Monday, September 30, 2019

Implement and monitor WHS policies Essay

1. Why is it important to provide information to work teams on the relevant health and safety legislation, the organisation’s health and safety policies, procedures and programs, and any identified hazards and their control? It is important to provide information to work teams on the relevant health and safety legislation, the organization’s health and safety policies, procedures and programs, and any identified hazards and their control, because as any other part of a business health and safety matters affect production, the quality of products/services and of course financial results. According to this, health and safety should be managed in the same way and with the same importance grade as any other aspect inside a company. Information must also be provided to all workers because it is everybody ´s responsibility to have a health and safety place in which everyone will be beneficiated, the employee and the employer. 2. Explain the importance of effective consultative mechanisms in managing health and safety risks and describe what they entail. It is important to have an effective consultative mechanism in managing health and safety risks because consultation can offer a lot of benefits such as greater awareness, commitment, positive working relationships etc. A safe work place will be easier to achieve if everyone is involved and communicate with each other, if every worker help to identify hazards, if there are talks about health and safety concerns and of course if all of them work together to find a solution. Once all the workers are aware of the impact that health and safety procedures have, they will work all together to make their work place as safe as possible. 3. What factors need to be considered when using training to implement an organisation’s health and safety policy and ensure a safe workplace? When using training to implement an organization’s health and safety policy and  ensure a safe workplace, it is important to consider all the incidents or accidents that are likely to happen in every specific work, that way hazards and risks can be prevented and avoided. 4. What are hazard reports and why are they important? Hazard report is a report made to have a record of the incidents and accidents that have happened in a company to stop them to occur again in the future. Hazard reports are important because through them, possibilities of injuries can be eliminated as the hazards have been identified with the reports. 5. Risk management is a critical part of a proactive organisation’s strategy to provide a safe workplace. What does risk management entail? Risk management is a legal requirement for all business in which a process of 4 steps has to be followed: Identify hazards, assess risks, control risks and review. Risk management is designed to prevent loss by preventing harm to people as well as give opportunities the business to grow, increasing productivity and improving services. 6. How can incident records be used to identify potential future hazards and monitor risk control procedures? Incident records allow the identification of trends and types of incidents occurring or recurring in the work place. In this matter, if incidents are being reordered every time they occur, it will be easier to predict or prevent future incidents and accidents as well as monitor what it is being done in order to prevent near misses. 7. What do you think are the key aspects of health and safety legislation? The key aspects of health and safety legislation are that all workers are protected, there is a duty of care that help each worker not to endanger the health and safety of self or other colleagues and consultation with workers to discuss penalties for breaches of the legislation.

The Cellist of Sarajevo

The Cellist of Sarajevo Shirley Shi My prediction for the novel, The Cellist of Sarajevo, is that the novel is going to be out the siege in Sarajevo. It’s also going to be out a survival story for different kinds of characters in the novel. For example, on the inside flap of the novel, it said that a character in the story name Arrow, who is a counter sniper in the novel tries to protect the cellist from danger. The cellist had to stay in front of a bakery store, where a bomb killed twenty two people to play some tunes in memory of them. The disclaimer of the novel tells the reader some information about what the novel is about, but not a lot of information. For example, the Toronto Star said â€Å"In this story of a battered city and its suffering residents, art is just a trinket. Art offers precious albeit fleeting, moments of solace and hope†¦profoundly stirring† This comment helps the reader to understand that the residents are suffering but it did not say how they are suffering. The comment only said why they are suffering and from what they are suffering. The residents are suffering from living in a battered city. The quotations in the novel helps the reader to understand the deeper meaning of a character or it can help the reader to understand the setting or the actions of what the character is doing. The first few chapter of the novel is about the cellist. This first part of the book is the exposition of the novel. The cellist job was to play music in front of a bakery, where a bombed killed twenty two people, who were waiting in line to buy bread. The cellist had to stay in front of that bakery for twenty two days and play his cellist in memory of those who died. This first part of the book helps the reader to understand the cellist a little bit and also helps the reader to wonder how the cellist in the novel is going to survive because the cellist is out in the open, where he is not protected by a barrier or any protection. Arrow, a counter sniper, life had changed when she became a sniper. She doesn’t shoot at civilians, like the men on the hills, but she shoots at soldiers. Before, her life was normal, she was living her life like an average teenager girl, but when the war started; her attitude toward things had changed from been normal to un-normal. One of her internal conflict is within herself. After the world around her had started to change, she started to change herself. She didn’t want to be the girl who is always nice to everyone anymore. â€Å"I’m Arrow, I hate them, the woman you knew hated nobody† One of her external force would be â€Å"To hate people because they hated her first, and then to hate them because of what they’ve done to her, has created a desire to separate the part of her that will fight back, from the part that never wanted to fight in the first place†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (13). This quotation tells the reader that she is having a conflict with the people that affected her to change, which as we know from the quote that the people that affected her was the men on the hills. Another one of her external force is â€Å"For a moment she’s unsure, unable to read their gestures. † This quotation tells the reader that she is having conflicts with the soldiers that are on the street beneath the building that she is in. She is not sure on whether she should shoot at them or not because she is not sure about of what there gestures. Kenan, the second main character in the novel, also had internal and external conflicts during the siege in Sarajevo. His internal conflict would be been a coward. He is scared of death. He is worried about what will his wife and kids would think if they found out that he is dead. â€Å"As the door to the apartment closes behind him he presses his back to it and slides to the ground†¦He doesn’t want to go†. (26). This quotation tells the reader that Kenan is a coward because is not strong enough to face the outside world. If he wasn’t a coward then he would have just closed the door and left already with the six canisters in his hands, but instead he just sits on the outside of his door of his apartment afraid like a frightened dog. One of his external conflicts is not able to go out and get some clean water from the brewery because of the men on the hills. The men are on the hills will shoot civilians from anywhere without them knowing. He doesn’t want his wife and his kids to know that he is dead because he knows that his wife will never recover from it. Instead he just wants the war to be over so he and his family could have their own normal life back. .. That the men on the hills can kill anyone, anywhere, anytime they like†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (25). This quotation tells the reader why Kenan is so afraid to go out and do his task, which is going to the brewery. The brewery is not close to his apartment so he has to walk a long way and he has to carry Mrs. Ristovski’s two water bottle s with her along the way. What makes him even more afraid of dying is walking slowly. The difference between his canisters and Mrs, Ristovski;s water bottles is that The canisters that Kenan has have handles on them but the water bottles that Mrs. Ristovski has does not have handles so it’s harder for Kenan to carry them because without the handles he can’t tie his own canisters with her water bottles. He wants to be able to run as quick as he can when there is danger. Dragan, the last main character in the novel was scared of death too. The external conflict is whenever he tries to cross a intersection on a street that he was on, he always wait until its clear to cross because he is worried that the men on the hills will shoot bullets from anywhere, and may shoot him dead. The internal conflict is when he is not sure whether he can cross the street or not. â€Å"Dragan is one of those who waits behind the protection of a concrete wall for a sign or a feeling that it’s ok to cross. He’s never quite sure what could possibly happen that might make a difference, but sooner or later he always feels that the time to cross has come. † (40). This quotation tells the reader that Dragan can’t make up his mind. He wants to cross the intersection but he doesn’t have the courage to do so. The Cellist of Sarajevo The Cellist of Sarajevo Shirley Shi My prediction for the novel, The Cellist of Sarajevo, is that the novel is going to be out the siege in Sarajevo. It’s also going to be out a survival story for different kinds of characters in the novel. For example, on the inside flap of the novel, it said that a character in the story name Arrow, who is a counter sniper in the novel tries to protect the cellist from danger. The cellist had to stay in front of a bakery store, where a bomb killed twenty two people to play some tunes in memory of them. The disclaimer of the novel tells the reader some information about what the novel is about, but not a lot of information. For example, the Toronto Star said â€Å"In this story of a battered city and its suffering residents, art is just a trinket. Art offers precious albeit fleeting, moments of solace and hope†¦profoundly stirring† This comment helps the reader to understand that the residents are suffering but it did not say how they are suffering. The comment only said why they are suffering and from what they are suffering. The residents are suffering from living in a battered city. The quotations in the novel helps the reader to understand the deeper meaning of a character or it can help the reader to understand the setting or the actions of what the character is doing. The first few chapter of the novel is about the cellist. This first part of the book is the exposition of the novel. The cellist job was to play music in front of a bakery, where a bombed killed twenty two people, who were waiting in line to buy bread. The cellist had to stay in front of that bakery for twenty two days and play his cellist in memory of those who died. This first part of the book helps the reader to understand the cellist a little bit and also helps the reader to wonder how the cellist in the novel is going to survive because the cellist is out in the open, where he is not protected by a barrier or any protection. Arrow, a counter sniper, life had changed when she became a sniper. She doesn’t shoot at civilians, like the men on the hills, but she shoots at soldiers. Before, her life was normal, she was living her life like an average teenager girl, but when the war started; her attitude toward things had changed from been normal to un-normal. One of her internal conflict is within herself. After the world around her had started to change, she started to change herself. She didn’t want to be the girl who is always nice to everyone anymore. â€Å"I’m Arrow, I hate them, the woman you knew hated nobody† One of her external force would be â€Å"To hate people because they hated her first, and then to hate them because of what they’ve done to her, has created a desire to separate the part of her that will fight back, from the part that never wanted to fight in the first place†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (13). This quotation tells the reader that she is having a conflict with the people that affected her to change, which as we know from the quote that the people that affected her was the men on the hills. Another one of her external force is â€Å"For a moment she’s unsure, unable to read their gestures. † This quotation tells the reader that she is having conflicts with the soldiers that are on the street beneath the building that she is in. She is not sure on whether she should shoot at them or not because she is not sure about of what there gestures. Kenan, the second main character in the novel, also had internal and external conflicts during the siege in Sarajevo. His internal conflict would be been a coward. He is scared of death. He is worried about what will his wife and kids would think if they found out that he is dead. â€Å"As the door to the apartment closes behind him he presses his back to it and slides to the ground†¦He doesn’t want to go†. (26). This quotation tells the reader that Kenan is a coward because is not strong enough to face the outside world. If he wasn’t a coward then he would have just closed the door and left already with the six canisters in his hands, but instead he just sits on the outside of his door of his apartment afraid like a frightened dog. One of his external conflicts is not able to go out and get some clean water from the brewery because of the men on the hills. The men are on the hills will shoot civilians from anywhere without them knowing. He doesn’t want his wife and his kids to know that he is dead because he knows that his wife will never recover from it. Instead he just wants the war to be over so he and his family could have their own normal life back. .. That the men on the hills can kill anyone, anywhere, anytime they like†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (25). This quotation tells the reader why Kenan is so afraid to go out and do his task, which is going to the brewery. The brewery is not close to his apartment so he has to walk a long way and he has to carry Mrs. Ristovski’s two water bottle s with her along the way. What makes him even more afraid of dying is walking slowly. The difference between his canisters and Mrs, Ristovski;s water bottles is that The canisters that Kenan has have handles on them but the water bottles that Mrs. Ristovski has does not have handles so it’s harder for Kenan to carry them because without the handles he can’t tie his own canisters with her water bottles. He wants to be able to run as quick as he can when there is danger. Dragan, the last main character in the novel was scared of death too. The external conflict is whenever he tries to cross a intersection on a street that he was on, he always wait until its clear to cross because he is worried that the men on the hills will shoot bullets from anywhere, and may shoot him dead. The internal conflict is when he is not sure whether he can cross the street or not. â€Å"Dragan is one of those who waits behind the protection of a concrete wall for a sign or a feeling that it’s ok to cross. He’s never quite sure what could possibly happen that might make a difference, but sooner or later he always feels that the time to cross has come. † (40). This quotation tells the reader that Dragan can’t make up his mind. He wants to cross the intersection but he doesn’t have the courage to do so.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

ACT Writing Prompt Essay

When you were in school have you ever came back from vacation and forgot what you have learned? Most kids when they come back from summer vacation they forgot most of the material they had just learned. Or during school students complain â€Å"I want more time off†. No one gets excited about school but if kids were used to getting no summer break then they wouldn’t have the need to want more time off. The traditional three-summer vacation should not be maintained because over summer students forget what they learned, the holiday breaks will be longer, and the students will be able to learn more. See more: The Issues Concerning Identity Theft Essay The three-month summer vacation should not be maintained. Other opponents may argue that students need the summer break to get away from all of the stress of school and that students need more breaks. However, if the three-month vacation was not maintained there would be less stressful situations because there would be more time to do work. Also students would get longer holiday breaks and more half days. Doesn’t it make more sense to have multiple vacation time then one chunk of it? The three-month summer vacation clearly should not be maintained. For instance, during summer vacation students are not thinking about school, the students are thinking about having fun. For example when the students come back to school they do not remember most of the material they have learned. There are many kids out there that hate coming back to school, so they never want to learn or they do not care. But for every new school year in the first few weeks teachers have to review what material was previously taught so the students well remember. That is a waste of time. If there was no summer vacation then the first two or three weeks wouldn’t be wasted on review. In addition, with no three- month vacation the students would be able to soak in a lot more knowledge and actually remember it for college. The students would be able to be better prepared for the feature, since they would be taught with multiple vacation time. For example in college students need to be prepared because college students do not get as much vacation time as high school students do. Also if the students in high school pay attention then college will be easier for them to understand because the professors do not help as much as public school teachers do. In the future the students will not get as much vacation time in their work career. When students come back from summer vacation the kids do not remember what they have learned. That is why school should be year round with no three-month summer vacation because the students forget the material, the holiday breaks would be longer, and the students would be able to learn more. There would be no more complaining about breaks and no more homework every day.

A day … in the life

I wake with a constant mix of white noise acoustic guitar and the tortured lyrics of two broken men. This noise bleeds in through my ears. Why? Without it would I even know if I was awake? After the humdrum morning routine, philosophical conversation with Clo on the way to the bus stop and the inevitable journey on wonderful public transport I arrive at school. School this eternal lapse between comfort zones and paranoia. Comfort zones the lessons and places I'm comfortable in where I can really be me. Like drama selling line after line. I stretch the truth like a crooked sales man lie like a cheap Italian watch, showing all my emotions by portraying others. Some thing that is now so natural like I was born with it like the ability to breath. Paranoia, looking over my back makes me feel weak like a one armed boxer throwing punch after punch, after punch I'm so tired I give in I' m surprised when they duck. Sometimes I get so tired of getting out of bed but who would want to die like a cowardly little child? The doctors tell me there is nothing wrong with me so why do I get so full of anger, regret, and hatred? I got a trigger inside! Who doesn't know how to pull it? In the last year school has become easier but only slightly. The new found ease is all down the beautiful and profound idea of â€Å"options† being able to leave dull subjects behind in search of ones more to your interests making my life easier and the whole year generally happier. I'm not saying after options it all becomes perfect over night because schools still have the same problems as before the ones that schools pretend aren't there. But as we all know the future is more important than the present and my future will be a very bright and shinny one in fact my future will be orange. I see one supposed upside to school seeing my friends and my actual friends. There are some people who I really like and others I have nil time or respect for but I play politics. Who needs enemies? My real friends are the ones I know I can trust, the ones that I conclude to make school worth attending. The rest of the people I am seen with at school are all sort of bellow my level sort of unaware of the wonderful world we live in and all its great events that are there to bring peace love and enjoyment to our day. Don't get me wrong most of them are wonderful people but pay some attention the world does not revolve around your friends and your love life. My dream in life is to be a business man, actor, film maker, and comedian. Comedy is some thing that seems to come very naturally to me I love to make others laugh. I have always had a very mature sense of humor I am very into satire and those sketches with ridiculous but some how believable situations. I like my entertainment to be of quality but to also have a message. When people ask what I want to be I always tell them I want to be an international man of mystery. The only person who really knows what I'm talking about is me. I want to be an entertainer but that is all I want to be I don't want the following or the paps outside my door when I go to collect my milk or if I have left something in the car. I guess what I'm trying to get is simply this, I want to entertain people weather that be with business and product or film, comedy or television I also want the fortune ( a man needs to eat) the notoriety but not to be a brand. Do I ask for to much? Can I do it? Have I got it in me? I hope so. I would I have to admit that I do actually quite enjoy school but I also like the occasional sneaky day off with a â€Å"head ache†. The subjects I enjoy tend to be the ones were you get free reign over what you do like English no one tells you how much to write or how or what. I also like my computer based subjects I. C. T and digital applications I also enjoy science but not as much as I used to there's me thinking it would get better in year 10. But no! Were doing reports. Not good. But no matter how much I enjoy school I enjoy after school ten times more being allowed to take one hour in walking one mile that feels like a gift to me. Being able to just collapse and eat sleep and eat and watch the endless black hole of programmes made by and for severely brainless people on television. Go on my laptop, download applications that I don't actually need, music that I won't listen to unless iTunes shuffles to it, films I wont watch and television programmes that I want to watch when â€Å"I† want to. Although I take pleasure in my times after school with freedom, Saturday is the most important day of the week the ultimate day of freedom no bed times no rules eat what I like do what I like go where I like with who I want to do it with no obligation to see anyone. At the moment most of my weekends are spent with my wonderful girlfriend and vision of beautiful perfection April. She's the kind of girl makes life worth living its fun what ever we do as long as were together Some times I just look into her eyes and I know I'm happy well more like contented no desire to move or do anything else than to just look into her eyes . Our time together is more precious than diamonds or gold it is invaluable to me. Some times I pinch my self just to make sure its not dream. When I first met April I was in town with a friend I only went because I was told that I was to meet a girl. When I arrived outside McDonalds to meet my friend Heather who was the only one of this random constructed group I had ever laid eyes on before that. Sure I had spoken to April online but never seen her in the flesh and who where the others witch part of obscurity where they plucked from? and then I saw April she looked simply irresistible like a Hollywood beauty queen of old but like all Hollywood queens she had her entourage featuring her two best friends one either side her. Heather introduced us I said Hey and waved at her. She almost did exactly the same but after the wave came a smile that melted my heart that moment triggered shy mode: my hand snapped straight into the pockets of my jeans, my shoulders tensed I dared not do or say anything. 30 minutes, a solo trip to virgin and the stalking of two business men past the orange phone shop had passed before she spoke to me. She moved several paces away from her protection that eased me slightly so I took my hand out of my right pocket and lent it on her shoulder and said â€Å"so how are you? Then something trivial occurred witch distracted everyone so she cut short answer, then a scruffy looking unemployed man I know that much about him because who else where's camouflage jackets and buys a big Mac for breakfast? Looked straight at me then said something. At that point I took my arm off of her shoulder looked into her eyes and said confidently like it was a perfectly normal activity, April lets follow Him! We walked briskly behind him so that he noticed just to make a point. After finally thinking I could be alone with her and get know her better but alas cut short was our time alone as there was noise and a voice behind us as half her entourage caught up. But that didn't matter because at that point she took my and she has never let go. My usual Saturday activity is going into town spending my parent's money on food and junk that I don't actually want or need. This is called shopping or giving into to money grabbing organizations when I could be saving this money and putting it towards something practical mainly an item of consumer electronics some thing I have a big affiliation with. People who enjoy consumer electronics as much as I do are labeled as techys a clever take on the word treckie the term for star trek fans. My few on electronics is simple there is always one that is greater than the others and one that sells more than the others never normally the same thing witch has to said is a shame. But on reflection I would actually rather be buying pointless stuff with friends in town than being all alone at home with a new gadget I can't win. To me a Sunday is the day of rest a lazy day to recover one from the activities of Saturday a wind down before restarting for school on the Monday. A day for big dinners, being old fashioned and staying at home with family, or going out. But all in all Sundays are generally for being lazy. I used to like walking into town Sundays even though no decent shops open it just seemed calmer and quieter like an arctic village or a sleepy Cotswold hamlet. I guess I'm just impressed at the transition between Saturday and Sunday. A day in the life of me it's not really that bad. I suppose.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Literary Critique: Wicked Essay

My friend and I went to go see the second to last showing of the popular, surrealistic musical Wicked on September 4th, 2010 in San Francisco at the Orpheum Theater. The production is generally a success on its own terms; however, I don’t think it is as flawless as everyone seems to think it is. The productions starts at the end of the plot which is a bit dramatic, goes back in time and continues to move forward until it, once again, reaches that dramatic ending. In essence, the production completes a circle which works because showing the audience the ending first grabs their attention immediately after the show begins and makes them wonder what events must have occurred in order for the characters to end up in their current situation. It also works because it’s clear that only part of the ending is revealed in the beginning of the show which still leaves some surprises in store for the audience and gives them something to look forward to–finding out the rest of the ending. Choreography was definitely a significant element in Wicked. I found that it contributed to the story a lot by allowing the audience to actually see the emotions that the characters are feeling in the form of movement, or more specifically, dance. Choreography was especially helpful when trying to figure out what the characters in the ensembles were feeling because, first of all, they were the people doing most of the dancing so one could get a lot of information out of their movements and, secondly, there aren’t that many other opportunities or ways for them to tell the audience how they are feeling. Without the choreography in Wicked, the audience would only have a good understanding of how the main characters feel which would prevent them from getting different view points on what was happening. There are a few times when the choreography doesn’t really work and those are when the cast uses props in their dance numbers. I noticed that the props used in the dance numbers don’t really contribute to the story, they are just there for aesthetic or entertainment value, which is fine, except for when they get distracting and take away from the dance number. An example of this would be in â€Å"Dancing Through Life† when I kept getting mesmerized by the books the ensemble were moving around instead of appreciating the whole scene. Something that contributes to the production even more than the choreography are the songs that are sung throughout the musical. Through the songs, the audience is given a more detailed description of the characters and the characters’ situations and emotions in a different way other than lines, captivating the audience one again and giving them the opportunity to relate to the characters. This is one aspect of the musical that works really well because it is a way for the show to hold the audiences’ attention and relay information to them. Having music especially works when the show was trying tell the audience something and get them to feel a certain way at the same time. However, much like the choreography aspect of the show, there were times when having music didn’t work. Some of the messages that the songs gave were powerful, but they might’ve been stronger if the director had chosen to have the message of the song spoken instead of sung. I really noticed this in the song â€Å"No One Mourns the Wicked†. The costume choice were another thing that grabbed the audiences’ attention because the costumes, even when they weren’t always the most glamorous looking, were out there. They work because they are very imaginative, contributing to the surrealism of Wicked. They also work because they are a reflection of the characters’ personalities and; therefore, provide the audience with character information. For example, Glinda is generally dressed really brightly and extravagantly representing her bubbly and extravagant personality; meanwhile, Elphaba is normally seen in dark, simple clothing portraying the fact that she is a misunderstood, unhappy, simply being. The theme of good versus evil was prominent in the popular musical. Juxtaposition is used a lot to portray this especially when the theme is applied to the two main characters–a â€Å"good† and â€Å"bad† witch. This worked for a couple of reasons. One of which is that the audience was observing more than one personality type, which were both taken to extremes, at the same time. This allowed them to really get both sides of the story, to be cliche, instead of just seeing the characters’ world from one person’s point of view. The way the director chose to introduce the theme of good triumphing over evil also works. At the beginning of the production it’s clear that being â€Å"good† does have some advantages over being â€Å"evil†; however, as the musical progresses it becomes even more clear that good triumphing over evil may not always be what it seems to be. Portraying such a strong message in this manner works because, at first, it shows the audience what they already know and what they feel comfortable and then slowly it introduces them to a new idea making it less likely that they will reject the idea being proposed to them. Wicked has certain aspects that work together to make it a success, such as it’s choreography, props, soundtrack, themes, and costumes. Although, not every one of those aspects has a completely positive impact on the musical which makes it hard for me to refer to Wicked as a complete and total success.

Losing Matt Shepard Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Losing Matt Shepard - Essay Example When the writer refers to what seemed like a divinely bestowed power, she indicates that Lisa had an edgy charisma, but at that night she deserted Steph as Jim and Lisa witnessed the earliest TV reports. Loffereda observes and documents the multifaceted predicament ignited by media frenzy, the prejudices of Wyoming, fanatic religious organizations and the remaining part of the country. She insists that hysteria in Wyoming begun by the media and extended its sensational spin. Matt’s death is one of the many deaths in that year; nevertheless, his death obtained enormous attention of the media. Jim had the power of forceful, fluent and appropriate speech. The writer describes him as one that can utter a well-expressed blue streak and the quality of a union genius. The murder of Matt induced profound effects on Laramie (Beth 196). This calamity provoked several discussions and attracted the public attention to the position of lesbian and gay community as well as the heads of the discriminated community. Loffreda lays emphasis on the crisis of intolerance and hate for homosexuals that have remained unnoticed by the mass media. I suggest that the murder of Matt should be figured as a revelation of a more complex problem than common

Friday, September 27, 2019

How to maintain Mr. Juicy as the market leader in the Hong Kongs Essay

How to maintain Mr. Juicy as the market leader in the Hong Kongs chilled juice market - Essay Example The health conscious nature of the company was reflected in in 2003, when Mr. Juicy introduced a new formulation, adding vitamins A, D, E and soluble fibre. The mascot has evolved from "Mr. Juicy Fresh" to "Mr. Juicy Fit". In 2005, Mr. Juicy Fit undergoes a packaging revamp exercise, in which the product attributes for health elements are highlighted. This illustrates that A.S.Watson group has been transforming Mr.Juicy according to the market needs to some extent. At the same time, fruit graphics are employed to enhance the wholesomeness of the brand. However to continue its leading position there is a strong necessity to formulate management strategies. It also require strong marketing plan and an exercise to analyse the existing problems or weaknesses so that the opportunities and strengths can be maximized. The channel stewards should be introduced which will take care of customer needs immediately. Internet marketing plan has to be generated which reduces its cost of supply to t he customers. The feed back of the customers has to be accurate and timely to make necessary improvements. Improvement plan has to be made keeping the future issues in mind. Keeping these in view an exercise has been made to prepare a management plan with a major objective of maintaining the number one position of Mr. Juicy in Hongkong market. The A.S. Watson Group is a leading company that produces and markets a full range of fruit juices, soft drinks, tea and cooling drink products in Hong Kong and the Mainland. With a history dating back to 1828, the A.S. Watson Group has evolved into an international retail and manufacturing business with operations in 36 markets worldwide.   At present, the Beverages Division operates two plants, producing bottled and canned soft drinks, and fruit juices. Among the major brands marketed by the company are: Sunkist, Mr. Juicy, Watsons cordials and mixers, Crystal Spring teas, and Sarsae carbonated drink and MJ cooling drinks in

The Yellow Wallpaper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

The Yellow Wallpaper - Essay Example On the other hand, in case The Yellow Wallpaper indicates a note of terrible warning, Gilman is as well extremely concerned with practical resolutions. The narrative, in this well created compilation, stand on end with ingenious means of balancing creative and domestic imperatives. Whereas Bee Wise is in one way or another too weakly utopian for contemporary tastes, stories for instance making a change in that a stressed young wife and bothered mother in law conspire in a reorganization of their daily lives stand stridently sensitive. Gilman’s narratives are emphasized with stubborn hopefulness which is powerfully moving and significance of her subject matter has not reduced. The compilation comes to an end with a number of odds and ends of autobiography, which includes an agonizing narrative on Gilman’s experience of motherhood and postnatal despair. Despite the fact that she is well regarded equally as a writer and a stern feminist thinker, a number of her works came from painful frustrations. She would be disappointed to learn it but more than a century later, her narratives keep hold of their capability to be on fire. Answer to Question from the Handout=thesis Charlotte Gilman’s narrative, â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† is a feminist tale of a lady who is spoken like a child, neglected like a piece of paper and treated medically in a means that is devastating to every sensibility. The tone of this story is therefore saddening, depressing and depicts the extent which women are discriminated and looked down upon in the society by their husbands. This is a reflection of patriarchal oppression that many women go through from husbands with chauvinistic behaviors and stern power in both at home and the society. The horror she withstands starring at the terrible wallpaper every new day is indeed a side effect of her mistreatment and her exasperating lack of satisfaction/contentment, which was not allowed by a fool hardy psychologist and im posed by the patriarchy of her husband. While typically scrutinized as a feminist piece, The Yellow Wallpaper as well offers the reader with a period piece on the attitudes of the medical community on mental illness. Over and above, Gilman presents the readers to a diary of records that perceive an ongoing descent to insanity. John’s understanding of post-partum despair closely bears resemblance to the psychologists of the present day. Post partum despair or more similarly baby blues is in general related to the short term mood disorder which lasts approximately a month. The fact that John has planned a stay of six weeks is either significantly coincidental or highlighted by the extent of renovations or reveals that he has a little understanding of the disorder. On the other hand, the fact that he offers her phosphates and tonics indicates that his dedication to the physical realm of illness. It is therefore not the unfortunate diagnosis of the mood disorder that brings about the lady’s insanity but to a certain extent the mix of John’s practicality to the acute and social pressures that bars her from recuperating. Quote or example from the story which illustrates your answer (thesis): Briefly describe How does that support the idea in the thesis? Explain â€Å"

Thursday, September 26, 2019

United Arab Emirates Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

United Arab Emirates - Essay Example United Arab Emirates The principal and the most prosperous of all of the seven states is the capital of the federation, the Abu Dhabi generating nearly sixty percent of the country’s wealth. The most popular city from the federation, Dubai City is located in the Dubai Emirate, the second leading emirate while Sharjah City and Khawr Fakkan are the two main cities in the third biggest state, the Sharjah. The UAE consists of tribal groupings of Arabian Peninsula sheikhdoms found on the tip end of the Persian Gulf and north the Gulf of Oman, the area was involved in several dynastic clashes for centuries just immediately after it was converted to Islam in the seventh century. The main tribal groups of the country’s nationals are the Qawasim and the Bani Yas who emerged as the powerful tribes after the dynastic disputes. The Qawasim were originally traders and inhabit the present day emirates of Ras al Khaymah while the Bani Yas were predominantly agriculturalists and pastoralists and lived in what is today the emirates of Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The British mounted expeditions against the inhabitants in an attempt to have control of the maritime routes and a desire to establish supremacy in the area over other interested European powers. However, regular warfare among tribes was still rampant at sea and the sheikhs made several truce agreements with the supervision of British political authorities to whom the warring parties reported any violations of the truce treaty. A perpetual maritime truce was signed by the tribal sheikhs in May 1853 to end any further conflicts at sea between the tribes. The coastal sheikhdoms thereafter remained under British protection practicing their traditional form of Arab monarchial rule while Britain oversaw their defense and foreign relations. In 1952 under the guidance of Britain, the seven sheikdoms established the Trucial Council to advance the implementation of common policies concerning administration of the sheikhdoms with the aim of eventually leading to a federation of emirates. In 1968, Britain decided to end the protection status with the seven sheikhdoms and withdrew United Kingdom armed forces out of the region. Three months thereafter, the seven sheikhdoms formed a Federa tion of Arab Emirates together with Qatar and Bahrain, still under British rule. However, in 1971 the latter two states decided to cede from the federation to establish separate sovereign states. Immediately after in the same year, Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Dubai, Sharjah and Umm al Qaywayn agreed to have a common federal constitution in order to achieve independence under the United Arab Emirates. On December 1, 1971, Britain ended all ties and relationships with the seven sheikhdoms including every one the treaties and declared the federation independent on December 2, 1971. Initially the six emirates formed the federation and the other remaining sheikhdom, Ras al Khayman, joined the United Arab Emirates in February 1972. When independence was declared, Sheikh Zayid of Abu Dhabi assumed the presidency of new UAE until 2004 when he died while Sheikh Rashid Al Maktum of Dubai was entitled the vice president and his son Sheikh Maktum ibn Rashid Al Maktum was named the prime mini ster. Geography

FASBs Current Exposure on Revenue Recognition Essay

FASBs Current Exposure on Revenue Recognition - Essay Example The entities will change their revenue recognition policy since the proposed amendment will actually supersede the current revenue recognition of GAAP and also the IFRSs guides in IASs 11 and 18. It is true with the new proposed guidelines that some entities will be more affected than others and the main areas which the board have identified so far include; whether the recognition of that revenue is fully based on the transfer of goods in question or the service like construction services, customized software’s or in the manufacturing areas. The companies will also be required to identify the performance separate duty either by dividing the given contract into parts which are actually distinct and can be delivered at different times, this can make an entity to separate the contract and account for it in a different way as the current accounting practices. The companies will also be required to analyze the intellectual property whether it is less than the actual economic value of the property that is the license is being granted in a non-exclusive or exclusive basis in this case the company will be required to recognize the revenue in terms of the license term, and this will actually be different with the current practices of revenue recognition. The issue on how the credit risk is evaluated is actually contradicting with the current rules and practices and this will have the effect on the credit risk of the customers and the collectability period this will, in turn, affect the number of revenues recognized by an entity rather than when to recognize such revenue. The companies will also be required to use estimates in calculating the transaction price of a commodity unlike the current rigid rules in following of the rules and standards in coming up with the commodity price. The new guidelines also give details on how to account for the cost of contract services, the new proposal, unlike the current guidelines, gives or specify the contract parts to be classified as expenses and the cost to be capitalized.

Utilizing Online Social Networking Sites Paper Essay

Utilizing Online Social Networking Sites Paper - Essay Example The registered members of the group can talk about camera and accessories to improve their photographs and also talk about their professional knowledge which helps them to learn about the latest provisions in the field. The groups also provide continuing education opportunities in the field of professional photography and these groups provide various educational opportunities and education credits to licensed professionals. The groups also provide qualified referrals and it helps the members to stay connected with the professional community. It helps to further business opportunities in the field of photography in the following ways - There are many LinkedIn applications which can be added to personal profiles and homepages to promote and to stay connected with other human service professionals. Social networking sites provide a platform to individuals who have nowhere to turn for help. Human service is also designed as the professional services for those in need (Alle-Corliss, 1998). As per Maslow’s hierarchy of needs - The scheme of need includes self actualization, esteem needs, belongingness & love needs, safety and psychological needs. It is found that people who are deprived of meaningful social contacts suffer from medical problems (Cassel, 1990). Firms believe that good work spread through spontaneous referrals and referral works because of transferred trust. Employment patterns are related to groups and time (Calvo-Armgengol and Jackson, 2004) and the information spreads fast across social networks. Quality referrals to your client can be generated through awareness, colleagues, service providers, seminars or conference. With the evolution in IT, internet based social networking sites can generate quality referrals. There are other ways to generate quality referrals such as articles, blogs, news, exhibitions, emails, books, case studies, online advertisements, SEO etc.

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Muti questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Muti questions - Essay Example (5 marks) Pearl Harbour was the best geographical place for an attack; it was close enough to japan than other places like San Francisco. The more the Japanese attackers moved closer the more they were going to be detected hence a place far away was best suited for them. They wanted to stop any interference coming from the USA government of wanting to attack the Dutch, Singapore, Burma, Malaysia and South Asia. Japan wanted to take over the oil resources of South Asia because the American government had stopped selling oil to them because of their hostility in China (Takaki 323). The pearl harbour had the majority of the USA`s naval force. For Japan to win over America forces, they wanted to destroy most of its naval force that existed in Pearl Harbour. They wanted as well to avoid immediate retaliation of the USA because the needed time to regroup after their naval base was destroyed. Some people in the American government were getting suspicious that the Japanese would attack them, Japanese felt that were running out time and soon the USA government would discover the attack they were planning. The nearest place for them to execute their attack plan was in the harbour. The Japanese army was in control of government resources and they wished that one day that they would conquer all of China. American was not being fair by trying to stop this from happening. What led to the increase in spending in Reagan`s spending 1987? (3 marks) President Reagan financed the development of nuclear weapons. Funds were directed to the research and development of nuclear weapons. Defence spending under Reagan`s government were more than usual. The impacts of World War 2 were still being felt in the USA and the president wanted to put back the economy at its feet. What factors led to the migration of the Vietnamese to USA? (5 marks) Individuals from Vietnam were poverty stricken hence they had to move and find resources elsewhere. The Vietnam country was facing Economic hardships Continuous war in Vietnam led to the immigration of Vietnamese to the USA because peace existed there. There existed social struggle in Vietnam. The country had no Political stability. How did Harry S. Truman manage the war after the death of President Franklin (5marks) (Takaki 373) At first Truman felt he was not a man enough to take the place of Franklin who had just died. He had the problem of continuing the war which wasn’t finished. In his mind the fastest way to finish and win the war was to use atomic weapons against Japan. Trauma worked with the congress and funded heavily in the United Nations and helped in doing away with of communism. He came up with a marshal plan of rebuilding Europe which had been badly destroyed during the war time. He oversaw the lifting of Berlin and the creation of NATO. Trauma`s presidency was a turning point for the country especially in the sector of foreign affairs as America now supported foreign policies and worked closely with other countries. Why were the Americans involved in the Vietnam War? (8 marks) The USA wanted the stop of communism spread in Asia. The Americans strongly opposed communism. Already the USA was in the Vietnam supplying and providing military and financial support. They felt that they needed to be there fully and increases their military personnel. There was a growing risk and support of the National Liberation Front. This was a communist guerrilla group which had attacked the USA in the South Vietnam. The political ego of

Analysis Of Film Sunrise Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Analysis Of Film Sunrise - Essay Example Summary and Plot analysis of Sunrise (1927)The Man leaves his wife after he hears the woman from the city whistling. His wife is left alone with memories of their once deep love relationship.The man and the woman from the city are in a love affair under the moon. The woman wants the man to sell his farm and follow her back to the society. She also suggests that the man drowns his wife. However, the man violently refuses. However, the woman convinces the man. The unsuspecting wife is taken for a boat ride where she is to be drowned. She later becomes suspicious about the trip while they are in the lake. The man is unable to drown his wife. He goes back to the shore, where the wife flees to the shore. The wife then flees and the man tries to follow her. The wife from the farm then goes to the city where she is overwhelmed with the city life and her husband is close behind her. The man then gives the woman flowers and other gifts and she is then convinced to stop crying. They reconcile and while in the city, they see a bride who gets married in a church. The man asks for forgiveness, after which they go back to the farmhouse. A twist in the plot of the film is when the woman and the man travel back to their home; a storm causes their boat to sink. The man saves the wife but he wakes up convinced that his wife has drowned. He asks the town people to help search for her body They do not succeed and when he gets back to their house, the woman of the city reappears thinking that the plan had succeeded. The man turns violent on the woman from the city. He tries to kill her before he is told that his wife survived. He is happy as he kisses her and lets the woman of the city get out of the town. Depiction of the City Woman as trangressive, problematic and having threatening presences in Sunrise (1927) F. W. Munrau’s depiction of women in the silent film, Sunrise is an approach of representing women in rural and city settings. The city woman is depicted as being pr oblematic, trangressive and even having threatening presences. The film pits the city woman against the rural woman. Victorian melodrama usually depicts the woman as either a vamp or a virgin. Munroe borrows this expression in his silent film, whereby the rural woman is represented as a ‘virgin’; the city woman is the ‘Vamp’. The city woman is problematic in the context of Sunrise (1927). Mary Livingstone plays a demanding woman. She demands that the farm man sells his farm. This is a challenge to the man who depends on the farm as his source of living. He also asks the man to kill his wife so that she can take her place. The man finds it a problem top sell his farm and go to the city. He also finds it hard to drown his wife. However, the power of the city woman is reflected in her seductive prowess. She easily convinces the man to go ahead with the plan. The city woman manages to bring problems to a small rural town. She causes problems amongst the wife an d the man. Their marriage and love was blissful and

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Business Strategy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business Strategy - Assignment Example Among the elements research here include self-driving cars and augmented reality glasses. While Google is currently an industry leader, it has received criticism from analysts who argue that the shift between eras of technology will be too great for Google to organizationally manage (Jackson 2012). This essay considers strategic means by which Google can manage the next major paradigm change in technology and ensure its long-term subsistence. Analysis While Google, Inc. will undoubtedly encounter steep challenges in maintaining its industry position in the upcoming decade, this strategic analysis argues there are ways the organization can remain highly competitive. One of the most prominent considerations in terms of long-term strategic management is leadership. Chen & Hambrich (2012) argue that one of the primary determinants of organizational success is successful leadership. Within this spectrum of understanding it is necessary for Google to ensure their leadership and management approach is strategically established. A considerable amount of research has been devoted to Steve Jobs and his organizational contributions to Apple, Inc. Researchers note that his arrogance may have contributed to Job’s ability to inspire others by getting them to view Apple as not just a company, but also a personal mission (Isaacson). What emerges is a consistent articulation of Job’s personality and leadership approach as implementing brash arrogance and perfectionism to advance his overarching vision; as such, Job’s is not entirely concerned with the intricate programming details, but with driving and shaping vertical and horizontal expansion. Such an approach has also been recognized as successful with celebrity chef Jamie Oliver. One considers that in terms of leadership theory his approach is largely akin to a charismatic leadership style, as Oliver leverages his intensity for the business to inspire the employees around him (Godwin 2012). There are a n umber of ways that Google can implement the success of these individuals. Their approach could be implemented in different management contexts in Google through ensuring that the organization’s mission and purpose is aligned in a socially responsible way. While Google currently has the ‘Don’t Be Evil’ motto, it’s necessary they further implement such social responsibility. This would encourage employee identification with the leader and the organization’s larger evangelical purposes. Notably, such an evangelical approach has prominently emerged in technology companies such as Apple, Inc. and to a lesser extent Facebook, both of which have achieved great success. While strategic management considerations are essential to Google’s long-term success, it’s also necessary to consider specific business maneuvers. Indeed, Hannan & Freeman (1989) argue that one of the primary reasons organizations fail is because of the large ecological business environment in which they operate. While it’s impossible to specifically predict the future in terms of Internet search, there are a number of strategic directions that Google must pursue as a means of not being left behind in their organizational environment. This strategic analysis specifically argues that future contexts of Internet search will emerge at the intersection of mobile/tablet technology, social media, and customized data analysis. Currently Internet search results in

Human systems-Co-ordination Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Human systems-Co-ordination - Essay Example The hormones released by the gland effect on growth, sexual development, metabolism and system of reproduction. Pituitary Gland consists of anterior pituitary and posterior Pituitary (Endocrine System) Growth hormone - stimulates growth in early days and is vital for keeping up a strong body composition. In grownups it is also responsible for retaining muscle mass and bone mass. It can influence fat allocation in the body. Antidiuretic hormone - is stored in the posterior pituitary gland and adjusts water balance. Improper release of this hormone, this can lead to salt problems and water balance, and could can affect the kidneys. The hypothalamus is division of the brain that lies just over the pituitary gland. It discharges hormones that begin and end the release of pituitary hormones. The hypothalamus regulates hormone production in the pituitary gland by several "releasing" hormones. Some of these are growth hormone-releasing hormone, thyrotropin-releasing hormone, and corticoptropin-releasing hormone, Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (The hormone Foundation) Humoral factors assist to build up the lymphoid system, which is a system throughout the body that facilitate it to achieve a mature immune response in cells to defend them from attacking germs and bacteria. (Definition of Thymus) Pineal Gland has long been interest for the medical experts. It is located at the center of the brain It secretes a hormone called melatonin. Melatonin regulates sleeping habits. Studies prove an increased production of this hormone when night falls and thus people feel sleepy; when morning arrives the melatonin production drops which triggers alertness. (Dr. Gary Farr 2003) These are male’s twin reproductive glands that produce a hormone called testosterone. Testosterone assist a boy build up and then continue his sexual behavior. Throughout puberty, testosterone aids to carry about the physical modifications that turn a boy into an adult

Monday, September 23, 2019

Court system in England Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Court system in England - Essay Example The first right of the defendant starts when the court says that defendant's presence in the court for any indictable offence is necessary. There are cases where the defendants are intimidated, threatened, kidnapped or sometimes even eliminated so that they cannot attend the court. Under such circumstances, these courts order a decree of Habeus Corpus. Unless there are extraordinary circumstances, a defendant cannot be tried without being present. Magistrate courts deal with summary offences, which are less serious cases like minor assaults or driving offences and these offences are not eligible to be tried by the jury being rather legally insignificant. They also deal with Either-way offences and they are called so, because they could either be dealt by judge and jury or by a magistrate, which is usually the case. Offences here include theft, handling of stolen goods, etc. Here the right of the defendant is upheld by making the defendant to ask for either a Crown trial or a Magistrate trial and the choice belongs not to the court, but to the defendant. In case if the offence is of a more serious kind, magistrate himself might commit the defendant to a trial by the jury and under those circumstances, defendant's rights are not considered. Magistrate courts cannot try Indictable-only offences, and these are of a more serious kind like murder, manslaughter, rape and robbery. ... There is a distinction between summary and indictable offences. Jurisdiction and procedure usually are affected by this distinction because the distinction is fundamental. "Summary offences can be tried only in magistrate's courts, while indictable offences are triable on indictment before a jury. Summary offences are all creatures of statute, and the particular statute lays down the mode of trial and the appropriate penalty," Arguile (1969, p.41). The decision on bail and other connected legal issues like reporting restrictions are usually conducted by magistrate courts before the case goes to the Crown court. Again there is an option for the defendant. He could opt for a trial at the magistrate court and such a plea could be considered. If the defendant is found guilty, at that stage, or at any other stage, magistrates can impose a sentence up to six months imprisonment along with a fine up to 5000 and if the defendant is acquitted, and if there are no other connected or unconnected cases pending against him the magistrates can set him free as a legally innocent person. There are diverse kinds of legal presence in magistrate courts. There could be three lay magistrates or one District Judge and both the situations are perfectly acceptable to law. The lay magistrates are called Justices of the Peace and are usually the local people who volunteer their services. Despite not having any formal legal qualifications, the legal hist ory says that these magistrates have functioned very well over the years. They are given legal and procedural training and advice by the qualified clerks though. This prompts a question: Do such magistrates command the same respect from clerks, defendants and other legal fraternity Well, this is a different legal matter,

Not Real Apology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Not Real Apology - Essay Example Although both Lewinsky and Clinton initially both refuted the affair before a grand jury. They eventually admitted to the affair on national television. Clinton later on apologized to his family, the American people and to God for the affair. By conducting a rhetorical analysis of the speech that was given by President Clinton as he apologized, this paper will seek to argue that President Clinton did not want to make an apology to his family and country. An analysis of President Clinton’s speech in his apology reveals some elements that hint at the probability that President Clinton did not really want to apologize to his family and America. These elements include: In his speech, President Clinton alludes to the fact that he had just finished testifying before both the grand jury and the Office of Independent Counsel (OIC). He mentioned that although he had answered the questions in a truthful manner, he had answered a number of questions pertaining to his own private life; questions which he points out no American citizen would ever want to answer. This statement hints at the fact that President Clinton might have been forced to answer a number of questions which he was not quite comfortable with answering. The opening statement also suggests that it is quite possible that Clinton was using the speech not as an apology, but as a means to denounce the OIC and the Grand Jury for the fact that he had been forced to answer a number of private questions pertaining to himself. This position is further strengthened by the fact that in his next paragraph, Clinton does not apologize but instead argues that during a deposition that had been conducted in January, although he had not volunteered any information, his answers during the deposition had been legally accurate. Clinton does not apologize for his relationship with Miss Lewinsky but instead terms it as having been wrong. Immediately after terming the relationship as a personal

Sunday, September 22, 2019

World Hunger Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

World Hunger - Essay Example As George Michael vividly shows in his 1990 song "Praying for Time", "These are the days of the hungry man", with 25 000 thousand daily dying of hunger and 852 million living without adequate food (WFP 2006) - more than the combined populations of the USA, Canada, the EU. While we sit at our tables and splurge on chicken by "Mac" and "Kentucky"; pork ribs and rind; garden and crunchy slaw salads; baked, mashed and fried potatoes, and more, thousands of people in Calcutta are eating lentil stew for their unique daily meal. While our children drink twenty ounces of soda and juice everyday, countless children in Bangladesh would give - and sometimes do give - an arm and a leg for a mouthful of clean water. While we have the luxury of dieting, vegetarianism, anorexia and bulimia, hundreds of people in Darfour only have aid rations spooned out under refugee tents or dropped from whirring helicopters. While we can pick, choose and refuse from the confusion of cow's milk, goat's milk, soy m ilk and rice milk, undernourished mothers in Ethiopia weep in despair over drooping desiccated breasts that have not even an ounce of human milk for their famished babies. It is impossible to wrap one's mind around the 518 billion dollars of US military expenditure in 2005 (Wikipedia 2006): money that could provide food aid to the entire population of hungry, malnourished and undernourished peoples for five hundred years! When we sit and eat our "dollar meals", we don't stop to think that around the world, 1.2 billion people have to survive on only the cost of that meal per day (BOL 2006). Our mindless lavish spending - 400 dollars for an iPod to listen to hours of music, or for a PSP2 to play hours of games - we are oblivious to the fact that the cost of those now-simple pleasures could provide much needed food, employment and medication to four families for a month. Instead, as George Michael bemoans, "The rich declare themselves poor/ and most of us are not sure/ if we have too much, but we'll take our chances/ 'cause God stopped keeping score." Except in the rare music video or news telecast, we no longer are confronted with pictures of pot-bellied children in the shanty towns of Jakarta or Bogot with sore-ravished oversize heads and squall on their mouths who squat by slum drains drinking fly- and disease-infested water just meters downstream from where dead animals lay, women wash dirty clothes, and men dump pails of urine and feces. We cannot imagine the trauma of the 800 million undernourished people eking out an existence in India, China, Africa, Asia, Latin America (WFP 2006), buffeted on all sides: poverty on the right, natural disasters on the left, AIDS, dysentery, typhoid from the front, and ethnic, civil and religious wars from behind. We sometimes purge our consciences with token telethons and all-star songs. Yet for the most part we sit in our comfortable bubbles, isolated and insulated from the suffering multitudes outside our windows and inside our television sets. As George Michael points out, "These are the days of the empty hand/ Oh you hold on to what you can/ And charity is a coat you wear twice a year". Every day we pass hungry people with outstretched palm on the sidewalk as we zing by in our rose-tinted Benzes and Escalades. 'Superstars'

Employment Story Essay Example for Free

Employment Story Essay I first joined the army in 1996 and have been part of what most soldiers probably considers as the most important unit of any command, the Food Supply Unit. My battlefield is the kitchen where I rose from the ranks where my army soldier rank promotions became commensurate to my rise in the kitchen ranks. When I became Private First Class in 98, I also earned the title of First Cook. 2001 saw me become a Staff Sergeant on the field and a Senior First Cook in the Mess Kitchen. Currently, I am now Sergeant First Class and serving as the Dining Facility Manager as well. Being a Dining Facility Manager is not an easy job. I have to know how to manage twenty-five people and multi task between meal planning, cooking, and food distribution at base camp and on the field. Sometimes, it can turn into a real headache, especially when I have to accomplish the job in a war zone situation. I have done everything from planning meal drops to soldiers on the field, preparing the commanding officers meals, and when unavoidable, I can plan wedding receptions for my comrades who get married on base camp as well. I believe that I have served both my country and my fellow soldiers well. Together with my unit, I have done duty on two peace keeping missions as well as served in the war. I know that a soldier cannot fight on an empty stomach that is why my priority on the battle field is to make sure that all the units are well fed regardless of the combat situation. When somebody offers me a new job, I always tell that person the story about how I got to combine my two passions in the world into one very important job. Ive always been a patriot and a cook at heart. Working in the army has allowed me to live my dream job. That is to serve and protect my country and the free world while cooking up a storm and learning new recipes while serving on the field.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Effective Human Resource Planning Essay Example for Free

Effective Human Resource Planning Essay The key to effective human resource management is human resource planning 1.0 Introduction Human Resources (HR) Management is a multifaceted function. This entity has an important place within companies in helping key personnel decide on the best staff for their needs, among other things. Sometimes, the employees chosen are full-time employees already working for the company or they could be contractors. Regardless, the goal of HR Management is to choose the most qualified person for the job. Again, HR Management is a group of professionals that wear many hats, some of which include employee benefits and compensation, hiring and terminating employees, and managing personnel policies and employee records. While smaller companies will often perform the tasks of HR Management on their own, most, larger corporations choose to hire professionals to oversee the entire HR department so we can say that the key to effective human resource management is human resource planning, as it is stated by Mark and Cynthia, it involves strategic plans, then devising ways to meet these objectives . In this essay I will try to focus on strategic planning which is a major factor of planning. 2.0 Aims of strategic plans The history of strategic planning begins in the military. According to Websters New World Dictionary, strategy is the science of planning and directing large-scale military operations, of maneuvering forces into the most advantageous position prior to actual engagement with the enemy (Guralnic, 1986). In an address to the strategic planning workshop director-general of kwazulu-Netal RK Sizani said employees must be able to advise, facilitate, support, consult, guide, monitor, resolve disputes and recommend strategic interventions to government and departments. They must be capable of producing rules, procedures, norms, frameworks, standards, draw common plans and goals which will enhance co-ordination. They require people who are experienced and somewhat capacitated and not junior entry  level officers. As organizations vary in size, aims, functions, complexity, construction, the physical nature of their product, and appeal as employers, so do the contributions of human resource management. But, in most the ultimate aim of the function is to: ensure that at all times the business is correctly staffed by the right number of people with the skills relevant to the business needs, that is, neither overstaffed. The second area should be about identifying which of these plans and strategies are so fundamental that there must be clear plans to address them before the organisation can achieve on any of its goals. These are likely to include: * Workforce planning issues * Progression planning * Staff skills plans * Motivation and fair treatment issues * Pay levels designed to recruit, retain and motivate people * A grading and remuneration system which is fair * Employment issues which impact on staff recruitment, retention, motivation etc. * A performance management framework which is designed to meet the needs of all sectors of the organisation. * Career development framework which look at development within the organisation at equipping employees with employability so that they can cope with increasingly frequent changes in employer and employment patterns * Policies and framework- to ensure that people development issues are addressed systematically: competence frameworks, self-managed learning etc. The HR strategy will need to show that careful planning of the people issues will make it substantially easier for the organisation to achieve its wider strategic and operational goals. 3.0 Recruitment of staff Recruitment should be preceded by an analysis of the job to be done (i.e. an analytical study of the tasks to be performed to determine their essential factors) written into a job description so that the selectors know what physical and mental characteristics applicants must possess, what qualities and attitudes are desirable and what characteristics are a decided disadvantage; * In the case of replacement staff a critical questioning of the need to recruit at all (replacement should rarely be an automatic process). * Effectively, selection is buying an employee (the price being the wage or salary multiplied by probable years of service) hence bad buys can be very expensive. For that reason some firms (and some firms for particular jobs) use external expert consultants for recruitment and selection. Equally some small organizations exist to head hunt, i.e. to attract staff with high reputations from existing employers to the recruiting employer. However, the cost of poor selection is such that, even for the ordinary day-to-day jobs, those who recruit and select should be well trained to judge the suitability of applicants. 3.1 The main sources of recruitment are: * Internal promotion and internal introductions * University appointment boards; * Agencies for the unemployed; * Advertising (often via agents for specialist posts) or the use of other local media (e.g. commercial radio). The organization put its trade mark for rapid attraction and it must take care not to offend the sex, race, etc. antidiscrimination legislation either directly or indirectly. Interviewing can be carried out by individuals (e.g. supervisor or departmental manager), by panels of interviewers or in the form of sequential interviews by different personal skills techniques to aid judgment include selection testing for: * Aptitudes (particularly useful for school leavers); * Attainments; * General intelligence. (All of these need skilled testing and assessment.) In more senior posts other techniques are: * Leaderless groups; * Command exercises; * Group problem solving. (These are some common techniques professional selection organizations often use other techniques to aid in selection.) Training in interviewing and in appraising candidates is clearly essential to good recruitment. Largely the former consists of teaching interviewers how  to draw out the interviewee and the latter how to rate the candidates. For consistency rating often consists of scoring candidates for experience, knowledge, physical/mental capabilities, intellectual levels, motivation, prospective potential, leadership abilities etc. 4.0 Analysis 4.1 Setting the strategic direction This process focuses on aligning human resource policies to support the accomplishment of the Companys mission, vision, goals and strategies. The business goals sit at the heart of any HR plan and in order to align business and HR you need to answer one key question, Can your organisations internal capability deliver the organisations business goals? Many organisations cite their people as their primary source of competitive advantage. Successful companies continuously identify and adopt innovative human resource management policies and practices to sustain that advantage. More importantly, they structure work and design training, performance management, pay, and reward policies to help members of the organization succeed in achieving desired organizational outcomes. In other words, they integrate and align HRM policies and practices to reinforce employee behaviors that can best realize the leaders strategic intent. In the most successful companies, the set of policies and practices that collectively make up a companys HRM system is the critical management tool for communicating and reinforcing the leaders strategic intent. 5.0 Conclusion While Human resource management strategies must be developed to support the achievement of the organisations objectives, it is a two-way process. These strategies can themselves be critical inputs in determining the strategic initiatives for the organisation. A fatal error, however, is to develop and implement Human resource management strategies without thinking of the  organisational strategic planning process. A common mistake is the development of workplace skills plans which are not linked to any strategic goals or objectives or which have no affirmative action components. So, Human resource planning is the key to effective human resource management. 6.0 References 1. http://www.searchbites.com/docs/HR_MANAGEMENT.asp (28th December 2004) 2. Mark Lengnick-Hall and Cynthia Lengnick-Hall. (22 December 2003) Human Resource Management in the Knowledge Economy: New Challenges, New Roles, New Capabilities, 3. Guralnik, D. (Ed.). (1986). Websters New World Dictionary (2nd ed.). Cleveland, OH: Prentice Hall Press. 4. R K Sizani, Workshop of the on implementation and action an address to the strategic planning, (02nd December 2001) 5. Behrman M, (2004), A guide to strategic human resource planning, Workinfor bulletin, south Africa 6. http://www.accel-team.com/human_resources/hrm_02.html, (31 December 2004) 7. A Strategic Human Resource Management System for the 21st Century. Naval Personnel Task Force, September 2000, Story Number: NNS040406-02, 04th June 2004 8. Human Resources, Pay Trends Bulletin ,The employers organisation for local authorities in the south east,(June 2004),

Quality of Artesian Water | Analysis

Quality of Artesian Water | Analysis Evaluation of the microbiological and physicochemical quality of Artesian well water used for irrigation in ArRiyadh Sulaiman Ali Alharbi1*, M.E.Zayed1, Arunachalam Chinnathambi1, Naiyf S. Alharbi1 and Milton Wainwright1,2 Abstract The quality of water from artesian wells used for irrigation was analyzed. Water samples were collected from 12 wells from different farms along a 8.5 km transect of the Hayer which is an area located approximately 35 km south of ArRiyadh. The major parameters for assessment of the groundwater quality used here were analysis of the major cations (K+, Na+and NH4 +) and the major anions (Cl-, SO42-, NO3- and PO43-). A total dissolved solid (TDS) is a summation of the all major constituents. pH, temperature and electrical conductivity (EC) were also measured as important indicators of groundwater quality. The samples were also tested for the presence of total and fecal coliforms bacteria. All the samples were free from contamination by coliforms bacteria; the physicochemical parameters of the all of the samples were not however, within the acceptable limits prescribed by WHO and FAO. Key words: Physicochemical quality, Artesian well water quality, Irrigation, coliforms, Cations      Ã‚   Introduction Water from rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and groundwater aquifers is an essential human resource and is needed for direct consumption as well as for recreational purposes1. Groundwater is a vital source for fresh water in Saudi Arabia and the surrounding Gulf states2; groundwater being the major source of both potable and irrigation waters in Saudi Arabia. As the population of Saudi continues to increase, especially in the big cities such as ArRiyadh, the demand for adequate and high-quality groundwater resources continues to increase. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (about 2.25 million km2) is one of hottest and most arid countries in the world, with an average summer temperatures of 46oC and an average rainfall of 120 mm per year over most of the country2. The available surface water and groundwater resources is limited, precipitation rates are low, while evaporation is high. With increasing population and agricultural use there is an increasing need for high quality water in Saudi Arabia 3. The total population of Saudi Arabia has increased from about 7.7 million in 1970 to 11.8 million in 1990 and is expected to reach 19 million in 2010, if the present growth rate of 3 per cent per annum continues. Consequently, domestic water demand has increased from about 446 MCM in 1980 to about 1,563 MCM in 1997, and is expected to reach 2,800 MCM in 20104,5. Agriculture accounts for some 88% of water use, while industry consumes only around 3%6. Saudi Arabia faces severe water problems and as a result, is in need of new water policies to achieve sustainable development in its harsh environment. Problems include balancing supply and demand while facing aridity and water scarcity, nonrenewable supplies, poor quality of ground water, poor distribution of supplies, salt water intrusion, and the overuse and contamination of aquifers7. Available water resources in Saudi Arabia are a) conventional, i.e. groundwater and surface water, and b) non-conventional such as desalinated seawater and treated waste water. About 88 percent of the water consumption in Saudi Arabia is met from groundwater supplies2.Groundwater is generally presumed to be ideal for human consumption and is used as a potential source of drinking water, agricultural development, urbanization and industrialization8. Around 47% of the water supplied in ArRiyadh is groundwater pumped from local aquifers9. It is estimated that 18% of worldwide cropland is irrigated, producing 40% of all food. Irrigation water and any foliar applied water, in intimate contact to the developing or mature edible portions of fresh produce, is likely to lead to contamination with human waste, although irrigation using surface water is likely to pose a greater risk to human health than irrigation water obtained from deep aquifers drawn from properly constructed and protected wells10. Water-borne pathogens infect around 250 million people and result in 10 to 20 million deaths world-wide each year. An estimated 80% of all illness in developing countries is related to water and sanitation, with some 5% of all child deaths under the age of five years occurring in developing countries resulting from diarrheal diseases 11,12. Pathogens pose a risk to human health as a result of the various uses of water (Figure 2). For example, it was suggested that contaminated irrigation water was a possible source of a recent outbreak of E. coli across USA13. Fruit and vegetables are frequently contaminated impacted by fecally-polluted irrigation water14. As a general rule, surface water resources are more susceptible to microbial contamination than are groundwater supplies. Microbial contamination introduced through sprinkler irrigation systems may also affect the surface of a crop for varying periods of time, and the risk is increased when the irrigated crop is consumed raw and so metimes unwashed15. Pathogen-contamination of fresh, ready-to-eat fruits and vegetables is a significant issue in agriculture. In many cases, fecal-oral pathogens such as toxin-producing E. coli, Salmonella spp., and norovirus are the causative agents16. Fecally contaminated irrigation water is frequently a possible or likely source of contamination of fresh, ready-to-eat fruits and vegetables17. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)18, at least 12 percent of foods borne outbreaks during the 1990s were attributable to fresh produce, and the economic cost of food borne illness is estimated at around $10 to $83 billion per year19. Water is subject to varying degrees of fecal pollution, and consequently fresh waters are a vector transmission of many pathogenic bacteria, viruses, and protozoa. Fecal pollution can reach water resources as the result of human activities, such as sewage treatment plants and communities where sewage treatment is not available. Many diseases are related to fecal polluted water, but the majority is caused by enteropathogenic microorganisms, and not surprisingly therefore, the presence of enteric pathogens in waters is of considerable concern. For this reason, maintaining the microbiological safety of water is very important issue relating to the protection of public health1. Washing and disinfection practices are less effective against pathogens which in penetrate the plant interior20., and for this reason the prevention of water-borne contamination is considered to be an important primary means of controlling health risk associated with food borne pathogens19. The quality and safety of farm irrigation water determines the quality and safety of the resultant crop, and the safety of water depends on its source. Human pathogens can be introduced into irrigation water via run-off of manure from animal production facilities, from domestic/urban sewage systems or directly from wildlife. Extreme rainfall (which lead to storm overflows), spills of manure, or human waste can all increase the probability of the occurrence of contamination21. The quality of water needed for various uses is determined by its physical characteristics, chemical composition, biological parameters and the conditions of use and all surface or sub-surface waters contain varying amounts of salts which increase in irrigated soil due to evaporation. The aim of the work reported here was to determine the microbiological and physicochemical quality of waters obtained from artesian wells used for irrigation near the city of Riyadh. Materials and methods Description of the artesian wells: The samples were taken from wells of depth ranging from (60-100 m); some wells were open while others were closed. Sampling collection: Sampling: All ground water sampling (chemical or microbial) was conducted with the existing well pumps which were run for a sufficient time (10-15 minutes) in order to replace the old water in the pipes with fresh water and thereby obtain reliably stable readings of pH, specific conductance and temperature. Well water depths were measured with a graduated (l/l00th foot) steel tape. A total of three water samples were collected from 12 different wells located in different farms along a 8.5 km transect of the Hayer, which is an area located some 35 km south of Riyadh, during November 2010. The water samples were collected in plastic bottles, pH, EC and TDS were measured on site; samples were subsequently transported to the laboratory in an ice box. Each sample was divided into three portions; one for cation analysis, one for anion determinations and the third for coliform analysis. The concentration of total dissolved ions, Na, K, P, Cl, S04, NH4 and N03 were determined. The analytical procedures used for these determinations were those described in standard methods or the examination of water and wastewater. The evaluation of the suitability of groundwater for irrigation purpose is based here on the irrigation water specification provided by the Saudi Arabian Standards organization (SASO), irrigation water standards 1993, and water quality for use in agriculture by the FAO (1994). (Table 1) shows the concentration (mg/l) of individual constituents, groundwater, hardness, electrical conductance and pH of the groundwater. Coliform determination: Sample Preparation: The samples were diluted in the range- 10-1 to 10-6 and the original water sample were aseptically diluted into 9 ml buffered peptone prepared in three series. The number of total and fecal coliforms was determined using the MPN method and statistical tables were used to interpret the results. From each dilution, 1ml was removed and added aseptically to triplicate tubes containing 5ml of lauryl tryptose broth (LSB). The tubes were then incubated at 37  °C for 48 hours. Tubes showing color change or gas production were recorded as positive, and the number of positive tubes at each dilution was referred to MPN tables to obtain the number of bacteria present in the original sample. Results and Discussion Microbiological analysis: None of the water samples obtained from any of the wells contained coliforms, a fact which shows that the general sanitary conditions around the wells are excellent. Analysis of physicochemical parameters: Physical Characteristics: Table 1 shows the laboratory determinations used, together with the acceptable range to evaluate common irrigation water quality, as prepared by FAO 1994. Table 1. Laboratory determinations used to evaluate common irrigation water quality problems. Water parameter Symbol Unit1 Usual range in irrigation water SALINITY Salt content Electrical Conductivity ECw dS/m 0 3 dS/m (or) Total Dissolved Solids TDS mg/l 0 2000 mg/l Cations and anions Calcium Ca++ me/l 0 20 me/l Magnesium Mg++ me/l 0 5 me/l Sodium Na+ me/l 0 40 me/l Carbonate CO3 me/l 0 .1 me/l Bicarbonate HCO3- me/l 0 10 me/l Chloride Cl- me/l 0 30 me/l Sulphate SO4 me/l 0 20 me/l NUTRIENTS2 Nitrate-Nitrogen NO3-N mg/l 0 10 mg/l Ammonium-Nitrogen NH4-N mg/l 0 5 mg/l Phosphate-Phosphorus PO4-P mg/l 0 2 mg/l Potassium K+ mg/l 0 2 mg/l MISCELLANEOUS Boron B mg/l 0 2 mg/l Acid/basicity pH 1-14 6.0 8.5 Sodium Adsorption Ratio3 SAR (me/l)1, 2 0 15 1 dS/m = deciSiemen/metre in S.I. units (equivalent to 1 mmho/cm = 1 millimmho/centi-metre) mg/l = milligram per litre à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã†â€™ parts per million (ppm). me/l = milliequivalent per litre (mg/l à · equivalent weight = me/l); in SI units, 1 me/l= 1 millimol/litre adjusted for electron charge. Table 2. Physical parameters of analyzed groundwater samples Sample ID Parameters Temperature (Degree Celsius) pH E.C* (ms/cm) T.D.S** (mg/L) Turbidity (NTU) Total Hardness (mg/L as CaCO3) A 25.0 8.15 3.87 2476 11.30 1800 B 25.5 8.13 8.89 5689 28.70 3000 C 24.5 8.17 4.48 2867 20.50 1200 D 25.5 7.98 3.74 2393 18.00 1400 E 23.5 8.19 5.49 3513 6.24 1000 F 24.5 8.05 9.41 6022 2.98 2600 G 28.0 8.02 9.19 5881 0.73 2800 H 25.0 7.84 10.78 6899 21.90 3600 I 26.5 8.29 9.41 6022 0.94 3200 J 26.0 8.07 10.29 6585 5.78 3200 K 27.0 8.06 11.13 7123 12.30 3800 L 27.0 8.11 10.16 6502 5.63 3600 * E.C = Electrical Conductivity ** T.D.S = Total Dissolved Solids Table 2 shows the physical parameters of the groundwater samples; the data reveals the following: pH: The pH values of all gr the groundwater samples tested was alkaline (around 8); a pH which is generally not conducive to optimal crop plant growth Total dissolved solids (TDS) : Suspended solids and total dissolved solids (TDS) are indicators of polluted water. The value for TDS of the samples ranged from 2393-7123 mg/l. Most of these values are outside the standard values generally considered to be suitable for irrigation purposes. TDS values exceeding 3000 mg/l are high values for irrigation of some crop types. The high TDS values found in groundwater sampled from the study area are likely to be due to high concentrations of sodium, chloride, sulfate and nitrate. Conductivity: Electrical conductivity gives a measure of all of the dissolved ions in solution. Electrical conductivity values measured in this study varied from 3.74 to 11.13 ms/cm with sample-K exhibiting the highest conductivity (11.13) and sample D the lowest, (3.74). The acceptable limit of conductivity is 1.5 ms /cm22. Generally, the conductivity of clean water is lower but as water moves down the soil profile it leaches and dissolves ions and also picks up organic from the biota and detritus23. Generally the conductivity values recorded for wells sampled here were not within the acceptable limit prescribed by WHO and FAO limits. Total Water Hardness: Water hardness is primarily a measure of the amount of calcium and magnesium, and to a lesser extent, iron in a water sample. Water hardness is measured by summing the concentrations of calcium, magnesium and converting this value to an equivalent concentration of calcium carbonate (CaCO3); a value which is expressed in milligrams per liter (mg/L) of water. Water with hardness greater than 200 mg/L is considered to be of poor quality and water with hardness greater than 500 mg/L is normally considered to be unacceptable for domestic purposes. The analyzed samples for hardness, had hardness concentrations ranges between 1200 to 3800 mg/L been found then the samples would be assessed as belonging to the fourth category with very hard water and unacceptable for domestic purpose without treatment. Cations and anion loads of the groundwater samples: Table 3 shows the cations and anions loads of groundwater samples, the data shows the following: Sodium: An infiltration problem related to water quality occurs when the normal infiltration rate for the applied water or rainfall is appreciably reduced and water remains on the soil surface for long periods, or infiltrates too slowly to supply the crop with sufficient water to maintain acceptable yields. The infiltration rate of water into soil varies widely and can be greatly influenced by the quality of the irrigation water. The two most common water quality factors which influence the normal infiltration rate are water salinity (total quantity of salts in the water) and sodium content relative to the content of calcium and magnesium. Water which is highly saline will increase infiltration, while a low salinity water, or a sample with high sodium to calcium ratio will decrease infiltration; both of these factors may operate simultaneously. One serious side effect of an infiltration problem is the potential to develop plant disease and vector (mosquito) problems. An infiltration problem related to water quality in most cases occurs in the surface few centimetres of soil and is linked to the structural stability of this surface soil and its low calcium content relative to that of sodium. When a soil is irrigated with sodium-rich water, a high sodium surface soil develops which weakens soil structure. The surface soil aggregates then disperse into much smaller particles which clog soil pores. The problem may also be caused by an extremely low calcium content of the surface soil. In some cases, water low in salt can cause a similar problem but this is related to the corrosive nature of the low salt water and not to the sodium content of the water or soil. In the case of the low salt water, the water dissolves and leaches most of the soluble minerals, including calcium, from the surface soil. Analyses of the ground water samples tested here shows that that all have sodium ranges over 500 (mg/L);sodium contents greater than 500 mg/L are normally c onsidered unacceptable for irrigation according to water quality standards used by the FAO for agricultural use. Table 3. Cations and anion loads of the groundwater samples Sample ID Parameters Sodium Na (mg/L) Potassium K (mg/L) Phosphorus P (mg/L) Sulphate SO4 (mg/L) Ammonia NH3 (mg/L) Nitrate NO3 (mg/L) Chloride Cl (mg/L) A 500 17.0 0.53 1437 0 2.0 1250 B 1375 28.0 0.37 3275 0 10.0 2500 C 750 15.0 0.15 1302 0 5.5 1500 D 500 15.0 0.11 1380 0 2.0 1250 E 750 23.0 0.10 1607 0 4.0 1500 F 1500 27.0 0.00 3675 0 3.5 2850 G 1375 26.0 0.33 3275 0 13.5 2500 H 1375 27.0 0.25 2587 0 49.5 3000 I 1125 30.0 0.81 1737 0 138.0 2750 J 1375 27.0 0.00 2987 0 35.0 2750 K 1375 31.0 0.00 3075 0 142.0 3250 L 1125 30.0 0.25 1595 0 158.0 3000 Nitrates: The nitrate content of the analyzed groundwater samples ranges between 2 mg/l in well A and D and reaches a maximum of 158mg/l in well L .Many of the sampled groundwater wells contain nitrate exceeding the guideline values for irrigation water prescribed by FAO (0-10 mg/l), with most of the nitrogen present being probably derived from the biosphere. The nitrogen originally fixed from the atmosphere, is mineralized by soil bacteria into ammonium, which is converted into nitrate by nitrifying bacteria under aerobic conditions24. The main sources of nitrate result from either natural or anthropogenic activities rainfall and dry fall out, soil nitrogen, nitrate deposit, sewage, septic tank and animal waste, manure or compost, green manure and plant residues, atmospheric nitrogen fixation, fertilizer nitrogen from irrigated overflow water outlets and industrial effluent25. Nitrate is the end product of the oxidation of nitrogen in the environment. Particularly high nitrate concentrations indicate pollution from either sewage or agricultural fertilizer waste. Nitrate is without doubt an essential plant nutrient, but is equally a potential threat to human health when present in excess concentrations in the drinking water 26. The data obtained from the samples tested here shows that the ground waters examined contain high level of nitrate, concentrations which exceed the permissible limits for drinking purposes (Table 3). Ammonia: The term ammonia includes the non-ionized (NH3) and ionized (NH4+) species. Ammonia originates in the environment from metabolic, agricultural and industrial processes and from disinfection with chloramines. Natural levels in groundwater and surface water are usually below 0.2 mg/liter27. Anaerobic ground waters may contain up to 3mg/liter. Intensive rearing of farm animals can give rise to much higher levels in surface water. Ammonia contamination can also arise from cement m