Thursday, October 31, 2019

Beyond the Multi-Ethnic Metropolis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Beyond the Multi-Ethnic Metropolis - Assignment Example Minority ethnic people in the district are more likely to be living in overcrowded accommodation than white British residents. Overcrowding was a particularly common problem among the Bangladeshi, Chinese and Pakistani population. Commonly reported problems included damp and condensation, ineffective heating systems, poor insulation around doors and windows, hazardous environments such as broken doors and windows, inadequate or malfunctioning amenities and poor quality repairs and maintenance (p556.) Identifying the purpose of the research: In the United States, substantial consideration has been given to the association of place of residence with economic disadvantage. This fact has added to understand polarization there. More recently, de Souza Briggs (2007) has pointed out that changes in settlements reflect the changing geography of race and opportunity (550). With this view, the study is conducted basically to explore the neglected housing experiences of minority ethnic people in small-town England. To discuss this aspect two key points are asserted. First, that minority ethnic people living in small towns bump into many of the same housing inequalities as their counterparts in metropolitan England. Second, that small town England presents a series of unique challenges demanding distinct responses not answered by the existing evidence base. This paper emphasizes that place plays an important role in deciding minority settlement patterns but very few studies have made effort to these to the place (549). Research and policy look for multiethnic metropolis for the specific social, cultural, political, economic and material situation while the rural and small-town England is overlooked.T hough such a need arises as Countryside Agency reported that by 2001 nearly 600 000 minority ethnic people were recorded as living in the 184 rural districts of England accounting for 4.3 percent of the total population in these areas (551).

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Network and Internet Security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Network and Internet Security - Essay Example A Shared Secret is a provisional access code that a company needs to generate a Portal trade Account in the eManifest Portal. The CBSA offers it to businesses that demand contact to the Portal and must be applied within 90 days of the issue time. The Shared Secret comes in handy to substantiate and validate a customer when generating an eManifest Portal company Account. Only the CBSA and the certified representative of the business have contact to this information. The Kerberos protocol is planned to present steadfast verification over open and unprotected networks where communications linking the hosts belonging to it may tempered. Nevertheless, one should be aware that Kerberos does not grant any guarantees if the machines in use are susceptible: the validation servers, submission servers and customers must be kept continuously updated so that the legitimacy of the requesting users and suppliers can be guaranteed. Kerberos protocol endeavors to avert the client's password from bein g maintained in its unencrypted mode, even in the verification server database. Bearing in mind that every encryption algorithm applies its individual key length, it is apparent that, if the consumer is not to be required to use a diverse password of a preset size for each encryption technique supported, the encryption keys cannot be the passwords. For these bases the string2key application has been introduced. It transforms an unencrypted code word into an encryption key appropriate for the sort of encryption to be utilized. This function is referred every time a user alters code word or enters it for verification. The string2key is coined as a hash function, implying that it is permanent: given that an encryption key cannot establish the secret word which created it. One-time password verification scheme (OTP). The system offers authentication for system access and further applications entail authentication, which is sheltered against flaccid attacks based on rerunning held reusab le passwords. OTP developed from the S/KEY: a brand name of Bellcore. The utilization of the OTP method only present buffers against replay aggression. It does not grant the seclusion of transmitted information, and neither does it guard against active attacks. Active aggression against TCP connections are identified to be there in the contemporary Internet (Kling, 1996). The triumph of the OTP system to guard host systems is reliant on the non-invertability of the protected hash functions applied (Carver, 2007). None of the hash algorithms have ever since been wrecked, but it is usually assumed that MD4 is less strong compared to MD5. If a server supports several hash algorithms, it is merely as protected as the weakest algorithm. There are two methods of productively and safely implementation of OTP tokens: structural design of the token execution and physical safety of the tokens. Regarding architecture, the first reflection is placement of the token in the system. The most secur e application of OTP tokens is for logging in at workplaces locally or for reaching an internal network after a firewall. In an in-house network, whereby all servers are under watch (distinct from the open Internet) an MITM (Man in the Middle) assault is not as probable (Neuman, 2008). However SSL alone can't prevent a man-in-the-middle assault. SSL with joint authentication in place can offer some defense since both

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Literature On Solid Waste Management In Nigeria Environmental Sciences Essay

Literature On Solid Waste Management In Nigeria Environmental Sciences Essay Research both past and present into solid waste in Nigeria like most developing countries with an absence of adequate solid waste management system has been focused more on adequate collection and disposal options than on the waste generators, storage or even an avenue for waste reduction which aids in reuse and recycling, hence creating major gaps. These gaps are areas that need to address to ensure that there is a sustainable management of solid waste generated to prevent environmental hazards. 2.1.1 Purpose of the Literature Review This chapter review gives an overview of the situation of solid waste management in developing countries critically examining and summarising studies by various researchers in academic books, professional and academic journals, published and unpublished works and electronic media. This literature review would aid in identifying appropriate methodology to achieve the aim of this research. In addition, source separation a relatively understudied concept has been identified and recommended by many researchers as an avenue for waste reduction. It has also been suggested as providing alternative means of practicing proper waste management apart from collection and disposal. (Cointreau-Levine Gopalan, 2000:Imam et al, 2008) This study into institutional solid waste management with the aim of identifying dynamics that influence/affect separation at source at households in the campus will create a means of addressing waste reduction and proper implementation of solid waste management options. According to UNEP (2005), the logical starting point for the proper management of solid waste is to reduce the amounts of waste managed, either informally within the generators site or formally (externally) by another entity once the waste is discarded by the generator. Thereby reducing waste quantities collected or otherwise managed. 2.1.2 Literature Search The search for literature can be very time consuming and futile if proper strategies are not developed. To aid in the literature search, the following was prepared: Firstly, the topic, boundary (Developing countries: Nigeria) and problem statement was agreed on. Then I identified of the disciplines with a stake in solid waste. They include: Health, Science and Technology Waste Waste Management Environmental Urban Secondly, Keywords broad and narrow were developed. They are: Municipal Solid waste , Solid waste Management Institutional Solid Waste Separation at source , Source separation Waste segregation, separation Household solid waste manag* Participation/Incentives in solid waste Motivating factors, attitudinal behaviours Solid waste management in Nigeria University of Benin To this end, the author sought the advice of the WEDC resource centre manager. She showed me books and journals on solid waste (management) but told me that most of the journals were available online for latest on any research and my search will be more extensive using the internet. She also recommended the use of Loughborough University, search engine Metalib, for searching and interrogation of the various databases for articles and journals on the subject matter (Science direct, CSA illumina) Following her recommendation and my initial write up, a data interrogation search was done using Metalib on the following database using the keywords above, either truncated, with * or adding two keyword together using the OR because the AND was giving irrelevant data . Environmental Sciences and Pollution management Abstracts (CSA Illumina) Aqualine (CSA Illumina) Science Direct From this site, the following journals were found with relevant data. Waste Management Waste Management and Research Habitat International Environmental Management Resource, Conservation and Recycling Google Search Engine and Goggle Scholar were searched using the keywords above. The sources of information obtained include: More Journals articles from the above stated journals Solid waste Management Volume 1:United Nation Environmental Programme (UNEP) J.C Agunwanba:(Google scholar) with articles on Waste management in some parts of Nigeria The World Bank; Urban Solid Waste management (community initiatives) WEDC WELL factsheets and studies: solid waste management I chose this approach to ensure an extensive and appropriate search in all areas of solid waste management and Research into developing countries of which Nigeria is apart. My use of the Internet was to ensure that as many recent journals, conferences and researches in Nigeria are available for scrutiny. This systematic review will initially focus on identifying waste characteristics and components, then the roles and involvement of the different stakeholders, their attitudes and perspectives towards waste and finally the different concepts of source separation as it is practiced. This would help in analyzing and recognizing the past and present problems and solutions in cities and universities in developing countries especially Nigeria. The summary section would scrutinize the methodologies used in the above reviewed literature and its adaptation for use in this research. Also included are the main findings from the reviewed literature and the gaps in knowledge this research aims to address. 2.2 Solid waste management practices in Developing countries. In an attempt to accelerate the pace of its industrial development, an economically developing nation may fail to pay adequate attention to solid waste management. Such a failure incurs a severe penalty later in the form of reusable resources needlessly lost and a staggering adverse impact on the environment and on public health and safety.(UNEP, 2005) This is the problem presently facing most developing countries: rapid population growth due to rapid urban development hence more waste to manage. (Singhal Pandey, 2001) 2.2.1 Waste Generation and Composition The saying goes that if you can measure it you can manage it this is a viewpoint that is especially important and a solution that most developing countries have not been able to accomplish in solid waste management. There is no measure of the waste generated and so management becomes difficult and inefficient. According to( Vaughan , 1971), information on the composition and quantity of solid waste is indispensable to design, implementation and operation of any solid waste management system of today and helps to forecast the requirements of tomorrow. As stated above most developing countries are plagued with solid waste management problems that are degrading the urban environment and posing a serious threat to the natural resources and consequently holding back development (Sujauddin.,M., et al 2008) solving this problem will require knowledge about the per capital waste generated, composition and also attitudes towards waste. The authors found that there are many variables that affect the composition and the quantities of waste generated this include population growth, the socioeconomic factors (income, education, age, land ownership) which is the reverse for most developed countries. The major constituents of developing countries waste is about 66% organic, which is about 30% of the total waste generated showing that composting, would be a very good way of waste management (recycling). (ibid) 2.2.2 Institutional Arrangement The key institutions responsible for solid waste management services include public sector, formal private sector, informal private sector and community based non-governmental organisations. (ABC, 1988) The proper identification of their roles and responsibilities has been cited as a major influence in a sustainable solid waste management. At present, the public sector is responsible for service delivery of solid waste management in most developing countries and they are finding it difficult due to the rapid explosion in population growth hence more waste to manage. Some major problems that affect the municipalities inadequacy to provide good solid waste system include poor planning, lack of experienced staff, inappropriate equipments and technology, insufficient funds and landfill sites for disposal.( Coad, 2005: Hossain Siwar 2002). Collection, transportation and disposal have been a major problem in delivering efficient solid waste management services. In India cities collection efficiency is between 40 -70 % due to inadequate transport capacity and deficient workforce even with the municipalities allocation of 85-90% of the total budget to the service (Nema, 2004: Sharholy et al 2008) To rectify this inadequacy and provide better services some sources have recommended institutional changes like privatization transferring of the responsibilities to private sector while the public sector deals with policies and regulations (Hossain Siwar, 2002: Cointreau-Levine et al, 2000: World Bank,2003). The authors have argued that privatization will reduce the burden on government, increase the efficiency and effectiveness of municipal solid waste (MSW) services, decreases costs, source reduction and improve recycling thereby reducing the waste that goes for final disposal and increasing the life cycle of disposal sites. They also state that this can only work with sustainable frameworks supported by viable government policies and regulations. Poor solid waste management creates serious threat to human health and well-being especially with indiscriminate open dumping which clogs drains and sewerage creating breeding grounds for rodents and insects leading to disease spread and ground water contamination.( Majani,2000:Gonzenbach. Coad, 2007: Kumar et al, 2009) To aid in proper solid waste management certain cities have set rules (Bennagen et al ,2002: Sarkhel Banerjee, 2009) to necessitate the mandatory segregation of waste at generators level and also the concordance between collection and disposal facilities to ensure the establishment of local recycling and composting plants. The study showed that households were ready to participate and their participation would increase if there was going to be regular collection, variable user charges and appropriate garbage collection i.e. not collecting both recyclables and other waste in the same vehicle. (Bennagen et al., 2002) Informal Sector The role of the informal sector (waste pickers, scavengers, sweepers) in solid waste management is identified as been crucial in waste reduction though to what amount it cannot be effectively determined.(Wilson et al , 2006). Most of their activities are driven by the need to supplement income and to reduce poverty. They operate at all levels in the solid waste chain from generation to disposal removing the recyclables and trading it. These waste pickers with organisation and support would create jobs for the minority in the society, reduce poverty, save municipalities money, improve industrial competitiveness, conserve natural resources and protect the environment. The government in many developing countries: Argentina, Brazil, India, Uruguay, Colombia, Mexico have identified the necessities of recognising and identifying this stakeholders especially in light of attaining Goal 7 of the millennium development goals thereby creating an inclusive, socially desirable, economically viabl e and environmentally sound solid waste management system. Waste pickers activities are recognised for their role in reducing the waste to be collected transported and disposed e.g. Jakarta 25% reduction. (Medina, 2008) 2.2.3 Attitudes and Preferences Attitude is termed in this study as the feeling and thoughts while perception is insight and awareness which encourages participation. To ensure the sustainability of any SWM system there has to be a change of government perception to that of recognising the importance of people. The current global challenges of urban solid waste (Ali, 2006(Ed)) states demand a people centred approach, change in public attitude to consumption and increased relationship between the people and the government. With new approaches to waste management to tackle the challenges of the increased waste generated by the population, increased cost of waste management leads to increase user charges. This (ibid) stated will only be sustainable if the government recognises the importance of people in planning, designing and operating any solid waste system. Bisson (2002) stated that since waste is a product of human behaviour, to maintain a good waste management we need information on the behaviour and attitude of people with regard to waste and accurate data on waste generation Source separation and other recycling practices at households is greatly supported in its role to reduction of waste, municipality costs but in practice might not be successful because of the understanding of funds and the workload involved. (Chung S.S C.S Poon, 1996: Ghorbani et al, 2007). The authors concluded that economic incentives as well as education about environmental benefits of waste separation by householders would result in active participation of people in separating wastes in the home. Chung S.S C.S Poon (1996) further found that consumption rate might increase if waste is recycled hence education awareness programs. They suggested that the involvement of all household members and not only the housewives, binary not multiple separation schemes will further increase its success rate. One likely consequence of households paying close attention to their refuse is that people will become more aware of the waste they generate and will become less wasteful thus saving resources and further reducing collection costs. (Kassim, 2006) Various authors (Bennagen., June 2002: Sujauddin.,M., et al 2008) have reported that there is an eagerness for communities to participate in solid waste management schemes, pay for services but the payment should not be unit but as per user and with government support. 2.2.4 Source Separation Source separation according to GDRC (n.d) is the setting aside of compostable and recyclable materials from the waste stream before they are collected with other MSW, to facilitate reuse, recycling, and composting. During the UN conference in Johannesburg in 2002 reduction of waste through source separation was affirmed as one of the steps, which the local government can implement to maximize environmental sound waste use, recycling and diversion of useful materials from the waste stream. Facing the problems of solid waste management, (Strange, K 2002: UNEP, 2005) argues can be done through plans and programs which encourage source separation and this he stated will help in minimising waste for disposal. Schà ¼beler et al (1996) further added that the introduction of source separation ought to be in a pragmatic and incremental manner beginning with pilot activities to access and encourage the interest and willingness of users to participate. In most developing countries, the practice of source separation is by the informal sector at a very small scale. In cities of developing countries, source separation provides a means of employment, reduces the total amount of waste for disposal, and at landfills through the support of governing bodies and community based organisation (Lardinios Furedy, 1999: Fehr et al, 2009) Waste separation increases the quality of produced compost and recyclables, and optimizes incineration. It also enables better financing of waste management activities and minimizes the energy and labour inputs to any downstream processes (Murray, 1999). Source-separation pilot programs have been tested in some developing countries but total recovery of recyclables have been hindered due to the large amount of water contents in the waste and high percentage of food waste food waste (Zhuang et al,2007: Tadesse., 2008), The motivations for materials separation and reuse in developing countries include: scarcity or expense of virgin materials; the level of absolute poverty; income supplement, the frugal values of even relatively well-to-do households; and the large markets for used goods and products made from recycled plastics and metals. (UNEP, 2005: Sarkhel Banerjee, 2009: Fehr et al, 2009) Fehr et al (2009) further recommended the introduction of legal instruments within a municipal model that mandate source separation and encourages educational and legal measures for solid waste management success. (Joseph, 2006; Zhuang et al, 2007: Fehr et al, 2009 agree that any source separation program needs people centred participation, monitoring, awareness creation and support. Below are some of the advantages of source separated over co-mingled waste Table 1 Separate/mixed collection Separate Collection Mixed Collection Extends landfill life. Removes potential recyclables from the waste stream. Lowers net disposal costs. Done by the household. No extra cost for the community. Highly applicable to residential waste. Industrial waste may be recycled through industrial waste exchanges. An effective and reliable tool for recycling. Can be implemented on small-scale, then expanded. Recyclables are usually uncontaminated by garbage and other debris It is not time or space consuming for the residents. The facility does not need additional space to handle recyclables. Basic technology is needed The effectiveness of the collection system does not depend on how people prepare recyclables. There is no need for established secondary markets Guidelines for Municipal Solid Waste Management in the Mediterranean Region ( ) 2.2.5 Solid waste practices in universities of developing countries Higher institutions have the responsibility of having high moral and ethical obligation to the environment because they are expected to produce leaders in environmental protection movement. Armijo de Vega (2008) research acknowledges the good use of campuses as a case study for solid waste management (SWM) options for the following reasons; Not much has not been reported on the topic, They been independent to a great extent, campuses can accommodate pioneering SWM approaches that can filter down to other communities later, Thirdly, since it involves students at various levels it can serve to sensitize as well as easily train them in good SWM practices, and Finally, SWM practices adopted by higher education institutions have a great potential of being adopted by surrounding communities because these institutions generally are held in high esteem. The efforts towards responsible waste management should stem from these institutions. Besides, appropriate waste management would bring benefits to the institution such as a reduction of the financial resources destined to waste management, but, above all, it would set an example to the students and the community. (Mbuligwe .2002: Maldonado, 2006) Furthermore the authors discovered that the type of waste generated on campus (recyclables and organic) provides a lot of avenue for reuse, recycling and recovery thereby reducing the quantity of waste disposed in landfill by more than 60%.(ibid) 2.3 Solid waste management Practices in Nigeria 2.3.1 Waste Composition Nigeria is a nation that exemplifies chronic solid waste management problems in conjunction with population growth. It is the most populous country in Africa, with over 120 million residents (World Bank 1996), and over the past 50 years, has had the third largest urban growth rate in the world at 5.51% annually (UNWUP 1999). In Nigeria though there has been some studies into the determination of waste composition and generation to enhance the provision of solid waste management services, this studies are outdated (Adedibu 1985) or have been done at the landfills (Mbuligwe., 2002). This does not take into consideration the quantities of waste that are separated by the waste pickers and animals before collection. (Ogwueleka, 2009: Iman et al 2008 ) agree that indistinctive legislative policies and regulation, lack of data on the generated waste, inappropriate technology for collection and disposal, no planned framework and inadequate population characteristics are some of the factors affecting the knowledge of municipal solid waste composition in Nigeria to develop better disposal methods. Other factors include political, economic and social. The majority of substances composing municipal solid waste include paper, vegetable matter, plastics, metals, textile, rubber and glass (Ogwueleka, 2009:Imam., 2008). They found that the major component of solid waste is organic waste (40-64%) which is wetter, corrosive with high density (Ogwueleka, 2009)and agree that composting will be an adequate solid waste practice to reduce the waste especially (Iman et al 2008) with the removal of government subsidies for the sale of fertilizers creating a market for it. Controlled landfill (Adedibu, 1985) stated is another SWM option for disposal. This is not recommendable because of the complex technology and funds which the government cannot provide. Efficient recycling and composting could save 18.6% in waste management costs and 57.7% in landfill cost (Agunwamba, 1998). Waste characteristics vary according to season, population, climate, and industrial production, the size of markets for waste materials and the extent of urbanization, effectiveness of recycling, and work reduction. (Ogwueleka, 2009). Other factors affecting increased waste generation among residents in Nigeria cities are change in social economic and educational circumstance. 2.3.2 Attitudes and Perceptions According to (Agunwamba, 2003: Iman et al 2008) public awareness, social ideals, beliefs and attitudes to waste can affect all stages in the solid waste management process. This has an impact on household waste storage, waste segregation, recycling, collection frequency, littering and fly-tipping (illegal dumping), willingness to pay for waste management services, and the level and type of opposition to waste treatment and disposal facilities. In Nigeria, the general public attitude towards waste management is poor. . A man may live in a neatly kept house but refuse to cooperate with his fellow residents in keeping the surroundings of the building clean. As long as the waste materials are not inside his house, he feels no concern. Government attitude towards solid waste management is the introduction of in appropriate technology without the consultation of the people using the services (Agunwamba, 1998). In addition, they consider the informal sector a menace (Ogwueleka, 2009) and try all means to eradicate them. Most Nigerians associated wealth with lavish spending, which generates much waste as a by-product. They perceive waste pickers/workers as poor and so make little or no effort to cooperate in waste management activities. Similarly, in homes waste removal to bins classified as childrens work. Since the bins were not designed with, their small stature wastes are dumped on the ground, creating more work for the waste workers and increasing collection time reducing efficiency. (ibid) As for the waste workers, poor remuneration and stagnation in promotion has created a reduced interest in proper solid waste management. They go about doing their jobs haphazardly. The poor attitude to waste been exhibited can be changed with proper enlightenment programs and patient extension efforts that are reinforced continuously even after project completion. This will negate ignorance, materialistic tendencies, and apathy and reinforce their responsibility to the environmental. (Agunwamba, 1998) 2.3.3 Institutional Arrangement With knowledge of the illegal dumping of toxic waste in June 1988, (Adegoroye., 1994) the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA) was created. The landmark Federal legislation on environmental protection in Nigeria was the decree Number 58 of 1988, which established the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA). The specific role of FEPA with respect to solid waste management is to (Onibokun, 1999): Study the most reliable systems that are appropriate for local, domestic and industrial wastes. Specify waste disposal and treatment methods that take into consideration the geological and environmental setting and encourage recycling. Specify waste disposal sites that guarantee the safety of surface and underground water systems. Set up and enforce standards for adequate sanitary facilities for the disposal of human and other solid wastes in dwellings, housing estates and public facilities in both urban and rural areas. Establish monitoring programmes including periodic surveillance of approved waste disposal sites and their surroundings and waste water systems. Establish monitoring stations for the control of the disposal of leachate from dumpsites into surface water and groundwater systems Under this Act, all states and local government set up their own environmental protection body for the protection and improvement of the environment within its jurisdiction. In 1999 (Ogwueleka, 2009), FEPA was taken over by the Federal Ministry of Environment to combat some of the challenges faced which include absence of pollution waste management laws, lack of environmental enforcement, funding, role conflicts power play between FEPA workers and some powerful individuals whose companies not ready to pay for services. It still conformed to all the regulation stated above but even with this change of hands, there was still inadequate provision of solid waste services in Nigeria. According to (Imam et al, 2008: Ogwueleka, 2009) solid waste management in Nigeria is characterised by in efficient collection methods, insufficient coverage of the collection system and improper disposal. Lack of institutional arrangement, insufficient funds absence of standards and by-laws, insufficient information on waste composition and quantity, inflexible work schedule and inappropriate technology transfer are the common constraints faced by environmental agencies in solid waste management.75-95% of the revenue of solid waste is spent on collection and disposal and only 40-70% is collected from the urban areas. Most of the rural areas have no SWM facility. Presently emphasis is been focused on better institutional arrangement through privatization and less on collection and disposal due to the inadequate government service delivery. Privatization is been tested in cities like Abuja (Imam., 2008), Lagos (Ogwueleka, 2009) and Benin (Ogu., 2000) but have not improved the service delivery due to all the factors above including corruption, lack of planning of route service delivery, affordability and acceptability. Finally, (Ogwueleka, 2009) argued that since in Nigeria there is an abundance of cheap labour the use of a low capital cost and labour intensive solution that reduces poverty will be preferred. It should include low technology like handcarts and pickup trucks for collection, informal sector involvement (waste pickers), training, local waste recycling and reduction projects, transfer stations to reduce operating cost, community participation and involvement. In conclusion Adegoreyo, (1994) stated that stable leadership and firm commitment of government in formative years to any enforcement programme with set goals, objectives and responsibilities including capacity building should be uttermost to ensure the improvements. 2.3.4 Source Separation Studies into source separation in Nigeria though it is highly relevant according to most researchers are not been preformed. (Onibokun., 1999: Ogu., 2000: Agunwamba, 2003).This has constrained the author to review literature of other developing countries, implementation methods and success rate of source separation to infer if it will adequate for Nigeria. The scavengers do little or no form of recycling it is more of reuse. (Agunwamba, 2003) Informal Practices In Nigeria, gifts of clothes and goods to relatives, charities, and servants as a means of source separation are significant in waste reduction. However, the greatest amount of materials recovery is achieved through the following: (a) Itinerant waste buyers (IWBs): These are waste collectors who often go from door-to-door, collecting specific recyclable materials and/or organic wastes from households, which they buy or barter. Individual IWBs tend to specialize in one or two kinds of materials. (b) Street waste picking: Secondary raw materials recovered from mixed waste found on streets or extracted from communal bins before collection. (c) Municipal waste collection crew: Secondary raw materials recovered from vehicles transporting waste to disposal sites. (d) Waste picking from dumps: Waste pickers/ scavengers sort through waste before it is covered at the site of final disposal, which is still generally open dumping in Nigeria. (Wilson et al, 2009) From the point of view of waste reduction, the traditional practices of repair and reuse, and the sale, barter, or gift-giving of used goods and surplus materials are an advantage to the poorer countries. Quantities of inorganic post-consumer wastes entering the MSW stream would be higher if these forms of waste reduction did not exist.(UNEP,2005) Formal Practices. There is no formal practice in place for source separation at present although Federal Ministry of Environment (2000) specified in the Blue print for municipal solid waste management (MSWM) in Nigeria that separation at source is one of the viable alternatives/complement to an integrated solid waste management programme. 2.3.5 Solid waste practices in universities in Nigeria 2.4 Solid waste practices in University of Benin, Benin-City Solid waste management in the university is the collection and disposal of waste. The waste generated is placed in bins for collection. There is no informal sector to do any separation though some of the waste workers salvage the useful recyclables for reuse but this does not even account for up to 1% of the total amount generated. Most times the waste generated is so much that not all the waste is removed during collection so decomposition begins on the left over waste, which will cause bad odours and breeding grounds for rodents and disease carrying insects. Some leachates are also produced which might pollute the land and water around. The final disposal site for the waste is an open dump that allows further pollution because there is no control over waste deposited or the by-products of open dump disposal. Without adequate attention, there is a major risk to the health of the staff and students in the university and to the environment. 3. Summary of Literature Review 3.1 Methodologies Most of the researches into waste characterization were studied using quantitative and qualitative methods (questionnaires, interviews, observation, focus groups and fieldwork) this is to ensure the viability of the studies and close the loop (Chung S.S Poon C.S.,1996: Ghorbani M. et al , 2007:Imam., 2008). For sampling, random sampling was employed since some information about the sample space is known

Friday, October 25, 2019

Essays --

BC, which also won the Pulitzer Prize in 1979, is one of the plays which he dedicated to his father Sam, who was in the military during World War II in Shepard’s early childhood years. Samuel Shepard Rogers III, born November 5th 1943 in Fort Sheridan, Illinois, is the oldest of three children. He was nicknamed Steve, since his name came down through seven generations of men. He then changed his name into Sam Shepard. (Sparr, 6) His play has been influenced by his personal life, especially by his father. In his play, the men are all alcoholics and bound to the darker side. Shepard lived in a family filled with aggression, where the men around him were mostly violent alcoholics. (Lahr, 27) Alcoholism goes far back in his life, to the point where he cannot remember one single sober man . (Howe, 14) Thinking about his father, he believes that he owes his father a large part of his identity and his damage. Shepard remembers that his father lost his farm in Duarte, after he starte d drinking, in order to forget his ruined life. (Lahr, 30) This can be put into comparison with Dodge not bei...

Thursday, October 24, 2019

A Life Cycle Analysis Of A Dam Environmental Sciences Essay

Dams are built for assorted intents ; the major map includes hydroelectric power coevals, imbibing H2O supply, irrigation, inundation control, diversion etc. But the different incidents and surveies done by several research workers proved that these big dikes made for these intents, besides at the same time pose significant menaces to the life, belongings and the environment throughout their lifecycle. The impacts may be different in different stages, viz. building, operation and decommissioning stage. There are about 845,000 dikes around the universe ( Jacquot, 2009 ) , the cumulative impact of all these dikes could be tremendous. So, it is indispensable to understate the impacts due to dam building on lives, belongings and environment. Identifying possible impacts, ciphering hazard and understating the hazard through the acceptance of assorted techniques could assist to take down the overall impacts. Major jeopardies associated with Dams throughout their lifecycle ( Reservoir ) : Construction Phase: Construction of big substructure like dikes demands monolithic sum of building stuff, digging procedure and vehicles, which straight impacts on the environment and society. Most of the equipments and vehicle engage on such activities use fossil fuel as the chief beginning of energy and contribute to the green house gas emanation. The estimated emanation from Glen Canyon dike during its building stage was calculated as 800,000 metric dozenss of CO2 equivalent ( Pacca, 2002 ) . The hazard of accidents due to the vehicles, building activity and digging procedure to the worker is likely. The building site could be of particular involvement for some animate being or works, so this activity may take to the disappearing such plant/animal from that country for of all time. Operation Phase: The operation of dikes besides poses menace to the environment and people. The menace of dam failure during the operation stage due to assorted grounds may do immense loss of life and belongings. There is ever menace of drawing of people on the dike. The emanation during this stage from the decay of biomass in the reservoir is obvious ; the emanation from the Glen Canyon dike during its operation stage was estimated to be 3,500,000 metric ton of CO2 equivalent ( Pacca, 2002 ) . The failure of dike is the most destructive event of the full lifecycle of dike. The inside informations on dike failure are discussed individually below. Decommissioning Phase: This is the last phase of the life rhythm of dike, this phase pose menace of brushing the downstream countries ( colonies, substructure, etc ) and the lives. The emanation from this phase is found as largest in comparing with building and operation. The emanation from the decommissioning of the Glen Canyon dike was calculated as 33,000,000 metric dozenss of CO2 equivalent ( Pacca,2002 ) , which was more than nine times the emanation from the full operation stage. Though the decommissioning work is done in controlled mode, the loss of belongings would non be as the dam failure. Environmental and Social effects throughout a dike ‘s life: Construction Phase: Resettlement of people: Construction of Dam requires immense country of land, which is frequently acquired by displacing people from that topographic point. Peoples are frequently forced to go forth their familial land giving them psychological emphasis and the relocation to the new location frequently alters the bing environment at that place. In China Three Gorges Dam have already displaced a million people and still another 80000 are to be moved till its concluding phase, 1200 small towns and 2 major towns have had to be abandoned and rebuilt ( McGivering, 2006 ) . Archaeological sites: In some instances even the archeological sites besides get destroyed due to dam building. More than 100 archeological sites, some dating back over 12000 old ages is to be submerged due to the three gorge dike ( Gleick, 2009 ) . Transportation, digging and building: The motion of vehicles during the building of dike contributes to emission to some extent and every bit upset the ecology at that place. The digging and building procedure both impact the ecology locally. Air pollution due to the dust can be expected. Operation Phase: Siltation: Rivers carry sediment tonss, the sum vary harmonizing to the features of the catchment country and the speed of the running H2O. The building of dike reduces the speed of the river therefore assisting deposit to settle down within the reservoir. If the deposit shortage issue due to this in river, the channel can be expected to evacuate deposit from its bed and Bankss in the downstream set uping the environment at that place ( Grant,2003 ) . Methane Generation: Hydro power was considered to be the renewable that produce no nursery gases. Harmonizing to Boyle, G ( 2009 ) , a study by the universe committee on dikes ( WCD, 2000, Anon, 2001 ) , the decaying of vegetable affair in an anaerobiotic status produces methane ( CH4 ) , when the land is flooded with hydro undertaking. Fish migration: Fish are affected straight by the obstructor like dike on its class. The most normally affected species like Salmon, which needs to travel upriver for engendering, can be obstructed from their spawning topographic point. Flood of the engendering evidences within the reservoir, periodic flood and drying out of engendering land and refuge country downstream of the dike farther shackles the fish ‘s activity. ( Harvath, and Municio,1998 ) . Birthrate of the downstream plains: The downstream portion of dike loose the food incorporating dirt, which used to have during implosion therapy. After the edifice of the Aswan dike, in 1960 ‘s, the land downstream no longer receives the dirt and foods antecedently carried by the one-year Nile inundation. The agricultural system has been destroyed in the downstream and to be replaced and is replaced by irrigation and chemical fertiliser ( Boyle, 2004 ) . Local clime alteration: Increased precipitation has been observed after the building of dike, the physical procedure by which big graduated table surface vaporization triggers in the precipitation recycling in such country ( Hossain, et Al, 2009 ) . Changes in the air wet per centum, air temperature, air motion in large graduated table can be caused by large graduated table dike ( Tahmiscioglu, et Al, †¦ . ) . Impact on biodiversity: In some instances edifice of dike disturb the home ground of critically endangered species excessively, the winter shelter of Siberien Crane and the ‘Baiji ‘ Yangtze river mahimahi, are found to be affected by the three gorges dam ( hypertext transfer protocol: //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Gorges_Dam ) . Induced temblors: big reservoirs can do seismal events as they fill, as the force per unit area on local mistakes additions ( ICE 1981 ) . The seismal activity of magnitude 5.7 was recorded in Lake Oroville in Butte county of California in June 1982 ( Allen, 1982 ) . Agricultural/ loss of woods: In many instances, the building of dike covers the productive agricultural land which used to be the agencies of nutriment for the local people and in many instances clear some portion of wood destructing natural ecosystem. About 1400 Hector of agricultural land is to be submerged because of the three gorge dike ( Gleick, 2009 ) . Spread of disease ( addition in disease carrying vectors, e.g. mosquito ) : Study carried out by Yewhalaw, et Al ( 2005 ) , found that the impounding can move as genteelness land for vectors like mosquito, and found that the kids populating near to dikes are at greater hazard of plasmodium infection than the kids populating off. Decommissioning Phase: Decommissioning: Even though, decommissioning of dikes help to reconstruct the reverine ecosystem to its natural status, some short term negative consequence such as sediment mobilization, contaminated stuff and menace of ace impregnation can be seen ( Bednarek, 2001 ) . Dam Failure: One of the most evidently harmful consequence of big dike is seen, when it falls. The implicit in causes may be different in each instance. Some of the major causes are ( ICOLD, 1973 ) : Dominating Foundation defects Shrieking and ooze Conduits and valves Seismic event harm Failure of dike due to internal H2O force per unit area Failure of dike due to drawn-out period of rainfall and implosion therapy Causes of Dam Failure that occurred between 1075- 2001 ( NPDP, 2007 ) ( Adopted from historic records of Dam Performance, 2007 ) On the footing of the above graph it can be said that, flood or dominating of the dike wall stand far in front from other causes of dam failure. Seepage and piping is on 2nd place and remainder of all are responsible for really less figure of dam failures, this graph proves that the overtopping of dike is the major causes of dam failures. Cost of Dam Break: The cost of dam interruption consists of two constituents ; Reconstruction cost of dike and economic loss due to devastation and flood downstream ( Kuo, et Al, 2008 ) . Cost and Benefit from Dam: Dam building is an expensive work and demands immense amount of money, but it provides highly necessary things for running the society and development like energy and H2O for imbibing and irrigation intent. On the other manus it has some impacts on society and environment, some of which needs tonss of money and clip for Restoration while others are irreparable. So building of dike has its ain pros and cons. Wayss to understate the happening of dam failure: Dam failure is the most destructive incident in the full life rhythm of dike, which may do immense loss of life and belongings. So it is indispensable to guarantee the safety of dike in order to protect the life and belongings. Some of the of import stairss indispensable for the decrease of dam failure and its impacts are as follows ( MDE, 1996 ) : Rigorous statute law should be promulgated by authorities for the building of dam/ Reservoir. Everyday distortion monitoring of ooze from drains in and around larger dike is necessary and if found faulty, disciplinary step should be taken. In instance of wall break, stone grouting ( force per unit area pumping of cement slurry ) can be done to cut down the hazard of dam failure. Regular monitoring and care could assist a batch to forestall dam failure. Early on warning system should be incorporated in the reservoir system to protect people and belongings downstream, in instance of dam failure. Dam building should non be allowed in the country of high seismal activity. Most of the states make safety programme for the protection of dike. In USA most of the ‘states ‘ are responsible for the safety of dikes within their boundary and to guarantee the safety they on a regular basis follow the undermentioned process ( Lane, 2008 ) ; Measure the safety of bing dike. Review programs and specification for safety and regulative programme. Carry out periodic review on building on new and bing dikes. Review and blessing of exigency action program. Some steps to cut down other impacts on and due to dikes: Management of catchment of river can assist to cut down deposit on dike, which may include plantation on the catchment country, acceptance of landside and eroding control measures for the upstream country of dike. The periodic cleansing of dikes can assist to cut down the burden of deposits within a dike and aid to repossess the capacity to its original signifier. Fish ladder can assist to reconstruct fish migration to some extent. ( beginning ) The computation of likely maximal precipitation ( PMP ) and appraisal of likely maximal inundation ( PMF ) and the chance of mean return period for that river, could assist to plan the dike decently ( CSCD,1985 ) , which could forestall dike from failure. Monitoring should be carried out to command the genteelness of mosquitoes in dike, if found, mosquito larvae must be controlled with the sanctioned mosquito larvicide, so that the other aquatic being will hold minimum impacts from larvicide ( DHF,2006 ) . Rich image of Dam and associated Impacts A Rich Picture exemplifying impacts of dike on assorted facets of environment and society Hazard of Dam Failure with age: Percentage of different age groups of dike failures in Russia in comparing with the failures of universe dike. ( Adopted from Management of Impounded Rivers, Wang and Melching, 2007 ) . Though age is one of the of import factor for the dam failure as the walls and other substructures erodes or weakens with age, but it is non merely the factor that causes dam failure ; faulty constructions, utmost conditions events, sabotage, seismal activities etc besides trigger to dam failure. The above graph showed that the highest figure of dam failure was in the age group 0-10, which so bit by bit decreases as the age group increases. The faulty construction can take to dam failure even at its early age while the good constructed and good maintained dike can function over hundred old ages. On the footing of above graph it can be said that aging in non the primary factor for dam failure and proper care can lengthen the life span of dam despite of age, and does non demo clear correlativity with dam failure. One likely ground of less figure of dam failures of the aged dike could be the proper care and decommissioning before the dike failure occurs. Risk Assessment of dam failure: Risk appraisal was calculated on the footing of informations from Annex-3. High badness status Entire Occurrence= 11 Average clip taken to reiterate the events for the category IA ( with more than 300 deceases ) =11.1 twelvemonth Average Death calculated=1111.1 Risk=Frequency ( event/ unit clip ) -Magnitude ( Deaths ) =1/11.1-1111.1=0.09-1111.1=99.99 Therefore, Risk=99.99 per 11.1 twelvemonth Hazard computation for overall dike failure Entire happening of dike failure=46 Average spread between consecutive events=0.39 twelvemonth Average decease per event=357.91 Risk= Frequency ( event/ unit clip ) -Magnitude ( Deaths ) Therefore, Risk= 1/0.39-357.91=2.6-357.91=930.5 individual per 0.39 twelvemonth Decision: Mentions: Allen, C, R, 1982, Reservoir Induced Earthquakes and Engineering Policy, California Geology, 35, 11 Bednarek, A, T, 2001, Undamming Rivers: A Review of the Ecological Impacts of Dam Removal, Environmental Management, 27,803-814. Boyle, G, 2004, Renewable Energy: Power for a Sustainable Future, Oxford University, Oxford CSCD,1985, Safety of Dams: Flood and Earthquake Criteria, National Academy Press, Washington D.C. DHF, 2006, Guidelines for Preventing Mosquito Breeding Sites Associated with Aquaculture Development in NT, Department of Health and Families, Darwin Gleick, P.H. , 2009, Three Gorges Dam Project, Yangtze River, China, Water Brief, 3, 139-150. Grant, E, G, et Al, 2003, A Geological Framework For Interpreting Downstream Effects Of dikes On Rivers, Water Science and Application 7, 209-225 Harvath, E, and Municio, M. A. T.,1998, 2nd International Symposium in Civil Engineering, Budapest Hossain, F, et Al, 2009, Local Climate Change, EOS, 90,453-468 hypertext transfer protocol: //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Gorges_Dam, assessed on 4 March, 2010. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.internationalrivers.org/files/srdamsafety.pdf, assessed on 20 May, 2010 hypertext transfer protocol: //npdp.stanford.edu/npdphome/Historic % 20Performance % 20of % 20Dams.pdf, assessed on 20 May,2010. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.damsafety.org/ , assessed on 20 March, 2010 International Committee on Large Dams ( ICOLD, 1973 ) , Lessons from Dam Incidents, Reduced Edition, Paris Jacqot, J,2009, Numbers Dams ; From Hoover to Three Gorges to the crumbling 1s, Environmental Policy, hypertext transfer protocol: //discovermagazine.com/2009/mar/08-dams-hoover-three-gorges-crumbling-ones, assessed on 17 May 2010. Kuo, J, T, et Al, 2008, Dam Over Topping Risk Assessment Considering Inspection Programme, Stoch Environ Res Risk Assess, 22, 303-313 Lane, N, 2008, Aging Infracture: Dam Safety, Congressional Research Service McGivering, J, 2006, Three Gorges Dam ‘s Social Impact, BBC, hypertext transfer protocol: //news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/world/asia-pacific/5000198.stm, assessed on 3 March 2010. MDE, 1996, Maryland Dam Safety Manual, Association of State Dam Safety Officials Pacca, S, 2007, Impacts from Decommissioning of Hydroelectric Dams: A life Cycle Prospective, Climate Change, 84, 281-294 Tahmiscioglu, M, S, et Al, .. Positive and Negative Impacts of Dam on the Environment, International Congress on River Basin Management, 760-769 Wang, Z, Y, and Melching, S, 2007, Management of Impounded Rivers Yewhalaw, D, et Al, 2005, Malaria and Water Resource development: The Case of Gilgel-Gibe Hydroelectric Dam in Ethopia, Malar. J, 8, 21 Annex-1 ( Part-A ) PLAGARISM DECLARATION I declare that the work I am subjecting for appraisal contains no subdivision copied in whole or in portion from any other beginnings unless it is explicitly identified by agencies of citation Markss. I declare that I have besides acknowledged such citation by supplying elaborate mentions in an sanctioned format. I understand that either or both unidentified and unreferenced copying constitutes plagiarism, which is one of a figure of really serious offenses under the university ‘s codification of pattern on the Use of Unfair Means. Student No- 200910979 LIFE CYCLE ANALYSIS OF A DAM CONTENTS PAGE NO. Introduction: 3 Major jeopardies associated with Dam: 3 Major environmental issues associated with dam 3-4 Catastrophes ( Dam failure ) : Siltation Methane coevals Fish migration Resettlement of people Birthrate of the downstream fields Local clime alteration Impact on biodiversity Induced temblors Agricultural/ loss of woods Spread of disease Archaeological sites Decommissioning Cardinal inquiries for portion B 5 Draft Plan 5 Mentions 6 Word Count- 1076 Word Limit- 1000 Introduction: Dams are built for assorted intents ; the major map includes hydroelectric power coevals, imbibing H2O supply, irrigation, inundation control, diversion etc. But the different incidents and surveies done by several research workers proved that these big dikes made for these intents, besides at the same time pose significant menaces to the life, belongings and the environment throughout their lifecycle. The impacts may be different in different stages, viz. building, operation and decommissioning stage. Yes, but what is th eproblem state of affairs or concern? Major jeopardies associated with Dam: Dam failure: one of the most evidently harmful consequence of big dike is seen, when it falls. The implicit in causes may be different in each instance. Some of the major causes are: Seismic event harm Failure of dike due to internal H2O force per unit area. Failure of dike due to drawn-out period of rainfall and implosion therapy. Menace to human life due to submerging in dike. Major environmental issues associated with dike: Catastrophes ( Dam failure ) : Dam failure frequently consequences immense loss of life, belongings and environment. During twentieth century some 200 dike failures caused more than ten 1000 people outside China and in the twelvemonth 1975 merely about one-fourth of million people were perished in the series of hydroelectric dam failure in China ( Boyle, G, 2004 ) . Siltation: Rivers carry sediment tonss, the sum vary harmonizing to the features of the catchment country and the speed of the running H2O. The building of dike reduces the speed of the river therefore assisting deposit to settle down within the reservoir. If the deposit shortage issue due to this in river, the channel can be expected to evacuate deposit from its bed and Bankss in the downstream set uping the environment at that place ( Grant,2003 ) . Methane coevals: Hydro power was considered to be the renewable that produce no nursery gases. Harmonizing to Boyle, G ( 2009 ) , a study by the universe committee on dikes ( WCD, 2000, Anon, 2001 ) , the decaying of vegetable affair in an anaerobiotic status produces methane ( CH4 ) , when the land is flooded with hydro undertaking. Fish migration: Fish are affected straight by the obstructor like dike on its class. The most normally affected species like Salmon, which needs to travel upriver for engendering, can be obstructed from their spawning topographic point. Flood of the engendering evidences within the reservoir, periodic flood and drying out of engendering land and refuge country downstream of the dike farther shackles the fish ‘s activity. ( Harvath, E, and Municio, M. A. T.,1998 ) . Resettlement of people: Construction of Dam requires immense country of land, which is frequently acquired by displacing people from that topographic point. Peoples are frequently forced to go forth their familial land giving them psychological emphasis and the relocation to the new location frequently alters the bing environment at that place. In China Three Gorges Dam have already displaced a million people and still another 80000 are to be moved till its concluding phase, 1200 small towns and 2 major towns have had to be abandoned and rebuilt ( McGivering, 2006 ) . Birthrate of the downstream plains: The downstream portion of dike loose the food incorporating dirt, which used to have during implosion therapy. After the edifice of the Aswan dike, in 1960 ‘s, the land downstream no longer receives the dirt and foods antecedently carried by the one-year Nile inundation. The agricultural system has been destroyed in the downstream and to be replaced and is replaced by irrigation and chemical fertiliser ( Boyle, G, 2004 ) . Local clime alteration: Increased precipitation has been observed after the building of dike, the physical procedure by which big graduated table surface vaporization triggers in the precipitation recycling in such country ( Hossain, F, et Al, 2009 ) . Changes in the air wet per centum, air temperature, air motion in large graduated table can be caused by large graduated table dike ( Tahmiscioglu, M, S, et Al, †¦ . ) . Impact on biodiversity: In some instances edifice of dike disturb the home ground of critically endangered species excessively, the winter shelter of Siberien Crane and the ‘Baiji ‘ Yangtze river mahimahi, are found to be affected by the three gorges dam ( hypertext transfer protocol: //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Gorges_Dam ) . Induced temblors: big reservoirs can do seismal events as they fill, as the force per unit area on local mistakes additions ( ICE 1981 ) . The seismal activity of magnitude 5.7 was recorded in Lake Oroville in Butte county of California in June 1982 ( Allen, C, R, 1982 ) Agricultural/ loss of woods: In many instances, the building of dike covers the productive agricultural land which used to be the agencies of nutriment for the local people and in many instances clear some portion of wood destructing natural ecosystem. About 1400 Hector of agricultural land will be submerged because of the three gorge dike ( Gleick, P.H. , 2009 ) . Spread of disease ( addition in disease carrying vectors, e.g. mosquito ) : Study carried out by Yewhalaw, D, et Al ( 2005 ) , found that the impounding can move as genteelness land for vectors like mosquito, and found that the kids populating near to dikes are at greater hazard of plasmodium infection than the kids populating off. Archaeological sites: In some instances even the archeological sites besides get destroyed due to dam building. More than 100 archeological sites, some dating back over 12000 old ages will be submerged due to the three gorge dike ( Gleick, P.H. , 2009 ) . Decommissioning: Even though, decommissioning of dikes help to reconstruct the reverine ecosystem to its natural status, some short term negative consequence such as sediment mobilization, contaminated stuff and menace of ace impregnation can be seen ( Bednarek, A, T, 2001 ) . Cardinal inquiries for portion B: Answer to the undermentioned inquiries will be searched in the 2nd portion of this instance survey: What are the major jeopardies associated with dike and how the hazard can be minimised? What are the attacks practised to understate the impact on dike on environment and homo? How the dike induced impact like deposit, obstructor on the fish migration path and addition in diseases bearer vector can be regulated? How the regulation organic structure guarantee the safety of dike? How the factors like political relations and economic system affect in the building of dike? Draft Plan: Introduction Major jeopardies associated with Dam ( Reservoir ) Causes of Dam failure The possible impacts of such jeopardies Measures to understate the impacts Environmental Issues associated with Dam Impact on agribusiness and wood Impact on fish migration Impact on biodiversity Measures practised to understate the impact Socio economic impact of Dam Abandonment and relocation of displaced people Damagess to ancient heritage ( archeological construction ) Wayss to understate the harm to ancient heritage Cost Benefit Analysis of Dam Decision

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Descriptive and Inferential Statistics2

Descriptive and Inferential Statistics The world of science would find itself lost without research. Research alone however, oftentimes will not answer the questions or solve the problems that scientists set out to solve. Statistics is where research becomes applied and scientists can make educated guesses about future outcomes. â€Å"Formally, statistics is a branch of mathematics that focuses on organization, analysis, and interpretation of a group of numbers† (Aron, Aron, and Coups, 2006). There are two main branches of statistics that we will explore; descriptive and inferential statistics. The main relationship between descriptive and inferential statistics is that they all include numbers from either actual given information or inferred assumptions that try to draw a conclusion or complete given data. Descriptive Statistics Descriptive statistics is a method of research used by psychologists. Descriptive statistics make statistics understandable and describes a group of numbers for a research study (Aron, Aron and Coups,2006). Descriptive statistics are used in summarizing large sets of quantitative or numerical information. If there is a large amount of information for measurement, the best way to show the information is by a graph (Boerre, 2005). Descriptive statistics provide a simple summary about the sample and the measurements. Descriptive statistics describes the data; it allows the researcher to understand a large amount of numbers or data in a simple way (Social Research, 2009). Central tendency refers to the idea that one number can summarize the entire set of measurement. This is a number that is in some way central to the set (Boerre, 2005). The mode is the measurement that has been found to be the most frequent. Although the mode, or greatest frequency number, is not used very often, it is useful when differences are rare or non-numerical (Boerre, 2005). The median is the number which is half of the measurement, or midpointof the numbers. The median is a good measurement of the centrality of the numbers and is a better measurement in centrality that the mean when the data is skewed (Boerre, 2005). The mean is the average. The mean is the sum of all the measurements, divided by the numbers of the measured. Mean is often used in central tendency (Boerre, 2005). Descriptive statistics may be used in measuring a person’s IQ. When intelligence testing is done, some of these tests are then shown in descriptive statistics. Descriptive statistics might also be used in showing the GPA or grade point average of a class. Descriptive statistics makes information clear, concise, and easy to read (Social Research, 2009). An example of descriptive statistics would be tables and graphs which are used a lot in medical research studies. Descriptive statistics allow a researcher to describe or summarize their data. For example, descriptive statistics for a study using human subjects might include the sample size, mean age of participants, percentage of males and females, range of scores on a study measure, descriptive statistics are often briefly presented at the beginning of the Results†, according to, (Statistically Significant Consulting, LLC, 2003-2010). Inferential Statistics Conclusio n Statistics gives form to research in that it organizes, analyzes, and interprets the data collected. Descriptive statistics often describe groups or populations researched, whereas inferential statistics help its users draw conclusions about future events. Both of these statistical methods play valuable roles in science. References Aron, A. , Aron, E. , & Coups, E. (2006). Statistics for Psychology (4th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. Statistically Significant Consulting, LLC, (2003-2010). Statistics Overview. Retrieved from http://www. statisticallysignificantconsulting. com/statistics101. htm

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Renaissance Architechture essays

Renaissance Architechture essays From the beginning of time, buildings have gotten more and more extravagant. From the Egyptians and their pyramids to modern day skyscrapers, buildings have gotten bigger and easier to build. Some of the biggest advances in architecture was during the Renaissance time period, when the use of arcs and pillars, flying buttresses, and many-floored building began. Along with art, architecture gained huge advances. These advances affected everyone on the European continent and around the world. It started on August 14,1418. Florences new cathedral, Santa Maria del Fiore, had been under construction for more then a century. The architects did not know how to finish the dome they had wanted. Holding a contest, the builders said that whomever could make a model of the ideal dome would win 200 gold Florins. The battle began, people worked feverishly for six weeks. Soon they began to realize that building a dome was much more difficult then anyone had thought. As the century went on, and they were ready to build the dome two groups of people were asked to make detailed models. The first was a man named Giovanni di Lapo Ghini, and the second was a group of artists led by a mason, Neri di Fioravanti. Their models were great, sometimes big enough that the architects could inspect the interior. Each group had their own idea of how the dome should be built. As the time went on the architects could not decide between the two. However, as the days went on the wardens start ed leaning toward Fioravantis design. Giovanni then started to question the support of the dome. Stability was a big issue then, modern buildings have been built so we do not have to fear them collapsing. However, then, that fear was bigger then ever. The wardens adopted Fioravantis idea, with the stipulation that his supports be bigger. It was then built, and has been like that since. A dome the size of Fioravantis had never been done be...

Monday, October 21, 2019

U.S. States Named After Kings and Queens

U.S. States Named After Kings and Queens Seven of the  U.S. states are named after sovereigns  - four are named for kings and three are named for queens. These include some of the oldest colonies and territories in what is now the United States and the royal names paid tribute to the rulers of either France and England. The list of states includes Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. Can you guess which kings and queens inspired each name? The 'Carolinas' Have British Royalty Roots North and South Carolina have a long and complicated history. Two of the 13 original colonies, they began as a single colony  but were divided shortly after because it was too much land to govern. The name Carolina  is often attributed as an honor of King Charles I of England (1625-1649), yet that is not entirely true.   What is fact is that  Charles is Carolus in Latin and that inspired Carolina. However, the French explorer, Jean Ribault first called the region Carolina when he tried colonizing Florida in the 1560s. During that time, he established an outpost known as Charlesfort in what is now South Carolina. The French King at the time? Charles IX who was crowned in 1560. When the British colonists established their settlements in the Carolinas, it was shortly after the 1649  execution of  King Charles I of England and they retained the name in his honor. When his son took over the crown in 1661, the colonies were also an honor to his rule. In a way, the Carolinas pay tribute to all three King Charles. 'Georgia' Was Inspired by a British King Georgia was one of the original 13 colonies that became the United States. It was the last colony established and it became official in 1732, just five years after King George II was crowned King of England. The name  Georgia  was clearly inspired by the new king. The suffix -ia  was used often by the colonizing nations when naming new lands in honor of important people. King George II did not live long enough to see his namesake become a state. He died in 1760 and was succeeded by his grandson, King George III, who reigned during the American Revolutionary War. 'Louisiana' Has French Origins In 1671, French explorers claimed a large portion of central North America for France. They named the area in honor of King Louis XIV, who reigned from 1643 until his death in 1715. The name  Louisiana  begins with a clear reference to the king. The suffix  -iana  is often used to refer to a collection of objects in regards to the collector. Therefore, we can loosely associate  Louisiana  as a collection of lands owned by King Louis XIV. This territory became known as the Louisiana Territory and was purchased by Thomas Jefferson in 1803. In total, the Louisiana Purchase was for 828,000 square miles between the Mississippi River and the  Rocky Mountains. The state of Louisiana formed the southern border and became a state in 1812. 'Maryland' Was Named After a British Queen Maryland also has an association with King Charles I yet, in this case, it was named for his wife.   George Calvert was granted a charter in 1632 for a region east of the Potomac. The first settlement was St. Marys and the territory was named Maryland. All of this was in honor of Henrietta Maria, queen consort of Charles I of England and daughter of King Henry IV of France. The 'Virginias' Were Named for a Virgin Queen Virginia (and subsequently West Virginia) was settled by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1584. He named this new land after the English monarch of the time, Queen Elizabeth I. But how did he get Virginia  out of Elizabeth? Elizabeth I was crowned in 1559 and died in 1603. During her 44 years as queen, she  never married and she earned the nickname of the Virgin Queen. That is how the Virginias got their name, but whether the monarch was true in her virginity is a matter of much debate and speculation.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Analysis of Consumer Behaviour in Relation to the Product - services

Purchasing an important car like Austin Mini Cooper can be afforded best by the lavish mod-con segment of people. According to the theory of reasoned action, prudent traditionalists can be considered as the least likely consumers for the product. According to the theory of reasoned action, the product can be brought by people from middle to higher income group (Cohen, Prayag & Moital, 2014). A country which has higher GDP and the lifestyle of the people is very privileged can easily afford the product or car like Austin Mini Cooper. Thus, for people belonging to a progressive state can very conveniently afford the product. The most likely buyers for going to a local cafe for the regular breakfast and coffee are the group of progressive cosmopolitan. The least likely buyers who would go to local cafe for breakfast and coffee on a regular basis are the prudent traditionalist. In accordance with the factors such as the concern regarding limiting everyday's expenditure by people affects the buyer behaviour of the customer (East, Wright & Vanhuele, 2013).   A state where the people are more progressive and the lifestyle is very much hectic, people do not have time to prepare their own breakfast and have the habit of rushing for work. In those scenarios, the people of the state would prefer to have regular coffee and breakfast on a daily basis at a local cafe. The most likely buyer or consumer who would join a gym and fitness centre includes the progressive cosmopolitan as these sections of people prefer to accept progressive things in life and love to remain updated with the lifestyle. For this section of consumers, the social factors play an important role it eh buying behaviour (Foxall, 2014). These would include the perception of the society towards their outlook regarding their health and fitness in order to always be presentable in the social gatherings. The least likely group of consumers regarding this subject are the anti-establishment firebrand. This tribe of people does not need a life that is organized or predictable. For them, the psychological behaviour comes into play while buying the service or product as they basically do not care what people think of them or their appearances. Therefore, these sections of people have the least possibility to go to the gym for their fitness (Horner & Swarbrooke, 2016). The most likely consumer for buying beers from the local bottle shop and watching footie at home would include the anti-establishment firebrand. According to the motivation need theory, this section of the Australians find their needs to be fulfilled by enjoying their beers in their home environment and they do not consider faring well with other people. Thus, they would enjoy having their own space with their sort of relaxation and entertainment in their own way without any outside interference (Schiffman, et al., 2013). The least likely tribe to buy beers from a local shop and watching footie at home is the lavish mod-con as these groups of people will look forward to maintaining their social status and image by being in the finer places and situations. Thus, they will not opt for going to shop for beer at a local shop rather would opt to go to high-class clubs. In this case, the social factors play an important role in the buying behaviour of the lavish mod-con tribe (Schà ¼tte & Ciarlante, 2016). The most likely consumer tribe who would order food online through the providers like Panda Food or Menu log, etc are the progressive cosmopolitan as they prefer exploring changes and privileges. They relish the initiatives and facilities that they can get.   while the least likely tribe to farewell regarding online food ordering through various services are the ambitious savers as they watch every spending and expenditure who would prefer to prepare their own food in order to save money (Solomon, Russell-Bennett & Previte, 2013). In this case of ambitious savers, their behaviour towards saving money is affecting their decision regarding not buying food through online ordering. For the services like installing renewable energy like solar panels in the houses, the most likely consumer base would be ambitious savers as they would prefer to save energy and opt for renewable sources of energy in order to save expenditures. The psychological  Ã‚   factors along with the   Maslow hierarchy need theory is having a significant role in the buying behaviour of the ambitious savers as their needs regarding the obtainment of energy along with saving money, both are being satisfied (Wikstrà ¶m, et al., 2014). The least likely consumers group for availing the renewable energy like solar panels are the lavish mod-on as they do not think regarding the minimizing expenditures. The social conditioning factors play an important role for the lavish tribe as they need to have the best of luxuries and therefore, would not consider the ways to minimize energy and money use. The most likely consumer base for buying home ware products at DIY hardware stores like Bunnings are the activist egalitarians as their psychological factors relating to the traditions dominate their decision making of purchase (Schà ¼tte & Ciarlante, 2016). They are not impressed by the luxuries around them and would rather opt for buying products that they require from the DIY hardware stores. The least likely consumer base for buying products from the DIY stores is the lavish mod-con. Shopping at Big W would have the progressive cosmopolitan the most as they embrace multiculturalism and love to be around the multiculturalism spaces.   The least likely consumer base who would opt to shop at Big W is the disillusioned pessimists. The psychological factors play an important role in their buying behaviour as they have pessimist feelings regarding everything (Wikstrà ¶m, et al., 2014). They would not appreciate the offers that would be available at the store. The most likely consumer base for availing food services at fast food restaurants like McDonalds and KFC are the progressive cosmopolitan on which their psychological belief regarding availing all the privileges and services that a city has to offer them. These people believe in embracing every aspect of a progressive state. the least likely consumer base to avail the food services at fast food restaurants like KFC   and McDonalds are the ambitious savers who would have the their sense of saving money to consider which influences theory buying behaviour. Playing a poker machine at our local RSL or League's club on a regular basis will attract a consumer base like the lavish mod-con as their social and psychological factors to have the best and refined things and luxuries of life would attract them to have this privilege (Horner & Swarbrooke, 2016). The least likely consumer base for the service would be ambitious saver who would not prefer spending their money on these luxuries which would not let them gain anything tangible in return. Cohen, S.A., Prayag, G. and Moital, M., 2014. Consumer behaviour in tourism: Concepts, influences and opportunities.  Current Issues in Tourism,  17(10), pp.872-909. East, R., Wright, M. and Vanhuele, M., 2013.  Consumer behaviour: applications in marketing. Sage. Foxall, G.R., 2014.  Consumer Behaviour (RLE Consumer Behaviour): A Practical Guide  (Vol. 3). Routledge. Horner, S. and Swarbrooke, J., 2016.  Consumer behaviour in tourism. Routledge. Schiffman, L., O'Cass, A., Paladino, A. and Carlson, J., 2013.  Consumer behaviour. Pearson Higher Education AU. Schà ¼tte, H. and Ciarlante, D., 2016.  Consumer behaviour in Asia. Springer. Solomon, M.R., Russell-Bennett, R. and Previte, J., 2013.  Consumer behaviour: Buying, having, being. Pearson Australia. Wikstrà ¶m, F., Williams, H., Verghese, K. and Clune, S., 2014. The influence of packaging attributes on consumer behaviour in food-packaging life cycle assessment studies-a neglected topic.  Journal of Cleaner Production,  73, pp.100-108.

Friday, October 18, 2019

The Journey of the Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Journey of the Life - Essay Example I never got along well with my brothers, especially the eldest one. For some reason, they always picked on me and I started to hate my childhood. Though I made efforts to do whatever was in my reach to defend myself, it never worked for us. If I look bad at all those years, I think that my life as a child wasn't that bad as I thought it was but many times I felt I had nobody I could talk to. I felt very lonely in life. When I was at the age of 11, I visited New York and there I decided to stay with my mother to finish my education. But, unfortunately, my mother also did not understand me. I felt so frustrated that I started to make more and more friends and began to socialize as much as possible to be able to speak out my mind in front of my friends. Whenever I felt the need to vent, I spoke or met my friends and felt light at heart. At least, I had few people in life whom I could turn to in such times. The adolescence age according to Erik Erikson is an age when we try to find our i dentity amidst social issues which surround us. That is the age when we discover ourselves as individuals. We try to fight with the world and with moral issues and if by chance we are unsuccessful, we experience "role confusion." (Harder A, 2002).

Critically analyse two of the theories that seek to explain the Essay

Critically analyse two of the theories that seek to explain the relationship between people and technology - Essay Example According to the determinists, human beings are directed by the technology, and cannot decide on how the technology will be used. In other words, the society is influenced by the technology. Another important perspective is sustantivism which suggests that human beings are enframed by technology. Human beings also lose their will if they become attached to the technological systems. This perspective shapes different institutions including the political systems, culture and social structure. The perspective further holds that technology has its own independent values, which human beings cannot be able to change. This paper examines the social construction of technology and actor network theory. According to Gad and Jensen (2009), this theory rejects the determinists’ perspectives that the society is influenced by the technology. The concepts of this theory are well described in an article titled, the social construction of technology: structural considerations. The writers of this article, Klein and Kleinman (2002) observe that the first component of the SCOT theory is interpretive flexibility. According to Klein and Kleinman (2002), this concept is borrowed from the empirical program of relativism and suggests that artifacts are products of intergroup negotiations. The second component is the relevant social group concept. According to this component, social groups share same values and characteristics. In this regard, different social groups can differ on how a particular technology works, but in the end they come into a consensus. The third component of this theory is closure and stabilization. According to this component, multi-group processes occur until a cons ensus is reached, and stabilization is facilitated by the rhetorical closure and closure by definition. Rhetorical closure occurs when all problems are eliminated while closure by definition happens when the problem is redefined until it poses no more

Dianmondz Corp report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Dianmondz Corp report - Essay Example To Anoop and Meli, cash flow is very important as it translates the earnings reported in the company’s income statement which is subject to accounting decisions and reporting regulations- into a simple summary of how much cash has been generated by the company during the stated financial period (Porter and Norton 674). Cash flow statement also plays a huge role in facilitation of decision making by the provision of judgments on the financial condition, profitability and company’s financial management. The cash flow statement for Diamondz has a net decrease in cash of 25,000 which indicates that the financing and investing activities were more than the cash inflow during the year which may be an indication of a poor financial performance on the company. b. Issuing equity and issuing debt to finance the construction and purchase of equipment is both advantageous and disadvantageous. The advantages of issuing debt are it is better when the financing is a short term one, it provides a tax shield, and it acts as a signal of the strength of a company (Porter and Norton 674). The disadvantages of issuing debt are that it increases the risk level of the company, the assets of the company may be used as collateral, and the debt has to be paid and hence the need to have positive and stable cash flow. The advantages of issuing equity to purchase equipment include the fact that equity does not have any maturity date and the company does not have any obligation to redeem, equity also enhances creditworthiness of the company as it cushions the lenders and dividends from equity are exempted from tax (Porter and Norton 674). The cost of issuing equity is very high, and the sale of equity shares to outsiders usually dilutes the control enjoyed by the existing owners-this is some of the disadvantages of issuing equity. For Diamondz, there are other viable options available to them for example; a loan from the bank would be a viable option to help them in financing the construction and purchase of the equipment. Based on the 2012 financial statement, the company can acquire a bank loan to perform its operations. c. The debt to equity ratio for Diamondz Corp was 1.264 in 2011 and 1.863 in 2012. This indicates that there was an increase in the proportion of debts used by the company in financing its assets. The ratio for 2011 and 2012 also shows that the company was somehow aggressive in using debt to finance its growth. If the company issues debt, debt to equity ratio will increase since there will be an increase the total liabilities of the company which is more than the shareholders equity (Porter and Norton 674). Issuing equity by Diamondz Corp would lead to an increase in the shareholders equity more than the total liabilities which would then result into a reduction in debt to equity ratio. d. The fact that Anoop’

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Topic needed Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Topic needed - Essay Example In the recent TV dramas â€Å"Dollhouse† ad â€Å"Lost† time runs in a non-typical way: it either does not exist due to memory erasing or does not matter due to the crash of civilization. In these challenging circumstances gender identity is shaped in a different way: lacking temporal and social determination gender (feminine) identity becomes problematic and even unpredictable. Creating his â€Å"Dollhouse† Whedon aimed to raise an important philosophical question of the relationships between body representation and identity, and gender identity in particular. He author was always interested in overcoming stereotypical perception of women in his works, and this TV drama did not become an exception. The programs main assumption is that the individuals character can be literally extracted from the person`s body and saved as the information on hard drive. While the remaining hollow organism (which is perceived as a â€Å"doll† as it is devoid of any personality) can be â€Å"imprinted† with a new identity. This mechanism makes the main hero of the series - Echo – a person with no permanent inner self. That is why it leaves her in the space without time, as one of the major characteristic of time perception is development, growth, and change. The concept of such transformation creates a serious question whether a person devoid of id entity, emotions and thoughts can be considered a woman, a human. The main character, the human being which was transformed into Echo, is the one who is real (whose name is different- Caroline) gets stuck in her body unable to make her soul and inner self evolve because her body is used as capsule for other identities. It is interesting the creators of the series realized that the absence of the character`s gradual development was the reason of popularity loss and that this why the series was cancelled. That is why it is possible to suggest that on some deeper level the lack of coherent identity was perceived by

Political Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Political Science - Essay Example 103-105). To reduce extreme poverty and hunger, it was agreed that, the proportion of people living on less than one U.S. dollar a day should be reduced dramatically by half. Also, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger should also be reduced to half by the year 2015 (Richmond, S 2007). This was mainly to be achieved through rural investments and other development channels aimed at the rural areas. People living with less than a dollar per day are the majority in the developing world, thus, they should be thought of in the first place. In achieving the free universal education, it was agreed that, all boys and girls must complete a full course of primary schooling in all the signatory countries and if need be force should be used to make them attend schools (Agnes, V 2005 P. 104). No body should fail to get the free education. In agreement was increased enrollment accompanied by efforts to ensure that all children remain in school to receive a high quality education. All present agreed to this as knowledge is power. To promote gender equality, it was agreed that gender disparity should be reduced in both primary and secondary education probably by half in the year 2005 and the remaining chunk by 2015. This was to be made possible by the emphasis of the second goal; free universal education. Also, the consideration of women to higher positions in work places was to be put into limelight as women can contribute to the wellbeing of a nation as well as promoting the sense of belonging and nationhood. The reduction of child mortality was put into light. It was said that, the mortality rates for children under five should be reduced by two thirds (Oloo 2004). This was to be achieved through the promotion of better health practices during pregnancy and after birth. This menace is more pronounced in African countries due to the poor state of the health facilities as well as negligence and

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

A Comparative Study of UK and Pakistan Research Paper

A Comparative Study of UK and Pakistan - Research Paper Example The study explores in great detail various design processes as influenced by globalization, which threaten to blur social, political and economic differences around the world. As such, this is a cross-disciplinary that explores global influences on the connections between culture and context design, media design and industrial designs in the development of textile products that not only meet but exceed global expectations. The paper also examines whether and how the superior design innovation curriculums such as the British may be introduced in Pakistan to bring the country’s technology resources, design ideas and principles up to speed with current and future global demands. The paper critically analyses three primary areas of textile design innovation, namely; culture and context design, industrial designs and media design. Firstly, culture and context design in both the United Kingdom and Pakistan will be analysed to establish the similarities between the two countries and what each country can learn from the other. As such, theories, notions and historical beliefs that influence design innovation within modern academies and studios will be explored in detail. Secondly, the study will explore industrial texture designs in general and how globalization continues to improve design innovation and the knowledge-base of both Pakistani and British. Greater focus will be placed on how the artists come up with textiles that meet the needs of the current and future worlds.

Political Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Political Science - Essay Example 103-105). To reduce extreme poverty and hunger, it was agreed that, the proportion of people living on less than one U.S. dollar a day should be reduced dramatically by half. Also, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger should also be reduced to half by the year 2015 (Richmond, S 2007). This was mainly to be achieved through rural investments and other development channels aimed at the rural areas. People living with less than a dollar per day are the majority in the developing world, thus, they should be thought of in the first place. In achieving the free universal education, it was agreed that, all boys and girls must complete a full course of primary schooling in all the signatory countries and if need be force should be used to make them attend schools (Agnes, V 2005 P. 104). No body should fail to get the free education. In agreement was increased enrollment accompanied by efforts to ensure that all children remain in school to receive a high quality education. All present agreed to this as knowledge is power. To promote gender equality, it was agreed that gender disparity should be reduced in both primary and secondary education probably by half in the year 2005 and the remaining chunk by 2015. This was to be made possible by the emphasis of the second goal; free universal education. Also, the consideration of women to higher positions in work places was to be put into limelight as women can contribute to the wellbeing of a nation as well as promoting the sense of belonging and nationhood. The reduction of child mortality was put into light. It was said that, the mortality rates for children under five should be reduced by two thirds (Oloo 2004). This was to be achieved through the promotion of better health practices during pregnancy and after birth. This menace is more pronounced in African countries due to the poor state of the health facilities as well as negligence and

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Chocolate Industry Essay Example for Free

Chocolate Industry Essay Quality Crafted Chocolate is an online business selling luxury, crafted chocolate our chocolate products are a boxed assorted chocolates for Holidays, birthdays, and more, we believe chocolate is a versatile gift for many occasions. As an online based company we have the opportunity to use our technology to tailor our packaging to our individual customers in ways never before possible. There are two good things to report about the chocolate market. Firstly: Consumer demand for chocolate is on the rise worldwide. Secondly: competition is developing steadily . The according to NCA estimates, based on the U. S. Census Bureaus annual Confectionery Report, retail sales of chocolate confectionery in all channels reached $18 billion in 2010. Annual sales have increased 3 to 4 percent per year for the past several years, and market research firm Packaged Facts forecasts the industry will grow to $18 billion by 2011. The undisputed leader for North American sales of chocolate products, the U. S. has a market share estimated at over 86 percent. But behind the encouraging headlines, many companies are battling to stay on top of a rapidly shifting marketplace, as fast-growing economies and empowered consumers demand more from their products. The constant change in the market structure, shares and prices, due to the emergence of new chocolate manufacturers, demonstrates a threat for the existing chocolate and confectionery companies like Quality Crafted Chocolates. Part of our market research was to do a search volume estimate for the US market using Google AdWords. We first searched the broad keyword â€Å"chocolate† and below are the results with the top five keywords ranked in order of high to low based on amount of searches. |Keyword |Competition |Global Monthly Searches |Local Monthly Searches (United States) | |chocolate |0. 31 |30400000 |9140000 | |gifts |0. 77 |16600000 |9140000 | |chocolate chocolate |0. 31 |30400000 |9140000 | |the chocolate |0. 31 |30400000 |9140000 | |candy |0. 37 |16600000 |7480000 | When we then did a search in the google search engine for the highest ranked keyword â€Å"chocolate†, the company that ranked #1 was www.godiva. com a major competitor in the industry. Second was www. ghirardelli. com which is also a worthy competitor. The third was www. cadbur. co. uk but they would not be considered a competitor since their company was based in the UK and had products that were not directed towards the same consumer. This was followed by www. hersheys. com another major supplier in the industry. Another very relevant competitor was www. sees. com carrying much of the same product was ranked #7 in the searched google keyword. The second highest searched keyword from the Google AdWords results was â€Å"gifts† these results were vastly different from the previous keyword. None of the company website associated with this keyword in the google search engine were related in any way to the chocolate industry. The third searched keyword â€Å"chocolate chocolate† results in google ranked #1 www. chocolate2. com a competitor in the quality crafted chocolate market for special occasions. Then was www. chocolatedc. com another direct competitor with. Third was www. chocolatechocolate.com a close competitor with a very similar product line of molded novelties chocolate. After researching each of the searched suppliers we narrowed in on those companies that operated in the same market, offering similar products and targeting similar customers. The top three were Godiva www. godiva. com, world famous Belgian chocolates available online for the U. S. market only. Compared to Quality Crafted Chocolate this supplier is one of our toughest competitors. Godiva Chocolatier was brought to America in 1966 and has been the leader in premium chocolate ever since. Godiva owns and operates hundreds of boutiques worldwide specializing in fine chocolates and chocolate gifts. The second is the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company www. ghirardelli. com, a leading manufacturer, marketer and retailer of premium American chocolates and chocolate beverage mixes, controlling the entire manufacturing process. It distributes its products nationwide. Their customized crafted chocolates make them stand out in the market. The third company is Sees Candies www. sees. com a manufacturer and distributor of candy, particularly chocolate, in the western United States. The company is known for it’s quality chocolate and chocolate gifts with their unique approach of allowing their customer to choose their own selection of chocolate to be packaged. Their motto is â€Å"Create your own assortment of boxed chocolates send chocolate gifts to family friends! † A true competitor in the chocolate market, with a similar product of gift boxes of premium quality chocolate for that special occasion. | | | | |Company Website |Rank (US Market) |Global Rank | | www. godiva. com |10,998 |37,423 | |www. ghirardelli. com | 20,916 |62,163 | |www. sees. com |13,015 |35,780 |.