Future for fisheries Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Future for fisheries - Essay Example Fishes are one of them. According to WWF, ‘two thirds of the worlds fish stocks are either fished at their limit or over fished’ (WWF, 2002). However, there are also other reasons for the depletion of fisheries that the writer has failed to mention or elaborate upon. One of the most glaring one is the contamination of water by industrial waste. Also not much attention is being given to these fisheries and many are being depleted as a result of neglect. The depletion or alteration of fresh water is further exacerbating the problem. Despite this, the short essay was a pleasant read and opens up the reader’s mind to the importance of the course. I agree that fisheries management is a very insightful course. Fishery management is a neglected topic and making such a course allows us as consumers to understand how we are contributing to the problem. I also agree that fish data analysis and other practical applications of the course would have been quite helpful in increasing our knowledge and interest in the subject. Overall, the writer has introduced many concepts in the short essay. His positive attitude towards the course was very pleasing to

Research Methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Research Methods - Essay Example In the business of fashion design, it is the role of the designer to transform cultural influences with the use of technology into new products. Fashion design technology research is supposed to be developed in a way that it enhances fashion design understanding in the post-modern context, therefore posing this question: In which way has technology influenced the creativity in fashion design? While focusing on creativity in fashion design, this study should evolve while incorporating a grounded theory approach to qualitative inquiry. There should be an interview of luxury-level fashion designers and industry executives in countries with a rich history when it comes to fashion design, France being a good example. The interview should be in depth and regarding creativity and technological ingenuity especially pertaining to the internet when it comes to fashion design process. There should be a concise data analysis which should lead to the definition of a typology for creativity and te chnology in fashion design in the global competitive environment. There should be a relation of these typologies with the use of technology. ... The fashion technology should encompass all aspects that are concerned with the design, production, and distribution of material and apparel goods. Under the discussion of fashion, there are broad components of women’s wear such as accessories, jewelry, and perfume. The production of basic apparel items does not rely on the same conceptual driving force found on novelty and change. For the purpose of a well grounded research fashion industry technology on women’s wear should involve companies or individuals that are involved in the manufacture, fabrication, marketing, and sale of items which:- (a) Have precise aesthetic and performing properties, (b) Elicit psychological response associated to desire and need and (c) Are embraced by a group of women for a limited amount of time. The fashion industry technology function within industrial societies context and is complex encompassing a wide array of disciplines which include aesthetics, design, product development, econom ics, global business, marketing, consumer behavior, operations, and management as well as anthropology, psychology, and sociology. Historical Context The Origin of fashion design technology In the research on fashion design, there should be a note on the focus on technological phenomenon which was developed in the mid-20th century as a result of the internet which is the crux of technology. It is the Internet which has facilitated users to explore the World Wide Web for information and entertainment thus facilitating the development of a new business model, e-commerce which is the process of business transaction through contact made on the World Wide Web. The founding of brands in fashion design is based on creative and innovative research and development aided by technology facilitating

Imperialism was always seen as positive for Westerners, but as Essay

Imperialism was always seen as positive for Westerners, but as destructive by the peoples of Africa and Asia. To what extent does this statement appear to be true - Essay Example This was a major step by these countries in the west but to the subjects, i.e. Africa and Asia, this was a bad dream if not a nightmare. Africa was specifically chosen because in Africa, declining empires and wars among the locals left many states vulnerable. Furthermore, it would make available of the raw materials e.g. rubber and tin not locally available in the region and would also create a ready market for the goods. The force of European commerce, culture and power in Asia resulted to a rise to growing trade in goods/commodities that were a key development in modern world free market economy. The motives of this imperialism which were accomplished by the end of the 19th century were improving communications, medical advances, and military technologies. By 1860, Africa was still developing internally on its own terms. The dynamism and importance of Africa on the global continuum supports the theory that Africa would have evolved/developed and sustained level of advancement/devel opment and civilization without the contact with imperial forces. Also, many states had been weakened by slave trade1. On one hand, the imperialism was damaging as it led to large portions of Africa came under European colonial rule. When the imperialists saw how divided and uncivilized the local people were, they thought that with a little help they can easily conquer and rule the land. Another factor that enhanced their morale was the primitive weapons used by Africans and also they took advantage of the hospitality of the local people. This style is called ‘divide and rule . Westerners sought to fight African tribes among themselves which made it easier for them to take control and earn the ‘free’ land. Another damaging factor was famines that resulted in regions where farmers grew cash crops for export for imperialistic nations instead of food for local use. Indigenous people lost

Case study in ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Case study in ethics - Essay Example Thus, the popular appeal of a certain depiction that is rendered in an advertisement creates a condition of biased, shallow perception. This kind of perception is highly reductive. In this case study, I shall focus on the issue of the image of Obama in an advertisement that has a certain pedigree of racism and political labeling. This discourse shall be explained and engaged further in the succeeding parts of the paper. At the same time, aside from the construction of the image, the impression derived thereof shall be put into account by looking into the formal elements that make up the image. At the same time, there is also a need to clearly assess why the image creates an impression through certain sensibilities, which are political, cultural and sociological in nature and must be discussed in conjunction with the signs that parts of images create for the spectator to gaze. Looking at the elements of the image, Obama’s image is presented with sickle and hammer, which are embodiments of communism (â€Å"Image†). Another crucial thing to look at the image is the use of the terms â€Å"somewhere in Kenya a village is missing its idiot Obama† (â€Å"Empty Suit†). Together with the image comes the face of Obama, smiling and wearing formal attire that befits the campaigning needed for the elections. The advertisement has these elements that evoke a totally different level of problematic propositions and discourses of representation. To understand the points to be raised in this paper, there is a need to understand that the context of presidential elections must be duly considered since this defines how the image works and creates a certain standard for judgment. The first thing that must be understood is that the image is highly offensive, given that the signs and symbols that have been incorporated in the advertisement are tantamount to

Compare the structure and activities of a public sector or not for Assignment

Compare the structure and activities of a public sector or not for profit organisation with a similar organisation in the privat - Assignment Example INTRODUCTION Private sector and public sector organizations differ in the way they are managed and operated. The way they are structured helps to facilitate goal achievement. This report compares the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) with Westpac Banking Corporation (Westpac). Reserve Bank of Australia RBA is Australia’s central bank. The objectives of the Bank are set out in its policies – ensuring that the monetary and banking policies are advantageous to the people of Australia (Reserve Bank of Australia 3). In so doing the policies of the bank are designed to ensure stability of Australia’s currency, facilitate full employment; and contribute to economic prosperity and welfare of the Australian people. RBA has a Governor and Deputy Governor as well as a number of boards, committees, groups and departments. They all have their relevant functions which facilitate the proper management of the Bank. The structure of the organization is shown in the organization cha rt in Appendix 1. The Boards include the Reserve Bank Board and the Payments System Board. The Reserve Bank Board has responsibility for monetary and banking related polices while the Payments Systems Board is responsible for polices relating to the payments system. The Governor is the Chairman for both Boards with the Deputy Governor as Deputy Chairman for the Reserve Bank Board. The committees of RBA include the Executive Committee; the Audit Committee; the Remuneration Committee; and the Risk Management Committee. The forum for discussions among heads of functional departments and the Governor and Deputy Governor is provided by the executive committee. The audit committee is chaired by a non-executive board and this should help facilitate the level of independence that is required of members of this committee. The Remuneration Committee is also a committee of the Reserve Bank Board and is drawn from the non-executive members of that Board. The Risk Management Committee is chaired by the Deputy Governor and its responsibility is that of identifying and managing those risks that are not policy related, across the bank. The Groups consists of the Banking and Payments Group; the Corporate Services; the Currency; the Economic; the Financial Markets; and the Financial System Groups. All of these groups have one or more departments that fall under their remit. They provide a range of services for institution. The Banking and Payments Group consists of two departments – the Banking Department and the Payments Settlements Department. The function of the Banking Department includes the provision of a special range of banking and registry services to the departments of the Australian Government, overseas central banks and official institutions. The Payments and Settlements Department on the other hand has the responsibility of settling high valued payments and inter-bank obligations which result ‘from the conduct of Exchange Settlement Accounts andâ€℠¢ the RBA’s own trading activities. Other responsibilities of the Bank and Settlement Department include the operations of the Reserve Bank Information and Transfer System (RITS) which is Australia’s real time gross settlement (RTGS) system. RBA’s Corporate Services Group consists of the Facilities Management Department; the Financial Administration Department; and the Systems and Technology Department (Reserve Bank of

Trurl’s Machine Essay Example for Free

Trurl’s Machine Essay As a boy Stanislaw Lem showed an early interest in science as well as in the imaginary worlds of fantasy and science fiction. The young Lem’s interest in tinkering mechanical devices of all sorts was put to use by secretly damaging the German vehicles during the Nazi occupation. Later on, he became a full time writer establishing himself as leading science fiction writer in Eastern Europe. This writer from Lvov Poland (now Ukraine) worked on serious themes as the purpose of life and relationship between human beings and technology. Once upon a time Trurl, a constructor built an eight-story thinking machine. As always, he asks it a ritual question of how much is two plus two. Every time he asks this question the machine always says seven that make him so disappointed. He collapsed in despair at the foot of the machine, and sat there until Klapaucius found him. Klapaucius asked what was wrong, for Trurl looked as if he had just returned from a funeral. Trurl explained what happened and Klapaucius said that there still a good side to everything. Trul keeps on kicking the machine until he is warned by it; they notice that aside from being stupid it is also sensitive. Instead of stopping what he is doing, Trul keeps what he is doing, that’s why the machine shuttered, shook and without any word lift itself from its foundations. The machine was swaying like a high tower, advancing slowly; at every step sinking to is second floor, but stubbornly doggedly pulling itself out of the sand and heading straight for them. This left broken concretes behind. They ran straight and soon saw houses before them. The streets were practically deserted at this time and the construction had gone a good distance without meeting living soul, when suddenly an awful crash, like an avalanche at the edge of the town, indicated that the machine was coming after them. The machine is tearing down all the houses! It is plowing all the building. There are dreadful screams, confusions in the streets. The mayor pleased the machine to stop what it is doing and the machine said that it will only stop if they give up Trurl. The mayor pleases the machine to have mercy on them. The mayor said that the damage made by Trurl’s machine will be answered by Trurl. Trurl and Klapaucius went to the machine and escaped by going in the cave but the machine has closed the cave with the rock. They are trapped. They talk to the machine and say that all of its answer is correct that two plus two is seven. They ask if they can go now but the machine said that it will think about it, but first they need to answer what is two times two. Trul fell into a rage, and he said that two and two is four, from the beginning till the end it is four. The machine had begun to ram its eight-story hulk again and again into the wall of stone, hurling itself against the mountain side until huge boulders broke away and went tumbling down into the valley. Thunder and sulfurous fumes filled the cave and sparks flew from the blows of steel on rock, yet through all this pandemonium one could still make out, now and then, the ragged voice of Trurl. They heard an explosion and saw the machine, lay smashed and flattened, nearly broken in half by an enormous boulder that had landed in the middle of its eight floors. With the greatest care they picked their way down through the smoking rubble. In order to reach the riverbed, it was necessary to pass the remains of the machine. Without a word, the two stopped together in the shadow of its twisted hull. The machine still quivered slightly, and one could turning, creaking feebly, within. Yes this is bad enough you’ve come to, and two and two is—as it always was—â€Å" began Trul, but you just then the machine faint, barely audible croaking noise and said for the last time, â€Å"seven. † Then something snapped inside, a few stones dribbled down from overhead, now before them lay nothing but lifeless mass of scrap. The two constructors exchanged a look and silently, without any further comment or conversation, walked back the way they came.

Issues Surrounding Barriers To Leadership And Leadership Development Management Essay

Issues Surrounding Barriers To Leadership And Leadership Development Management Essay Current leadership practised today goes further than getting people to do what a leader wants them to do. Leadership today is concerned with bringing out the best quality of ability people have to offer and helping to focus an individuals energy and zeal along a united front to achieve common goals. Outstanding leaders assess their own abilities to lead. Todays leaders build teams and oversee the essential elements of teamwork-communication, cooperation, and collaboration. Effective leaders promote shared values among employees, such as open communication, honesty, quality, respect, and mutual support. A clearer understanding of what leadership and leadership development means is necessary in other to understand the issues surrounding barriers to effective leadership and development the construction industry. Leadership as a term has different meaning to different individuals and organisations. Prof. Kenneth Clark defined leadership as an activity or set of activities, observable to others that occur in a group, organisation or institution or institution involving a leader and followers who willingly subscribe to common purposes and work together to achieve them. (Philip 2003). Harry Truman also defined it as the ability to get men to do what they dont want to do and like it (Philip 2003). On the other hand, Leadership development refers to any activity that improves the quality of leadership within an organisation. These activities could range from courses offered in schools to seminars and retreats focused on developing the leadership skills and attitudes of individuals. In the world today, the construction industry plays a major role in the national economy of countries both developed and developing due to the high demand for industrialisation and urbanisation. Due to this fact, essential and effective leadership skills such as good communication skills, Strategic vision and an understanding of the industry are the most essential traits required. The right leadership in the construction industry results in self-managed teams and shared leadership among team members. Leadership development will be required for the advancement, growth, and continued existence of construction businesses in the next millennium. Unfortunately, from the research survey carried out by the chartered institute of building (CIOB) in 2008, the construction industry as a whole was lacking in leadership and most companies in the industry were lacking in developing leadership potentials of employees due to a lot of barriers. This essay is focused on identifying these barriers and critically discussing issues surrounding them. Looking at the construction industry in general, irrespective of country, it was discovered that the a lot of barriers hampered the growth of leadership and leadership development, based on a research survey carried out by the chartered institute of building (CIOB) in 2008, where questionnaires were administered to members of the institute and members of other organisations in the construction industry. Results obtained showed that the major barriers to leadership development and leaders reaching their maximum potential were a lack of opportunity and organisational culture. Other barriers identified were poor communication skills, lack of skills and training, lack of general management skills in work force, lack of incentives, political environment, society/national culture, self confidence, and autocratic management. Further barriers to leadership development where, lack of leadership development programs and individual/personal barriers. However, a lot of issues are what gives rise to these barriers which makes it impossible for proper leadership development in the construction industry. These issues in one way or another are inter related to all the barriers obstructing leadership. Many of the problems arising in an organisation are as a result of people failing to communicate properly which degenerates to confusions and leads to failure in project plan. Communication basically referred to as the exchange of information and ideas from one person to another. A lot of issues arise which make it impossible for leaders to communicate effectively with other members of the organisation in the construction industry. One of this is problem of perception, which adversely affects how we interpret a message gotten from another based on how we perceive the person and sometimes the wrong message is delivered and ultimately has an adverse effect on a project. Secondly, is the problems of culture, background and bias, which makes people to be prejudiced at times ultimately affecting the way a message is received and interpreted thus interfering with the communication process. Thirdly, is the personal attitude of an individual, such as focusing on ones self and feeling superior to others or defensive towards them and sometimes just plain ego hinders effective communication which results in conflicts and confusion arising. Other issues which also hinders effective communication could also be due to stress, as individuals tend to react differently when u nder stress and thus affects the way a message is received and understood for the proper instructions to be carried out. Organisational structure is another key barrier to leadership development in the construction industry. The organisational culture is simply referred to as the a system of shared values, attitudes, beliefs, and experiences of an organisation which has being acquired over a period of time which distinguish one organisation from another and affects the way in which members of the organisation react to the opportunities and threats affecting the organisation. Sometimes, this culture has an adverse effect on an organisation and acts as a barrier to change and diversity whereby, the culture is so ingrained that they are ok with the working dynamics and refuse to respond to change from a new leader trying to bring about change or introducing leadership development programme which will improve the organisation but prefer the status quo. Employees are thus, forced to conform to existing culture and potential leadership qualities in employees are subdued and never achieved which affects leadership development in the organisation. A clear example of this, is seen in the UK construction industry which is seen as a predominantly male (that is young white male) dominated, coupled with harsh working conditions which has been translated into a culture embodying crisis, conflict, masculinity and embracing a casual approach to working norms of commitment. This has being summed up accordingly by Harvey and Ashworth (1993)as construction having an image of being a difficult, demanding and unbecoming occupation with an adversarial culture. Gale (1992) also observed that,.it seems that it is in the interest of those who have chosen to work in the industry to maintain the maleness of the culture, thus keeping conflict and crises as preferred aspects of everyday working life. This culture of the industry makes it difficult for female, other ethnic minorities and better educated people from considering construction as a worthwhile career option which will bring about a change in the industry as a lot of this individual coul d have potential leadership qualities which will make the industry to be better organised and developed. This organisational culture has made it a particularly unattractive profession for potential individuals who might consider going into the profession as it is alleged to have a casual, fragmented and hierarchical nature which makes it incapable of functioning in a harmonized, homogenous way when dealing with issues relating to development, training, education etc. This fact has being recognised by professionals and clients in the industry and acts as a major barrier for potential change to occur in the organisation as members are strongly opposed to change occurring in the industry. The society/national culture also acts as a barrier to most leadership development and the potential for leadership to be developed in organisations. A typical example of this is seen the Nigerian context where the cultural characteristic of leadership in Nigerian society is mostly patrimonial-based on hereditary within members of a family. The leadership mantle is masculine which is mainly handed down to the first male child and where this is unattainable, other family members play a major role in the selection of predecessors to head the organisation. Family members also have strong influences on the decisions taken by these leaders who may or may not have acquired the proper training qualification or skills that is required from a leader. A notable case of patrimonial selected leadership can be seen in DANTATA SAWOE which is arguably the most prominent indigenous construction company in Nigeria. Like most indigenous companies, it is owned by a family with about fifty years of exi stence and its leadership has gone through the generations of the kin of the founder and is still expected to go down the lineage. With this style of leadership style, there is the tendency for individual leaders to try to distinguish themselves and carve out a niche for himself. This may lead either to the leader given diminutive chances for various individuals under him to participate and air their views in such organizations. Secondly, because the leadership consist of a group that shares similar beliefs and values, the organisation portray weakness in its cultural diversity and place more emphasis on their own culture. Further barriers to leadership and leadership development are a lack of opportunity and lack of skills and training in the industry. A general lack of opportunities exist in the industry for employees and individuals to improve their leadership skills and ability as most organisations under-invest in leadership development programmes and employees have no access to new experiences coupled with the fact that organisations failed to meet their employees expectation and needs all act as a barrier to improving leadership skills. From the survey carried out by the CIOB, it showed that 25% believed that a lack of opportunity was the greatest barrier to potential leaders becoming leaders and that about 45% of companies in the industry did not have a formal succession plan or leadership strategy. A lack of leadership development program in most organisation is a key issue as most organisations do not invest in training their employees or improving their skills by organising seminars or sending them on courses which in the long run benefits the company or organisation by enabling the company to be better organised and co-ordinated. In some other cases, where training is offered by the organisation, the leadership development methodology is often wrong as employees receive this training without development as sometimes what is learnt is not applicable to the industry directly or entirely different. Moreover, a shortage of skills in the industry also acts as a barrier to leadership development this is as a result of the poor image projected by the industry, low incomes and a lack of academic/vocational courses and apprenticeship where all contributing factors to a general lack of skill in the construction industry in UK. Also, a lack of general management skills in work force acts as a barrier to leadership development as poor management often result in leaders not delegating work properly and results in assigning the wrong people for the wrong job and at the wrong time, this is as a result of being disorganised and not being able to organise schedules. This barrier could arise as a result of not having the proper management skills such as, having a positive attitude to work which influences employees to have such attitude and work is done and finished on time. By not be trustworthy and honest also affects management skills. By not been arrogant or imposing but be able to listen to other views of individuals and reach a compromise. A typical example of poor management skill is seen in autocratic management in which only the leaders views are taken as utmost and final leaving no chance for subordinates to take initiatives but the leader prefers to hand down instructions which amounts to bad mentoring. This practice is very common with most construction companies in Nigeria specifically with the organisation CTA PARTNERS LTD where the companys head felt other members of staff where not competent enough to do particular work and refused to allow staffs use their initiative which often resulted in projects not being completed on time and acquired more cost for the client and all involved in the project. However, when proper management skills are administered in an organisation, it can result in an efficient, productive team of happy workers whereas if not it can lead to a general feeling of resentment, bad atmosphere, loss of productivity and loss of team morale. Further barriers also could be a lack of incentives in the industry such as not recognising and rewarding team members or employees who have made valuable contribution to the industry. As if this is done it motivates and inspires employees to take on more challenges to reach the organisations goal. In addition to all the barriers mentioned above is personal/individual barrier imposed by employees on themselves. Issues surrounding this barrier are numerous such as the unwillingness to developed or coached and employees assume that they know all whereas they are lacking in a lot of leadership abilities and skills. Another clear case is the inability or unwillingness to try something new and not being open to innovation but prefer to carry on with the way things are run in the industry. Closely followed by this negative reaction to feedbacks or change and refuses to change to make the company operate better. Next is the issue of being threatened by others (especially those below in rank or subordinates) this causes envy to arise and victimisation through creating obstructions that would make it impossible for their potential leadership skills to manifest. Other issues are sometimes our need for power and recognition coupled with greed makes it impossible for leadership skills to b e developed properly. In conclusion, having identified the barriers and issues surrounding leadership and leadership development, in other to resolve these issues, it is essential for leadership programmes to include education and training particularly in communication skills and general management training so that individuals can harness their leadership skills. A conclusion reached from the research survey was that recognition of effective and successful leaders within the industry would help to promote leadership and inspire others and these leaders could serve as mentors to the younger generation. Also, the perceived organisational culture of industry has to change so barriers which prevent opportunities for people to show leadership potential are removed and the industry is better organised and co-ordinated improving the working culture of the industry. Strategies for identifying potential leaders should also be in cooperated into organisations if the industry is to develop leaders. Another critical issue is addressing the shortage of skills in the industry; this can be remedied by making sure the industry strives to retain its skilled workforce, employing graduates and offering the appropriate professional development to achieve their potential for leadership management careers in construction and continuous training to ensure employees are competent enough to do the job. All these factors if addressed will provide a level ground for leadership potential to be developed in the construction industry REFERENCES Gale, A.W (1992), The construction industrys male culture must feminize if conflict is to be reduced: the role of education as a gatekeeper to male construction industry, in Fenn, P., Gameson, R. (Eds), Construction Conflict Management and Resolution, E. F.N. Spon, London. Harvey, R.C, Ashworth, A (1993), The Construction Industry of Great Britain, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford. Philip, S., (2003). Leadership (2nd Edition), Kogan Page Limited, London.