in control of Asian territories by the European imperialists and the colonial powers, which were interested in securing various territorial boundaries. This paper describes the world problems emerging as a result of Asian social, political and economic sabotages and the ways of dealing with these problems. Middle East problems, which are currently reflected in the world systems, as some of the setbacks in the socio-political and economic gains in the world, include terrorism, sectarian violence, political instability, refugee influx and resource conflict (oil). Globalization, per se, is the reason behind the spread of these resources in the world systems; thus the United States, as the super power, has been on the receiving end in the struggle to mitigate all of these Middle East problems. Globalization has been internalized in Arabic as â€Å"awlaama†. It refers to the widespread of ideas throughout the globe. Global ideas include attitudes, customs and institutions, which originated in one part of the world specifically in the Western states. In the Middle East, the decades of globalization have been marked with endless wars, renewed economic independency, and Intrusive U.S. hegemony and continuity terrorism. Globalization has been ushered in the Middle East by war, which has given the Western victors excessive power over the Middle East region and a creation of an underlying violent of anti-globalization struggle (Fawcett 112). Globalization has ideologically strengthened Islamic fundamentalism and youth radicalization through terrorism activities. Due to the ambiguity of globalization, it has additionally resulted into a

Taking the position that increased vending machine regulation in Essay

Taking the position that increased vending machine regulation in public schools is a good idea - Essay Example One major problem regarding children’s health is the huge quantity of sugary and high calorie food that is available to them at school. Vending machines are not supervised so it is hard to stop children from eating or drinking as much of these types of food or drink as they want. And since children don’t know what is best for them, this can often be a lot. A number of recent studies have shown the negative role vending machines play in children’s health, and in this essay I will look at some of their arguments. Part of the reason why the issue of vending machines is on the radar these days is because obesity is becoming more and more of a problem in the United States. Obesity can lead to diseases like Type-2 Diabetes. According to Amy Virus, a registered dietitian, â€Å"[m]iddle schools students are at particular risk, because they are going through puberty, their physical activity and dietary habits are fluctuating . . .†1 It doesn’t help that there is temptation around every corner, with as many as 75 per cent of middle schools possessing vending machines which sell sugary drinks and fatty snacks. With all the emotion going on in their lives, it is not surprising that children going through puberty might reach out to enjoy some â€Å"comfort food.† Some might call them â€Å"comfort foods,† but others might call them â€Å"competitive foods,† as the U.S. Department of Agriculture does. These are â€Å"foods offered at school other than meals served through USDA school mean programs—school breakfast, school lunch, and after-school snack programs.†2 Because the USDA is responsible to parents and taxpayers, it is careful to provide healthy options for school meals. Plus, this food is being given out by employees and teachers. If a student comes back to the cafeteria for a fourth helping of food, the staff can easily say, â€Å"You’ve had enough to eat.† But those who stock vending machines aren’t responsible to anyone: they just want

Changes in the Banking Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Changes in the Banking Industry - Essay Example The capital ratio stands at 11.39% in 2010 when compared to 8% in 2006. The number of institutions reporting to the FDIC has decreased from 8833 institutions in the year 2005 to 7760 institutions in 2010. The number of problem institutions has increased drastically on a year on year basis from 552 in 2009 to 860 in 2010. The number of failed institutions has also increased to 127 institutions in 2010 from just 3 institutions in the year 2007. Bank’s return on assets which refers to net income as a percentage of total assets, increased which suggests that the banking industry is able to garner more interest income with the rising in demand for loans with reducing the cost of funds, therefore sustaining revenues and improving asset quality. In relation to the core capital ratio, Tier 1 capital can absorb losses without a bank being required to cease its functioning. Therefore increase in core capital ratio indicates the health of the banking industry is improving considerably. T he banking industry is giving prime importance to strengthening the Tier 1 level of capital. Credit growth has been strong due to which the net interest margin is indicating an upward trend with a 291.33% increase in net operating income of banks. Despite this relatively good news, the number of problem institutions has increased primarily because of financial, operational or managerial weaknesses that might lead to increased number of failed institutions in the last quarter of 2010. The trend of the number of institutions reporting to FDIC reducing is largely explained by the acquisition of smaller institutions by bigger institutions to prevent banks from failing and also because of increasing number of failed institutions. The number of problem institutions continues to increase but the aggregate assets of these problem institutions continued to decline suggests that this are smaller institutions in nature.