Global Degradation of Coral Reefs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Global Degradation of Coral Reefs - Essay Example Coral reefs are productive ecosystem and diverse habitats in the world because of their economic and social importance including food provision, tourism among others. There is a high rate of global degradation of coral reefs and these calls for their sustainable management. Their reduction has fueled the local and international communities to come up with approaches of monitoring coral reefs. Ecology involves the study of organisms in the environmental surroundings which require spatially accurate data given the distribution of spices. In the past manual and field observation methods were used to gather ecological information. These methods were labour intensive and time consuming. As a result, remote sensing became widely incorporated in the ecological duties because of its large coverage, cost effectiveness and accuracy. This called for the venture into new technologies to enable easy and faster access of remote sensed information in the management and monitoring of ecological spec ies. (Knight, D., E. LeDrew, et al. 1997). Coral ecosystem is one of the important habitats in the world. Coral reefs play a significant role in checking the amount of carbon dioxide in the sea. Without them regulating the level carbon dioxide in water could be difficult and many species on earth including human being could be at a high risk. Although, that is the current situation in the world because people have destroyed the reefs due to the level of impurities in the water bodies this has resulted in global warming. They are also a habitat to millions of fish species, source of employment, food provision, tourism attraction sites and protect the shores fro waves. In short they are source of livelihood to millions of people around the globe (Goodman, J. A., M. Velez-Reyes, et al. 2006).This paper addresses landscape remote sensing approaches of mapping coral reefs. Discussion By 2100 coral reefs will be degraded if no measures are taken. They only cover 2 percent of the total ocean area and annually they provide a home for almost 33 percent of thousands on marine species. As mentioned above, coral reefs are threatened by a number of factors. For example, coral diseases resulting from ruining the reefs, coral reefs can be in danger of water related coastal development as it is in the case in the Caribbean. (Gledhill, D. K., R. Wanninkhof, et al. 2008). As a result of a variety of biological species in the coral ecosystem, over fishing can also be harmful because they interact and depend on one another for food and competition. Harvesting of coral reefs can be classified into controllable, Malthusian-over fished and poisonus.Studies show that reduction of species in the coral ecosystem can lead to prolification of algae. (Manus, J. W., L. A. B. Menez, et al. 1999).In response to this damage a 5 year project was launched and it was funded by the centre for s ponsored coastal ocean research (CSCOR).The research key provisions were to provide adequate data on coral reefs, tool and approaches to help marine scientists and identify phenomena that caused the degradation of coral reefs. The research addressed four major areas namely; interaction between water related activities and coral reefs, causes of biological pressure, assessment of marine protected areas and the overall nature of coral ecosystem (Hallock, P., B. H. Lidz, et al. 2003). Researchers

The Impact of Socio-economic Status on Student Achievement and Essay

The Impact of Socio-economic Status on Student Achievement and possible Intervention. Focus Australian education - Essay Example One may ask, why focus on early childhood education? It has been proven in numerous studies that the early years of any child’s life have a formative impact on their learning, development, future health as well as well-being. This forms the justification for this paper. It begins by exploring what exactly ECEC is in various contexts. It then goes on to give a background of the issue, highlighting various theories and schools of thought on the subject. Next, it discusses the Early Childhood Education and Care sector in the Australian context. In this section, the paper also highlights the different ECEC service types, particularly LDC, FDC, OSHC, IHC, preschool, Occasional care as well as the non-mainstream ECEC services. Next, it goes on to discuss the problems hindering the provision of quality ECEC services in Kenya. It then goes ahead to explain the role of Government in the provision of high quality education in general, and in ECEC sector in particular, with a focus on ho w Government intervention affects disadvantaged children. Then, the paper goes into highlighting the specific roles of the Australian as well as State and Territory governments in the ECEC sector, and how regulation can ensure the provision of high-quality ECEC services to all children, regardless of their family background. Introduction The level of student success in today’s education context is determined by a wide range of factors. This paper seeks to focus on the socio-economic status as a factor in student achievement, with a focus on the Early Childhood Education and Care sector in Australia. It is proven that the early years of any child’s life have a formative impact on their learning, development, future health as well as well-being. If the child is exposed to positive experiences in their formative years, it will also have positive outcomes in their future (Waldfogel, 2007). Research has revealed that, despite its importance, the level of quality of ECEC ser vices may not be as high as it ought to be. This is mainly caused by disjointed policy approaches and information asymmetry among other factors. These issues have been discussed in more detail further into the paper. However, the government of any nation has a responsibility to ensure that the quality of ECEC services to all the state’s children, regardless of economic background, as the adequate provision of this has bearing on economic development through adequate workforce participation (Smart, Sanson, Baxter, Edwards and Hayes, 2008). Definition of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) Waldfogel (2007) reveals that early childhood education can simply be defined as the process of administering formal teaching and care of children by people who are not part of their family, or is outside their respective home setting. Early childhood refers to the age before normal schooling, that is, between birth and five years of age. However, this definition varies between differen t nations: for example, the United States National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) defines early childhood as before the age of eight (Waldfogel, 2007). Background A child’s needs in the early years are very different from those of older children. This is because early childhood sees the greatest growth and development. The stages are such that the brain develops

Global Forces And The Western European Brewing Industry

Global Forces And The Western European Brewing Industry The PESTEL framework categorizes environmental influences into six main types: political, economic, social technological environmental and legal. Where by the politics highlight the role of government; economic refers to macroeconomic factor such as exchange rates, and differential economic growth rates around the world; social influences include changing culture and demographics; technological influences refer to innovations as the internet; environmental stands for issues such as pollution and waste; and finally legal embraces legislative constraints or changes such as health and safety legislation or restrictions on company mergers and acquisition. The Western European brewing industry is highly penetrated; too many companies due to which the competition is very steep which is causing consolidation through acquisition, alliances and closures within the industry. The PESTEL framework can be used to help identify the key forces that are driving the change in the market. Political Factors could be the active campaign of European government against drunken driving, binge drinking, and consequently the long term health and fitness problems. These campaigns have the potential to push for law changes surrounding what alcohol can be purchased in restaurants, pubs, bars and retail outlets in terms of both quantity and alcohol volume % There is an overall decline of consumption of beer in Europe as many traditional key markets have been made increasingly aware of the social problems associated with alcohol consumption. Restrictions on packaging such as the usage of cans in Denmark. Economic Economic recession in 2009 has also lead to an effect on beer sales mainly in the United Kingdom where an estimate of 50 pubs closed per week due to recession. Beer consumption per capita varies widely between countries, for example being four times higher in Germany than in Italy. Some traditionally low consumption European markets have been showing good growth, for example with reference to table 1 comparing year 1980 to 2000 the consumption of beer has increased from 3534000 hectoliters to 6453000 hectoliters which is approximately 82.60%. Social Lifestyle in emerging market has changed due to the increase in the availability of disposable income, leading to an increase in beer consumption. The new trends like wines, non alcoholic beers, extra cold lagers and fruit flavored beers will adversely affect the consumption of beers. Education and health; there is an increasing awareness of the effect of alcohol on health and fitness. Particularly in the United Kingdom there is increasing hostility to so called binge drinking excessive alcohol consumption in pubs and clubs. Technological Rate of technological change; as seen in the Anheuser Busch InBev (Belgium) company that efficiency gains will come from more central coordination of purchasing, including media and IT from the optimization of its inherited network of breweries and from the sharing of best practices across sites internationally. Innovation of new products; the case witnesses that the introduction of higher priced premium products such as non alcoholic beers, extra cold lagers or fruit flavored beers has led to increase in sales. Environmental Pollution; people are getting more and more aware of the environment and it is necessary that the companies do everything to prevent environmental pollution. It is important that the environmental load through the brewing process is as low as possible. Waste and recycling; reusability and recycling is important, the brewing industry for example treats their effluents so that they can use it again for irrigation. Through this they save energy and minimize sludge disposal. Legal International law; when comparing Europe with the United States we have witnessed that in America it is forbidden to drink in public places in contrast to Europe where you can drink alcohol wherever you want. This could lead to new laws that forbid drinking in the public place. Acquisition, licensing and strategic alliance have all occurred as the leading brewers battle to control the market. The global pressures for the consolidation due to over capacity within the industry, the need to contain costs and benefits of leveraging strong brands. For example in 2004, Belgian brewery Interbrew merged with Am Bev, the Brazilian brewer group to create the largest brewer in the world. A five forces analysis The five forces analysis was originally developed by Michael Porter in 1990, as a way of assessing the attractiveness of different industries or sectors in terms of competitive forces. The five forces constitute an industrys structure, although initially developed with businesses in mind the industry structure analysis with the five forces framework is of value to most of the organizations. As well as assessing the attractiveness of the brewing industry the five forces can help set an agenda for action on the various areas that they identify. The five forces are: Threat of new entrants Threat of substitutes Bargaining power of buyers Bargaining power of suppliers Competitive rivalry POTENTIAL ENTRANTS COMPETITIVE RIVALRY Threat of entry Threat of substitutes Bargaining power Bargaining power SUPPLIERS BUYERS SUBSTITUTES FIG 1 THE FIVE FORCES FRAMEWORK Threat of substitutes The threat of substitute is high because there is an availability of wine, fruit flavored beer and also extra cold lagers. From table 1 and 2 in the case study we can witness the negative effect of the substitute on beer; taking an example of Denmark table 1 shows a decline in the beer consumption and in table 2 shows increase in the importation of exotic beers from overseas. Threat of new entrants Threat of entry depends on the extent and height of barriers to entry; barriers of entry are factors that need to be overcome by new entrants if they are to compete successfully. According to the case I think the threat of new entrants is very low because the industry is very much penetrated and mergers taking place, also there are global pressures for consolidation which sustain their competitive position in the industry. There are very few big brewery companies which makes them dominate the market, so for a new entrant would be hard to have that financial effort. Bargaining power of buyers Customers of course are essential for the survival of any business, but sometimes customers can have such high bargaining power that their suppliers are hard pressed to make any profits at all. The bargaining power is high due to the government campaign strongly against drunken driving, and binge drinking which has led to an increase in off trade (retail) than on trade (beer consumed on premises as in pubs or restaurant). The off trade is increasingly dominated by large supermarket chains such as Tesco and Carrefour which gives them the bargaining power. Bargaining power of suppliers Suppliers are those who supply the organization with what it needs to produce the product or service. The main purchasing costs are packaging, raw material such as barley and energy. The European packaging industry is highly concentrated, dominated by international companies. The case shows that the bargaining power of supplier in packaging is high because there only three can makers and shifting cost from one can maker to the other could be high either in terms of money or even technology. Competitive rivalry Competitive rivalry is organizations with similar products and services aimed at the same customer group. The competitive rivalry in the brewing industry is very high because almost all companies have the same product/ product differentiation is low, high rate of acquisitions, alliances and strategic alliance and also consolidation due to over capacity within the industry. Conclusion With regard to the PESTEL analysis and the Porters five forces analysis I conclude that in order to sustain the competitive position and market share in the brewing industry, one should acquire, license or strategic alliance with an existing company could be small, medium or already a large company. Question 2 For the three breweries outlined above [or breweries of your own choice] explain: How these trends will impact differently on these different companies; and The relative strengths and weaknesses of each company Anheuser-Busch InBev [Belgium] A-B InBev is the largest brewer in the world; it achieved this position when InBev acquired the leading American brewer Anheuser Busch for 52bn. The company now has nearly 300 brands and approximate 50% share of the US market and owns 50% of Mexicos leading brewers. The company is frank about the strategy to transform itself from the biggest brewing company to the best. STRENGTH WEAKNESS Largest brewer in the world Inherited network of breweries Strong financial power The merger of Belgian Interbrew and Brazilian Am Bev in 2004 The companys strategy to transform itself from the biggest to the best by: Building strong global brands Increase efficiency through more central coordination of purchasing including median and IT. Greene King [United Kingdom] Greene King is now the largest domestic British brewer, which was established in 1799. It has expanded through a series of acquisition including Ruddles [1995], Morland [1999] and Hardys and Hansons [2006]. STRENGTH WEAKNESS Brew high quality beer from an efficient single site. Medium size brewing company Focused brand portfolio which is minimizing the complexity and cost of a multi brand strategy. Less financial power 2000 pubs across the UK with a particular dominant position in its home region of East Anglia. Expansion through acquisition, which led to critics calling the company greedy king. Tsingtao [China] Tsingtao brewery was found in 1903 by German settlers in China, after state ownership under communism Tsingtao was privatized in the early 1990s and listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange in 1993. Tsingtao has 13% market share of its home country, the company has described its ambition thus; to promote the continuous growth of the sales volume and income to step forward the target of becoming an international great company. STRENGTH WEAKNESS It is the Chinese brand leader in United States Small brewing company Its now sold in more than 62 countries. Less financial power Almost 50% of exports Home market share is very low {13%} A bottle of Tsingtao appeared in the 1982 science fiction film blade Ronner.

Hirohitos Japanese Surrender Essay -- essays research papers

Hirohito and The Japanese Surrender The world was hectic in the 20th century. The first plane was flown, World War I took place (1914-1918), communists took over Russia and China (1917), penicillin was discovered (1928), the U.S. stock market crashed (1929), and the DNA’s structure was discovered (. However, on the eastern side of the world, the most notable occurrences were probably Hitler’s rise as chancellor and his launching of the Kristallnacht, the German invasion of Poland, Japan’s bombing of Pearl Harbor, and the Holocaust. Further east, specifically Japan, its 124th Emperor had just inherited his father’s place, right before entering World War II. Throughout Hirohito’s years of leadership, he made several decisions for the country. One of his best moves being his announcement of Japan’s unconditional surrender on August 15th, 1945 during World War II. If Hirohito had not administered this military surrender, Japan would not have been able to develop and flourish in such a way that it has in order to reach such a point of success and progress – such as becoming the world’s 14th richest country. If Hirohito hadn’t surrendered Japan, his place in Japan’s government would’ve been abolished. Because of this admitted defeat, he thus showed his affection for his people by ending their suffering by ending their side of the war and in return, Japan’s economy and the country’s income thrived, the people remained loyal to their Emperor. Hirohito was born in the Aoyama Palace in Tokyo, Japan, on April 29th, 1901 to the name of Prince Michi No Miya. As a child he was tutored by Kimmochi Saionju, the former prime minister, in the areas of mathematics, history, science, and governmental management and r... ...954. However, once Japan began to flourish, it has now become the world’s 14th richest country – having a GDP per capita of $32,640 (2006). Despite a major stock market crash in 1990, from which the country is recovering gradually, Japan remains a global economic power today and is now bidding for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council. Had it not been for Hirohito’s decision to surrender Japan to its allies during World War II in 1945, Japan would have been given the opportunity to thrive both economically and socially as it has to this very day. Hirohito put his people as his foremost priority, and this undivided care led him to make the best decisions for Japan. His military tactics and thought process brought Japan to its success and it is thus why Japan is now one of the most recognized and distinguished countries of the modern-day.

Forced Sterilization

Markeisha A. Knott History of Medicine in the U. S. – Class 421 Forced Sterilization Throughout history there have always been circumstances where the government has required citizens to undergo some sort of medical procedure. Even though some of these procedures were commonplace in the past, they are now considered ethically wrong. Forced sterilization is an example of this, because it denies a woman of the ability to bare children, and denies a man the ability to inseminate.Sterilization is defined as ‘the act of making an organism barren or infertile (unable to reproduce)’. When most people hear the words ‘forced sterilization’ the first thing that often comes to mind are the Nazis. In the 1930’s the Nazis introduced a massive, compulsory sterilization of a large segment of the German population (Rosenberg, Jennifer). The government believed that the Germans with the best genes had been killed off in the Second World War, while those with th e worse genes stayed behind and didn’t fight, and were then free to procreate more of their ‘bad genes’.Believing that that the preservation of the optimal German genes were more important that an individual’s rights, the government had the authority to do whatever it took to preserve these optimal genes. However, Germany was not the first country to perform forced sterilization (Rosenberg, Jennifer). Even though in the United States we tend to overlook this as something that did not happen, it did. It is part of our past, and will always be part of American history.During the 1900’s the United States had a eugenics program in which the purpose was to attempt to perfect the gene pool, with the idea that if society’s degenerates, like criminals and the mentally ill were barred from having children then society’s problems would disappear (Webster University). American biologists like Charles B. Davenport and Harry H. Laughlin supported t he idea of keeping the Anglo-American race pure. Their belief was that most ailments and social problems were hereditary, like poverty and criminality (Piotrowski, Crista). Therefore, people with ‘good enes’ should be encouraged to pass on their genes by having more children, while those with ‘bad genes’ should be barred from reproducing. There were many types of people who fell under the label of being genetically inferior. This included epileptics, manic-depressives, prostitutes, alcoholics, the homeless, and criminals. People who fell under any one of these categories or who caught the negative attention of authorities were deemed ‘feeble-minded’ by the court, and were legally forced to undergo sterilization (Piotrowski, Crista). Several other countries used forced sterilization as well, though for different reasons.Peru, for example, was faced with a large population jump and not enough resources to support all the people. So they came up w ith a solution: making a target number of the amount of people to e sterilized every year, which would effectively lower the population if the plan worked. n 1996, it was 100,000. It was not met that year, but the target for the next year was increased to 130,000 and in that year, the quota was met. Even though sterilization can be performed on both men and women, it is mostly women who are victims of forced sterilization since they are the one who actually have babies (Webster University).About 40 years ago in North Carolina, it wasn’t uncommon that a single mother on welfare, or a mental patient in a hospital to be forcibly and unknowingly sterilized against their will. Of course at the time, over half of all the states in the U. S. had eugenics laws well into the 1970’s (Rose, Julie). North Carolina is currently thinking of compensating the victims of forced sterilization, most of whom were poor and uneducated, blacks and whites alike. One woman, Elaine Riddick, now 57, was sterilized at age fourteen because the state deemed her promiscuous and a trouble maker.Riddick was actually a young girl living in poverty and hunger, and was a victim of rape. While giving birth through C-section to her only son, the product of said rape, the doctors also sterilized her. There was consent form on which Riddick’s illiterate grandmother signed the go-ahead for the procedure with an ‘X’. What’s worse is that Riddick didn’t find about her being sterile until she was married, 19, and trying to have more children. Riddick is just one of the many sharing the same story. Nearly 7,600 men and women as young as 10 have been sterilized in North Carolina.Social workers would coerce women to have the operation under threat of losing their public assistance, because sterilization was viewed as a way to cut spending on public welfare (Julie Rose). Forced sterilization is a procedure that violates several medical ethics, which is defined as a system of moral principles that apply values and judgments to the practice of  medicine (Wikipedia). This procedure violates three medical ethics: autonomy, beneficence, and non-maleficence. Every patient is given the right to choose or refuse treatment: the right of autonomy.However, forced sterilization doesn’t give the patient the chance or ability to make the decision themselves, because the government chooses for them. Beneficence explains that a doctor must always act on a treatment or procedure that is in the best interest of the patient. Sterilization wasn’t in any way in the best interest of the patients it was performed on. It was only in the best, selfish, interests of the government who wanted to keep the Anglo-American race ‘pure’ and eradicate social problems. Forced sterilization also violates non-maleficence, which simply translates to three words: Do No Harm.Many of the patients that were sterilized underwent the procedure without their own knowledge, not knowing of their barren status until years after when they began to question their failed attempts at having children. I am completely against this concept of the government forcing its citizens to do a medical procedure against their will, or performing it while the patient is unaware of it is beyond inconsiderate. It’s cruel, and plainly said, it’s downright shady. Works Cited â€Å"Medical Ethics. † Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Dec. 2010. Web. 22 Nov. 011. . Piotrowski, Crista. â€Å"Dark Chapter of American History: U. S. Court Battle Over Forced Sterilization. † Home | Common Dreams. Common Dreams, 21 July 2000. Web. 22 Nov. 2011. . Rosenberg, Jennifer. â€Å"Sterilization. † 20th Century History. About. Web. 19 Nov. 2011. . Rosenberg, Julie. â€Å"North Carolina Considers Compensating Forced Sterilization Victims : NPR. † NPR : National Public Radio : News & Analysis, World, US, Music & Arts : NPR. 22 June 2011. Web. 19 Nov. 2011. . â€Å"Women and Global Human Rights. † Webster University. Web. 19 Nov. 2011. .

Niki Caro’s Whale Rider †An analysis in relation to journeys Essay

The inner journey is one which involves the hurdling of psychological barriers, as well as cultural and social obstacles, rather than just a physical trek. The novel Things Fall Apart (1958) by Chinua Achebe and the film Whale Rider (2002) by Niki Caro both address the overcoming of emotional boundaries, while following the progress of the main characters. Issues such as cultural differences and gender equality are presented by the composers through the clever use of devices appropriate to the medium, while using the post-colonial context to accentuate these issues. Similar to Things Fall Apart, the film Whale Rider by Niki Caro explores the breakdown of Maori culture in post-colonial New Zealand. It follows the journeys of Pai, a young girl, and Koro, her grandfather, who both seek to uphold and preserve the Maori tradition, which has been negatively influenced by the European culture. During the film, Pai transforms from an unwanted child to the new village leader, while challenging the Maori customs through her curiosity, for example when she learns the sacred art of the taiaha. Koro, who disapproves of her actions, smashes a cup in his anger. Koro’s wife, Flowers, reprimands him, saying, â€Å"You might be the boss out there, but I’m the boss in this kitchen†. Caro is addressing the gender barrier which exists in the Maori culture, an obstacle which Pai overcomes in her journey. Despite being reprimanded by Koro, Pai still retains great love for him, as seen in her speech on her ancestors, where she dedicates her words to Koro. The initial long shot places emphasis on Pai, while the camera is positioned at a low-angle, suggesting that she has gained authority and leadership. This scene symbolises one of the many emotional hurdles she has had to overcome in her inner journey. Moreover, her catharsis can be related to Okonkwo’s moments of compassion, thus highlighting the similarity between their journeys. Similar to Okonkwo, Koro progresses on a journey, beginning at the height of power, with Caro using several symbols to signify this, such as the whale tooth. The use of sombre music and close-up shots of Koro in the scene where he loses the tooth emphasises his sorrow. In the following scene, Caro  employs dark lighting to highlight Koro’s melancholy, while he strokes the staff, symbolising that it is his last shred of authority. Pai’s voiceover informs the audience on Koro’s plea for help and indicates a shift in power and authority as Pai begins to assume her role as leader, â€Å"But they weren’t listening, so I tried†. Koro’s discovery of the whales allows him to undergo an epiphany and continue on his journey. Caro has positioned the event during the night, with its dark connotations enhancing the negative atmosphere of the scene. Furthermore, Koro’s staff is washed away, symbolising that he has lost all of his power. Koro later realises the error of his ways and acknowledges Pai as their leader, â€Å"Wise leader, forgive me. I am just a fledgling new to flight†. Koro’s epiphany is thus one of the greatest differences between the two texts, as he is able to surpass the greatest obstacle in his journey and move forward, whereas Okonkwo is unable to change, leading to his death. Works Cited: â€Å"Whale Rider†. Directed by Niki Caro (2003). [Film]†The Whale Rider†. Ihimaera, Witi (2003)