Wednesday, July 31, 2019
Lung Cancer Essay Essay
Lung Cancer Institution Background            Lung cancer was acknowledged as a distinct disease in 1761. Lung cancer, also known as carcinoma of the lung or pulmonary carcinoma, is the uncontrolled growth of unusual cells that starts in one or both lungs, typically in the cells that line the air passages. The abnormal cells divide fast and form tumors. These tumors become larger and more frequent, therefore weakening the lung’s ability to provide the bloodstream with oxygen. There are two forms of tumors: benign and malignant tumors. Benign tumors are those that remain in one place and do not seem to spread. Malignant tumors are more dangerous. They spread to other areas of the body, through the bloodstream or the lymphatic system. This process of spreading is referred to as metastasis.            There are two main types of lung cancer: primary lung cancer and secondary lung cancer.(Johns, 1998). Primary lung cancer starts in the lungs while secondary lung cancer starts somewhere else in the body and metastasizes, and reaches the lungs. The two most renowned types of primary lung cancer are small-cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) and non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). Non-small cell lung carcinomas include squamous cell cancers (which are the most common type), adenocarcinoma and large-cell carcinoma. A squamous cell carcinoma grows gradually and might not spread to other parts of the body for some time. SCLC grows and spread gradually and by the time it is diagnosed, it may have spread to other parts of the body. About one in five cases of lung cancer are SCLC.            Secondary lung cancer (metastatic lung cancer), is not as common as primary lung cancer. Secondary lung cancer is normally a cancer that has metastasized from a primary cancer, more likely from the large bowel, bladder, breast, testicle, stomach, gullet, kidney, and a skin cancer called malignant melanoma. A secondary lung cancer may be assumed to be from a diagnosed primary cancer. Occasionally, it may be found before a primary cancer referred to as â€Å"unknownprimary†that may not be possible to find. Secondary lung cancer may cause fluid to collect in the area between the two membranes (the pleural) that surrounds the lungs. This is known as pleural effusion. It is possible to extract the fluid and scrutinise it for cancer. You can tell that a cancer is secondary if the cells look like the cells from the primary cancer. For instance, if the primary cancer is kidney cancer, the cells will look like kidney cancer cells instead of lung cancer cells, (Bartlett,2001).            There is an uncommon type of lung cancer known as the pleural mesothelioma. It occurs when mesothelioma develops in the pleural. Caused by constant exposure to asbestos, pleura are cells that are often referred to as lubricating cells which make a thin membrane in the host’s chest walls. They are malignant since they take long periods of time before they are discovered or the symptoms start to manifests itself. Pleuralmesothelioma can sometimes spread to the lymph nodes in the chest, above the collarboneor any other part of the body. However it has not been considered to be lethal or serious although in some cases it results to reduced effectiveness or functioning of the lungs. Tests            There are voluminous tests that are carried out to diagnose any symptoms or characteristic of lung cancer. These tests include molecular testing of the tumour and biopsy which involves direct removal of tissues or cells from a patient and examining it to determine the extent of infection. Other tests are; sputum cytology, focussing on the mucus of the lungs, thoracentesis, bronchospy, bone marrow aspiration, testing of the tumour, mediastinoscopy, imaging tests, thoracotomy, thoracoscopy, computerised tomography scan (CT), which scans using radiographic beams to create detailed computerised pictures, magnetic resonance imaging scan (MRI), position emission tomography scan (PET) and a bone scan. Endoscopy is the process where a flexible plastic tube is inserted into the body cavities and organs so that one can view the area of concerned well.(Barbara,2009). Causes            Medical analysts and researchers have discovered many factors that they believe are the main causes of cancer according to their research. The most common and well known cause is smoking. Many cases involving lung cancer have been accompanied by symptoms like high levels of carcinogens in the lungs, which is one of the substance contained in cigarettes. It accounts for eighty to ninety percent of the cases. Passive smokers have a greater chance or risk of up to twenty to thirty percent in getting lung cancer. Marijuana also contains the deadly substance, carcinogens that are in tobacco. Smoking that substance contributes greatly in deteriorating functioning of the lungs.            Another cause of lung cancer as far as smoke is concerned, is inhalation of the radon gas. It is a gas generated when radioactive materials are broken down by radium. The gas is a very fatal and very serious since it can be detected easily and it is odourless. An accumulated levels of the gas can actually cause lung cancer. Asbestos is another rare kind of cause of cancer. Long exposition to the rocks that release the asbestos, can cause inflammation and later trigger the enlargement of lung cancer. This was according to the medical researchers who reported that growth of lung cancer can be contributed by long duration to the exposure of these substances in the air.            Families who have a history of lung cancer, that is, most of the members have been diagnosed with cancer, it is more likely that the next generation in the same family some of the members will have the same disease. This is known as genetic predisposition. It is inherited from family members hence it increases the chances of an individual to develop lung cancer when he or she is exposed to the same environmental factors or cultural experiences as other members of the family. Medical researchers have sorted to investigate the arrangement of inheritance of genetic defencelessness by ascertaining the familial combination. They evaluated them by analysing in order to determine if there is a statistical confirmation of the inheritance of the gene causing cancer. Once the gene has been located they pursue it to try and change it.            It has been ascertained that different people experience different symptoms of lung cancer depending on the cause of it and the duration that the diseases is in the body.(Karen,2010).In the initial stages of the diseases, the symptoms are not noticeable or probably not alarming. It has been surveyed that about forty percent of the people who are diagnosed with cancer, most of them was realised at an advanced stage.            The most common type symptom experienced by the many diagnosed in the early stages of the disease is persistent coughing.(Barbara,2009). The coughing may persistent to an extent of producing blood. The patient begins to have changes in breathing especially when doing a task that involves use of strength and straining coupled with constant pain in the chest or back. All these pain is caused by the enlargement of the lymph nodes and the lining of lubricating cells along the walls of the lungs.            The patient will start breathing with a whistling sound being produced, a condition known as wheezing. The condition is as a result of the constricting airways in the lungs. It can be accompanied with hoarse voice, losing weight considerably, bronchitis or pneumonia in some cases. The patient will begin to have swellings on the face, fingers and also fatigue. Treatment            According to medical researchers and practitioners, treatment of lung cancer highly depends on the extent of the damage of the lungs by the cancer cells, the site of the primary tumour, the stage and the person’s general health.(Mazzini,2010). Before treatment is done to a lung cancer patient, he or she is provided with options on the side effects or discomfort that they are likely to experience in any method of treatment offered. The different types of treatment offered or administered to patients include surgery by removing the tumour and the affected part of the lung. The other type of treatment is radiation therapy where the cancer cells are killed using x-rays with high energy. It can also prevent further growth of the cancer cells. Chemotherapy is the next treatment type, where the patient is given drugs which destroy the cancer cells in every part of the body. References Johns H.P. Williams T.T (1998). Lung Cancer And Its Treatment. Th Gerber publishers Ettinger Y.G. Bartlett (2001). Guide to Cancer Treatment.. Oxford University Publishers Mazzini J.Y and Walter Blue (2010). The Chicago Guide To Lung Cancer. Kaplan Publishers (1999) Karen P.M and Jones Schoiller (2010). Questions And Answers About Cancer. Parles publishers. Barbara M.D Daniel Otiz J.K. (2009) . Lung Cancer. American Cancer Sociation Publishers Source document
Want and Marginal Places
The Value of Marginal Places In the essay â€Å"In Praise of Margins†by Ian Frazier, Frazier mentions that the world is a place where adults tend to get caught up in. They do not realize that what they need is that place to breath. He says that marginal places and activities, when he was a kid, were a waste of time, but once he was older and saw his child have their marginal â€Å"moment†playing, in the steam instead of fishing, he realizes the importance as an adult. He mentions that we all have a place as a child that we would like to go back and let go of all our responsibilities.Frazier uses the word margin, this word that Frazier uses, has a negative and positive tone and he explains the time spent in the woods. Frazier states that the definition of margin is a blank space around a body of type or border of a piece of ground. It’s adjective meaning has a negative tone to it; minimal for requirements, almost insufficient. As Frazier uses marginal to describ e what he did in the woods as a child, he grew up to realize how important these â€Å"marginal†places had so much value.As a young boy Frazier, mentions â€Å"the woods†as places where he and his friends would play at all day. Exploring and possibly be lost in the hours of fun they would have ad most importantly, no worries. Exploring things as they go playing along the trees, maybe even being some sort of character or action hero from his time. As Frazier got a little bit older he one day realized that his time spent in the woods was becoming childish and foolish. He eventually stopped going to this place, that as a child was almost like a sanctuary or a place of acceptance to be him-self freely.When Frazier was in the seventh grade he came to asked himself â€Å"What are you doing? †or maybe â€Å"why we are here? †He notices that some of his friends started to not dress appropriately to climb trees and play because of the penny loafers the wore. I am sure this was for the girls they were trying to impress as they get older. As they had other things happening in life that bounded them from going in to the woods, and somehow forgot about it they really never decided to go back and play.But from my understanding, in high school they went back to the woods one day, where they had this sense of ‘’there is nothing here for us anymore†or â€Å"why did we waste our time here as kids†. I am sure high school, girls and school dances had the memories of â€Å"the woods†faded deep in their memory. They realized that they are all grown up and have no need to be there. Frazier must have thought of all the childish senseless things they did being in the woods for hours, just wasting time that they did not know of or care for because they were children.I mean they didn’t have responsibilities as children they didn’t have to work and take of others. I guess that was the good thing about margin al places. For Frazier, when we took his children to go fishing, they sort of did not want to go fishing and instead played in a ditch. Frazier did not have a heart to tell them to stop; instead he realized that this was a marginal place his children will one day grow up turned this ditch in into a marginal place. Just like when Frazier was a child and did not know this was a marginal place he sees that with his kids, and realizes the value of having a marginal getaway.In my opinion, I agree with Frazier’s ideas that â€Å"marginal†activities and places are valuable. Marginal places are also a way of making oneself a better person. It’s a place to think and relax from the worlds’ needs and wants. Of all the places in the world everybody has their own marginal area. Mine so happens to be at Fontainebleau State Park in Mandeville, Louisiana. As a child my parents would pack up the car and head over across the lake every Saturday if the weather permitted.Th is place had a pool, walking trail, barbeque pits and most importantly a beach, not a five star beach but to a 6 year old it was. I would walk along the shore where the water would meet the trees and I would pretend it was undiscovered land. I still go back to this day, monthly and it’s still the same feeling I get, a breath of fresh air. This is what Frazier wants people to know about having marginal places and doing activities, they are not bad places, everyone needs a break from the a world that moves at fast pace.In Conclusion Frazier wants people to know that having a bit of time to youself is okay. Everyone has an escape, whether if it is an old place as a kid, a cartoon you use to watch or even the music you use to listen to. Marginal does not have to be in a negative use. In some cases like Frazier it was a good thing, sort of almost like a re-evaluation of life and I am sure he doesn’t regret playing in the woods as a child at all. Ian Frazier looks to the woo ds as a safe and happy place. I am sure he wants us to remember the marginal place we had as children also.
Tuesday, July 30, 2019
Condom Advertising Essay
Condom has been a vital contraceptive and STD prevention tool for thousands of years. Several types of male and female condoms are available. Some condoms are made of plastic or animal tissue i. e. lambskin, latex. Condoms are the most effective against viruses such as HIV but Condom use declined markedly during the 1960s as the birth control pills was introduced and contraceptive devices such IUDs became more widely accepted. After the introduction of birth control pills people started avoiding condoms because according to them sex with condoms doesn’t give that much pleasure, But the emergence of HIV/AIDS in the early 1980s , condom use re-emerged and has became increasingly recognized as a critical means of preventing infection with HIV and other STDs that can facilitate HIV infection. Yet many of those at high risk of contracting HIV are not using condoms consistently. For example, recent studies have found that 40 % of sexually active high school students or adult world wide did not use a condom during their most ecent sexual encounter and 87 percent do not believe they are at risk of acquiring HIV. Controversy over Condoms Advertising: Condoms promotion campaigns especially those using a mass media and targeting sexually active youth are controversial. Public usually don’t want to see condoms commercial. Especially in Islamic society, a large number of people are against contraceptive advertising. Do people really feel embarrassed watching such ads in front of their family? Fear of public controversy makes official support difficult and often weakens the potential impact of mass media interventions by diluting the content of the message. Entertaining condoms commercials do always face public’s controversy. Networks don’t care whether commercials contained message or not, they want decent condoms commercials. They want condoms marketer to hide other benefits of condom except prevention of STDs and HIV/AIDs. But do decent condoms commercial can make an impact on consumers mind? Does use of humor and sexual appeal in condoms commercial lead the youngsters towards sex? Networks have been slow to respond to the increasing public acceptance of condom advertising for fear of arousing the opposition of conservative groups. Networks believe that viewers think that condoms encourage promiscuity or may be uncomfortable with the idea of condom advertising within the privacy of homes. Most of the networks want very decent commercials of condoms or otherwise they do reject commercial; Recently FOX and CBS both rejected the Trojan pigs commercial. Both had accepted Trojan’s previous campaign, which urge condom use because of the possibility that a partner might be H. I. V positive, perhaps unknowingly. In a written response to Trojan, though, FOX said that it had rejected the spot because â€Å"Contraceptive advertising must stress health-related uses rather than the prevention of pregnancy. †Due to limited budget and other restrictions, condom marketers and advertisers are facing many problems, because of these restrictions condoms advertiser tend to direct their message to niches audiences through targeted magazines and cable stations (i-e MTV, Channel V, SHE magazine ) rather than the major broadcast networks. The restrictions placed on condom advertising by networks and local stations combined with the modest dvertising budgets of condoms marketers has kept condom advertising at low to imperceptible levels. Advertising of condoms remains more restricted than advertising of many other products including contraceptives. And whether it is due to those restrictions or for other financial reasons, the advertising budgets of condom companies have been so low that condom ads h ave been relatively rare even on those networks and affiliates willing to accept such ads. We have seen many beer commercials; Viagra and oral contraceptive appear on TV (different networks of world) regularly, condom advertising remains limited and highly controversial. Condom advertising is prohibited by National Association of broadcasters’ (NAB) code of Conducts and many religious parties do not permit networks to air its commercials. The first network in the world was KNTV, San Jose, which despite codes decided to carry a spot for Trojan in 1975. Some of the networks and stations that accept condom commercials impose certain limits on them, such as restricting the time of the day they can be run, or requiring their messages to be focused on diseases prevention rather than birth control. Condom marketers express frustration with the time limits networks impose. Condoms marketer could not place their condom ad during primetime even though other consumer product are able to run a network commercial that stimulate sex. Some networks draw a strong line between messages about disease prevention – which may be allowed – and those about pregnancy prevention, which may be considered controversial for religious and moral reasons. Policies for Condoms Advertising: The sensitive and personal nature of this product category warrants that particular care be exercised by the advertiser in the development of commercials. Such commercials will be accepted only if they meet the following conditions: Commercials must: †¢deal solely with the issue of disease prevention †¢make education of the public of primary importance †¢display and promotion of the product must be done in a responsible and sensible manner Commercials must not: †¢make mention of contraception †¢promote casual sex and promiscuity Public Opposition: Usually in forming policies for condom advertising, networks executives rely heavily on audience feedback. The less they hear from viewers on issues around condoms advertising, the better they assume such advertising is received. Silence is golden in this case! The less response, the better it is. Industry executives agree that the landscape for condom ads has improved markedly in the last several years but note that there are still significant obstacles to overcome for greater consistency in policy and broader acceptance. Advertisers vow to continue trying to reach a broad market through network television and say they will grow their budgets when they can more easily place their ads. Most networks say they will continue to evaluate viewer reception to ads from this small but increasingly less controversial advertiser. Most of the people believe that condom ads motivate young’s to do sex because it eliminates the fear of HIV/AIDS, STDs and Pregnancy. And it opposes the traditional values that sex should be kept within the marriage bed. People oppose condom ads because they promote promiscuity. Some TV stations, especially on cable, permit some limited condom advertising, but only late at night when children are presumed to be asleep. Condoms adverts do often appear in magazines which appeal to young adults. Whenever people see condom commercials they switched the other channel or will turnoff the T. V set or may be leave the gathering immediately. Family planning groups argue such ads could help reduce teen pregnancies and check the spread of sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS. People celebrate the sensational aspects of sex and sexuality while entangling the public health aspects of the issue in a straightjacket of fear, shame and denial. Manufacturer do use sexy images to sell sneakers, soft drinks, cars and cosmetics, doesn’t it make a sense for the condom marketer to use them. What do we believe that condom advertising should be aired on TV, there was no consensus on how ad should feature the product and when it should be aired. Our world is on the verge of an AIDs epidemic. Can we afford to be coy about sex and contraception? In urban settings, people seem to know that condoms, if used properly can deter the spread of HIV/AIDs and prevent pregnancy. Many new studies have shown that condom advertising, banned for many years on network television is acceptable to most Americans, Europeans, Germans and Asians. The spread of HIV/AIDS has convinced a growing number of governments to liberalize policies toward condom advertising. Condom ads were once banned in the United Kingdom and France, for example, but are now legal. Other countries that explicitly permit condom advertising include Brazil, Colombia, Denmark, France, Peru, Singapore, and Uganda. The government of Ethiopia itself advertises contraceptives, including condoms. In Russia a government safe-sex campaign uses advertising as its main approach. In contrast, some governments continue to forbid condom advertising or strictly regulate it. In Indonesia, for example, condom advertising is not allowed if condoms are promoted for sexual activities such as extramarital sex or sex with commercial sex workersâ€â€illicit activities likely to spread HIV/AIDSâ€â€but is acceptable if condoms are promoted as a family planning method . Condom ads do not negatively affect viewer’s attitudes toward advertising, although networks restrict the time of the day when condom ads can air and limit their message and tone. But the question arises that these ads should be aired only on a particular time Do the message of safe sex if not for the whole society? Or only particular classes of society are exposed to the risk of sexually transmitted diseases or HIV/AIDs or pregnancy? Ten years ago, no broadcast television network would air a paid condom commercial. Today, three of the six major broadcast networks allow condom companies to advertise on their airwaves, with some limitations on message, tone, and time of day. Fox began accepting condom ads in 1991, CBS in 1998, and NBC in 1999. ABC, UPN, and The WB continue to prohibit paid condom ads. ABC airs ads for prescription birth control pills, and The WB says it would consider ads for the pill as well. UPN and The WB do not broadcast network programming after 10 p. m. Several cable companies have allowed condom advertising for years, and some broadcasters that restrict paid condom ads accept public service ads referencing condoms or safer sex. One advertising agency said that television is one of the most effective means of educating people on the use of contraceptives. However, business people should avoid offending local cultural, social and religious sensitivities. It can be difficult to promote a practice or a product that can interfere with sexual pleasure, can be awkward to use, provides no immediate rewards, and is often associated with distrust and immorality, and whose reliability and effectiveness are often questioned. To be effective, condom promotion must engage people, reach them emotionally, and persuade them that using condoms is important, acceptable, convenient, and the social norm. The advertising of condoms can be especially difficult in conservative societies. The approach in Egypt, where the target is families and the message is family planning, contrasts dramatically with a risque 1998 advertising campaign developed by McCann-Erickson for Durex condoms, targeting young single people and run in Europe. In Egypt, an advertising execution for a condom brand shows a father and mother introducing themselves and their children in a loving way. The message, explained by the parents, is that having only two children, spaced a few years apart, means that one can spend time and attention taking care of them. The advertising of condoms is a very sensitive topic, whether in the context of family planning or preventive health care. In Bahrain, regarded as one of the more liberal Gulf States, the advertising of contraceptives is forbidden. Other products may also be subject to restrictions because of a desire to maintain modesty in the society. For example, a Korean company applied for permission to advertise its underwear product in the Bahrain airport location. The advertising was acceptable only if the words â€Å"Best Cotton Underwear†was removed; which shows the offending text crossed out. Benefits of Condoms Commercials: Several factors proved the importance of condoms advertising: the devastations wrought by HIV/AIDS; the sexual nature of many TV shows; if you see from the public point of view, condoms have an even greater potential in that they can reduce the risk of aids and other STDs, networks are not justifying turning condoms ads down while accepting other contraceptive ads. Following are the main reason why we favored condom commercials: 1) Lack of awareness (especially among sexually active young people) of the effectiveness of condoms in preventing the transmission of HIV/AIDS and some other STIs, as well as pregnancy. ) Promote condom use as fashionable, acceptable and responsible, and as an essential part of HIV/AIDS, sexual health and sex education. 3) Short, 30-60 second radio and television advertising spots can be highly effective in delivering health-related messages. 4) To educate the public to the only product †capable of slowing the spread’’ of acquired immune deficiency syndrome, or AIDS. 5) It will reduce the unwanted pregnancy rates Condoms Advertisement in Pakistan In Pakistan, men are the primary reason why family planning is not a priority and contraceptive use is so low. In a country with about 130 million people, only 12 percent of Pakistani women report using a modern contraceptive method, and Pakistan has the highest total fertility rate among the ten most populous countries. Men’s concerns, beliefs, and practices must be addressed; failure to do so will relegate Pakistan, and its women, to continued high birth rates and unnecessary maternal and child deaths. Men must be motivated to act, to be concerned about their family’s and their wife’s health. Only when men act, or at least do not interfere when their wives desire to act, will the situation improves. The widespread social marketing of condoms in Pakistan has been useful in exposing men to modern methods of avoiding unwanted pregnancies. In Pakistan, men dominate all activities outside the household, including shopping. Thus, men see Sathi condoms at local shops, learn from the media or from friends that it is a simple and affordable means of preventing an unwanted pregnancy, and are inspired to purchase it. Sathi can thus be seen as an introduction to modern contraception, with some couples then graduating to more effective or permanent methods. Targeting Men: The overriding dominance of men as decision-makers in Pakistan, and the restrictions on women’s movements outside the home, has fueled the need to target men in national FP campaigns. Condoms, the premier male contraceptive method, have traditionally been promoted to men. As a result, PSI/SMP has tailored its multi-media condom social marketing messages and educational campaigns to appeal to men and address their resistance points. a. Sense of Male Responsibility The objective of these campaigns is to increase a man’s sense of responsibility for family size and for his wife’s reproductive health. An increased sense of male responsibility – combined with appropriate knowledge about the benefits of family planning, messages which motivate action, and clear instructions on where to go for quality FP products and services – should lead to increased contraceptive use. PSI/SMP has used multiple strategies to motivate men to purchase Sathi condoms. b. Providing Relevant and Correct Information to Men Even with female contraceptive methods – such as Green Star IUDs, oral contraceptives (OCs), and injectables – PSI/SMP targets its messages for male as well as female clients. It is critical to get the men on board since they have an important role not only in the decision to purchase contraceptives, but because they are often the ones to buy the products. In some cases, when a woman’s movements are restricted by purdah, for example, her husband will visit the doctor or pharmacist and may be the only source of information on oral contraceptives and their potential side effects. c. Small Family Norm The PSI/SMP television and cinema commercials which promote Green Star hormonal contraceptives and FP clinics prominently feature men. In one scene, a husband is at first reluctant to discuss family planning with his wife, or permit her to visit a Green Star clinic. After a dream sequence, in which the husband is overwhelmed by rowdy, noisy children, he immediately agrees with his wife that there should be an adequate period between births in order to give each child the time and attention she/he deserves. The commercial closes with the couple visiting a Green Star FP clinic together. d. Male Providers While PSI/SMP is engaged in intensive efforts to train female medical practitioners, it will also train thousands of male doctors and pharmacists. Research indicates that men are more likely to go to other men – particularly male doctors and pharmacists – for information about family planning. It is therefore important that these male medical practitioners provide correct information to men, so that misconceptions can be dispelled and men can assist and even motivate their wives to begin practising contraception. e. Inter-spousal Communication PSI/SMP also communicates more generic messages to the public, those which do not promote a specific contraceptive method or brand, but instead aim to change behaviors in ways that encourage family planning practice. For example, television, radio, and other media promote inter-spousal communication, with a husband and wife discussing family planning options. Research in other countries has shown that couples who discuss family planning are more likely to use modern contraceptives than those couples who avoid the subject. f. Girl Child Throughout its communications campaigns, PSI/SMP has strived to improve the status of women in Pakistan through positive and empowering images and messages. In all PSI/SMP advertisements, for example, a couple is shown with only one child – a girl – with the father obviously loving and caring for the girl. By consistently showing a girl child, PSI/SMP hopes that this will decrease Pakistani men’s preference for a male child, and show that girls are equal in value to boys. Improving the status of women in the eyes of men and in the eyes of the society will lead to increased female empowerment, ultimately resulting in women asserting more control over their reproductive health and family size. Since Pakistan is considered an Islamic society, running condoms commercial on air would raise some controversies. People are not ready to accept these commercials. For them watching condoms commercial, discussing sexual issues is a bit embarrassing. Condom commercial motivates people to have sex out of marriage bed and this is what against their traditional values. It is something that is prohibited in Islam. Condoms advertising were aimed to be potentially socially sensitive in the Asian community, particularly which could clash with traditional values, like keeping oneself disinterested and pure, having few desires, respect for tradition, and moderation.
Monday, July 29, 2019
Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 35
Summary - Essay Example In addition, IT is considered as the revolutionary series of technologies, which have revolutionized the industry significantly. This paper will discuss whether IT is relevant in the present economic society, which is characterized by intense competitiveness and innovativeness. After the introduction of a way in which circuits could be incorporated into a small silicon piece to facilitate in computer processing, the microprocessor has paved way for a number of technological breakthroughs, targeting enterprise software, the internet. Wide and local area networks and desktop computers. In this case, it is not possible for an individual to deny that technology serves as commerce’s backbone. It improves the activities of individual companies, improves their supply chains, and links firms to the clients they serve more effectively (Carr, 2007). The power and presence of IT has grown considerably, forcing companies to consider it as a resource that is vital to their growth and success. This is evident based on the spending habits that firms portray. Since the revolution realized on the microprocessor and introduction of personal computers, companies have continued to increasingly invest on IT infrastructure to help them boost their operations and competitiveness in the marketplace considerably (Carr, 2007). As IT penetrates deeper into the operations of firms, the attitudes of executives are shifting. For instance, more than twenty years ago, a large number of executives looked down upon computers as popular tools, but glorified calculators and typewriters. Computers were associated with low-level employees, such as analysts, secretaries, and technicians. Rare executives allowed their fingers to touch a keyboard. Nonetheless, they would not let information technology influence their strategic thinking. Presently, this has changed as executives as relying on information
Sunday, July 28, 2019
Rational for the lesson I design by using technology in teaching Assignment - 1
Rational for the lesson I design by using technology in teaching English( power point and Hot potato software) - Assignment Example 276). CALL uses a wide range of technological tools to assist language teachers and learners to achieve an effective learning process (Leakey 2011, p. 56). Technology in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) refers to CALL–based teaching methods (Levy and Stockwell 2006, p. 15). There are many technological tools that can be employed as CALL enhancements for TEFL including: computer programs like PowerPoint and Hot Potatoes, online interactive systems like Skype, internet social networks like Twitter and Face book, web blogs and wikis among others (Levy and Stockwell 2006, p. 23; Nadia 2013, p. 3). Although these technological tools are regarded with skepticism by some analysts, they play an important role in improving the overall TEFL process both to the teacher and to the students (Leakey 2011, p. 96). The following essay details a critical analysis on the use of CALL tools for TEFL with specific reference to the tools I used. I chose the Microsoft software, PowerPoint to design materials for my TEFL lesson and Hot Potatoes for student exercises and activities. This lesson was designed for intermediate level students in Saudi Arabia. The class is composed of young children between the ages of 12 years and 16 years (International Bureau of Education 2011, p. 21). These kids have just completed their primary or elementary school level. The class is composed of both girls and boys who have learned Arabic as their first language (International Bureau of Education 2011, p. 22). The class has 25 pupils. The students need CALL resources such as laptops and computers to use for the presentation and subsequent tasks. The internet is also needed for this lesson mainly for the Hot Potatoes testing program. The first strength is that, I am a highly trained professional in the fields of TEFL and in CALL implementation. This ensures that I will execute my responsibilities effectively to impart English skills in the students. I am also armed with suitable
Saturday, July 27, 2019
Why the americans understand the equality of the sexes Essay
Why the americans understand the equality of the sexes - Essay Example The Americans have applied to the principle of political economy. This governs the division of duties of man from those of women, to enable the work of the society to be effectively carried on. The status of American women has been uplifted to a level not to manage the concerns of the family. On the other hand, they are compelled from doing hard tasks to the family. They are considered to be exempted from duties that would require the use of physical strength. Americans have a belief that those areas that require the use of physical effort is entrusted to the family head, which in this case is the man. They have gone further to implement penalties within the legal framework to favor women. For instance, rape has been made a capital offence. This has been done with an intention of imposing more power to women than men. It is also rare to find American women with stable jobs rushing back home in the evening to prepare meals for their husbands. Instead, men would take the responsibility of doing the tasks by themselves. American women have got a sense of self interdependence making them to own a lot of respect (de Tocquevill
Friday, July 26, 2019
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH QUESTION Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH QUESTION - Article Example Findings: African American women had blurred ideas on their understanding of their condition and strategies to employ in managing it. There were also considerable factors that promoted or hindered their commitment to treatment. Implications: The study supports need for education on what hypertension is, managing hypertension and medication side effects, early screening for depression in hypertensive African Americans, developing cultural sensitive education material and formation of support groups. This paper is aimed to determine the ways through which African American women with high blood pressure understand their condition. This paper also finds out the strategies used by the women in managing hypertension through qualitative analysis. Hypertension is the leading cause of coronary heart disease and stroke in African American women. Compared to other groups, African American women have an earlier onset, a higher prevalence, more rapid progression of hypertensive end organ disease as well as mortality related to hypertension. Qualitative analysis should be intensive and non-biased. Qualitative research gives an in depth understanding of how African American women deal with their condition. Collection of qualitative data was done by interviews on a focus group of hypertensive African American women who were undergoing treatment for the disease from an ambulatory inner city free clinic in West Los Angeles. Twenty hypertensive women, aged 35 years and older, participated in the five focus group interviews. Attendance ranged from one to eight from the ten to twelve people that were invited. The study was approved by the University of California, Los Angeles Institutional Review Board. A flyer posted in appropriate areas of the clinic and neighboring areas was used to advertise the study. After sampling, participants were selected for the focus group. The sample collection procedures were clearly defined since the participants
Thursday, July 25, 2019
Finance interview summary Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Finance interview summary - Assignment Example However, this exercise was nothing like that. It was an informational interview about career prospects in two areas that I would be most interested in. I am doing a specialization in Finance and Accounting and would also like to look at Human Resources and Administration as an alternative field. The prime reason for this is that when it comes to a downturn in the economy, it is far better to be on the other side of the table letting people go, than being a victim yourself. I first interviewed Mr. Keith Sherin, Vice President of Finance at General Electric and secondly Mr. John Lynch, who was the Vice President of Human Resources at the same organization. Summary of First Interview Q. 1. Mr. Sherin, how would you describe the job you handle as VP of Finance at General Electric? Being VP of Finance of a company as large as General Electric, I am sure you will realize entails a lot of different responsibilities. Finance as you understand is the lifeblood of modern business. In fact peop le are ready to do business with you as long as you have a good reputation in the market and can be trusted and are ethically sound. The lines of cash and credit open to organizations as large and varied as General Electric are many. In fact there are banks and other lending institutions wanting to do business with us. ... Finance is not only about generating funds for projects but the proper use of these funds when in excess. One can pay back a loan in advance, create a sinking fund for replacement of key assets or even buy back stock available in the market. In fact I find it very exciting and challenging and no two days are ever the same. Finance is also about controlling the market value of the shares and maximization of shareholder wealth and prevention of a dilution in value or a hostile takeover (Brigham & Ehrhardt, 2009). So the responsibilities are quite varied. Q. 2. How did this interview affect my knowledge about career interests and my own career exploration? I was really impressed with the wide ranging responsibilities of the VP Finance at GE. I could see that authority was commensurate with the responsibilities that a VP Finance had- it was not all about meetings, but the need to make decisions about the flow and direction of the business. Finance was needed to assist in meeting business plans and current situations and a proper effort at financial planning and budgeting was necessary to meet these ends. The VP Finance had to have an overview of budgeting, cash flows, interest payments, bank dealings and all such related matters. It was certainly more difficult than I had expected. Q. 3. What new information, ideas, and insights did I gain from the Interview? For one thing, it requires a dynamic personality with the ability to motivate people to listen to you. You should have the ability to lead and direct subordinates on how to prepare stuff for meetings for internal purposes as well as banks or other institutions. It is not a desk job but
Green biotechnology, government policies, taxes, barriers and all that Essay
Green biotechnology, government policies, taxes, barriers and all that include government policies for green biotech. deadline 2 - Essay Example Regulation of Green Biotech The potential for human health risks and environmental damage has necessitated the need for the government to monitor and regulate the release of genetically modified (GM) organism in the environment and commercialization of GM food products. The Brazil government uses the precautionary principle in the regulation of biotechnology products. This is with respect to the environmental safety and consumer health. The precautionary principle is used when there is a threat of severe damage to human health or the environment. Innovation in agriculture biotechnology depends on the strength of intellectual property rights. The World Intellectual Property Organization manages and protects international intellectual property and ensures countries commitment to fight biotech piracy. Governments have established transparent judicial mechanism to enable firms to complain about intellectual property violation, and provide resources to the enforcement of property rights ( Gaisford and William 61-69). In U.S, the efficacy and the safety of an agricultural product should be demonstrated to regulatory agencies before it is commercialized. The agencies also conduct a risk assessment to ensure safety of GMOs in laboratories or green house (Joyia 20-21) Barriers to green biotechnology The lack of appropriate technology is a great obstacle in the attempt to apply biotechnology to benefit the developing countries. This is brought about by technologies being developed in advanced nations and take time to diffuse to developing countries. Another problem is the issue of intellectual property rights. Companies in advanced nations own most of the patents for green biotech. These companies have to be adequately compensated in order to allow access to their invention. Other obstacles to green biotech include the lack of marketing mechanism, poverty and disparities between nations, local and regional politics, biosafety issues, limited infrastructure for exploiting biotechnology, and the biotech debate waged in potential donor countries (Acquaah 460). Ways in which Green biotech can be best traded? Most developing countries can adopt transgenic crops to increase food production in the market and bring in more money to the farmer. Green biotechnology may not be the ultimate solution to hunger and malnutrition, but it can bring about increased, environmental friendly, sustainable and economically profitable agricultural growth. Most developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa, for example, have high hopes of producing high yields of transgenic crops to reduce threats of food security. Food insecurity is brought about by drought, insect pest infestation, viral and fungal diseases that result into severe crop loss. The potentiality of agricultural biotechnology in Sub-Saharan countries lies in producing hard crops to withstand the various natural risks. The sub- Saharan biodiversity resource provides possibilities for developing new genetic traits. These traits can be used in transgenic crops through regulatory processes and well- funded innovative research to create environmentally friendly and new varieties that are harder than existing varieties. Cases of scientific success in developing countries show that green biotech can change the local economy and reduce food security concerns. The famous example of technology beneficial impact on agricultural production is the green revolution. In Kenya, scientists have developed
Wednesday, July 24, 2019
GDM Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1
GDM - Assignment Example Factors to be considered before the screening is done include age, Body Mass Index as well as the race of the woman. There has been growing debate on whether to adopt a universal screening or selective screening. ADA argues that selective screening will help in reducing the costs associated with screening, elimination of inconveniences associated with the process as well as lowering anxiety connected with diabetes. Selective screening is to be based on family history of diabetes, age, obesity and racial alignment as such factors can easily establish the prevalence of diabetes. A number of ethical issues that must be taken into consideration before or during the screening process include how comfortable the patient is during the process, the laboratory costs associated with the screening and other risks factors such as missing the diagnosis after the process has been initiated. The cost implications of universal screening are very high and may limit the number of women who are able to undergo such tests. Universal adoption of GDM will assist in the development of a database of various people in the world who have shown symptoms of the disease which will further help in the development of international initiatives and approaches aimed at controlling the condition. Professional nurses are charged with the responsibility of advocating for women to undergo screening. They encourage as well as support the adoption of International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy (IADPSG) that have been recommended by the ADA in their various health institutions. They further undergo adequate preparation so as take good care of women with GDM. The nurses offer prenatal care for women with diabetes so as to assist them to come up with thorough diabetes programs so as to facilitate provision of better services (Ross, 2005). They approve referral of high-risk cases among women
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
Tucson 4th ave streetcar Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
Tucson 4th ave streetcar - Essay Example So far, the development plan is underway and the streetcar is soon getting an operation, however, the project draws a number of criticisms right from its planning to the effects of the finished railroad in the city. Efficiency in transportation reduces time lost in traffic thereby making the economy more efficient. For a long time the city of Tucson has merely relied on the efficient road network to provide connections to all the places within the city. The city has a dedicated metropolitan bus service coupled with a number of private taxi services that have by far ensured efficient transportation in and out of the city. However, the city just as any other part of the country is expanding. The city continues to attract more investors, which implies that more people move into the city all of who require effective means of transportation. This implies that while the sizes and the conditions of the road network have remained unchanged for quite some time, the demand has significantly in creased resulting in both congestion in the public places such as bus stations and traffic jams on the roads and major highways. The city therefore needed some more radical means of transportation, one which could transport a large number of people and do so efficiently fast. This could drastically reduce congestion and save time. Expansion of the road networks seemed more expensive and had more severe economic ramifications, the rest of the world and even New York among other cities in the United States have all tried and tested the efficiency of streetcars a feature, which prompted the council government of Tucson to employ one. However, the cost constructing one would overburden the taxpayers, which is the key source of revenue for the council government. The project, which expected to complete in June 2013, had an initial budget of one hundred and fifty million dollars but that has since increased to two hundred million owing to readjustments on a number of construction features (Golem and Janet 33). The project draws its funding from the voter approved regional transportation authority and federal agents both of which rely on taxes. Once completed the project is expected to relieve the public transport system and revamp business in the city’s major business districts. The project has so far served as one of the highest employers in the city of Tucson, its construction process alone has caused more than a thousand temporary construction jobs but the streetcar project is expected to create more than two thousand permanent jobs once it gets operational. Additionally, more than twenty construction companies set up in the neighborhood to sustain the construction process. More than one thousand five hundred more people will be employed by the Sun Link Tucson Transport Company to sustain the entire transportation process. Furthermore, the electricity powered streetcar promises efficiency, The Sun Link Tucson, which is the company mandated with operating t he streetcar, has a success history with managing public transportation and won the Best Transit system in 2005. It is therefore expected that the streetcar project will attain similar efficiency thereby decongesting the city. The mapping of the streetcar route passes
Monday, July 22, 2019
Joe Salatino, President of Great Northern American Case Study Essay Example for Free
Joe Salatino, President of Great Northern American Case Study Essay Joe’s employees need to understand how people form perceptions and make attributions for several reasons. As they are in a selling business, employees need to know how they can best be perceived as to earn the trust of their customers. It is important to know how to be ethical in selling as well as trustworthy so that customers feel confident in choosing their services time and again. Aside from how their customers may perceive them, they must also be aware of how their employer sees them. It is important to employers to find capable, confident and hardworking potential employees. In 2011 CBS news did a story on how others see us and how we see ourselves. This report asserts that it is more important to know how others see us as it is by their reactions to who we perceive them to think we are that our own actions come from. They give a couple of examples right off about how a first date can leave you feeling defeated or conversely very confident. Just because you walk away feeling one way or another is not necessarily an indicator of how the date actually went or what the other party thought of you. Another example is given in that it not necessarily important for a company’s top executives to have a positive opinion of their product or service, it is more important that the consumer have an idea of their offering that generates more and more business. This usually comes from a positive perception of what they have to offer. These principals easily align with the idea that it is important in general to do what you can to have others form a positive impression of you. So, what makes a good first impression? Forbes magazine proposes theses 5 traits. First, â€Å"set an intention. †This means to visualize what you want out of whatever you are undertaking. For example, if it is a job interview, see yourself in the position with the traits you deem necessary for success at that position. You will be much more likely to pull off an air of those attributes if you have first taken the time to role play in your mind a successful turnaround of the event. Second, â€Å"think about your ornaments. †In other words, pay attention to the details of your outward appearance. For men this may mean choosing the right watch to portray the success they see themselves having, for women it may mean jewelry or makeup that puts them in that same space. For both genders hair, shoes, and clothing are important factors in building the perception you are seeking. For instance, someone who is running for congress would want to choose more conservative and sophisticated looking â€Å"ornaments†whereas someone seeking a job with Vogue magazine may want to dress very current and â€Å"edgy†for their interview to show they are relevant for the position they seek. We can easily apply this to Joes employees as they will want to know what type of companies they anticipate receiving business from. If they know that they are dealing with a very â€Å"traditional†client they may want to dress for success that day by choosing clothing that portrays a traditional and trustworthy image. Conversely, if they are meeting with a client who takes big risks and hopes for their partners in business to as well, they may want to choose a look that portrays confidence and a spunky, no holds barred attitude. At Verizon Wireless we have a very relaxed work culture that more often than not is fun and youthful. However, when interviewing for a new position within the company it is no different than most traditional settings. Candidates seem to do better when they are dressed professionally and are well polished overall. Going back to the Forbes article, the third tip is to â€Å"be conscious of your body language. †Pay particular attention to your posture, handshake, eye contact and what you are doing with your hands. A confident person is not going to be slumped over, slouching and have their arms crossed. A confident person is going to sit or stand up straight, give their attention to the person with whom they are seeking attention by offering polite eye contact and also by using their hands to emphasize they are open to the others input. Fourth on the list of must do’s for a good impression is â€Å"avoid bad days. †Often in the business world networking is a key part of building strong business relationships. Forbes suggests that if you are having a terrible day at work then it is likely you are not going to be up for dealing with people. Your courtesy and smile are going to appear in genuine if you are not really in the mood to be there and people will pick up on that. If you can skip that mixer you had planned to attend go for it. If not, do something that will lighten your mood and hopefully get your head in a more light-hearted place. Lastly, â€Å"be interested and interesting. †Who wants to spend their time on the dud of the group? Be interested in those you are serving. No one wants to only hear about you, and no one wants to feel like you certainly have more important things to be doing than helping them. Learning Theory Joe has several theories of learning to choose from in how he prefers to teach his employees. The two main theories in discussion today are Social and Operant learning theory. For general understanding let’s look further into the specifics of each. Mosby’s medical dictionary defines Operant conditioning as â€Å"a form of learning used in behavior therapy in which the person undergoing therapy is rewarded for the correct response and punished for the incorrect response. †(2009) In other words, a leader demonstrates desired behaviors and rewards others when the same behaviors are demonstrated. Second is Social theory. Mosby’s states, â€Å"A concept that the impulse to behave aggressively is subject to the influence of learning, socialization, and experience. Social learning theorists believe aggression is learned under voluntary control, by observation of aggressive behavior in others, and by direct experience. †(2009) In short, people will not engage in reproduction of a behavior without motivation. The best way for Joe to motivate and empower his employees in this situation is with Operant conditioning. This affords Joe the chance not only to demonstrate the correct behavior he desires, but also gives him a platform to modify negative traits as well. Joe is looking for people to showcase his business and put forth the same united front of loyalty and customer respect that he has put in place at Great Northern American. Improving Employee Performance Operant conditioning is best in the work environment as it gives a more level playing field for all to succeed. Some people are born naturally more talented than others, but this does not in any way make them less important in the workforce. Some people may never be number 1 overall in a company (and some don’t desire to be as it requires a lot of commitment) but that does not mean that they are incapable of modeling successful behaviors and attaining top notch ratings. Operant behavior allows for these individuals to succeed where as Social learning theory only really rewards one person overall rather than celebrating the victories along the way for each individual. I personally find it more rewarding to have encouragement along the way. Too often I’ve come in second place and have nothing to show for all my hard work. When this happens I’ve had nothing in the way of reward though I put in significant amounts of work in hopes that I could be the best. Verizon Wireless rewards us along the way and I have certainly been motivated to do better and try harder because of that. I appreciate that Operant conditioning is consistent throughout the entire work year whereas Social learning builds up to one pinnacle moment. Verizon sets attainable yet challenging goals for each individual and once you have met or exceeded those goals, you are pushed to reach for the next rung of the ladder (I. . going from Representative to Sr. Representative) and with that next step you are rewarded with a pay increase and more opportunities for further career development within the company that will help you in future upward mobility opportunities. Likewise, if you are not meeting the minimum expectation you will not be afforded the opportunity to move into the next level of your position, and you may possibly be put on a â€Å"corrective action plan. †Joe could apply this in practical ways as Verizon does with rewards and consequences along the way of career progression. Value of Self Efficacy Joe can best use his evaluation of potential employees’ self-esteem to hire the best by taking stock in his own first impression of a potential employee. He will have a gut instinct reaction to this first impression and he should feel confident in the portrayal each candidate puts forth. Verizon does a good job of asking employees how they would like to be â€Å"coached. †Joe could put something like this in place with potential employees to see if their learning style matches that of the culture of Great Northern American. Self-Efficacy is something that a potential employer (Joe in this case) can look at and determine how driven someone appears. Psychology Today states, â€Å"For instance, people high in self-efficacy take better care of themselves, see tasks as something to be mastered, and they feel more empowered. They’re not controlled by circumstances. They see setbacks as challenges to be overcome and can cope with hardship better than those with low self-efficacy. They learn from failure and channel it into success, like Thomas Jefferson, Walt Disney and J. K Rowling. People higher in self-efficacy also have a greater sense of motivation and persistence. †(LaVan, 2010) With this in mind a correct assessment of self-efficacy can ensure Joe his is hiring someone who will seek to succeed at whatever task he or she is given. To compliment this assessment, Joe must also be willing to â€Å"pump up†his employees. He should offer compliments to good work and publicly praise achievements. This will keep his employees motivated to continue putting their best foot forward for him long after the interview process is completed and the candidate is settled into their job function.
Sunday, July 21, 2019
Emotional Intelligence And Team Performance Psychology Essay
Emotional Intelligence And Team Performance Psychology Essay Claims about the positive influence of emotional intelligence (EI) on work team performance are very numerous, both in commercial and scientific literature. In this study, EI was assessed using the Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS). Paper examined the relationship between emotional intelligence and performance of 15 teams selected from telecom organizations of Islamabad/ Rawalpindi. A single questionnaire was used to gather data from the teams, each consisting of 5-15 members. Simple and multiple regression was applied to investigate the relationships between emotional intelligence as a whole and team performance and then between EIs dimensions which includes Self Emotion Appraisal, Other Emotion Appraisal, Use of Emotion and Regulation of Emotion and teams performance. Results show a positive relationship among emotional intelligence and its dimensions and performance of teams. The limitations which holds for the study includes issue of one-shot study, limited sample size and non generalisability. The study will be beneficial for future researchers and organizations. Keywords: Emotional Intelligence; appraisal and expression of emotion; team performance INTRODUCTION In recent years, emotions in the workplace, and especially emotional intelligence, have become an amazingly hot topic in management. The topic of research is Impact of Emotional Intelligence on teams performance. Employees go through different emotions which are most likely to affect the way they behave at their workplaces. It is important for the team leaders as well as members to understand, act on and manage the emotions of other members to have a healthy environment at workplace and to increase the performance of the team as a whole. Background of the Study The concept of emotional intelligence (EI) was first proposed by Mayer and Salovey (1990) which was then popularized by Goleman in his book Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ. Since then, this area has got much attention in the field of leadership, Human Resource Management and Organizational Behavior. Researchers have defined EI as a distinct psychological skill that can be consistently gauged. Mayer and Saloveys ideas on EI came up from the work of Social Intelligence by Thorndike (1920) and Gardners (1983) concept of intrapersonal and interpersonal intelligence. In 1927, Thorndike classified Intelligence into three types: Abstract Intelligence which is related to verbal concepts, Concrete Intelligence which is related to shapes and matter and thirdly Social Intelligence now termed as Emotional Intelligence. It shows that it is not a new concept. Salovey and Mayer (1990) defined emotional intelligence as the subset of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor ones own and others feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them and to use this information to guide ones thinking and actions (p. 189). Their model includes features of intelligence, adjustability and encouragement. Mayer and Salovey (1997) stated four skills of EI which includes emotional awareness of own and others, emotional management of own and others, emotional understanding i.e. recognizes the emotional series and cycle, and emotional facilitation i.e. creating emotions. To measure EI, MSCEIT (Mayer, Salovey, and Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test, 2002) was developed on the basis of these four elements. Goleman (1998) stated that EI play a major role in improving performance at work as well as achievements in personal life. He claimed that approximately 90 % of the performance between high and average individuals at senior leader positions was due to EI features rather than cognitive ones (Cichy, Kim and Cha, 2009). Researchers define teams miscellaneously. Ayoko and Callan (2009) defined teams as groups composed of autonomous individuals who are wholly identified as team, having a shared liability and are together accountable for the accomplishment of tasks identified by the organization. Ayoko and Callan argue that the leaders who adopt emotional and transformational leadership behavior probably generate positive team results. As now, there are many instruments or ways to measure EI, it is time to move forward and increase our knowledge regarding the relationship between EI and performance (Jordan, Ashkanasy, Hartel, Hooper, 2002). The focus of this research is to investigate the relationship among the emotional intelligence of team members on their overall performance as a team. Significance of the Study This study will prove to be a source of understanding the benefits of using emotional intelligence in context of realizing team performance. This research will prove to be an important tool for managers and employees which will as a result awaken the need for emotional training of employees. Problem Statement What is the impact of emotional intelligence on team performance? Research Objectives To investigate the relationship between emotional intelligence that is the dependent variable and team performance, the independent variable. To identify the dimensions of emotional intelligence and their magnitude on the performance of teams. To measure the emotional intelligence level of the team members and its overall impact on their team performance. LITERATURE REVIEW Importance of teams With the passage of time focus of organizations is shifting from individual job to team based work units. Teams are said to be necessary for organizational effectiveness. To extract maximum performance from team it requires the selection of people with suitable and adequate skills and knowledge who can understand and cater to team needs These required skills must include the EI skill set because EI accounts for eighty percent of success of an individual (Goleman, 1995). For a large part of work done in the organizations, teams are responsible for carrying it out. Nowadays every employee or employer is a part of a team. Apart from teams being dominant in different kind of settings, they are of hypothetical importance to the scholars. Teams have been analyzed from many viewpoints i.e. analyzing the team members working in a team from a psychological view, the processes within the team, and the background in which the team is formed. With Anconas idea of boundary management activities, relations of teams with the outside parties have also been studied in which activities across the team boundary which include representing the team to outside parties, defending the team from outside pressures, and obtaining information and providing it to the team (Ancona, 1990). Importance of EI in workplaces Before the importance of EI was realized in organizations IQ was supposed to be sufficient for good human performance. Workers were indeed advised to put away their emotions at their homes before coming to work. But it is unrealistic to suppose that emotions can be left home or set aside when you arrive at work. Some people may assume, for a variety of reasons, that emotional neutrality is an ideal, but it is usually not good for an organization for it can hinder people to move into management roles. As, emotional intelligence is critical to high performance, a person who knows how to stay motivated under stress, motivate others, manage complex interpersonal relationships, inspire others and build teams who are recognized specialists on a product or service are likely to get will get better results (Goleman, 2005) The significance of emotions in work settings has been well-known. Emotional intelligence is a multi-dimensional concept that links emotion and cognition to improve human interactions. It has been linked to improved workplace behaviour and specifically team behaviour and team performance. (Jordan, Peter, Lawrence, Sandra, 2009). Dimensions of Emotional Intelligence Emotional intelligence comprises four abilities, Appraisal and Expression of Emotion (own and others), Use of Emotions and Emotional Management (own and others) (Wong and Law, 2002). Appraisal and expression of emotion The first factor of EI is the ability to properly determine and express ones own emotions as well as to be sympathetic, appraise and express emotions of others. Every individuals ability varies in precisely identifying, appraising and expressing his own emotions as well as the emotions experienced by others. Some people are attentive of their feelings they experience and can express their emotions whereas, some people cannot express their feelings and emotions or they are unaware of their emotions (Zhou, George, 2003). There is a positive relationship between job performance and team members having high EI because they are highly proficient at appraising and regulating their own emotions which results in a higher level of faith in themselves and have power over them which lead them to make realistic actions resulting in high performance and less supervisory interference. But where team members have low EI, they are less proficient at appraising and regulating their emotions, so they have to get assistance from their managers in helping them to better manage and control their emotions which lead to teamwork, coordination, creativity and adaptability (Sy, Tram, OHara, 2006). Use of emotions The second factor includes the ability of the individual to use emotions to aid the cognitive processes. Emotions and cognitions are highly interconnected and EI allows people with the ability to use emotions to aid the effective cognitive processing of information. Emotions can be used to emphasize on important matters like selecting among competing and similar options, increase the flexibility of information processing, and engage in certain kinds of information processing (Mayer, 1986; Salovey Mayer, 1989-1990). Therefore, individuals vary not only in awareness, appraisal and expression of emotions but also in their ability to use emotions in collaboration with their cognitive processes to enhance effective functioning. For adjusting in changing situations, emotions play an important role in the effective development of information for the individuals who are high on EI. On the contrary, individuals with low EI cannot effectively use their emotions to aid cognitive processes and may find it difficult to coordinate among how they feel and what are they doing (Zhou, George, 2003). Regulation of emotions The fourth element of EI is about the regulation of emotions of the people. People not only understand the emotions of others but also make an effort to manage these emotions. Some individuals are much competent in managing emotional management process for themselves as well as for other, as compared to other people. For example, if there occurs any breach in quality, it may raise up a negative emotional reaction when the manager tries to determine the reason of the problem i.e. anger. Though the manager, instead of being obsessed with blaming others and seeking revenge, he should manage his anger to effectively solve the problem. It is significantly important for leaders to manage the emotions of others. Emotional reactions provide a useful insight of where interest should be focused, whereas unmanaged emotions can hinder the effective information processing. So to avoid this unduly hindrance, EI allows managers to not only use emotions but also to manage them effectively (Zhou, Geo rge, 2003). The management of emotion enables an individual to join or unjoin himself from an emotion in a given situation depending on its utility at that given time. This is apparent in the individuals ability to have control on his immediate reactions and postpone his judgment and then to communicate them in a measured and careful manner. The suggestion to think and then act, caution to count to 10 before replying and listening practice like pause, breathe and relax then respond are all efforts for managing emotions by conveying your feelings and emotions in a proper way when communicating. Even small children are often taught to count to 10 before getting mad or to smile for Grandpa. Delaying instantaneous responses clearly indicates it is as emotional management ability. Link of EI with team performance Various models of team development note that to resolve differences between team members, it is important for teams to develop and progress. Emotional intelligence, when linked with group performance, helps in constructing useful group interactions and aids individuals to deal with and resolve emotional issues to facilitate high performance. In recent research, it was found that team performance is positively and significantly influenced if team is able to recognize emotions of teammates. (Stough, Saklofske, Parker, 2009) Until now, research has paid attention to emotional intelligence as an individual difference, something similar to intellectual intelligence and associated with personal ability. The notion of emotional intelligence, however, is wider in scope and application than its intellectual intelligence. Studies show that trained teams consisting of members with high emotional intelligence perform as well on measures of team performance as the trained teams consisting of members with low levels of emotional intelligence. Many researchers have anticipated that proper training could be provided to develop the emotionally intelligent team to craft it beyond just a collection of emotionally intelligent individuals but which jointly demonstrate the positive characteristics of emotional intelligence (Daus and Ashkanasy, 1993). Though there are many claims regarding the positive impact of EI on job performance, but the studies examining the relationship between EI and individual level performance show that the perceived potential benefits of using EI in the workplace may be absent. A small number of studies have examined the relationships between EI and performance at group level. (Quoidbach, Hansenne, 2009). Jordan and Troth (2004) have found a link between EI and performance on a purely cognitive task at group level, although this relationship did not appear at individual level. A number of researchers have hypothesized that job performance is influence by employees ability to use emotions to facilitate performance, one of the four defining dimensions of EI. Employees could employ both positive as well as negative emotions to their benefit to improve performance. For example, positive emotions, such as excitement or enthusiasm, could motivate employees to provide better customer service, complete their work assignments, or contribute to the organization. Conversely, negative emotions, such as anxiety, could aid employees ability to focus on their work tasks. (Sy, Tram, OHara, 2006) Relationship of high EI individuals with better performance The employees having high emotional intelligence are more skilled to regulate their own as well as manage others emotions to promote positive interactions which would lead to higher performance through organizational citizenship behavior. Latest research has revealed that managers having high EI exhibit produce optimistic work attitudes and unselfish behaviors which resultantly lead to employees higher satisfaction and performance at job (Sy, Tram, OHara, 2006) The high El individual, most centrally, can better perceive emotions, use them in thought, understand their meanings, and manage emotions better than others. Solving emotional problems likely requires less cognitive effort for this individual. The person also tends to be somewhat higher in verbal, social, and their intelligence particularly if the individual scored higher in the understanding emotions portion of El. The individual tends to be more open and agreeable than others. The high El person is drawn to occupations involving social interactions such as teaching and counseling more so than to occupations involving clerical or administrative tasks. The high El individual, relative to others, is less apt to engage in problem behaviors and avoids self-destructive, negative behaviors such as smoking, excessive drinking, drug abuse, or violent episodes with others. The high El person is more likely to have possessions of sentimental attachment around the home and to have more positiv e social interactions, particularly if the individual scored highly on emotional management. Such individuals may also be more adept at describing motivational goals, aims, and missions (Mayer, Salovey, Caruso, 2004). Weiss and Cropanzano (1996) claim that emotional elements have a lasting impact on team performance though are not instantly evident. Pate, Watson and Johnson (1998) have revealed that decisions made by the whole group are a better predictor of performance than the decisions made by the best decision-maker in the group. In majority of teams, the role of leadership is revolved so it is predicted that teams with EI will perform well. (Jordan, Ashkanasy, Hartel, Hooper, 2002) Due to an increased use of teams in organizations since past several years, it has resulted in a productive research literature on what makes teams effective. This question has recognized various important aspects. It has been found through studies that team performance is affected by several factors like communication, team climate, shared mental models, leadership and size. Yet other studies showed a relationship between team performance and individual factors which includes skills, knowledge and abilities of team members, age and tenure of team member, his openness to variety and equilibrium of his role preferences (Pirola-Merlo, Hartel, Mann, Hirst, 2002). Components of Team Performance Dependability among team members have an influence on how well teams can rely on one another as well as on the organization. It is determined greatly by the extent of how much information is being shared and level of openness among teams, and among organization and team. It also includes consistency of teams in terms of them doing what they say they will do, they remain stick to their commitments to each other and to the organization. Information Sharing The basis of trust among team members lies in effective sharing of important information. Teams cannot perform effectively unless they dont have proper information. When the organization keeps the information secret from the team members that may be useful for them, the members may lose confidence in the organization. Nor organizations can trust on teams that are secretive and are not open. Clear Direction A clear direction is needed to point teams to go in the direction in which the organization wants to go. It is important to become clear about the vision and then communicate the vision to the teams. The organization, by setting a clear direction, set the boundaries within which the teams work. Aimlessness Without having clear goals and an apparent direction, teams are likely to become unstable. Their actions are inefficient because they are not aimed. They keep on shifting to other thing after starting on one thing. Although they move in a same general direction but without any accuracy due to absence of clear goals. Alienation The teams which are not involved in decision making of the organization are more likely to deny it, they may consider the path on which they are moving as not of their own, and they may hold themselves less accountable for the results. Teams may engage in disruption to declare their opposition from the direction inn which they are moving. Operational Planning The organization has to create processes to accomplish work once their goals are set, and overall plan has to be set up to fit plans of individual units. In the planning process, they need to plan for teams giving them the clarity and structure and flexibility to gain benefit from unexpected opportunities and deal with unpredicted events. Communications Teams have to communicate with each other as well as to the organization to stay aligned. So, a medium and practices through which communications can flow freely must be built up. Team based organizations need to create effective modes of communication, to identify the information requirements of all parts of organization, and examine levels of communication and noise level. Innovation The benchmark of high performing organizations is that they outperform what is already known and down earlier. They are innovative, work with their own fashion, and generate new products and services. Innovative organizations believe in challenging the status quo and they have the structure that supports new projects. Teams in these organizations are less liable to remain on past success. Connecting Values Where teams have the freedom to act and the resources to be productive, they will tend to buy into the organizations enterprise when one other condition applies: that the organizations work taps a deeply held value or set of values. This connection to what is most important or meaningful to teams and their members creates a sense of mission and an esprit de corps that bonds teams together and to the organization as a whole. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK This research study has following variables: Emotional Intelligence: Independent variable Team Performance: Dependent variable Other Emotional Appraisal Use of Emotion Regulation of Emotion EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE TEAM PERFORMANCE Self-Emotional Appraisal Independent Variable Dependent Variable The study shows a positive relationship between emotional intelligence and team performance. Based on the researches of many researchers like (e.g. Qquoidbach Hansenne, 2009; Jordan, Ashkanasy, HÃ ¤rtel Hooper 2002), the research shows that team performance is dependent upon emotional intelligence. The employees having high levels of emotional intelligence will perform better in teams which will increase the overall performance of the teams. Hypotheses The aim of this study is to prove the relation between emotional intelligence and team performance. Therefore, hypothesis related with four dimensions of emotional intelligence are developed as follows: Hypothesis1: Emotional Intelligence has a significantly positive relationship with team performance. Hypothesis 2: Self emotion Appraisal (SOE) has a significant positive relationship with team performance. Hypothesis 3: Other Emotion Appraisal (OEA) has a significant positive relationship with team performance. Hypothesis 4: Using of Emotion (UE) has a significant positive relationship with team performance. Hypothesis 5: Regulation of Emotion (RE) has a significant positive relationship with team performance. CHAPTER 4 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The study was relational for exploring relationship among Emotional Intelligence (EI), Self Emotion Appraisal (SEA), Other Emotion Appraisal (OEA), Using Emotions (UE) and Regulation of Emotions (RE). These variables are tested. Purpose of the Study Hypothesis testing was done in order to test the relationship between variables which were emotional intelligence, SEA, OEA, UE, RE and team performance. Type of Investigation A causal study was conducted to explore the association among EI, its dimensions and team performance. Extent of Researcher Interference The data was collected with minimum interference by the researcher from different organizations. Study Settings Data was collected in noncontrived settings. Unit of Analysis The unit of analysis for this study is teams as the research questions are focused on impact of emotional intelligence of teams on their performance. Time Horizon The data was gathered just once from different telecom companies therefore the study was one-shot study. Sampling Design The sample was chosen by using convenience sampling where the data was collected from the employees of telecom companies who were easily available to provide it. Sample The targeted population for this research is the telecom sector of Pakistan. The sample conducting this research was selected from the organizations located in Islamabad/Rawalpindi. Total number of teams among which questionnaires were distributed was 35 teams out of only 29 teams returned back the filled questionnaires. Those 15 work teams comprised of 5-15 members. The respondents working in a team currently were included. 72% of the participants in teams were male and 28% were female. Instrument Primary data was gathered through questionnaires. The questionnaire consisted of 32 items (see Appendix). All the items related to emotional intelligence as well as team performance were measured on a 7-point likert scale (7 = Strongly Agree to 1 = Strongly Disagree). The reliability test was applied to the questionnaire which showed 0.934 cron bach alpha. It consisted of two parts. First part consists of 16 items used to measure the emotional intelligence of the members of the team. Second part also consists of 16 items which were used to measure the performance of team. Measures Emotional Intelligence Emotional Intelligence was assessed using Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS) (2002). This scale consists of 16 items. The WLEIS was designed as a short measure of EI for use in organizational research. It comprises of 16 items, responded to on a 7-point Likert scale and measuring four dimensions: Self-Emotion Appraisal, Emotion Appraisal of Others, Use of Emotion, and Regulation of Emotion. Wong and Law (2002) report good internal consistency reliabilities for their measure. In terms of validity, they present data showing that scores on the WLEIS are related to job performance and job satisfaction. Team Performance The performance of team was measured by 16 items, adopted from Senior, B. (1996). This was measured on a 7-point likert scale. RESULTS AND FINDINGS Data was collected from 15 different teams of telecom organizations from Islamabad/Rawalpindi. The data collected was analyzed using SPSS Version 18. The linear regression was run on the data. By running reliability analysis to the data, Cronbachs Alpha value was found to be 0.934 which shows that our instrument is 93 % reliable. The reliability test was applied on this questionnaire and the results are as follows: Table 1: Data were collected from fifteen teams from telecom companies of Islamabad/Rawalpindi. First, the reliability of the questionnaire was checked through Cronbachs Alpha reliability test. Cronbachs Alpha measures how well a set of items measures a single undimensional latent construct. The calculated Cronbachs Alpha was 0.934 for 32 items which is presented in Table 1. This value shows that there was consistency among the items and the questionnaire was reliable. Table 2: Table 2 indicates that the mean score of emotional intelligence of the employees was 5.43 which mean that the teams had somewhat high level of correlation. A maximum of 7 shows that some of the respondents had very high levels of emotional intelligence and a minimum of 3 shows that some of the teams members did not possess high level of emotional intelligence. Table 3: Table 3 indicates that the overall teams were performing well. A maximum of 7 shows that some teams performance was very good and a minimum of 2 shows that some teams were performing not very well. Table 4: Correlation finds the connection between two variables and determines the extent to which values of two variables are proportional to each other. (Carver Nash, 2006). The above table shows that the self emotion appraisal and use of emotion are highly correlated with team performance, whereas other emotion appraisal and regulation of emotion were although positively correlated but having weak relationship with team performance. Table 5: As in the above table sig. value is less than .05 so we have a significant linear regression. (F (1) = 71.715, p Table 6: Regression equation can be formed as follows: TP=1.915+0.671EI With 1% change in independent variable, it will cause dependent variable to change by 67 %. From the above table and the formed equation we can conclude that Emotional Intelligence is the significantly influencing variable. It means that Emotional Intelligence plays a significant role in the performance of the team. Table 7: Model Summary reports a statistics that measures goodness of fit. R is measuring the simple relation between independent variables and dependent variable. R2 measures the variation of dependent variable by independent variables. It can range from 0 to 1 and indicates the extent to which the line fits the points. The R Square value shows that 65% of the variation in the team performance can be explained by the difference in the value of emotional intelligence. Regression Analysis of Relation between Sub-Dimensions of Emotional Intelligence Team Performance (Dependent Variable: Team Performance) Table 8: The model summary table 11 measures goodness of fit. This table includes the multiple correlation coefficients R, its square R2, and an adjusted version of this coefficient. The multiple correlation coefficient, R = .719, indicates that there was a moderate correlation between dimensions of emotional intelligence and team performance. In terms of variability, observed team performance accounted for the fitted model, this amounts to a proportion of R2 =0.518, or 51.8 %. It means that there was 51.8 % of the variation in team performance (dependent variable) was explained by the dimensions of EI (independent variable). This shows a strong relationship between the two variables (emotional intelligence and team performance). The value of durbin Watson value should range from 1.5-2.5. Our value of Durbin Watson is 1.684 which means there is no issue of multicollinearity. Table 9: From ANOVA table, it is evident that Sig (p value) = 0.000 which is less than 0.05 so the model fits the data properly. The F-test for the null hypothesis, that the four dimensions of Emotional Intelligence (EI) does not have positive relation with teams performance, or in other words, that R2 is zero. Here the null hypothesis is rejected (F (4) = 25.478, p Table 10: The above given coefficients table provides regression coefficients, standard errors of the estimates, t-tests and tolerance and VIF values. The estimated regression coefficients are given under the heading Standardized Coefficients B, these give, for each of the independent variables, the predicted change in the dependent variable when the independent variable is increased by one unit based on a condition that all the other variables in the model will remain constant. For example, here we estimate that teams performance increases by 17 % with a one unit change in team members self emotion appraisal assuming that there is no change in the rest of variables. One unit increase in others emotion appraisal brings a 3.8% change in the performance of teams. Similarly, one unit increase in the use of emotion of an employee brings a 41% variation in teams performance. At the end, a unit change in the team me
The Dairy Processing Industry In Mauritius Environmental Sciences Essay
The Dairy Processing Industry In Mauritius Environmental Sciences Essay Nowadays, the dairy industry is categorized into two distinct production areas. The primary production of milk is principally on farms, whereby cows and other animals, such as goats, sheep, and among others, are bred for the production of milk for human consumption. The processing of milk has for main objective of extending its saleable life and keeping quality. This can be achieved by a number of food transformation and preservation techniques. Milk can be heat treated, can be prepared variously in a dehydrated form like butter and milk powder, thirdly by freezing, for instance, ice cream and other frozen desserts and finally by fermentation like yoghurt, cheese, ghee, kefir and among others. 1.1.1 Profile of the dairy processing industry in Mauritius Mauritius has one of the strongest economies in Africa, with a per capita GDP close to U$3,900. Its economy has been heightened greatly over the past 15 years and the main sectors, which have driven the performance, were the textile, tourism and sugar industry. However, studies prepared by the Imani Development Consultants (2004), for the Regional Agricultural Trade Expansion Support Program, have demonstrated that the local dairy is a very small sector with only about 5000 dairy cows, producing about 4 million litres of milk, which represent only 5% of the total requirements. Hence, Mauritius does not have the resources and capacity to produce milk efficiently. About 1 million litres of the milk produced, through reconstitution from powder milk, is marketed as pasteurised milk by the Agricultural Marketing Board and other dairy industries. Likewise the Imani Development Consultants (2004) added that the consumption trend of most dairy products has considerably increased over the past 5 years from 12,800 tons in 1995 to 22,000 tons in the year 2002. This trend is expected to continue with the rising standard of living of the Mauritian population. There is now a growing market for UHT milk despite the fact that milk powder is widely preferred by the population. Australia and New Zealand remain the principal suppliers of dairy products to Mauritius. There are various renowned dairy products brands in most supermarkets and retail shops. Although Mauritius is not a milk producing country, it has three main dairy products manufacturers, namely Maurilait Ltd., INNODIS Ltd., and Laiterie de Curepipe, which are producing mainly yoghurt, ice cream, sterilised milk and flavoured milk, using imported raw materials. 1.1.1.1 INNODIS Limited INNODIS Limited is one of the main food and grocery distributors and producers in Mauritius. It is a large company engaged in different sectors, ranging from poultry, rice milling, consumer goods, frozen foods, dairy production and among others. The company has invested profusely to bring over a high performance in quality and reliability of its products and this has nowadays led to an annual turnover of Rs 2.5 billion (Anon2, 2010). The dairy Plant of INNODIS Ltd was set up since 1952, with an Ice Cream business activity, manufacturing Nestle products under the brand name Dairymaid. It has nowadays developed close partnerships with South African licenses and has integrated other production lines of yoghurt, nectars, and sterilized milks under the brand name of DairyVale, Ceres, Twin Cows and Ole respectively. Ice Cream production includes 45% of the total production, followed by 30% of yoghurt production and a remaining of 25% for nectars and sterilized milk (pers. comm., 2010). The dairy plant of INNODIS Ltd has adopted a food safety management system, for instance, the HACCP Codex Alimentarius Standards and adheres to the Nestle and Ceres Standards in order to keep up consistency in quality of products and work within the factory. The installed capacity of the dairy processing plant is 2million Litres of milk per year and is presently being used at 90% of its capacity milk (pers. comm., 2010). 1.2 Dairy Processing Waste 1.2.1 Water consumption Water is the principal raw material and cleaning constituent in the food processing sector. In the dairy processing industry, substantial volumes of water is used for cleaning equipment and work areas to maintain the hygienic conditions, in cooling departments like in cooling towers and in energy production for example in boilers. Water also accounts for a large proportion as raw material in the reconstitution of milk powders for the production of liquid milk, yoghurt, ice cream, butter, cheese and among others. Rates of water consumption can vary significantly based on the scale and capacity of the plant and type of processing, whether batch or continuous processes. The type of mix being generated, the methods and cleaning equipments being in use as well as considering the human factor with inference to the practices of the operatives on the production departments can also affect drastically the consumption of water in the dairy processing. A typical range for water consumption in reasonably efficient plants is 1.3-2.5 Litres water/Kg of milk intake (UNEP, 2000). In most parts of the world, fresh water is becoming scarcer with the evolution of climatic phenomenon like droughts and el lino and as such, the cost of water is rising and the true environmental costs of its supply are being taken into consideration. Water has thus become an increasingly valuable commodity and its efficient use is being now emphasized on drastically. There can be effective water management strategies for reducing water consumption and this can involve technological solutions or equipment upgrading. Moreover, a dairy plant waste load can be curbed down considerably by monitoring the amount of water used and reducing the amount of product lost into the effluent. This control will all depends upon the machine set-up and the operators practices. Stopping wastage at its source will therefore be less costly and more practical than end-of-pipe waste treatment. By doing so, the water expenditure can be declined up to 0.8-1.0 Litres water/kg of milk intake (UNEP, 2000). Techniques described in the publication made by the UNEP in 2000 are well defined accordingly: Continuous rather than batch processing is better to be introduced as it prevents frequent cleaning. Automated cleaning-in-place (CIP) systems allow less dismantling of equipments and therefore less use of water. Flow meters are placed at different spots of the processing line to control and monitor the flow of water for manual cleaning procedures. High pressure rather than high volume is preferred for cleaning surfaces. Compressed air can be used also. Re-circulating or re-using clean water which may have been used for rinsing to other activities which is not a commodity for cleaning and processing. 1.2.2 Waste water discharge Water discharges are produced mainly in the dairy industry by processing operations but also by clean water which are released from cooling water and steam and evaporator condensates. This discharge ultimately becomes the effluent, which contains predominantly milk and milk constituents which have been lost from the process. According to studies made by the UNEP (2004), milk loss can be as high as 3-4% with the main source of loss being residues which remain on the internal surfaces of vessels and pipes, draining of mix from machines before filling, spills during emptying tanks and overflowing of vats or hoppers. Likewise, the organic load of the effluent varies greatly with the type of cleaning practices being applied. Batch processes will normally require a greater and frequent cleaning. Thus, the COD level can reach up to about 8 Kg/m3 milk intake. 1.2.2.1 Characteristics of waste water and their impacts on the environment The characteristics of the waste water generally vary from different types of dairy products owing to their different constituents and ways of processing. Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) Organic components which is within the dairy waste water consists of mainly proteins like whey and caseins, lactose and fat and these can affect the ecosystem depending on their solubility and biodegradability to lead further to an organic pollution of the environment. These can be determined on a laboratory scale by using the BOD and COD factor. Microorganisms, specifically bacteria, require and degrade organic nutrients for their survival and simultaneously they consume oxygen. The oxygen used can be measures and the BOD and COD. BOD is measured as the amount of oxygen that is consumed by bacteria while decomposing waste over an incubation period of 5 days at a temperature of 20  °C. The COD can be enumerated as the oxygen equivalent for the decomposition of organic matter and oxidation of inorganic chemical such as ammonia and nitrite. One litre of whole milk is equivalent to approximately 110 Kg BOD5 or 210 Kg COD (UNEP, 2000). Moreover, mandatory regulations from the Environment Protection Act 2002 (EPA) have shown that there should be a minimum of 120 mg/ L of COD and 40mg/ L of BOD (Appendix 1). Hence, it is a must to abide by the legislation as prescribed. Whey loss One major contributing element to a dairy plants effluent load is the cumulative presence of high concentration of milk, which contains a large proportion of the salty whey. Whey is also added as an inclusion the mix composition of ice cream. Hence, with these losses occurring during pipe work is uncoupled during tank transfers or equipment is being rinse, there can be greater release of the whey concentrates and other isolates like lactose and caseins to the effluent system. The main concern with whey loss is that it increases the BOD level of the effluent system. Hence, it is a must that green manufacturing practices are taken so that milk or any other dairy products and intermediates are not drained out into the effluent system. Other measures currently being used now is that whey, being used as an additive in certain dairy products, can be re-processed from the dairy industry waste. An investigation carried out in 11 dairy plants by Ostojic and others (2005) have demonstrated that 78.5% of whey, in the form of milk, has been discharged into the waste water contributing to the organic pollution of the environment. This contamination can therefore be prevented by transforming the whey into food, animal feed and pharmaceuticals. Process of vacuum concentration and filtration needs to be performed to obtain the whey proteins. Table of waste water characterisitics -still compiling normative data 1.2.2.2 Waste Water Treatment Options Absorption Ponds Absorption ponds are popular for dairy wastewater disposal but as with the ridge and furrow systems they are not constructed as much today because of concern about compliance with environmental laws. Typically absorption ponds were used by the smaller dairies where there is small wastewater volume. As these small dairy plants have closed, many of these absorption ponds have been taken out of service. Absorption ponds can still be used; however, it requires internal treatment of the waste water. Activated enzymes can be added to degrade the organic waste. Then, the waste water is collected by waste water carries to be further treated by the public or municipal treatment plant. Biological Tower This could be considered a modern filter where wastewater is pumped down over a support covered with a media which allows microbiological growth. The microorganisms or bacteria consumes the organic waste of the wastewater as food and eventually sloughs off for collection into a clarifier. The biological tower is typically used as an initial treatment unit before sending the effluent for full treatment by the public authority. Activated Sludge Activated sludge is a conventional process for treating dairy industries waste water using air and a biological mixture composed of bacteria and protozoan. Air or oxygen is introduced in a primary treated effluent combined with the organisms used to develop the biological floc. In this way, organic matters like biological constituents of milk, ammonia, nitrates and phosphates are removed and converted into carbon dioxide and nitrogen eventually. The effluent is the clarified and is collected for disposal. The sludge or waste mud produced can be also treated. A typical activated sludge system can be shown in the figure below: Figure 1 An Activated Sludge Process (Beychok, M., 2007) Aerated Lagoons Aerated lagoons have been a common method of wastewater treatment for dairy plants that directly discharge to surface water like rivers and sea. Generally these systems are several large ponds connected in series with floating surface aerators or submerged air diffusers. 1.2.2.3 Treatment of waste water in Mauritius The effluent from the dairy plants should normally be treated at some extent on the site or sent to the local treatment systems. For instance, in Mauritius, the St Martin waste water treatment plant treats the wastewater from the Upper Plaines Wilhems as well as the regions of Lower Plaines Wilhems. The plant has a designed capacity of 69,000 m3 per day. The treatments consists of a primary step whereby there is screening of the effluent. Then, the secondary treatment constitutes of disintegration and removal of grit (Institute for Environment and Legal Studies, 2010). The final treatment phase is disinfection using ultra violet technology. Currently, the St Martin treatment plant has a capacity of approximately 25,000-30,000 m3 per day and this treated water is used mostly for irrigation purposes (Anon, 2007). 1.2.3 Energy consumption According to research carried out by the United Nations Environmental Program (2000), about 80% of a dairy plants energy is catered by the combustion of fossil fuels (coal, natural oil or gas) in a boiler system to generate steam and hot water for evaporative and heating processes. The remaining 20% is met by the public electricity for running electric motors, refrigeration and lighting. The age and capacity of a plant, the level of technology and automation and the number of products being manufactured, largely affect the energy consumption of a dairy industry. Processes, which involve intensive heating, concentration and drying, for instance spray-dried of milk powder, entail much energy. Nevertheless, milk, which needs partial heat treatment and packaging, requires less energy. A typical range for energy consumption in plants processing milk is 0.5-1.2 MJ/kg of milk intake (UNEP, 2000). A good energy management program will identify uses of energy for a dairy factory and can highlight areas for improvement. Substantial savings of energy can be easily made with no investment of capital, via simple housekeeping and green productivity practices. Energy savings of up to 25% are possible through switch-off programs and the fine tuning of existing processes, and an additional 20% can be saved through the use of more energy-efficient equipment and heat recovery systems. By doing so, energy consumption for the processing of milk can be reduced to as low as 0.3 MJ/kg of milk intake (UNEP, 2000). Some energy-saving initiatives are listed below, and these can represent a best practice for the dairy industry. An energy management circle can be set-up within the dairy plant to identify issues and monitor them. Energy-efficient lightning can be installed. Efficient refrigeration compressors can also be set-up. There should be regular tagging and measurement of energy consumption of each machine and this can easily help to indentify bottle-necks within the system. Steam and air leaks and other pipelines should be repaired as soon detected. 1.2.3.1 Greenhouses Gases (GHGs) With the profuse combustion of fossil fuels (coal, kerosene, fuel oil, diesel oil, etc.) nowadays to make power to run industrial machines, heat water and operate distribution vehicles, a potential amount of GHGs is being evolved in the atmosphere. leading to the so-called drastic environmental effect, Global Warming. According to the IPPC (1997), water vapour is the most important GHG, contributing 36-70% to global warming; carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane add to 9-26% and 4-9% respectively, while ozone contributes 3-7%. As related to fossil fuel combustion, CO2, methane and nitrous oxide are the most important GHGs. The problem with GHGs is that over the last few years the concentration of GHGs in the atmosphere, especially CO2, has greatly increased. Greenhouse gases are like a blanket around the earth, making the atmosphere warmer. They absorb the heat from the earth, and re-radiate it to space, and the other half goes right back to the earths surface. Thus, with the slight increase in temperature in the atmosphere, the circulation patterns of the ocean and wind currents are altered causing climatic changes. 1.2.4 Solid wastes and packaging Dairy products such as milk and yoghurt are typically packed in plastic-lined paperboard cartons known also as tetrapak, High density polyethene (HDPE) cups, plastic pouches or reusable glass bottles. Moreover, ice cream is known to be filled in HDPE tubs and cups as well as paper-lined cones. Other products, such as butter and cheese, are wrapped in foil, plastic film or small plastic containers. Milk powders are commonly packaged in multi-layer kraft paper sacs or tinned steel cans, and some other products, such as condensed milks, are commonly packed in cans. Breakages and packaging mistakes cannot be totally avoided. Improperly packaged dairy product can often be returned for reprocessing or recycling. However, the packaging material is generally discarded. At INNODIS Dairy Plant, it is known that bottles used for sterilized milk can be recycled, yet HDPE cups and tubs remain unprocessed and disposed at Mare Chicose Land Fill (Pers. Comm., 2010). 1.3 Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Life cycle thinking is an essential element to sustainable development. It is about going beyond the traditional focus on production site and manufacturing processes so to include the environmental, social, and economic impact of a product or a process over its entire life cycle [United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), 2007]. The producer has therefore for responsibility for their products from cradle to grave and should aim at developing products, which have enhanced performance in all stages of the product life cycle. The life cycle management tools expand from Cleaner Production Assessment (CPA), Cumulative Energy Requirements Analysis (CEPA), and Life Cycle Costing (LCC) to Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). All these techniques helps in the implementation of the green concept, namely the 6 Re Philosophy, which are defined by UNEP (2007) furthermore below. Figure 2 6 Re Philosophy throughout the product lifecycle (UNEP, 2007) 1.3.1 Definition of LCA Life Cycle Assessment is a methodological technique that applies life cycle thinking in quantitative way on the environmental analysis of activities associated to products, processes or services. A holistic focus will be placed on products/ services by assessing the upstream to downstream activities of their process flow. Therefore, LCA determines the potential environmental sequentiae of products, processes or services, throughout its life cycle, i.e., from raw material acquirement to production, usage, and finally disposal. This is the so-called cradle to grave approach (Environment, Health and Safety Committee, 2005). The Society for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) (Boudouropoulos et al., 1999), has well defined the Life Cycle Assessment as an important environmental management tool used to evaluate environmental burdens associated with a product, process or an activity, by identifying and quantifying energy and materials used and wastes released to the environment, to assess the impact of those energy and materials uses and releases on the environment, and evaluate and implement opportunities to affect environmental improvements. The assessment includes the entire life cycle of the product, processes, or activity, encompassing extraction and processing of raw materials, manufacturing, transportation and distribution, use/re-use/maintenance, recycling and final disposal. Hence, in all activities implicated during the life cycle of a product or service, resources are consumed from the environment and wastes are generated back into the environment. This can be illustrated in the schematic diagram below. Figure 3 The life cycle of a product with the input of resources and output of waste (Chen, 2008) LCA has its roots in the 1960s, when the scientists who became concerned about the rapid depletion of fossil fuels, established it as a move towards understanding the consequences of energy consumption. The concept of environmental LCA was further developed from the idea of comprehensive environmental assessments of products, which was conceived in Europe and in the USA in the late 1960s and early 1970s (Hunt, 1998). It is a relatively new and cutting-edge environmental decision support tool and young discipline, as it provides quantitative environmental and energy data on products and processes (Mwangome, 2009). Although still under development, LCA has been standardised by the International Standardisation Organisation (ISO) as an element in the ISO 14000 series. The principles and guidelines of the LCA are found within the standards of the ISO 14040; the ISO 14041 to ISO 14043 describes the methodology of the LCA process. 1.3.2 Principles of the LCA Generally, an inventory of relevant inputs of resources, like water, raw materials including packages, energy and fuels, and outputs of detrimental wastes such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, solid wastes, nitrates and phosphates, released to the environment, are identified, quantified and compiled. Their potential burdens on the environment and ecosystem are determined and evaluated, and immediate measures and practices for improvements specific to the objectives of the assessment are found and assessed for use. Through such a systematic overview and perspective, the shifting of a potential environmental burden between life cycle stages or individual processes can be detected and possibly avoided. To be able to carry out the methodology of the LCA, a functional unit of the product should be taken and it is defined by the reference unit of the product being in study, for instance 1L of bottled water can be evaluated from cradle to grave. The sum of each impact at each specific step or stage of the process flow help to provide an assessment score to determine the hotspots of the entire life cycle of the process. Therefore, measures to mitigate environmental impact have to be prioritized and emphasized on the hotspots. 1.3.3 Life Cycle Assessment Methodology The life cycle assessment occurs in four main phases which fully explains the different steps and order for it to be carried out. Phase 1 Goal and Scope Definition The first stage is specifically the planning which implies defining and describing the product, activity, and process to be analyzed. The aims of the assessment are established and the life cycle steps and impact categories like energy or water use are identified and reviewed. Phase 2 Life cycle inventory analysis This stage involves identifying and quantifying inputs like energy, water, materials and land usage and the outputs releases to the environment like air emissions, solid waste, water discharge, energy lost during the entire lifecycle. Phase 3 Life cycle impact assessment At this phase, the consequences of the material consumption and environment releases to human health and the eco-system, like acidification, global warming and ozone depletion are evaluated. Table : Description of some lifecycle impact categories (Narayanaswamy et al., 2002) Lifecycle Impact Categories Description Global Warming The release of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) have a warming effect on the atmosphere is known as global warming. Acidification Acid gases such as sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide have the ability to produce acid rains when condensed and this therefore increases the acidity of the land and soil and cause even damages of buildings and other infrastructures. Eutrophication Releases of phosphates and nitrates in the underground water or in rivers can cause algae to bloom out, endangering the freshwater ecosystem. Human toxicity Some pollutants such as dioxine or dichlorobenzene can be absorbed in food stuffs and cause the death or disability of humans. Dryland salinity Clearing of native lands can cause the increase of seawater logging catchments areas rising the salinity of the land. Phase 4 Life cycle Interpretation The findings from the inventory analysis and impact assessment are combined together so as to reach conclusions and recommendations which are consistent with the goal and scope of the assessment. The most significant impact and hotspot in the life cycle of the product, process or activity are simultaneously identified. 1.3.4 Applications of Life Cycle Analysis Life cycle assessment has had a wide application in the dairy industry and has started from farm to fork. In dairy farming, LCA has been used specifically in the quantification of greenhouse gases (GHGs), particularly in countries like New Zealand, Australia, Canada and Netherlands. Moreover, pertaining to milk processing activities like butter, yoghurt, sterilized and pasteurized milk, spray-dried milk, ice cream and among others, studies have not been done at a scientific level but also by reputated international industries, such as Unilever and Nestlà ©. The aim of these multi-national corporations is to mitigate their misuse of resources and pollution problems and have noticed several positive economic and environmental outcomes (Narayanasawmy et al., 2002). It has been utilized in different formats. Many companies have used LCA as for establishing an eco-labelling scheme and therefore communicating about the environmental aspects about a particular product or service to consumers and stakeholders. Likewise, it is a useful tool to develop business strategies and policies and amplify the market shares. When combined with strategic decision models, LCA can be applied as an important supporting tool for business managers. Moreover, Life Cycle Assessment can be applied as a product and process improvement and design and thus allowing companies to comply with their local environmental regulations and laws. 1.3.4.1 International Studies based on LCA A life cycle assessment was applied to the dairy industry in Mainland Portugal in 2005. The objective of the research was to evaluate the milk production and agriculture practices using the LCA. The goal of the LCA also consisted of identifying the relative contribution of each one of the different cow milk products, for instance, milk, yoghurt and curd cheese (Castanheira et al., 2005). The functional unit was 1L of raw milk. The boundary of the lifecycle flow was at raw milk processing, whereby packing and delivery to consumer were not considered. In the inventory analysis stage, the impact categories considered were mainly global warming, followed by photochemical oxidation, eutrophication and acidification. Results have shown that the production of milk for consumption has the greatest consequences on the environment due to 49% global warming, 51% acidification and 57% eutrophication with 60% release of ammonia (NH3) and methane (CH4). In the milk production process meant for consumption, there was also a great impact from COD and nitrates, which has been seen as the main source of contamination of underground rivers. As from the curd cheese production, there was high emission of carbon dioxide, which is normally the principal contributing factor of GHGs in Portugal. This is owing to the high consumption of different forms of energy during the milk transformation to cheese (Castanheira et al., 2005). Yoghurt production had the least burden on the environmental in the Mainland Portugal with only 6% contribution of COD to waterlines. In addition, it was seen that most burdens are found at the raw milk production in the lifecycles of all milk for consumption, cheese and yoghurt flows. Another study was performed in Italy by the ENEA (Italian Agency for new Technology, Energy and the Environment) and ERVET (Regional Agency for the Development of Emilia-Romagna), whereby the whole lifecycle of butter production was investigated (Masoni et al., 1998). The main objective of the study was to stress on the difficulties underwent by the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and try to establish a simpler methodology for LCA. Optimization or resources like water, energy and reducing wastes in terms of solid wastes, emissions of GHGs, and contamination of water were also focused. The functional taken was 5Kg butter delivered in 250g lot, under two alternative primary packaging, one by polyethene coupled with paper and secondly, aluminum foil integrated with a waxed greaseproof paper. The steps evaluated were from cream production to post-consumer waste management, using the Simapro software. The sensitivity analysis conducted by Masoni and others (1998) for polyethene packaged butter revealed less accurate data can be used for most ancillary material processes, without impairing the overall inventory results. For instance, it was found that about 80% of water and 55% of energy were wasted at the raw material stage, with a total emission of approximately 55% CO2 and 50% NO2, and released of 53% of solid waste and heavy metals in waters. The emissions and heavy metal contamination were greater at the butter production compared to raw material processing, distribution and waste management. The solid wastes disposal was however drastic during the raw material processing. Moreover, the LCA study has not been completed for the cheese in aluminium packaging. It has been finally observed that a shortage of resources like capital, technological levels and awareness to environmental management can be limitations for an approach towards LCA as a decision-making tool for SMEs. Whilst investigating the environmental impacts of the LCA in the Kenya, Mwangome (2009) has restricted her study to the energy consumption only. The importance of the research was upon aiming the operation efficiency based on the size of the studied dairy companies against the transportation process in the chain. The functional unit was allocated to 1Kg of processed milk. The LCA methodology was utilized to investigate the energy balances between inputs and outputs and from data obtained the environmental consequences were processed as carbon dioxide. The farming stage was observed to be the hot spot with the most consumed energy compared to the steps in the life cycle. It was therefore seen that Diesel was the main element contributing to the high emission of CO2, though wood and electricity were also a commodity for energy provision to dairy plants. Hence, this observation has helped to find measures to curb down the use of fuels and therefore bringing up eco-efficiency within food supply chains. Likewise, Netherlands is known to be a principal producer of milk for ready use. Observations have been made that the emissions of greenhouse gases and c
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