Corporate Governance Dilemma Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Corporate Governance Dilemma - Essay Example The ‘shareholding’ paradigm involved the maximization of shareholders’ value while the ‘stakeholding’ paradigm involved satisfaction of stakeholders’ interests. This created the conceptual dichotomy over ‘individual liberty’ and ‘justice for everyone’ when making important business decisions (Sullivan and Conlon, 1997). A prime example of this decision making model is the successful multinational furniture manufacturer Ikea (IKEA, 2012) . While starting as a small family business in Sweden, it gradually became the world’s largest home furnishing retailer with a reputation of low prices and novel design. The company’s internal costs were attributed to the fact most of the products were manufactured in factories from Asian and eastern European countries. However, in early 1998 a scandal ensued stating that Ikea was tolerating appalling working conditions in its suppliers’ factories in Eastern Eur ope and quickly signed an agreement that would stop exploitation of the workers. Later that year, a TV documentary was shown depicting images of child labour and unhealthy working conditions in factories in India producing IKEA textiles and garments causing uproar in Sweden. Despite the subsequent debates and campaigns from the Socialist Party (SP), the company failed to acknowledge the problem and refused inspection by third parties. Ikea also didn’t adopt the Rugmark foundation label, which validated the eradication of child labour and was already adopted by many companies at that time. Customer complaints in the following year ensued and yellow cards were signed but in response the company still claimed that it would take measures for child labour but didn’t satisfy the SP’s demands for proper control. This in turn caused the intensification of the campaigns spreading to other European countries like Austria and Belgium, ultimately leading to the signing of 5 3.300 red cards on the 3rd of June 1999 which banned the purchase of any Indian rugs or textiles from Ikea. The result was the compliance of Ikea on the 7th of July 1999 with the terms of the SP, which involved stronger measures against child labour and hiring a third party firm to evaluate the process. Ikea also adopted a code of conduct in September 2000, called ‘The Ikea Way of Purchasing Home Furnishing Products’ (IWAY), clearly stating against forced labour and hazardous work conditions (IKEA, 2012). On one hand, Ikea’s practices displayed a non-professional approach to the company’s problems which was the cause of the subsequent campaigns and product sales ban. The denial of the problem’s existence significantly damaged company’s consumer market by raising questions and awareness of the manufacturing processes of the products. Additionally, the failure of taking initiatives and allowing third party evaluation, raised criticisms for ot her practices such as tax evasion, further damaging its reputation. The image of a child-friendly reputation was critically damaged which might affected the sales and market expansion of the company. On the other hand, despite the delayed response from Ikea, various initiatives were taken to restore the company’s image. In addition to introducing the IWAY code of conduct against forced la

Hardware and software report Essay Example for Free

Hardware and software report Essay In this report, I will be discussing what hardware, software, operating system, and how this would be benefiting the company. I will also state how I used the hardware and software, which helped the company. Once that I done, I will describe the advantages and disadvantages of the hardware and software that I used, and compare them to the hardware and software that I could have used. Definitions of hardware, software and operating system: Computer hardware typically consists chiefly of electronic devices (CPU, memory, display) with some electromechanical parts (keyboard, printer, disk drives, tape drives, loudspeakers, floppy discs) for input, output, and storage, though completely non-electronic. A package/application is a complete, self-contained program that performs a specific function directly for the user. This is in contrast to system software such as the operating system kernel, server processes and libraries, which exists to support application programs. The operating system is Software designed to control the hardware of a specific data-processing system in order to allow users and application programs to make use of it. The hardware that I used was:   Tulip monitor: low emission   Tulip CPU: E85-00970   Tulip mouse: M-S48a   HP LaserJet 2200d   HP LaserJet 4200n   Floppy disc   Internet modem The software that I used was:   Microsoft Excel Microsoft Word   Microsoft Paint   Windows Xp Microsoft Word Pad   Internet explorer   Windows Me The advantages of the hardware that I used were:   My work was saved on a CPU, and so my work wouldnt get lost. My work was save on a floppy disc as backup.   The laser HP LaserJet 2200d and HP LaserJet 4200n was very fast in printing my work. The advantages of the software that I used were: Microsoft excel is the easiest package to use a spreadsheet.   Microsoft word is easier to use, then any other writing package. Microsoft paint is the easiest image package to use. The disadvantages of the hardware that I used were:   The computer monitor might freeze, causing me to not do my work.   The printer might not work, so I will not be able to print my work.   The printer might only have black ink, not coloured ink. The floppy disc might be full so that I cannot store any more work on the disc. The disadvantages of the software that I used were:   The Microsoft package might be out of use due to a failure in the computer.   Windows might not have the new updates on the computer, as there might be an old package on the computer, rather then the new one, I. e. Windows 95 instead of Windows Xp. There might not be Internet explorer on the computer to help you with you research. The other hardware that I could have used was: Scanner Zip disc   Different Internet modem, I. e. Blue yonder one-megabit modem. The other software that I could have used was: Microsoft spreadsheet.   Microsoft word processor Microsoft publisher   Microsoft PowerPoint (if I was doing a presentation) When you compare ICT with non-ICT you can see that ICT is so much easier than hand writing something. One reason is that your handwriting might be very bad and as a result, people will not be able read your handwriting. Secondly, when you write pages and pages of information concerning the company, then your hand tends to become tired. With the use of ICT, you wont get tired as you will just be typing, and will eventually feel tired, but not as quickly as you would have done. Another point, which makes ICT much better than any Non ICT, is that if you make a mistake while you are working with non-ICT, you will not be able to make a change very easily, but with ICT you com press the delete or key to get rid of the mistake. Other uses of ICT within Future Fashions are that you can use a mainframe or a midrange, which are unique operating systems. What this would allow you to do is to do better work, as there is better equipment and better facilities to use in a mainframe and in a midrange. Future fashions were not that efficient as they had a lot of problems in the company. One of which was that they didnt even have a logo or a slogan. That just showed how efficient they were, as they didnt even have a log and slogan, and they are meant to be a clothes company. Other problems that they had were; they had no spreadsheet to show how all the employees records were like, no graph to see how much they ware getting paid and no wage slip to show how much the employees would get paid. So in the end, what I did to solve these problems were to actually make the logo, slogan, spreadsheet, graph and wage slip. I think that all the solutions that I can up with very well in the end. The logo was colourful and eye catching, and the slogan was very catchy. The spreadsheet was very easy for the owners of Future Fashions to read from and the graph was also easy for the owners of Future Fashions to see how much each employee gets paid, and could compare the money that the employees get by the other employees. Lastly, the wage slip was successful as the owners of Future Fashions could see how much the employee was getting paid, how much tax there was, how much National Insurance there was, etc. Eventfully, as a result of my work, the problems of future fashions disappeared. The company will now become very successful, in my opinion, as most of the problems have been solved, and Future Fashions can now really take off. A summery of what I have said in the 3-4 pages is just that the hardware and software that I used was very successful for the owners of Future Fashions as it helped the owners of Future Fashions when they needed it most, and as a result, this will benefit the owners on Future Fashions in the long run. The problems that I came across whilst doing this project to help Future Fashions were:   Sometimes the printer wouldnt print in colour because it was a black ink printer. The computer froze a few times, so I had to do it again.   When the computers were getting rebooted after the power cut, all of my work got deleted. Overall, I have found out that the solutions that I came up with really helped the company named Future Fashions. I also found out that all the solutions that I came up with improved the image of Future Fashions, making it a very successful company.

Life Cycle Assessment of Natural Rubber Wellies

Life Cycle Assessment of Natural Rubber Wellies LCA Boundaries and Assumptions: A hypothetical situation was created to symbolize a likely life cycle for a pair of Joules brand rubber boots. Therefore, Thailand was chosen as a source of natural rubber as one of the worlds largest producers. China was chosen as the Joules company website clearly states their products are handmade in China. I contacted the company to see if they could give me information on the location of their manufacturing facility but they could not divulge this. Transportation distances are based on locations of busy forts, shipment through the Suez Canal, and appropriate distances from major ports to smaller retailers within the UK. Another assumption is that these boots are made of 100% natural leather with chemical inputs rather than a mix of synthetic and natural rubber to make the life cycle less complex. Greenhouse gases are considered for processing facilities and transportation but not the footprints of the construction of these facilities and equipment. Also, it is assumed the boots are not recycled or reused and instead, immediately disposed of in a landfill. The working conditions of factory workers in the manufacturing of this product are not specific to the creation of this particular project but the industry overall and facts concerning the presence of rubber in landfills pertains to all forms of rubber (dominated by tires). Step 1: Rubber plantation growth and latex extraction Description of step The sap of the rubber tree, or Hevea brasiliensis, known as latex is tapped by diagonally cutting across the trees bark and allowing the sap to drain (Peeples, 2016). The maturity time for a rubber tree is seven years (Yujie et al., 2012). About 300 ml of latex sap can be harvested from one rubber tree each day (Anjitha, 2013). Over 90% of the worlds rubber plantations are found in Southeast Asia (Gamaralalage, Sawai, and Nunours, 2016; Rubber Manufacturers Association, n.d.). Thailand and Indonesia each produce about one third of annual global rubber production (Ives, 2013). Southeast Asia is only home to 1.5% of historically valuable areas for growth of rubber trees but currently produces 97% of the worlds natural rubber resources (Ahrends et al., 2015). planting in sub optimal regions does lead to crop failures Environmental Impacts Climate Topsoil erosion on monoculture plantations à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   decreased soil carbon sequestration (Ives, 2013). Climate Change likely to lead to unpredictable weather patterns and monsoon periods à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   increasing vulnerability of plantations Large-scale plantation failures in Southern China were linked to drought and/or unexpectedly cold winters in 2008, 2010, and 2013 (Ahrends et al., 2015). Indonesia has faced periods of drought and forest fires that have negatively affected the industry (Suwannakji, 2015). Water Large amounts of fertilizers and herbicides used on rubber plantations à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   eutrophication of local rivers with increase in nitrogen and phosphorus contributions (Gamaralalage, Sawai, and Nunoura, 2016). Terrestrial Ecosystems and Animals Rubber plantations increasingly planted on steeper hillsides à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   monsoon season occurs à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   washout of topsoil, altered pH levels of streams, eutrophication (Kaiyoorawong and Yangdee, 2006) Asian Development Bank reported that in the Xishuangbanna region of China each hectare of rubber plantation loses an estimated 22.5 tons of soil per year (Ives, 2013). Loss of Biodiversity Many rain forests converted to monoculture plantations (Liu et al., 2006; Li et al., 2007) Yunnan Province in China, known for great emergence of rubber industry is also home worlds most northern tropical forests, one fifth of Chinas mammals, and one third of its birds (Ives, 2013). Loss of forest land cover linked to loss of habitat for species In the Yunnan Province of China, plantations are destroying habitats of the Asian elephant and white-checked gibbons (Ives, 2013). Loss of protected environmental lands From 2005 to 2010, more than 610 square km of protected areas were converted to plantation in Southeast Asia (Ahrends et al., 2015). Harm to aquatic environments Eutrophication in water bodies leads to large-scale algal blooms which die and consume all of the available dissolved oxygen in aquatic environments as they decompose, leading to the collapse of ecosystems and die-off. Human Health and Societal Impacts Workers on plantations have no knowledge of the market and are controlled by the landowners that employ them. Price fluctuations can have very fast and damaging effects on tapping communities (Ahrends et al., 2015). Long work hours combined with a lack of autonomy lead to less life satisfaction. Chinese landowners and companies have begun buying up land on the Malay Peninsula. This means profit from sap no longer stays within local communities (Ahrends et al., 2015). Plays into long-term tension in which richer China and Thailand have a tendency to exploite the poorer Laos and Myanmar for resources (Sturgeon, 2013). Deforestation and local environmental change are linked to the harm of local ethnic communities, notably in China (Liu et al., 2006). Increase in malaria cases on plantations plantations provide breeding habitats for mosquitoes including latex-collecting cups and water storage containers (Tangena et al., 2016). In Thailand and Indonesia, 30-40% of all malaria cases annually are linked to farmers and those associated with the agricultural industry (Bhumiratana et al., 2013). Health issues failing eyesight for tappers who generally work through the night in SEA with limited light, eye and skin irritation and respiratory issues from spraying chemicals without protection, and inadequate rest (Kaiyoorawong and Yangdee, 2006). Step 2: Transport of sap barrels to processor facility Huge tanks on pick-up trucks transport sap to processing facilities not far from plantations (Chaiear, 2010). Environmental Impacts Climate considerations for greenhouse gases created from the burning of fossil fuels, notably carbon dioxide Air release of particulate matter, nitrous oxides, etc. that contribute to air pollution Human Health and Societal Impacts Often the people who own the processing facility also own the plantations as one dominated supply chain in which workers have little decision making power. Trade unions have struggled in some countries because companies will just lay off tons of workers to break them up (Kaiyoorawong and Yangdee, 2006). Vehicles used are often old and unsafe from a lack of proper maintenance. A lack of proper infrastructure and safe roadways from plantation to processing facility can increase the risk of fatal car accidents. Step 3: Processing and production of rubber sheets Description of steps: Coagulation collected latex for trees is put into larger tanks and formic acid is added à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   latex is allowed to coagulate (takes about 12 hours), product known as coagulum à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   coagulum is squeezed through a series of rolls to drive out water, product is soft solid slabs (Anjitha, 2013) Smoking Pressed coagulum is draped over wooden frames and smoked in smokehouses à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   several days to dry, result is known as ribbed smoked sheets Can also be done by drying coagulum outside in sun, product is air dried sheets and are better grade (Anjitha, 2013) Environmental Impacts Air There is a lot of particulate matter generated particularly in the smoking stage. Particulate matter can affect growth of nearby plantations and cause human respiratory issues (Anjitha, 2013). Water Water pollution from coagulation process which is very acidic and contains high levels of nitrogen and ammonia (Edirisinghe, 2014). Issues associated with eutrophication and additional potential for groundwater contamination can be considered for this step. Terrestrial Ecosystems Smoking stage requires the burning of a lot of local wood exacerbates the threat of deforestation and loss of biodiversity Human Health and Societal Impacts Low hygiene in production facilities no gloves worn in chemical coagulation treatment (Gamaralalage, Sawai, and Nunoura, 2016). Facilities are likely not cleaned routinely and potential hazards are likely not cleared often. Dizziness among workers from daily exposure to ammonia (Gamaralalage, Sawai, and Nunoura, 2016). Debate about economic gain vs. environmental detriment Some community members in Yunnan Province of China acknowledged environmental harm but said they needed and appreciated the economic gain from the rubber industry (Ives, 2013). The average middle class factory worker in Indonesia makes $8.60 per day and $6.70 in Vietnam (Jiaxong and Yangon, 2015). Very low wages and very dangerous conditions for other careers Another study of the garment industry found the hourly wages for factory workers to be; $0.13 per hour in Bangladesh, $0.26 per hour in Vietnam, and $0.44 per hour in China (Powell and Skarbek, 2004) These have likely risen since 2004 but the proportions still likely remain similar Step 4: Transport of sheets to Chinese manufacturer Ten of the busiest ports in the world are in China with Shanghai being the busiest (Jiaxing and Yangon, 2015). choice for this exercise Environmental Impacts Climate Greenhouse gas emissions need to be considered However, maritime shipping is the worlds most carbon-efficient form of transporting goods (Helms, 2013). Air The largest 15 ships in the world emit as much nitrogen oxide and Sulphur oxide as the worlds 760 million cars. There are few regulations for smoke stack emissions on these ships (Helms, 2013). Human Health and Societal Impacts Price at port dominated by China who control demand for rubber as the worlds largest manufacturer and user (Kaiyoorawong and Yangdee, 2006). Often those working on shipping vessels work long hours and spend many days away from home. This career would make it difficult to have a healthfully functioning family. Step 5: Manufacturing, final product assembly, and packaging Description of steps: Compound mixing Chemicals additive liquid mixture including fillers, vulcanization activators, and accelerators are added to rubber (Anjitha, 2013). There are typically between five and twenty additives in most rubbers one example is carbon black which is used as a reinforcing filler (Forrest, 2015). Shaping consists of 4 main processes Extrusion, Calendaring, Coating, Molding Consists of very large machines used to clean rubber, chop it into pellets, pressurize it, and form it into new sheets under high pressure resulting forms of rubber are specific to industry needs and product dimensions (Anjitha, 2013) Vulcanization Process that allows additives to react with rubber to give it its stiffer, stronger, heat and cold tolerant characteristics subject to very high temperatures (Anjitha, 2013) Liners for boots are spun from polyester yarn A machine spins the form (Guney, 2013) Liner and inner rubber form are formed outer rubber pieces are applied (Nicholson, 2011) several steps and product checks here Company labels applied (Guney, 2013) Packaging with cardboard outer box and paper interior packaging (Guney, 2013) Handmade likely means exterior rubber and sole placement is done by hand but machines still provide greater efficiency at each step (Nicholson, 2013) Environmental Impacts Air There is a terrible odor associated with rubber processing associated with ammonia and other, potentially toxic, compounds (Ives, 2013). Over 30 different potentially harmful chemicals have been found in rubber processing fumes include highly volatile hydrocarbons, amines, aldehydes, aerosols, etc. (Forrest, 2015). Although the Joules company claims to be handmade, it is almost guaranteed that many steps of the production process are partially mechanized. This means all of the machines are powered by fossil fuels that emit greenhouse gases when burned (Also linked to climate) Climate Large amount of VOCs created in aforementioned manufacturing processes (Anjitha, 2013). Ozone depleting substances have been found in coatings and adhesives used in some factories (Anjitha, 2013). Other gases produced from the rubber industry include carbon dioxide, nitrous oxides, and carbon monoxide (Akrill et al., 2002). Water Industry produces effluents that are not properly treated in many situations and released directly into surrounding environments à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   groundwater pollution (Hamid et al., 2016) potential impacts to aquatic environments and collapse of communities similar to those mentioned above Ex: Sri Lanka small operations on the island contribute a majority of rubber do not have access to adequate water treatment facilities à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   disgusting odor of water linked to effluent discharge, decreased water quality (Gamaralalage, Sawai, and Nunoura, 2016). Lead has also been found in dangerous amounts in effluent discharge (Akrill et al., 2002). Human Health and Societal Impacts The machines and knives used in extrusion pose occupational hazards for workers whose hands can get trapped when machines get clogged (Hamid et al., 2016). Very loud machines throughout the final processing stages can cause ear drum damage for workers who are not given proper means for ear protection (Akrill et al., 2016). Many negative health effects found: (Anjitha, 2013; Akrill et al., 2002; Ke and Shunzhang, 2002; Chaiear, 2010) Deaths from bladder, stomach, lung, and other cancer in rubber industry- companies claim it is difficult to link to specific chemicals or worker roles, but black carbon, for example, known to be carcinogenic Benzene exposure linked specifically to leukemia in electronics manufacturers benzene also used in rubber manufacturing (Blanding and White, 2015) Skin rashes and other irritation Adverse respiratory effects including chest tightness, shortness of breath, chronic cough, etc Birth defects were also experienced in women pregnant during their work in the rubber industry. The negative health effects of the rubber industry were first studied back in the 1950s (Uchida et al., 1993). The issues are still not being effectively dealt with. The Chinese government often underreports workplace-related accidents and illnesses. Companies attempt to use whatever loopholes available to avoid paying workers compensation and one-time settlements are commonly pushed. The Chinese healthcare system is also inefficient and workers are caught in a complex web (Blanding and White, 2015). Work place accidents are common due to the mishandling of highly volatile and flammable components à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   freqent explosions and associated health impacts and fatalities (Hamid et al., 2016; Chaiear, 2010). Total vision loss for some workers was reported in a massive rubber production zone. The most likely cause was black carbon exposure (Hamid et al., 2016). Increasing suicide rates in Chinas manufacturing industry linked to long work hours and repetitive nature of work (Smyth et al., 2013). One study for hours worked for migrant workers in China showed 40% worked 40-60 hours per week, 25% working 70 hours per week and 7% working more than 70 hours. The mean was 55.5 hours per week (Feng et al., 2002). Many migrant workers are also not part of the workers compensation system in China allowing companies to exploit them and not be held responsible at health for paying medical bills, lost wages, etc. (Blanding and White, 2015). Rationale for products not being handmade in the UK Chinas factories are far cheaper than in other rich nations. Many workers get paid right at the minimum wage which is about one quarter of that in the US. Many companies are moving farther inland in China for even cheaper wages in previously poor rural areas (Jiaxing and Yangon, 2015). Also, studies have found multinational companies offer higher wages and a better standard of living than domestic subcontractors would offer. Therefore, many view the system as important for a better lifestyle (Powell and Skarbek, 2004). Step 6: Transport of final product to port Environmental Impacts similar to Step 2 but the distances traveled are likely longer putting more stress on people are work many long hours away from home Step 7: Shipment of product to the UK Environmental Impacts similar to step 4, assuming freight is coming through the Port of Felixstowe, the UKs largest port (World Shipping council, 2017) Step 8: Transport to UK seller facility Environmental Impacts similar to step 2 and 6 Step 9: Product use Environmental Impacts not very relevant when in the use of the consumer other than considering that people needed to drive to the store or have products delivered from online by truck the previous greenhouse gas emissions and air polluters are also included here (I chose not to include treatments and additional waterproofing coatings sometimes added, but they can contain chemicals potentially leading to air and water pollution.) Human Health and Societal Impacts Company marketing makes one think that the product is handmade by a UK company, but upon further examination it is obvious the product was made in China. After contacting the company, I know it is very difficult to know the origins of any of the natural resources or where the product is actually manufactured. Also, the marketing of Joules attempts to market to rural communities in terms or durability and will show farms in adds, but also market to more posh urban consumers with bright colors, patterns, and bows in designs. Joules has fewer products marketed on their site than many other brands and so want to appear as a timeless brand. However, they still advertise new lines and products differ by year. This is still breeding a consumption culture of needing the new and different design rather than keeping the boots for an extended lifetime. Step 10: Disposal Description of step Although rubber boots could be reused and can have a potentially long lifetime with one consumer, we are skipping directly to disposal in a landfill. There are over 200 million waste tires in the US alone taken to landfills each year. Rubber only makes up less than 8% of total US landfill composition (Clark, 2013). There is also waste from all of the other production processes that is also likely transported to landfills or not disposed of the most environmentally conscious way. For example, the cardboard and paper packaging could be recycled, but for this case, I will assume the consumer fails to do so. Undesirable rubber sheets due to insect accumulation or products made incorrectly likely go to landfills as well, piling up as workplace hazards in factories before disposal. However, this is the consumer usually does not consider. Environmental Impacts Water Natural rubber would be biodegradable before treating but additives and layers apply make this unlikely in landfills. Chemical additives can leach out of improperly sealed landfills à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   water pollution (Clark, 2013) Climate Natural rubber in landfills, if able to biodegrade will still contribute to methane creation within landfills. Human Health and Societal Impacts Countries like the UK with very limited land area need to make tough decisions as a society about how to ethically and efficiently deal with issues of waste. Therefore, in this way each consumer is affected. References Ahrends, A., Hollingsworth, P. M., Ziegler, A. D., Fox, J. M., Chen, H., Su, Y., and Xu, J. (2015) Current trends of rubber plantation expansion may threaten biodiversity and livelihoods. Global Environmental Change, 34, 48-58. doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2015.06.002. Akrill, P., Cocker, J. and Dixon, S. (2002) Occupational exposure in the rubber manufacturing industry. IARC, 134: 265-269. Anjitha, G. (2013) Rubber and environment. Sri Lanka Insitute of Information, Technology. Academia.edu. from http://www.academia.edu/6391326/Rubber_and_environment [12.2.17] Bhumiratana, A., Sorosjinda-Nunthawarasilp, P., Kaewwaen, W., Maneekan, P., and Pimnon, S. (2013) Malaria-associated rubber plantations in Thailand. Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease, 11(1), 37-50. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy1.allegheny.edu:2048/10.1016/j.tmaid.2012.11.002. Blanding, M., and White, H. (2015) How China is screwing over its poisoned factory workers. Wired. https://www.wired.com/2015/04/inside-chinese-factories/#slide-3 [5.3.17]. Chaiear, N. (2010) Update on health and safety in the rubber industries. GB: Ismithers Rapra. Clark, T. (2013) Advancements in rubber disposal: Biodegradation and the environment. ENSO Plastics, LLC. International Latex Conference 2013. ://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140501222120-11496812-advancements-in-rubber-disposal-biodegradation-and-the-environment [27.2.17] Edirisinghe, J. C. (2014) Taxing the pollution: A case for reducing the environmental impacts of rubber production in Sri Lanka. Journal of South Asian Development, 9(1), 71-90. doi:10.1177/0973174113520585. Forrest, M. (2015) The composition and nature of vulcanisation fumes in the rubber industry A technical review. Progress in Rubber, Plastics and Recycling Technology, 31(4), 219-264. Gamaralalage, D., Sawai, O., and Nunoura, T. (2016) Effectiveness of available wastewater treatment facilities in rubber production industries in sri lanka.International Journal of Environmental Science and Development, 7(12), 940-945. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy1.allegheny.edu:2048/10.18178/ijesd.2016.7.12.908. Guney, I. (2013) How its made: rubber boots. Discovery Channel. Youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuSWAMxdcHg [25.2.17]. Hamid, A., Saeed, I., Akhtar, S., and Ahmad, S. R. (2016) Environmental profile of a rubber industry. Nature Environment and Pollution Technology, 15(3), 957-961. Helms, J. (2013) Worlds 15 biggest ships create more pollution than all the cars in the world. Industry Tap News. http://www.industrytap.com/worlds-15-biggest-ships-create-more-pollution-than-all-the-cars-in-the-world/8182 [28.2.17]. Ives, M. (2013) The rise of rubber takes toll on forests of southwest china. Yale Environment 360 (E360). http://e360.yale.edu/features/the_rise_of_rubber_takes_toll_on_forests_of_southwest_china [12.2.17]. Jiaxing and Yangon. (2015) The future of factory Asia: A tightening grip. The Economist. http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21646180-rising-chinese-wages-will-only-strengthen-asias-hold-manufacturing-tightening-grip [26.2.17]. Kaiyoorawong, S. and Yangdee, B. (2006) Rights of rubber farmers in Thailand under free trade. Project for Ecological Awareness Building. http://wrm.org.uy/oldsite/countries/Thailand/Rights_of_rubber_farmers_in_Thailand.pdf [27.2.17] Ke, L., and Shunzhang, Y. (2002) Mortality in a Chinese rubber factory: A prospective cohort study. Journal of Occupational Health, 44(2), 76-82. doi:10.1539/joh.44.76. Li, H., Aide, T. M., Ma, Y., Liu, W., Cao, M. (2007) Demand for rubber is causing the loss of high diversity rain forest in SW China. Biodiversity and Conservation, 16(6), 1731-1745. doi:10.1007/s10531-006-9052-7. Liu, W., Hu, H., Ma, Y., Li, H. (2006). Environmental and socioeconomic impacts of increasing rubber plantations in Menglun Township, southwest China. Mountain Research and Development, 26(3), 245-248,250-253. Nicholson, J. (2011) Boot assembly operations. Youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0nDuWIp3K0 [25.2.17]. Peeples, L. (2016) The origin of rubber boots. Scientific American. The Sciences Online. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/origin-rubber-boots-amazonian-indians-goodyear/ [25.2.17]. Powell, B. and Skarbek, D. (2004) Sweatshops and third world living standards: are the jobs worth the sweat? The Independent Institute. http://www.independent.org/publications/working_papers/article.asp?id=1369 [5.3.17]. Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA). (n.d.). Rubber faqs. RMA online. https://rma.org/about-rma/rubber-faqs/ [12.2.17]. Smyth, R., Qian, X., Nielsen, I., and Kaempfer, I. (2013) Working hours in supply chain Chinese and Thai factories: Evidence from the fair labor associations Soccer project. British Journal of Industrial Relations, 51(2), 382-408. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8543.2011.00881.x. Sturgeon, J. C. (2013) Cross-border rubber cultivation between China and Laos: Regionalization by Akha and Tai rubber farmers: Cross-border rubber cultivation. Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography, 34(1), 70-85. doi:10.1111/sjtg.12014. Suwannakij, S. (2015) Too much rubber, too few tires leaves tappers in a sticky place. Bloomberg Markets. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-12-29/too-much-rubber-too-few-tires-leaves-tappers-in-a-sticky-place [26.2.17]. Tangena, J. A., Thammavong, P., Wilson, A. L., Brey, P. T., and Lindsay, S. W. (2016) Risk and control of mosquito-borne diseases in southeast Asian rubber plantations. Trends in Parasitology, 32(5), 402-415. doi:10.1016/j.pt.2016.01.009. Uchida, Y., Nakatsuka, H., Ukai, H., Watanabe, T., Liu, Y. T., Huang, M. Y., and Ikeda, M. (1993) Symptoms and signs in workers exposed predominantly to xylenes. International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, 64(8), 597-605. World Shipping Council. (2017) About the industry: top 50 world container ports. World Shipping Council. http://www.worldshipping.org/about-the-industry/global-trade/top-50-world-container-ports [28.2.17]. Yujie, Z., Jusheng, J., Zongbo, P., Qunhui, W., and Daiqun, X. (2012) Ecosystem management in the natural rubber industry. Journal of Resources and Ecology, 3(3), 230-235. doi:10.5814/j.issn.1674-764x.2012.03.005.

The Benefits of Distance Learning Essay -- Teaching Learning Education

The Benefits of Distance Learning I. Easy access for both students and teachers II. Knowledge of instructors and classmates A. Posting of bibliographies III. One-on-one contact between instructor and student A. Phone contact B. Web-site email C. Chat areas IV. Students learn just as easily as in the classroom V. Access to other students through online communication A. Personal emails B. Classroom and group discussion boards C. Online course chat rooms VI. Learning of proper etiquette required for posting discussions VII. Learning computer tools A. Classroom and group discussion boards B. Chat rooms C. Web-site email D. Coffee shop chatting areas VIII. Accessibility for student and instructor assistance A. Technical Support B. Student and Academic Advisors C. Financial Aid Representatives IX. Convenience for students and instructors with everyday issues A. Careers B. Families C. Disabilities X. Overall availability and accessibility of higher-education to everyone A. Students C. Instructors The structure for this outline was determined by the experience as a current student attending an online university, a distance learning program. The outline starts...

He Who Sleeps On My Lap

The subject in this poem is the perplexity of the homosexual guy’s emotion to his male friend. This is about a homosexual guy who has desires for his male friend but is unwilling to reveal his emotions for fear of condemnation and mockery from his friends, family and community. The persona’s feelings are at war with himself.He is willing to take the risk of his lifetime to be able to show his friend the depth of his feelings but yet again, he is afraid of the consequences that will come about with the revelation knowing full well that his friend doesn’t want to entertain other sexual possibilities and is also in love with somebody else, and a girl at that. In the final analysis, his fear won over his love. We find the persona unable to conquer his dilemma.Knowing the mind-set of his friend regarding sexual relationships, that the only correct thing is that between a man and a woman, he already assumed that a relationship with him will never be possible, that his dream will never come true. As what we’ve understood, the persona is a homosexual man who hides his real self from the society. At first, the tone is argumentative because we see the persona trying to show the guy that there are other possibilities for a relationship, not just between a man and a woman. This will be supported by the line: â€Å"He says he is a man and a man needs a woman and I disagree.We argue until he grows tired of talking and sleeps on my lap on this chilly nightâ€Å". The poem also shows a tone of sadness because of a dream that will never come true. It is also wistful for what could be and this will be supported by the line: â€Å"I am here slaughtering one wicked wish that when he wakes up I shall be his dream†. From that line itself, it shows that the persona really harbours the thought that his love could be given back in return. But then again, he is afraid to show his real feelings knowing that the guy is in love with somebody else.So, he will content himself with just being friends and therefore containing his emotions. As we go through the poem, we see some words that we do not just take at literal value but look for a deeper meaning of the word/words. The word â€Å"sleep† in the poem implies a closed mind not yet ready to explore other possible sexual relationships. It is like when you are asleep, you do not know what is going on around you and it is in a way showing that you are not entertaining ideas that are contrary to yours. And so because you do not want to belabour the issue, you end the argument by going to sleep.It can be construed as a sign of weakness because you will not sit out and discuss the issue. You don’t want anything to be changed so ignoring is the solution that you’d rather undertake. By the use of the word â€Å"slaughtering†, the persona shows very fierce desire towards his male friend because he could have used simpler words such as â€Å"ending†. Inste ad, he used a very harsh word such as â€Å"slaughtering† which is really very brutal. The words â€Å"sleeps gently on my lap† imply that the guy has total trust on the persona. Their friendship is too deep and they are very comfortable with one another.So, we will assume that the guy does not know that the persona is a homosexual. Or, should we say, that he would rather forget it and act as if nothing happened. He is already happy with their relationship and he doesn’t want to change anything so he refuses to talk about it more which is why he would rather sleep than discuss the issue. As for our opinion, we can really say that he chose the right words, words that can push us to look deeper, words that can show vivid pictures of what is really going on and how he is really feeling.We assume that the scene happened in the persona’s house at night probably in the porch. This will be supported by the words â€Å"on this chilly night. † We can also p icture a cold wind blowing. That is why the scene could not have taken place inside the house, otherwise they would not feel the chill. The mood in this poem is a love that is doomed. The persona loves his male friend but he is unable to really express it due to their conflicting beliefs. His male friend believes that a man needs a woman and he believes otherwise. He argues with his friend but to no avail so we can say that it is a love that is doomed.It is a love that can never be due to conflicting beliefs and also because of the persona’s fear that if he will reveal his real self, he might not be accepted by the society and he could lose the friendship he deeply treasures. So, he is trying his very best to kill his emotions knowing that it will only cause him more pain if he will not stop it. Before we start to determine the cadence of the poem â€Å"He who sleeps on my lap†, let us first clarify what is cadence so that it won’t be hard for us to identify wha t is the tone of the poem. Cadence is a rhythmic sequence or flow of sounds in language.It is where the beat changes its motion. It may be a poem, a story or a piece of music. It is the way a person’s voice changes by rising or falling while he or she is speaking. There is a rhythmic sequence of sounds or voices. For example, a soft and smooth voice gives the poem an evaluation of being lonely or sadness. Moreover it also gives the poem emotions and feelings. It gives the poem the quality of having the sensation of excitement, sadness, sorrow, grief, and joy. In the poem â€Å"He who sleeps on my lap†, the rhythmic sequence is sadness and sorrow. There is a slow motion of speaking.The voice is falling gently because of the persona’s feeling of loneliness. Evidences that prove the poem’s sensational quality of sadness and fear of being alone are the words â€Å"My friend who sleeps on my lap loves someone else† which tells us that the persona is fee ling down and sad, and the words â€Å"that I am here slaughtering one wicked wish that when he wakes up I shall be his dream† which gives the sensation of fear of admitting his feelings to the person. The slow motion of the persona’s voice here gives it the sense of emotion and sadness. Almost every word in the poem touches our heart.We feel his heartbreak. We feel his aloneness knowing that he bears a problem that he cannot share with anybody due to fear of condemnation and we pity him for the burden that he is carrying. Sound devices are usually classified as consonance or assonance. Consonance is a pleasing combination of sounds; sounds in agreement with tone. It is the repetition of consonants within two or more words in sequence. It is often confused with alliteration, which is a type of consonance. Consonance in poetry serves many similar functions as alliteration as well as its own special functions.Generally speaking, consonance in poetry provides varied audit ory range. A stream of consonance serves the purpose of drawing the audience into the words. Consonance in poetry can take on an almost hypnotic beat that captivates the audience without being as obvious as alliteration. Using different types of consonance within a poem also prevents it from sounding like a child’s rhyme, unlike a poetic device such as alliteration. Consonance and assonance give a bounce to the poem. The repeated consonant is always on the stressed syllable, which creates an even more emphasized sound on the consonant words.When mixed with other words within the phrase that has consonance, one's voice naturally rises and dips, creating a â€Å"bouncing† sound. This sound naturally excites the ears and the brain. It gives the audience alertness and excitement. It will also help the audience to focus and avoid boredom. Assonance, on the other hand, is a rhetorical device often used in poetry to add a deeper sense of meaning to the imagery therein. It is usually defined as the repetition of vowel sounds within words or syllables. For example, the words â€Å"wait† and â€Å"stay† demonstrate assonance with each other because they both contain the same interior vowel sound.The use of repeated vowel sounds within words and syllables is said to appeal to the ear of the reader and establish the writer's artistic authority. Assonance is often found in poetry, where it generally helps the verse flow more smoothly. It is not generally considered an element of poetic form or structure. Instead, it is more often thought of as an extra poetic flourish. The use of assonance in poetry is generally considered to give the poet more creative leeway, and it can allow the poet to create an illusion of structure in poetry, which does not typically follow poetic conventions such as form or structure.In the poem â€Å"He who sleeps in my lap†, consonance are commonly found with s form. Some end in s and when you hear the tone or th e voice of the poem, s letters are commonly found. For example; the words sleeps, loves, someone, else, says, is, needs, disagree, grows, sleeps, sigh, loves, someone, else, still, sleeps, innocent, slaughtering, wish, wakes, and shall in the poem had more s sounds which gives it the quality of sadness and sorrow. It gives the audience attention and also for the audience to stay tuned in the poem. Assonance in the poem are found in the form of o, a, and e sound.O sounds like someone, knowing, loves, on, on, of, argue, grows, woman, on, on, knowing, innocent, and slaughtering. A sounds like lap, Loves, someone, a man, and, a, man, a, and, disagree, and, lap, sigh, but, lap, not, that, am, one, up, that, shall, And, I, I, tired, until, and night. Even though most of them were not spelled as †a†, they still have this quality of sound holding the a tone. E sounds like friend, sleep, else, He, says, he, is, needs, we, he, sleeps, this, chilly, he, else, still, sleeps, gently, here, wicked, wish, when, he, wakes, bed, dream, and his.All of these words might not have similarities in the spelling but still have a, o, and e sounds similar to our senses of hearing. They all give the sense and flow of softness and smoothness in the poem. It gave the poem a quality of vowel sounds giving the poem a dense and smooth flow. Imagery is an important tool in poetry. When you hear the term imagery, you might think of visual images. Imagery, however, can and should involve at least one of the five senses: sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste.Visual imagery includes the senses of sight, sound for auditory imagery, smell for olfactory imagery, touch for tactile imagery, and taste for gustatory imagery. Good poetry is generally rich in imagery. The reader can imagine actually seeing or hearing or touching the things described. Imagery shows rather than tells, which is important in good poetry. Imagery is often used in a poem to evoke emotions in the reader. A poem which describes a dark sky and oppressive, heavy air gives us a sense of foreboding. A poem about a braided rug on a polished floor, the color of honey and a crackling fire gives us a cozy, homey kind of feeling.Every poem has imagery. It is the characteristic of the poem that makes it colorful and interesting. It makes the poem livelier and it pushes the reader to use his or her imagination. In the poem, visual, auditory and tactile are commonly found. Lines like â€Å"loves someone else†, â€Å"on this chilly night†, and â€Å"I shall be his dream† are visual imageries found in the text. The phrase â€Å"loves someone else† is considered as visual because it make you wonder who this woman really is and how she looks like. Next is the line â€Å"on this chilly night† which is very visual because you can imagine a night with a cold atmosphere.Lastly, the words â€Å"I shall be his dream† which is visual because when you dream you see things and p ictures popping on your mind and you see the involvement of imagination. Auditory imagery are also found in the line â€Å"he says he is a man, and a man needs a woman. And I disagree, we argue until he grows tired of talking, and I sigh† because there is an involvement of sounds. For instance when we argue, we speak and speaking involves producing sound which is considered as auditory. Same as the poem, if we were about to imagine it, there is an involvement of sound.Tactile sensation or imagery on the other hand is the involvement of touch. For instance the sentence, â€Å"He is tapping your seatmate. † is a tactile imagery. There is an interaction that takes place. In the lines â€Å"who sleeps on my lap†, â€Å"and sleeps on my lap†, and â€Å"but still sleeps gently on my lap†, you can see or imagine the interaction between the two individuals and there is a sensational touch involved. Sleeping on the lap of a person is thoroughly considered a s tactile sensation. (references: http://www. wisegeek. com/what-is-assonance. htm http://www. wisegeek. com/what-is-consonance.htm http://voices. yahoo. com/the-imagery-poetry-1036321. html) Every poem consists different qualities of figures of speech. Each of them has its unique way of making the poem interesting and attractive. The point of figures of speech in poetry is to give vividness or heighten the beauty of its style. Commonly words are employed in a nonliteral sense for special effects. In order for a poem to sound elegant certain figures of speech are applied like metaphor, hyperbole, synecdoche, simile, apostrophe, Chiasmus, Antithesis, Anaphora, alliteration, Ellipsis, irony and etcetera.These figures of speech convey meanings or certain messages that are obfuscated in the language so that the reader can interpret multiple meanings from the verse. As for the poem â€Å"He who sleeps on my lap†, many types of figures of speech are used to make the poem vivid, ele gant, attractive, interesting and beautiful and these are the following; alliteration, anaphora, caesura, ambiguity, and enjambment. As you can see in the line â€Å"My friend who sleeps on my lap loves someone else†, the repetition of the word â€Å"my† is an anaphora.Moreover, in the line â€Å"He says he is a man and a man needs a woman and I disagree†, there’s also a repetition of the words â€Å"he† and â€Å"a man†, making it an anaphora. Anaphora is the repetition of the same word or phrase. Another figure of speech is ambiguity which is a word, statement, or situation with two or more possible meanings. For example, the lines found in the poem such as â€Å"he who sleeps on my lap† may give two or more meanings depending on the point of view of the reader. Caesura is also found in the poem.It is the rhythmic break or pause in the flow of sound which is commonly introduced in about the middle of a line of verse, but may be vari ed for different effects. Usually placed between syllables rhythmically connected in order to aid the recital as well as to convey the meaning more clearly, it is a pause dictated by the sense of the content or by natural speech patterns, rather than by metrics. It may coincide with conventional punctuation marks, but not necessarily. In the line â€Å"And I sigh†, it pauses and takes a break and the flow of sound stops and resumes.Lastly, a figure of speech which is enjambment is also found in the middle and in the last phrase of the poem. Enjambment is the running-over of a sentence or phrase from one poetic line to the next without terminal punctuation; the opposite of end-stopped. They are found in the phrases â€Å"that I am here slaughtering one wicked wish that when he wakes up I shall be his dream† and â€Å"we argue until he grows tired of talking and sleeps on my lap on this chilly night†. They run-over without pausing and without terminal punctuation. It didn’t have punctuation instead it goes on continuously. The title, â€Å"He who sleeps on my lap† may seem to have a literal meaning. It could mean that if they have some time alone, they huddle together and be in that position as the literal meaning of the title suggests. But concerning on how the author delivers the poem, the title might mean something else, something deeper. The phrase, â€Å"Sleeps on my lap† could suggest the closeness that they are sharing with one another. It may represent the feeling of comfort when they are together.It could also show that there is a bond between them, that they are close enough for the man to be able to sleep in his lap. That is a show of intimacy. The persona wants to talk about his loved one but he doesn’t want to specifically say the name so he uses the pronoun â€Å"he†. The title is secretive because it does not reveal who exactly is sleeping in his lap. We know it is a man because of the pronoun â€Å"he† but we do not know his exact relationship or how close he is to the writer of the poem. One can assume that usually the one who sleeps on the lap is a woman.So, it is kind of unusual to find out that it is a man. By the use of the pronoun â€Å"he†, there is already an innuendo that this does not talk about a boy-girl relationship. As we started to analyze the title, it seems as if it implies that a person could be close to you and yet not really know you inside and out. From the outside looking in, it looks like a love story. But when you’ve read it completely, you will see that it is not just an ordinary love story. â€Å"People tend to hide their true selves just to satisfy society’s demand on gender. †

Canada is the Best Place to be essays

Canada is the Best Place to be essays Canada Is One Of The Best Places To Be To me, Canada is the best country in the world. There are plenty of opportunities to succeed here and have a great life. After many years of hardships and frustrations, my husband, my daughter, and I immigrated to Canada in 1996. We came here to escape the tyranny of the Romanian corrupt and vicious government and to build a better life in Canada. Some people think that the grass is always greener on the other side, and I agree. I had to go away in order to achieve my dreams. For me Canada is unique because I will be able to fulfill my dreams and build a better life for my family. My decision to move to Canada was largely due to the opportunities that this country has to offer. This is a great place to build a new career and gain valuable skills. Here are some of the reasons why Canada is the best place to be and work: it has a strong commitment to education, an enviable health system and a high standard of living. Education has two main goals: to give individuals the opportunity to develop themselves, and to provide society with the skills it needs to evolve in its best interests. Canada ranks among the worlds leaders for per capita spending on public education. Canada maintains this level of investment because it continues to generate healthy returns. Comprehensive diversified and available to everyone, Canadas educational system reflects the Canadian belief in the importance of education. Canadas health care system is the best in the world. The aim of the national health insurance program is to ensure that all residents of Canada have reasonable access to medically necessary insured services without direct charges. Life expectancy at birth in Canada is among the highest in the world. Canadas approach to multiculturalism was cited as a model for other countries. The country is often described as a cultural mosaic that encourages citiz ...