Organic Food Industry Analysis Essay

The organic products industry has shown consistent growth over the last 25 years, growing 3,400% (Flynn, 2014). The organic industry earned $35 billion in 2014 up from $1 billion in 1990 (Flynn, 2014). Credited with being the primary market force drivers, food safety and health concerns have been driving the industry since the end of the 2009 recession. This research paper examines the organic products industry and identifies how supply and demand affects future prices of organic products. ORGANIC INDUSTRY ANALYSIS 3 Organic Industry Analysis This paper provides a succinct market analysis of the organic food and product industry. The paper provides background and description of the organic product market. The paper examines U. S. and global market trends of the organic food and product industry by examining demand and supply for organic products. This paper identifies key box store retailers and describes their roles in driving the organic food industry. Analyzing various studies from the USDA and its Economic Research Section (ERS) identified the driving market forces behind the popularity of the organic foods and products, which are the improvement of health and reduction of pesticides from individual diets. The purpose of this paper is to identify market trends and the driving forces behind the global organic food and product market. The driving forces behind the organic food market are health conscious millennials and new mothers who want to reduce chemicals from their diet. Background and Description The term organic has been the topic of controversy for academics and business leaders since the 1940s. The controversy involves several sub-topics such as lack of international standards for organics, cross contamination of organic products during transport, genetically modified organisms (GMO), chemicals and pesticides, and costs to produce organic goods. The definition of organic is: made or grown without the use of artificial chemicals (Organic, 2015). The premise of organic food is not new; however, the creation of national standards has objectively standardized what may be considered an organic product. As the global population grows, the demand for food has caused farmers to increase efficacy and reduce crop waste; however, the methodology utilized to preserve crops may be more of a detriment to human health resulting in the higher demand for uncontaminated food sources and products. ORGANIC INDUSTRY ANALYSIS 4 Demand The organic food market was supply driven for many years; however, demand now drives the organic market (Dimitri & Oberholtzer, 2009, p. 10). The demand for organic products is increasing every year as people use marginal analysis to justify the higher expense for organic products: Do the benefits out weight the costs? Consumer mistrust in conventional food producers, who add harmful dyes, trans-fats, and high fructose corn syrups to products, is another variable driving the organics market. Environmentalists are also another market force mechanism contributing to the demand for organic products because organic farming reduces environmental pollution. The emergence of organic food is directly linked to an amalgam of food safety and health concerns, which directly relate to ingestion of chemicals used to grow, treat, and preserve foods. The organic food industry has shown consistent global growth over the last two decades and is projected to continue to grow until 2018 (Research and markets adds report: ‘United States organic food market report 2013-2018, 2014). The organic food market has grown 3,400 % in the last 25 years (Flynn, 2014). Organics are divided into several categories such as, fruits and vegetables, dairy, meat, and packaged organic products. In 2014 annual organic food sales, mainly fruits and vegetables, reached $35 billion, $290 billion if packaged products are included, up from $1 billion in 1990s (Flynn, 2014). The United States and Europe have the highest demand for organic products compared to other nations (Lohr, n. d. p. 68). Identifying potential organic product consumers is a challenge, but some market research has shown consumers who choose to purchase organic products are generally well educated, millennials, higher income families, and households with children (Dimitri & Oberholtzer, 2009, ORGANIC INDUSTRY ANALYSIS 5 p. 4-5). The United States consumes approximately 44% of the global organics market followed by Europe at 41% (Aggarwal, 2014 p. 3). The remaining countries that contribute to the consumption and export of organic foods may have difficulty in exporting goods due to individual national standards and export acts (Aggarwal, 2014 p. 3). Demand for organic products is not central to one part of the world; many countries and cultures realize the importance of consuming foods free of harmful chemicals. Supply Demand has grown for organic products; however, there is a shortage of organic farming land, which may negatively impact supply. The organic industry is constrained by its supply chain; there are only so many farms to produce organic goods and organic goods can only be shipped so far. According to the 2012 U. S. Census of Agriculture, there are now around 17,000 organic farms in the U. S. out of an estimated 2. 1 million total farms; acreage used for organic agriculture accounts for just 0. 6 percent of all U. S. farmland, while organic food sales make up over 4 percent of the total annual food sales. (Young, 2014) The organic farm shortage is an important variable to the organic industry because consumers who tend to purchase organic products generally want to support local farmers in a grass roots type of movement; excluding climate specific food such as, bananas, coffee, limes, and pineapples (Greene, 2013). Contributing to the supply shortage in the United States are strict national standards set in place by the USDA and strict requirements for potential farmers looking to transition into the organic industry. Also contributing to the shortage in organic food and ORGANIC INDUSTRY ANALYSIS 6 products are large box retail stores, such as Whole Food Markets, Wal-Mart, Tesco, and Target. Wal-Mart is the United States’ largest grocer and is competing for organic goods to remain competitive against its competitors, such as Target, which has made agreements with organic producers to supply products for its stores (Hopkinson, 2014). Partnering with organic companies, large retail box stores have created their own brands of organic products to reduce costs associated with providing customers a wide range of product choice. Price Changes Due to Supply and Demand: Historically, organic food is more expensive than conventional food (Dimitri & Oberholtzer, 2009, p. 5). Organic food prices come with a premium due to costs involved in growing and harvesting crops. Prices are set through the suppliers because the organic standards restrict the certification of potential farmers. The certification process slows down potential farmers entering the industry, which reduces the number of producers available to farm the produce and make products. The reduction in organic products available reduces supply and increases demand. Market shelf placements of organic foods are fetching premiums and farmers are realizing the advantages of entering the market. As demand rises for organic products, the current producers are not able to sustain sufficient crop production compared to industry growth. In any competitive market, when demand rises so does opportunity. Due to the premium prices associated with producing products in the organic industry, many farmers may potentially conform to industry standards and convert their farms. The potential for commercial organic farms may also increase due to the undeniable growth of the industry. As more competition enters the organic industry, prices will drop. Large retail box stores, such as Whole Food Markets, Wal-Mart, Tesco, and Target may also have a significant effect on the price of organic ORGANIC INDUSTRY ANALYSIS 7 foods and products. Wal-Mart’s expansion into the organic market has the capability to reduce organic food prices alone due to the numbers of stores across the nation. In conclusion, the undeniable growth in the organic industry is a product of consumer mistrust of conventional growers, mainly due to toxic chemicals used in the production of food. The growth of the organic food industry is directly related to food safety and health conscious consumers who do not mind spending more money to consume uncontaminated products. Consumer demand has been the driving force of much of the organic industry since the end of the recession in 2009. The high consumer demand for organic food is part of an initiative from well-educated people, millennials, higher income families, and households with children, resulting in a 3,400% in the last 25 years creating a $35 billion industry (Flynn, 2014). With the high demand for organic goods, suppliers are unable to maintain sustainable level operations due to lack of organic farmland. Many of the problems associated with the organic food industry are centered on strict certifications that are necessary to maintain product integrity; the stringent certifications are creating supply shortages. The strict organic standards hinder potential farmers from entering into the organic industry. For example, farmers must be pesticide free for at least three years before being certified to produce organic food. Large retail box stores are recognizing the growth of the organic food industry and are currently adding more products annually, but even so, demand exceeds supplies. As the organic food industry continues to grow, prices for organic goods should reduce due to the increased competition in the market. ORGANIC INDUSTRY ANALYSIS 8. References Aggarwal, P. (2014). Supply chain management of locally grown organic food: A leap toward sustainable development. Retrieved from http://www. cognizant. com/InsightsWhitepapers/Supply-Chain-Management-of-Locally- grown-Organic-Food-A-Leap-Toward-Sustainable-Development-codex928. pd Dimitri, C. , & Oberholtzer, L. (2009). Marketing U. S. organic foods recent trends from farms to consumers. USDA, Economic Research Service, (58). Retrieved from http://www. ers. usda.gov/media/185272/eib58_1_. pdf Flynn, D. (2014). Report: Organic industry achieved 25 years of fast growth through fear and deception, Food Safety News. Retrieved from, http://www. foodsafetynews. com/2014/04/report-fast-growing-organics-industry-is- intentionally-deceptive/#. VL0ILWd0xjo Greene, C. (2013). Growth patterns in the U. S. organic industry. Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com/docview/1518534011? accountid=35796 Hopkinson, J. (2014). Will Wal-Mart gobble up organic food supply? Retrieved from http://www. politico. com/story/2014/04/walmart-organic-food-105631. html Lohr, L. (n.d. ). Factors affecting international demand and trade in organic food products. USDA, Economic Research Service. Retrieved from http://www. ers. usda. gov/media/293617/wrs011j_1_. pdf ORGANIC INDUSTRY ANALYSIS 9 Organic. (2015). In Merriam-Webster. com. Retrieved from http://www. merriam-webster. com/dictionary/organic Research and markets adds report: ‘United States organic food market report 2013-2018’. (2014). Manufacturing Close – Up, Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com/docview/1498350288? accountid=35796 Young, T. (2014). Organic check-off. Retrieved from https://ota. com/organic-check.

Unilever Strategy for Organising and Structuring Its Global Operations.

Unilever is a complex global organization that has a portfolio of 400 brands, spanning 14 categories in home and personal care and food products. The company has 163,000 employees in the 170 countries within which it operates (Unilever, 2010). Organizations such as Unilever face the challenge of configuring a global structure that â€Å"works well in diverse locations but also brings units together in a coordinated fashion† (Shenkar & Luo, 2007, p. 312). Given its wide range of products and the diversity of countries in which it operates, Unilever has to employ a global organizational strategy that addresses its global complexity and the diversity of its product portfolio. In its portfolio, there are some product lines that can be extended to new markets with little or no modification, while there are others that need to be modified to suit the local preferences. For example, chemical products are highly standardized and require little variation for local markets (Child, 2005, p. 45). Standardization of such products creates economies of scale in production and requires a â€Å"high level of global coordination and integration† (Child, 2005) and centralized R&D. On the other hand, some of Unilever’s products, such as packaged foods, require modification to suit local tastes and cultures. There are no production economies of scale for such categories and product development has to be facilitated locally. These factors present two scenarios for the company – striving for high global integration in the case where products can be introduced to new markets without modification and striving for high local responsiveness where there is need for modification to meet local preferences. Unilever has to therefore adopt a global organizational structure that addresses the two scenarios. The organization employs a transnational strategy, which is best suited for Unilever’s global operations, as it is faced with high pressure for both local responsiveness and global integration (Child, 2005, p. 43; Shenkar & Luo, 2007, p. 312). Unilever also uses the transnational strategy to organize its functions. Its sales, distribution and promotional tasks are locally responsive and are decentralized to suit individual markets, whereas the R&D function is globally integrated to leverage learning in the different markets. The transnational strategy enables Unilever to leverage the advantages of low cost in conjunction with the advantages of differentiation. Unilever adopted the transnational strategy mainly in esponse to competition from Procter and Gamble, which was already pursuing a transnational strategy by 1990 (Child, 2005, p. 247). However Unilever is still lagging behind P&G, in terms of revenues, marketing and innovation, because it has faced difficulty in reorganizing its activities to meet the requirements of a transnational strategy. The transnational strategy is both demanding and expensive to implement. It also requires a â€Å"flat† hierarchy (Child, 2005, p. 249) and Unilever has gone through a process of reorganizing its structure through the â€Å"One Unilever† programme, which was launched in 2005. The programme resulted in â€Å"better allocation of resources, faster decision-making and a lower cost level† (Unilever, 2007) and enables the organization to leverage its scale both globally and locally. References: †¢ Child, J. (2005) Organisation: contemporary principles and practice. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, pp. 241-253 †¢ Shenkar, O. & Luo, Y. (2007) International business. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. †¢ Unilever Website. Available from: http://www. unilever. com

Green Day

Green Day is one of the most influential pop punk bands. The band was formed in 1986. They have sold more than 85 million records worldwide.They won many awards and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015. Early Years Billie Joe Armstrong, the lead singer was born on February 17,1972. He was born around a musical atmosphere since his father was a jazz drummer and his mother loved music. Because of his parents, Billie and his siblings were encouraged to play musical instruments.Michael Ryan Pritchard also known as Mike Dirnt was born on May 4, 1972. He was put up for adoption because of his mother's addiction to heroin. Billie and Mike met in middle school. They formed their own band with John Kiffmeyer in 1986. The band was called the Sweet Children. They were 14 year olds at the time. Band Members Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, and John Kiffmeyer were the original members of the band. John Kiffmeyer soon left in 1990 to attend college and was replaced by Tre Cool. Billie Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, and Tre Cool are still in the band to this day. Past members were Raj Punjabi, Sean Hughes,Aaron Cometbus, and Dave Henwood. Billie Joe dropped out of high school to devote his entire life for the band. Tre Cool also dropped out of highschool when he was a sophomore and dropped out of community college also. However, Mike Dirnt pushed himself to complete his education. Mike Graduated high school and completed more than one year at community college.Breakthrough Success After their breakout album, Kerplunk record labels were interested in the band. They left Lookout! to get signed at Reprise Records. After getting signed, they worked on their album, Dookie. The album became a big success. Their songs â€Å"Longview†,†Basket Case†,and â€Å"When I Come Around† from Dookie were continuously played on MTV. They sold 10 million albums with Dookie. They were nominated for many awards such as American Music Awards and Grammys.Career Green Day first started playing at DIY 924 Gilman Street club in California. They earned some fame at the club and eventually got signed at Lookout! Records. From there, they released Kerplunk and they got big success after. They decided to leave Lookout! to get signed to Reprise Records. After getting signed, they started record Dookie. Like most of their albums, the album was recorded in a few weeks. Dookie was also a big hit but Green Day started to be criticized by other punk fans. They were put on a list of people who were never allowed to play again at DIY Gilman Street. Their albums after Dookie, Insomniac and Nimrod were good but the band was losing some fame. They released Warning and was criticized by critics because they took a different turn in their music but they weren't ready for American Idiot. American Idiot was a huge hit and they continued to make music. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame After 29 years of playing music together in the band, Green Day was inducted into the hall of fame. They were inducted in the first year they were eligible. On April 18,2015 in Cleveland, Ohio,Fall Out Boy inducted them into the hall of fame. They talked about how Green Day changed them and how they wouldn't be a band without them. Then, Billie Joe thanked his band,friends,family and fans for helping him get through everything. Before the induction they played 2 surprise shows in Cleveland.

American History 1584-1783 #3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

American History 1584-1783 #3 - Essay Example They shared their goods like clothes, food and other equipments with them. The natives, in return showered them with expensive gifts like gold etc. Later the Spanish, in their quest for wealth and precious metals like gold and silver, tried to isolate the Native Americans from the other European invaders’ influence. In the early 17th century (1607) the British came to North America to have a strong foothold in the region. Jamestown in Virginia became the first place for British settlement followed by colonies in Massachusetts and eastern seaboard in the later part of the century. The initial friendly relationship with the native Indians turned hostile when the settlers started exploiting natives with respect to labor and sea faring activities. Diseases like tuberculosis, diphtheria were brought by the settlers who passed them on to the natives. The natives then refused to work for them. The settlers then brought Africans to work as bonded labors in the plantations and elsewhere, whom, they were freed after several years. Turn of the century saw the raced based slavery becoming a full fledged tradition with Africans and non whites becoming slaves for life. Control over the blacks became the main concern of the white because of the rebellion from the natives. The British Crown delegated the power to the companies who administered in their behalf with rules and regulations. The natives, on the other hand, did not believe in subjugation and rebelled against any revenue imposed by the settlers. French came to America in search of trading avenues and in 1599 the first serious fur trading was established as Tadaussac that grew into the city of Quebec. They had no desire for colonization. They did their trading with the Native Americans as equal. Though French claimed large area in Canada and north America by coming first to Quebec and later expanding from Louisiana in the south to great lakes in the North which included Montreal, Detroit, New Orleans and

Supporting your Claim Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Supporting your Claim - Essay Example Either way it is prudent and sometimes demands of the situation to produce objective and verifiable evidence to bring the point home for the readers. The facts should have permanence and universality and pass the test of time. The assertions you are making, the information, news and opinion you are giving, the facts, data and revelations you are presenting are all your ‘claims’ that needs be properly supported with objective evidence. Maxine C. Hairston says, â€Å"we all use another common thought pattern, that of assertion and support. We do that when we make a claim, and then back it up with reason†. (p57). Backing and supporting is done by citing authorities and studies in a manner to be understood and accepted by to the readers. You are obliged to adapt a tune and style appealing to the readers and entice them to a willing suspension of disbelief as stated by Coleridge in his Biographia Literaria.. Supporting your claim is important because â€Å"Professors are skeptical who expect authors to back their claims with evidence and rational arguments. As you draft your paper, try to anticipate at what points your readers might ask â€Å"How do you know?† or â€Å"What evidence do you have for that statement?† (Hairston, p5). Giving a universal appeal and acceptance to a piece of composition, the â€Å"claims† in an essay must therefore be supported by objective and verifiable evidences, otherwise the essay will turn into fiction or a fairy tale and would not appeal to the reason of the readership. The writer must therefore know his â€Å"claims† and must know the answer to question like â€Å"how do you know?† or â€Å"how can you claim?† An essay should hold the reader’s attention and have sublimity which comes with authentication of the facts narrated in the essay. The facts narrated should be universal and not limited in scope only known and understood in a local culture. They should also pass the test of

International Investment Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

International Investment Law - Essay Example Relevant facts of the dispute This case arises from the privatization program implemented by the Argentine Republic in the early 1990s, including the guarantees they offered to investors buying assets in the electricity sector and the decisions by the respondent in reducing the impact of the Argentine economic crisis in 2001-20021. Prior to the privatization, the electricity assets of the respondent were operated by three companies which were later restructured for privatization based on Decree 634/91 and Law 26,065. Based on these laws, the electricity generation and related matters belonging to the three companies were to be divided into individual units2. The Claimant in this case argued that the impact of the Reform Law destroyed the investments in Transener and declared that the company has already incurred losses due to this law. National Grid later agreed to sell its shares to Dolphin Management in order to mitigate its losses3. Claimant National Grid notified respondent in 20 02 of the investment dispute and sought for the application of Article 3 of the Treaty; they also claimed the benefit of the application of Article 7(2) of the Treaty between the US and Argentina for the protection of their investment and for international arbitration without referral to the Argentina courts. Respondent proposed the suspension of negotiations as their public service contracts were being processed. The claimant declined the proposal to suspend negotiations; the claimant however agreed to meet with authorities for negotiations4. The claimant again expressed its willingness to explore a settlement of the issue; without any response from the respondent, the claimant submitted the case for arbitration. The parties consented. The respondent agreed to the arbitration and claimed its case under the terms of the Treaty which allows the option to settle disputes which may arise with investors who may be nationals of the other State party5. The Claimant submitted to arbitratio n through its notice of arbitration. Based on Article 3.2 of the UNCITRAL Rules, the arbitration started on the date when the Notice of Arbitration was received by the respondent. Findings The tribunal decided that there was no direct or indirect expropriation as National Grid has not been deprived of title to its property and the methods of Argentina in handling the crisis were not equivalent to expropriation6. However, the tribunal ruled that the practice of fair and equitable treatment was violated by Argentina when it did the following: it changed the legal framework which was used as basis by National Grid in its investment; it did not negotiate with National Grid in the implementation of its measures and disposal of its investments; and when it requested for National Grid to abandon its legal remedies in relation to the renegotiation of its investment7. The tribunal also decided that economic difficulties which Argentina found itself in had to be considered. The tribunal then decided that the violation of the fair and equitable standard only happened from the time National Grid asked to renounce its rights, and not from the time the emergency measures were implemented by Argentina8. This made Argentina accountable for the losses of National Grid during the first six months of the crisis. Analysis of the Arbitral Award First of all, the jurisdiction of the Tribunal is based on the instruments of the parties submitting to

Rights Social Justice and Diversity 1 & 2 Essay

Rights Social Justice and Diversity 1 & 2 - Essay Example Social justice is achieved in a system that communist policies are eradicated, and power delegated to the majority who comprises the workforce and opportunists. The opportunity provided should be fair and adopt a system that promoted unity with minimal oppression by societal leaders. Social justice is achieved in a system that upholds human rights and promotes equality with personal dignity uplifted. In a diverse demographic, social justice is highlighted by the comfort of individuals and their capability to be influenced by the available resources (Clark 2005, p1341). However, there are barriers within the society that present challenges to the presentations granted to achieve social justice in the modern society. The developments of the modern government and technology have achieved numerous progresses in developing ideas to grant the opportunities to advance the ideologies warranting fare judgement. These have been in the government’s ability to create numerous opportunities for its members to find a livelihood source. Others have been in activist’s efforts to offer fare judgement in advocating for opportunities to deserve merit in fare provisions. Through developing fair judgement that reflects the opportunities granted to the societal members in equal measure, a sustainability form is achieved that creates the balance needed. The society is held by these principles and a failure to make them meet the desired standards would lead to insecurity and dissatisfaction between the members (Miller 2008, p61). The state that presents the societal members an opportunity to experience less balance in the distribution of resources and the injustice form presented is termed social injust ice. Social injustice is the condition that leads to the prevalence of unjust societal presentations and oppression of the less fortunate. These individuals are either with minimal opportunity to complete their desires or those that have minimal

Law and Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Law and Ethics - Essay Example As per the court ruling, students do not lose their constitutional rights of expression or freedom of speech while entering into the school. The First Amendment Rights of Students are violated when they are suspended from the schools for non-disruptive activities such as wearing armbands. The key point is that substantial or material disruption of school activities must be proved or invasion of the rights of other fellow students must be established before putting a restriction on their activities. This basic ruling became the guiding principle for schools to take any action against the students. Simply speaking, school system cannot proclaim interference with the purpose of the school just to control speech or dress of the students as in all likely hood it would form a violation of the First Amendment principle. The Tinker case is ambiguous in the sense that it is difficult for schools to find out when the dress becomes disruptive. Again, it could be difficult for the school to find who is causing the disruption – the one who is wearing the offensive dress or the one who gets offended. Many schools have the policy of prohibiting the visible display of the Confederate flag because it may cause the disruption in the school activities; however, many cite the judgment of the Tinker case and want them to wear the Confederate flag. School systems need to take their stand based on the situation that whether the Confederate wearing is racially charged to cause disruptions then the school officials have the full right to disallow or ban such wearing. 7. Compare and contrast the criteria required for police officers and public school personnel for searching a student. â€Å"The Bigger the need, the more intrusive the search.† What does this mean? Please incorporate examples when defining â€Å"bigger† and â€Å"intrusive†. What role do parents play in a search of their child or their child’s possessions at school? Answer School officer s can search a student when they have a reasonable cause though the Fourth Amendment does enforce protection to the citizens for unreasonable searches. The Fourth Amendment of the US Constitution comes to the rescue of students and protects their privacy rights at school; however, it does not mean that they cannot be searched. Again, it is necessary for a police officer to have a reasonable cause to conduct a student search; however, students do not have the same level of protection from searches while in the school. In the circumstances when school officials suspect the student in possession of a gun, they can conduct an intrusive student search. â€Å"The bigger the need, the more intrusive the search† should be seen in this perspective. When safety of the other students or entire school is at risk, school officials have all right to conduct intrusive student search to recover the weapon from the student. In matters of smoking and similar matters, an intrusive search is not necessary. For any intrusive search, it is required that it is done by some higher level official of the school; however, that will take into account the factors such as gender, age of the student, the item being searched, the urgency of the matter, and availability of the official while conducting a search. Intrusive searches can be done after taking the approval of school superintendent by the same gender person, and in the presence of adult

Magnet Recognition Program for Nurses Research Paper

Magnet Recognition Program for Nurses - Research Paper Example There was a distinction between the two roles in the 1960’s but today the role of the RN is not as distinct; each level of education received the title of RN after successful passing of the state boards of nursing licensure test to become a practicing registered nurse (Pellico et al., 2009). Previous distinction of role included the definitions of the technical nurse and the professional nurse. The technical nurse was in the beginning educational preparation stage and attended a 2 year community college. The professional nurse was enrolled in a four year nursing program at a colleges or university; the distinction of roles is consistent with accreditation standards of thinking at the time (Donley & Flaherty, 2008). The goal was to expand the nursing programs and assist the technical nurse to transition into professional practice (Donley & Flaherty, 2008 & Nelson, 2002). These attempts notwithstanding, the needs of the educational curriculum were still not fulfilled for the RN at both levels after taking the state board licensure exam receives the same title, â€Å"RN†. There is a continued effort for nursing to elevate the profession at a higher educational level. healthcare facilities with Magnet ® status help to push this process forward with the continued excellence in nursing practice outcomes. In 1965, the American Nurses Association’s First Position on Education in nursing was published to describe the need for educational reform in nursing (ANA, 1965). This argument continues today. The goal for a standardized nursing entry level of education has yet to be resolved. According to Smith (2009) the environment of nursing has evolved considerably and educational advances need to be changed.... Magnet Recognition Program for Nurses With the advent of the Magnet Recognition Program ® more healthcare facilities are seeking attainment of a higher level of professional nursing practice. The rationale for healthcare facilities in seeking Magnet Status is driven by healthcare institutions wanting to serve the communities with the highest level of care possible in the use of innovative technology and excellence in care. Bargagliotti, West-Sands, Burchum & Selbe, note that in year 1960s, most nurses were trained at a diploma level, which was a two or three year hospital based nursing program where nursing students learned the basic skills to care for patients in the hospital. In the 1960’s, undergraduate programs were recognized as a path that nursing students should take to function at the professional level of nursing. This system was generally quicker and cost effective to utilize the diploma programs to produce a high functioning nurse to care for the large number of patients. The diploma programs were the first to be extinguished from the education framework as the profession moved into the ADN and BSN programs of study. All nurses at every level should be encouraged to go back to school and continue the path of lifelong learning in the profession of nursing. Lacey, Cox & Lorfing (2007) anticipated that the entry level for nursing will be the BSN which consists of entry level by the year 2020. This process continues and will continue until all can agree to the level and expectations of the professional entry level of the nurse.

Water contamination Essay Example for Free

Water contamination Essay Contamination of the waters of Lake Erie has been going on since a very long time. Beginning from the year 1969 where legislative measures were taken up to control the pollution of the lake and protect aquatic life in it and ensure that the lake was safe for humans too, the quality of the water has undergone many changes from bad to worse. The reasons that lead to the contamination, their effects on the quality of the water and the resultant damage have been carefully studied and examined by researchers and ecologists all over the world. Lake Erie today represents one of the worst cases of stratification and environmental pollution associated with human activities, urbanization and agriculture. Water Contamination Lake Erie is one of the smallest among the five Great Lakes in terms of its measurement. Bounded by Ontario in Canada and New York in the United States, this lake got so polluted that it made it to the headlines of the national news in the month of June 1969. With an average depth of sixty-two feet and two hundred feet being one of the deepest parts, Lake Erie underwent extreme contamination due to the disposal of sewage and contamination through toxic heavy metals and the usage of pesticides in agriculture. According to Professor Henry Regier of the University of Toronto (1993), â€Å"When you die you will be replaced by billions and billions of living microbes. You will be reorganized in a different form. That is what is happening to Lake Erie. There is a dead zone occupying perhaps one-quarter of the central basin of the lake. This area is not really dead. † In 2004 again, more than eight billion gallons of storm water and untreated sewage was discharged into the waterways of the Lake Erie basin. These were laden with harmful bacteria like Salmonella, disease-causing parasites like Giardia and Cryptosporidium and deadly viruses like the Hepatitis-A virus. In 2005, unsafe levels of E. coli bacteria were found in the waters of the lake. Lake Erie was severely affected by industrial runoff that one of its tributaries, the Cuyahoga River, caught fire in the year 1969, which lead to the Clean Water Act of 1972. From becoming a victim to the damaging effects of sewage disposal through other sources, Lake Erie along with the other companion Great Lakes has tuned into a large source of contamination by itself today. The Great Lakes are now a source of many chemicals to other regions of the globe (The International Air Quality Advisory Board, 1998). Areas in Canada and Scandinavia and beyond are in danger due to the chemicals from Lake Erie that infiltrated them through the air. Though there exists a possibility that the pollutants are changing from volatile chemicals into gases dispersed by the winds, there is no hope that the contamination will come to and end. Don McKay (1998), a member of the Canadian board stated, â€Å"The contamination is merely taking up a new address and isnt really going away. We will not be able to say weve eliminated these pesticides from our environment. Where youve got more pollutant, its going to go to where there is less. † Nearly forty percent of the swimmers suffered from nausea, diarrhoea, stomachaches and headaches after a swim in lake Erie. Due to the environmental contamination, the upper water layer reached temperatures of 26’ C while the lower layers have a temperate of 6’-8’ C. This has lead to stratification, the death of planktons, the production of deadly gases in which the deadly spore-forming bacteria ‘botulinum’ thrives and zebra, quagga mussels do not survive in the waters of lake Erie beyond a day or two. More than half the area of the lake is now ‘anoxic’ which means there is less than 0. 5 mg of dissolved oxygen per litre of water. There is a hypothesis that the contamination of the lake began as early as post the Second World War because of the agents and chemicals used in killing the insects and bugs in the cotton fields. After the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement in 1972 was signed, the phosphorous levels of Lake Erie decreased significantly to 1mg/ L of water. According to Gordon Durnil (1998-1992), â€Å"It is clear to us that persistent toxic substances have caused widespread injury to the environment and to human health. As a society we can no longer afford to tolerate their presence in our environment and in our bodies. Hence, if a chemical or group of chemicals is persistent, toxic and bio accumulative, we should immediately begin a process to eliminate it. Since it seems impossible to eliminate discharges of these chemicals through other means, a policy of banning or sun setting their manufacture, distribution, storage, use and disposal appears to be the only alternative. † References David Dolan, M. (1993). Point source loadings of phosphorus to Lake Erie. Journal of Great Lakes Research (Vol. 19, no. 2, 212-223). Retrieved from www. iaglr. org Katherine Rizzo, (1998) Reversal of fortune: Great Lakes now source of pollution elsewhere The Associated Press. Retrieved from www. centuryinter. net/tjs11/hist/lakes2. htm Walter Stewart (2003) Great Lakes Article: After years of good news, Lake Erie is once again under siege this time from biological pollution. Canadian Geographic. Retrieved from www. greatlakesdirectory. org/on/101603_great_lakes. htm

The women in development perspective

The women in development perspective In the last three decades, the recruitment of women into the modern sector has been at the centre of the development debate in developing countries. Despite many years of practical feminist activity and numerous studies of everyday life, progress towards gender equality still reflects a growing concern. The term women in development is primarily used to refer to operational objectives that incorporate women into the development process. Consequently, this paper will argue that the women in development perspective (WID) provides a useful approach because it clearly explores many dimensions of womens subordination issue in capitalist countries and analyses gender division of labour which explain the durability of gender inequality, followed by concrete solutions such as incorporating women into development and providing women with training and education. With Perspective explained that the reason of gender inequality in development countries is rooted in the principles of womens subordination. First of all, it is noteworthy that womens invisibility and the unequal treatments are not limited to the house area, but exist in all area of society. Keeping in mind that the patriarchal system that placed women under the authority of fathers or husband. Is certainly, taken to mean the dominance of all men over all women. Patriarchy seems to impose itself in gender relation as well as within capitalist society (Martinez, 2009). I believe that patriarchy is what produces gender divisions because the use of this word characterizes a domestic mode of production in which men as a class exploit women as a class. It is true that the system in which we live tends to make people perceive women as domestic labourers which reduces them to the subordinate positions of minors therefore women are expected to produce labour power by looking after her husba nd and children (Martinez, 2009). It is worthy to point out that the title housewife is an evidence of deterioration in the position of women because people see industrialisation as a separation of home and work therefore creates gender inequality. In fact, men have organized capitalism in a way that they maintain patriarchal power, both within the market work and within the home. Basically, men extract surplus labour from women; this is shown with the example of south Asia when the micro-credit program was introduced. Searchers have indicated that most of the credit contracted by women end up in activities controlled by the man of the house (Pearson, p. 397). However, based on my understanding of capitalism, I support that women domestic labour which is used to explain gender division which subordinate women should be considered important because even if it is often forgotten, womens domestic labour make a direct economic contribution in capitalist society in term of reproduction. Pursuing this thought further, the male domination is frequently seen as a strategy for development process because its aim is to shift the burden of women form the development and create a complete hegemonic masculinities which means that the capitalist societies with a high masculinity expectation is specifically looking for certain ways of being and behaving that are associated with dominance and power. This is usual encouraged in male and discouraged in female (Pearson, p. 401). The truth is that as long as this ideology stays the driven force in developing countries, there will always be a durability of gender inequalities. It is relevant that male violence towards women has s long history which led to the establishment of patriarchy and represents therefore a real creation of male dominance. Keeping in mind that power emanates from force, it weighs the point that men have used numerous practices of subordination such as violence against women to maintain male domination in the house (Martinez, 2009). Unfortunately, male domination exists in all societies therefore; it becomes the universal explanation of the gender inequalities. The perspective argues that the major complexity of gender inequality is based on the gender division in labour. When looking at the work market, it is relevant that there is a big difference in types of jobs women and men do, the pay they receive, the hours they work and the skills they acquire. Therefore, the society has depicted as we call mens work and womens work proving that workforce in capitalist society is divided and attributed according to gender with womens work being the lower. As stated above, this difference is the reason why people consistently value mens work and regard it as demanding a certain level of skill which most womens work lacks. As a matter of fact, Pearson explains that the Ecofeminism has been established from the idea of women as environmental managers because people link both spiritual and conceptual sense between women and nature therefore, think that environmental conservation is more appropriate to women (Pearson, p. 391). This hard gender segregati on of the workforce is what makes it difficult for women to achieve equal pay with men. Men most of time occupy the skilled sectors of the workplace for example, in Canada; one is more likely to encounter a male manager and female secretary and never the opposite. Looking at this situation, I can only think that despite the so called equality legislation, the adjustment of earnings between men and women is painfully slow. The perspective provides various solutions to close the gap between men and women. Will be considered only two of them in this paper: the integration of women in development and provide required education and training to women. The first general solution of the strategy is to implemented women in development process both as agents and as beneficiaries. This proposition is very interesting because it implies that women should be assigned with a particular roles and responsibilities which put them in position to contribute fully in the economic growth. However, the problem with this solution is that it does not solve the issue of womens subordination. Also, speaking of role, how long will it last? Of course, women in development policy recognizes that development must involve both women and men in order to be more effective. In the same thought, capitalist societies are willing to integrate women in development process by creating more and more jobs whether full time or part time, most ly part time jobs in the idea of accommodating women who have family therefore making womens participation in workplace extremely low. I think that women in development perspective misses the point here because, the problem is not that women are left out but that they are integrated into a shaped gender division labour which always put them in a position of subordinates therefore no matter what particular role women play, it does not change the fact that women are still disadvantaged relative to men. Basically, the solution does not resolve the contradiction because it restricts the choice of jobs open to women and I do not think that encouraging part time employment suggest any possibility of future changes in womens social status and economic relationships. The second solution is to provide women with the required training and education. Indeed, in developing countries, the prestige of receiving an education and training may be the key factor in setting womens participation in development. The point if I understand well is to eliminate illiteracy and basic education by introducing whatever new programs. For sure this will reduce any obstacles to the participation of women in the economic growth. Moreover, I think this solution is reasonable because the reality is that in developing countries, the lack of knowledge and essential training has led to the development in which women are excluded as participants. However, there is a little concern about this project. When looking around the world, one can notice that women face barriers in education because of religious, economic and cultural consideration. For instance, in term of economic, not all women possess the resources needed to pay the education fees. In addition, the program itself must meet the women availability such as the time of the day, the duration of the program and its location. Another thing that is wrong with this proposition is that the education and the training do not reflect or they are not linked to employment opportunities that will permit them to put in application what they have learnt. Furthermore, in this context, it is particularly illuminating to examine the field of the program because if the training is for example focusing on liberal art, then I think it would be a waste of time because it might not be necessary linked to a job opportunity. Finally, as it appears, several of the constitutive explanations of gender inequalities in developing countries is that in thinking about womens subordination and the gender division labour, one must accord full weight to their affects on the development process. Indeed, the women in development perspective provides a useful approach and offers concrete solutions, even if they still show some concern. One must actually pause and recognizes that the task is to learn how to participate in a constructive development and to put committed efforts in order to apply those solutions in the social relations and redress the worldwide gender inequality.