Monday, September 30, 2019
The Battle of Cajamarca: an End to an Empire in South America
The Battle of Cajamarca: an end to an Empire in South America New World: Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro (c. 1475 ââ¬â June 26, 1541) seized Incan emperor Atahualpa (pictured; c. 1502 ââ¬â August 29, 1533) after victory at Cajamarca, Peru. Pizarro had just 168 men and Atahualpa had 80,000 battle-hardened soldiers who had recently defeated an indigenous enemy. However, the Spaniards had iron swords, guns, horses and armour, which the Incas did not. The result: one of history's most incredible battles, and it was all over in one afternoon. Atahualpa (or Atahuallpa; Atabalipa) (ah'-ta-oo-al'-pa), was the13th and final emperor of the Incan Empire. He was a younger son of the Incan ruler Huayna Capac and an Ecuadorian princess of the Quito; although not the legitimate heir, he seems to have been the favourite. When Huayna Capac died (c. 1527), the kingdom was divided between Atahualpa, who ruled the northern part of the empire from Quito, and his half-brother Huascar, the legitimate heir, who ruled from Cuzco, the traditional Inca capital. Contemporary chroniclers depicted Atahualpa as courageous, ambitious, and very popular with the army. In 1532 he was celebrating his victory in a devastating war of accession with his elder half-brother. He had been embroiled in war with Huascar for control of the whole Incan Empire. The war ravaged Inca cities, wreaked havoc on the economy, and decimated the population. Early in 1532, near Cuzco, while Pizarro was making his way to Atahualpa's heartland, the army of the Incan lord had defeated Huascar's army in what was probably the greatest of any Incan military engagement to date. Atahualpa treacherously captured his half-brother and his family and later had them executed, while Atahualpa was himself a prisoner ââ¬â of Pizarro. (As Huascar had been something of an ally to the Spanish, his half-brother's actions were later cited as a cause of the treatment Pizarro meted out to Atahualpa. ) In November, while the newly victorious Atahualpa and his battle-hardened army of 80,000 were relaxing with the hot springs in the town of Cajamarca, before their planned triumphal entry into Cuzco, Francisco Pizarro entered the city with a force of 168. Atahualpa got wind of the incursion. History was about to change in a most dramatic way. On November 15, as the Spanish band moved close to Cajamarca, they tortured a few natives and discovered that Atahualpa was waiting for them at Cajamarca. Bravely, ââ¬ËGovernor' Pizarroââ¬â¢s ââ¬Ëarmy' moved towards the Incan town, and saw a beautiful place filled with so many tents that the soldiers were filled with fear. Hernando Pizarro, the leaderââ¬â¢s brother, estimated the number of Incan soldiers at 40,000, but an eyewitness wrote that he gave this estimate in order to calm his comrades: there were in fact more than 80,000. Meanwhile, most of Pizarroââ¬â¢s men were hidden around the main courtyard of Cajamarca. Atahualpa ambushed Invited by the Spaniard to attend a feast in his honour, the Inca chief accepted. The next day, he arrived at the appointed meeting place with several thousand unarmed retainers; Pizarro, prompted by the example of Hernan Cortes and Moctezuma in Mexico, had prepared an ambush. The next day at around noon, Atahualpa appeared in the town centre, carried on a litter, or palanquin, borne by 80 Incan noblemen in rich blue livery, and with a retinue of 2,000 Indians sweeping the road before him. An eyewitness wrote ââ¬Å"Then came a number of men with armour, large metal plates, and crowns of gold and silver which they bore, that it was a marvel to observe how the sun glinted on it. â⬠Atahualpa was also surrounded by his warriors, many thousands of them. One of the Spaniards who was present wrote: ââ¬Å"Atahualpa himself was very richly dressed, with his crown on his head and a collar of large emeralds around his neck. He sat on a small stool with a rich saddle cushion resting on his litter. The litter was lined with parrot feathers of many colours and decorated with plates of gold and silver â⬠¦ Governor Pizarro now sent Friar Vicente de Valverde to go to speak to Atahualpa, and to require Atahualpa in the name of God and of the King of Spain that Atahualpa subject himself to the law of our Lord Jesus Christ and to the service of His Majesty the King of Spain. [The priest advanced] with a cross in one hand and the Bible in the other hand, and going among the Ind ian troops up to the place where Atahualpa was â⬠¦ ââ¬Å"Atahualpa asked for the Book, that he might look at it, and the Friar gave it to him closed. Atahualpa did not know how to open the Book, and the Friar was extending his arm to do so, when Atahualpa, in great anger, gave him a blow on the arm, not wishing that the Book should be opened. Then he opened it himself, and, without any astonishment at the letters and paper he threw it away from him five or six paces, his face a deep crimson. ââ¬Å"The Friar returned to Pizarro, shouting, ââ¬ËCome out! Come out, Christians! Come at these enemy dogs who reject the things of God â⬠¦. Why remain polite and servile towards this over-proud dog when the plains are full of Indians? March out against him, for I absolve you! ââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬ It has been reported that Atahualpa asked Friar Vicente on what authority he acted, and the friar told him it derived from the book he was holding. The Incan emperor then commanded: ââ¬Å"Give me the book so that it can speak to me. â⬠Atahualpa, holding the book next to his ear, tried to listen to its pages. Finally he asked: ââ¬Å"Why doesn't the book say anything to me? â⬠and defiantly and disdainfully threw it to the ground. On the friar's command (rather than Pizarro's), the Spanish soldiers emerged from the porticoes around the square and fired into the crowds of unarmed warriors and citizens. Seven thousand slain Just several hours of bloody battle ensued, with the conquistadors having the technological advantage. By evening, Pizarro and his men had killed 7,000 Indians yet lost not one of their own merry men. Later, Pizarro said to Atahualpa through an interpreter: ââ¬Å"When you have seen the errors in which you live, you will understand the good that we have done you by coming to your land â⬠¦ Our Lord permitted that your pride should be brought low and that no Indian should be able to offend a Christian. â⬠During the melee, Pizarro had personally grabbed Atahualpa from his litter, calling out the Spanish war cry (ââ¬Å"Santiago! , or ââ¬Å"St James! â⬠) as he did so, and took Atahualpa prisoner. Soon, Atahualpa recognised that a huge ransom was his only chance of freedom, so he promised a huge hoard of gold to the Spaniards, which the Incan kingââ¬â¢s subjects duly paid. The ransom, the largest ever made, was staggering ââ¬â when melted down, it consisted of suffi cient gold to fill a room 22 feet long by 17 feet wide to a height of more than 8 feet! What artistic treasures were lost, we shall never know. We note here that the Incas made even the soldiers rich, not just Pizarro and the King of Spain (who took 20 per cent of the booty). The conquistadors each received a share appropriate to his rank: horseman received 40 kilograms of gold and 81 kg of silver, while foot-soldiers received half that amount. After the full amount had been delivered, Pizarro reneged on his promise and on August 29, 1533, the conquistador ordered Atahualpa burned to death. However, when Atahualpa was brought to the stake, Father de Valverde offered him the choice of being burned alive or being killed by the more merciful garrot if he would convert to Christianity. Although throughout his captivity Atahualpa had resisted conversion, he agreed to it and so died that day by strangulation. Cajamarca was not the only occasion in 1532 on which Western technology was able to trounce Incan technology ââ¬â for technology such as guns and steel swords, rather than fighting skills and valour were what won the day. Jared Diamond, from whose excellent, Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Guns, Germs and Steel, (Vintage, 1998), the above quotations come, writes: ââ¬Å"During Pizarroââ¬â¢s march from Cajamarca to the Inca capital of Cuzco after Atahualpaââ¬â¢s death, there were four such battles: at Jauja, Vilcashuaman, Vilcaconga, and Cuzco. Those four battles involved a mere 80, 30, 110, and 40 Spanish horsemen, respectively, in each case ranged against thousands or tens of thousands of Indians. â⬠Footnote On January 18, 1535, as Pizarro thought the Inca capital of Cuzco was too far up in the mountains and far from the sea to serve as the Spanish capital of Peru, he founded the city of Lima, still the capital of that nation.
Sunday, September 29, 2019
Ethics and Values in Modern Media
Ethics and Values in Modern Day Media ââ¬Å"The public has an insatiable curiosity to know everything. Except what is worth knowing. Journalism, conscious of this, and having tradesman-like habits, supplies their demands. â⬠ââ¬â Oscar Wilde. Few would doubt that the media is one of the few platforms that affords people the ability to inform, entertain, and influence society. The privilege of having such voice and influence comes with great responsibility. It is crucial that those in a position of such power behave in a responsible and ethical manner. Journalist across all mediums are held to a strong ethical standard in their profession as their work can to completely change the publics view of any given topic or event. It is obvious that technology is having a tremendous impact on all forms of media. While past generations waited for the evening news or the morning paper, people today are reaching for the internet at any time of the day or night to get the latest information. While this instant access has helped curb the publicââ¬â¢s insatiable curiosity for information, it has also raised a whole new set of questions regarding the ethics and values in the media industry. One of the most compelling questions to arise out of this new era is whether the media industry has forsaken its core ethics and values for its own gain. Values are very personal choices which are compromised of the individual experiences in life. They are choices that help one prioritize their life. Values can be influenced by a number of factors such as family, upbringing, religion, and society. They help one define and project character attributes such as loyalty, compassion and honesty. Values are instrumental in how we behave and the choices we make. Ethics are professional rules that define how different groups of people should behave. There is a distinct sense of right and wrong with little room for ââ¬Å"greyâ⬠or questionable behavior. Ethics guide and dictate what is professional and acceptable to each given profession. To behave ethically is to behave in a manner consistent with what is right and or moral for the profession. Values and ethics are forever at a crossroads because todayââ¬â¢s society pushes towards personal wealth. The stakes are constantly raised as far as what it takes to gain that wealth. (,2010). It is not uncommon for people to share private information, set someone up, edit what a person has said or completely alter a picture someone has taken for their gain. It is in situations like this that values are tested and ethics are ignored. Professional values and ethics are commonly derived from government laws and regulations, state licensing boards, and trade associations. A professions code of conduct will ââ¬Å"contain provisions that are designed to advise, guide, and regulate behavior on the job. â⬠(Madsen & Shafritz, 1990, p. 205). There are also federal, state and local laws which regulate and enforce most professional industries. According to The United States Department of Labor (n. d), Government agencies such as OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) were created to ââ¬Å"assure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women; by authorizing enforcement of the standards developed under the Act; by assisting and encouraging the States in their efforts to assure safe and healthful working conditionsâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ . Professional associations such as the Society of Professional Journalist also have their own values and ethics which are set forth to guide their members. Conscientious journalists from all media and specialties strive to serve the public with thoroughness and honesty. Professional integrity is the cornerstone of a journalist's credibility. (Society of Professional Journalist, 1996). Each association clearly outlines its expectations in hopes that all members will abide by them and act in a professional manner. One of the biggest sectors of media affected by ethical conflicts is the advertising market. ââ¬Å"For some business ethicists, advertising is one of the most crucial issues in corporate ethics because its pervasiveness and because of its power to mold consumer thinking and behavior. For example, many have argued that advertising is a form of a behavior control, given its subtle psychological persuasion and its repetitiveness. One such argument holds that advertising creates in the mind of the consumer a need ââ¬â not just want ââ¬â for that which is advertised. When the consumer in question happens to be a child subjected to a barrage of TV ads about toys, sugared cereals, candy, and so on, then the ethics of advertising taken as a form of behavior control is even more crucial. â⬠(Madsen & Shafritz, 1990). Photographers also face backlash as womenââ¬â¢s advocacy groups rail against the use of airbrushed models in print media. ââ¬Å"You have to accept that fashion is fantasy. It's wearable art,â⬠says Andrew Matusik, a New York fashion photographer and the owner of Digital Retouch, which specializes in celebrity and fashion retouching. ââ¬Å"It's all about creating drama. â⬠(Bennett, 2008). It is widespread knowledge that any photographer with any basic graphic design skills can and will alter an image to suit his clientââ¬â¢s needs. As technology evolves so do the ethical standards which advertisers and photographers are held to. Another form of media mired in controversy is reality based investigative news shows. One such show, Datelineââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"To Catch a Predatorâ⬠purported to take child sex predators off the street as they taped a series of sting operations set up by various law enforcement agencies. The show faced a firestorm of criticism when a Dallas, Texas man committed suicide moments before he was to be arrested on charges of engaging in sexually explicit chat with a minor. The manââ¬â¢s family sued the network and won a substantial award. The presiding judge ruled ââ¬Å"that the network crossed the line from responsible journalism to irresponsible and reckless intrusion into law enforcement. â⬠(Shea, 2008). Although the show was very successful for the network, it was cancelled shortly after the lawsuit. While it is widely believed that being ethical and sticking to oneââ¬â¢s values will lead to an honorable and decent career, the examples illustrated above show that more and more people are willing to push the envelope of professional values and ethics. Personal gain has taken a back seat to deceny and commen sense in many professions. This leaves us with an urgent and pressing question-what are professional ethics and values worth today? References: Values and Ethics. (n. d. ). Strategic Leadership and Decision Making. Retrieved from http://www. au. af. mil/au/awc/awcgate/ndu/strat-ldr-dm/pt4ch15. html Values, Morals and Ethics. (n. d. ). Changing minds and persuasion ââ¬â How we change what others think, believe, feel and do. Retrieved from http://changingminds. org/explanations/values/values_morals_ethics. tm United States Department of Labor. (n. d). OSHA. Retrieved from http://www. osha. gov/oshinfo/mission. html Madsen, P. , & Shafritz, J. M. (1990). Essentials of Business Ethics. New York, New York: Penguin Group Society of Professional Journalist. (1996). Code of Ethics. Retrieved from http://www. spj. org/ethicscode. asp Bennett, J. (2008, May). Picture Perfect. Newsweek, (), . Shea, D. (2008). The Huffington Post. Retr ieved from http://www. huffingtonpost. com/2008/06/25/nbc-settles-to-catch-a-pr_n_109261. html
Saturday, September 28, 2019
Financial analysis of Morrisons and comparison with Tesco Coursework
Financial analysis of Morrisons and comparison with Tesco - Coursework Example Ratio analysis of an organization presents facts on a comparative basis and enables the drawing of inference regarding the performance of a firm (Khan & Jain, 2006). This analysis gives a useful indication of the performance of the organization. Financial ratios are often used by shareholders, bankers, trade creditors, analysts, management and the general public at large to measure the performance of the company in various aspects such as liquidity, profitability, debt and market position (Stoltz et al., 2007). However, these ratios often should be analyzed keeping in mind the accounting policies and the principles used by companies and is dependent on the industries under consideration (Siegel and Shim, 2006). The objective of this report is to analyze the performance of Morrisonââ¬â¢s. In order to do this, ratios will be calculated for the company over a period of two years: 2009 and 2010. The ratios will be compared to Tesco which is a leading competitor in the same industry. F our categories of ratio will be calculated for both the companies: 1. Profitability 2. Liquidity 3. Efficiency 4. Gearing ratios Analysis Profitability Ratios Profitability ratios can be used to measure how good the company is using its assets and how well the company is controlling its costs to generate an acceptable rate of return (Gitman and McDaniel, 2008). The various profitability ratios are given below Gross Margin Gross margin can be defined as the ratio of gross profit to total sales. The graph below shows the trend of the same: As can be seen from the graph, the gross margin of Tesco is more than that of Morrisonââ¬â¢s in the year of 2009. However, while the gross margin has increased for Morrisonââ¬â¢s from 2009 to 2010 while the same has decreased for Tesco. One point to note here is the sales done by both the companies. While Tesco had sales of the order of ? 56,910m in 2010, Morrisonââ¬â¢s had just ? 15,410m. This difference is an indication of the size of the two companies. It is evident that in terms of sales, Tesco is well ahead of Morrisonââ¬â¢s. Profit Margin Profit margin of a company can be defined as: The graph below shows the trend for profit margin for both the companies: Here again, the margin is more for Tesco as compared to that of Morrisonââ¬â¢s in 2009. While the profit margin has increased considerably from 2009 to 2010, the same has remained almost equal for Tesco. The higher profit margin of Tesco indicates that the company is having a better control over its costs as compared to Morrisonââ¬â¢s (Investopedia). Just like the gross sales, the value of net profit of Tesco (? 2,336m) is almost four times that of Morrisonââ¬â¢s (? 598m). Return on assets and investments While return on assets measure the amount of net income generated for each unit of assets, return on investment measures the amount of income generated from each unit of ownersââ¬â¢ equity. Return on assets is an ideal tool for comparing compan ies within the same industry. RoA is an indication of both the profit margin as well as asset turnover (Needles et al., 2010). The graph on the side here shows the Return on Assets for both the organization. The RoA is almost equal for both the companies. This indicates that both the organizations have almost equal efficiency in utilizing their assets. The graph on the side here shows the Return on Investment for both the organizations. RoI is more for Tesco in 2009 which indicates better return on investor wealth. One issue being faced by Tesco is a reduction in the RoI from 2009 to 2010. This imply that the average profit generated from the amount of income generated from ownerââ¬â¢
Friday, September 27, 2019
BUDD EXAM QUESTION 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
BUDD EXAM QUESTION 3 - Essay Example Collective bargaining agreement denotes a legal contract that is enforceable for a particular period between the management of a specified entity and its employees and represented by a trade union, which is independent. Union connotes a group of workers in a given organization with the intention of promoting their common interest, as well as improving their working conditions. Probationary period is a trial moment, which gives the manager the chance to assess the conduct and performance of the employee. Dismissal of Jim Norbuck was legitimate, and all due procedures were followed. It is in the policy of our company not to hire college educated. During the job application process, Norbuck provided falsifying details about him. He actively took part in the unionââ¬â¢s strike and wrote several pamphlets, which he distributed to the striking workers and urged them to maintain solidarity. It was during this period that I noticed these pamphlets and heard rumors that Norbuck was college educated. I did a thorough investigation into Norbucks background, his previous education, and his employment. After the strike had ended on March 8th, Norbuck was called back to his job position as labor pool person in the foundry department. On April 17th, I together with the local 55ââ¬â¢s grievance committee and Norbuck, sat down and discussed all the issues concerning Norbuck. This then led to the dismissal of Norbuck due his misrepresentation of his personal information during his application process. The dismissal of Norbuck clearly violated the collective bargaining agreement. Leech industries clearly breached The Potentially Relevant Contracts Provisions. Article VIII explicitly states "Procedures, Suspensions, Discharges and disciplinary actions shall first be discussed with the shop steward before being put in effect. Failure to address will
Thursday, September 26, 2019
Ultrsound image modality Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1
Ultrsound image modality - Assignment Example This is known as extended field-of-view or EFOV. This new technology allows manual movement of the probe along the direction of the array of the transducer, thus facilitating panoramic images without any loss in resolution. The technology causes estimation of translation and rotation of the probe by comparing images which are successive during the movement of the probe (Kim et al, 2003). The technology also has a mechanism for no probe-position sensing. the images in this technology are transformed geometrically based on the position and motion of the probe and then entered into the EFOV image buffer. They are then combined with images which are obtained previously to produce EFOV image. Through this technology, it is possible to acquire and record panoramic images of length as much as 60 cm, thus providing opportunity to view anatomical structures of various topography This allows displaying of larger pathologic structures or organs in a single image itself, along with their surroun dings. Thus EFOV technology has many clinical applications. Infact, many studies have reported the usefulness of this technology in imaging superficial small parts (Kim et al, 2003). Weng and colleagues were the first researchers to introduce extended field-of-view technology, in 1997. They widely applied this technology to many field of sonography (Kim et al, 2003). According to Cooperberg et al (2001), "through the magic of computer technology, extended field of view imaging is back! Extended field of view images can now be created very easily and conveniently, in real time. The convenience and accuracy of real-time imaging is maintained while important anatomical perspectives are added." In a pioneer study by Weng et al (1997), the researchers observed the benefits of extened field imaging that "combines the convenience of a real-time scanner with the spatial advantages of a static B-mode scanner and provides a panoramic image in real time
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Assignment 16 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Assignment 16 - Essay Example Japan, all utility companies are obliged to get power from suppliers whose electricity have been generated by wind, hydro, solar, geothermal or biomass. Germany has moved a step higher by exploiting new off shores at the sea through the windmills projects. In Holland, renewable energy releases no greenhouse gases and they are being tested in the Northern provinces. The United States has taken several measures in regard to environmental conservation and alternative energy use. However, the countries mentioned above perhaps have achieved better results in respect of their use of alternative energy soures. The United States can borrow a leaf from the above countries and embrace the use of renewable power. John Muir is one of Americaââ¬â¢s reknowned naturalists and environmentalists. Muir who lived between 1838 and 1914 is known to have been a major influene in the establishment of several national parks in the U.S. Some of the parks associated with him include the Sequoia National Park and the Yosemite National Park (Lallanilla par 2). In addition, he influenced the establishment of millions of conservation areas. In 1892, Muir together with others founded the Sierra Club, a movemnet that was dedicated to environmental conservation. As a result of his contributions and ideals, Muir impacted the likes of many people across the world including former U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt. Muirââ¬â¢s interest and commitment to environmental conservation began at a tender age; when he was a young boy. He developed a passion for environmental conservation when he went hiking in the Gulf of Mexico (Lallanilla par 2). His experience at hiking was exhilarating. It is disturbing to learn that with the population of humans growing faster than the rate at which the natural resources are getting replenished, the world may end up in major problems. A growing human population means that the world will need more food to sustain life. Yet again, the level of pollution has been and indeed
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Behavioural Program Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
Behavioural Program - Essay Example Operant conditioning is founded on the premise that behavior can either be reinforced or eliminated by introducing or removing a certain commodity or thing that the subject is used to. Operant conditioning among children is usually done by eliminating the thing that they love the most such as attention. Many people have asserted that this is an authoritarian approach to raising children. However, what most of them do not realize is that the method actually works. Operant conditioning has caused behavioral transformations among various cases and the same can occur to Claire. (Dennis & Pennce, 2008) This behavioral program will be created by manipulation of Claireââ¬â¢s consequences so as to attain the desired result; in this case it will be to deal with Claireââ¬â¢s tantrum issues and her behavior which is verbally and socially inappropriate. The method will combine the efforts of Claires parents and external behavioral experts such as a child psychotherapist. The reason for choosing an external party is that Claire will have time away from her parents where she can learn appropriate behavior without interruptions from her parents. The program is a combination of extinction and mild punishment where extinction refers to the complete elimination of temper tantrums; an issuer that is very possible as asserted by some behavioral experts. Claire will be taken into a room where she will stay there for a certain amounts of weeks. Consequently, this program will involve some kind of social contact that may eventually lead to positive reinforcements at the beginning of the session. However, with the continual application of the program, social contacts will be reduced to a bear minimum where Claire will not get a chance to interact with other persons after she begins exhibiting undesirable behavior. The program will also allow differential reinforcement in that when Claire
Monday, September 23, 2019
Marketing and the Information Technology Sector Research Paper
Marketing and the Information Technology Sector - Research Paper Example An analysis would consider the physical characteristics of the product and therefore its transportation and storage needs, the promotional activities associated with the product, the sensitivity of sale volumes of the product to price changes, and what distribution coverage is best met by customer demand for the product, i.e. whether the product should have mass distribution or a more exclusive distribution. Depending on the coverage of distribution required, the marketer would then be able to decide whether to use resellers, such as wholesalers or retailers, to assist with getting the product to the customer, or to use specialty service firms who would act as brokers in bringing the customer to the product. Another important aspect the marketer has to consider in choosing channel partners is the type of relationship, whether independent or dependent arrangements would be used to move the product to the customer. 2. How effective is the Tutorial in presenting the material: In covering the issues related to product distribution, the material provided in the tutorial can be easily understood by those without any marketing experience. In providing links to specific issues, the reader need not go through the entire tutorial but can select a topic that is of interest, and summary charts, such as those in the Wholesalers and Retailers section are well used to assist the reader with assimilating all the information in a topic. Given the breadth of information available in the tutorial, there are aspects of the tutorial that do not provide the depth of information required by some marketing specialists thus requiring further research elsewhere. Unfortunately, the tutorial does not provide any sources for further information.Ã Ã
Sunday, September 22, 2019
Organazation design module Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1
Organazation design module - Research Paper Example This has not only improved the management, but it has also increased the revenue that has in turn created skilled labor based on special facts, skills and proficiency portrayed by the staffs being promoted as supported by fig. 1. Chipotle is one of the world fastest growing food companies with improved in revenue. Chipotle is a limited cafà © without a franchised system thereby allowing for its great synergy across the company. Synergies are gains that have effect when employees and departments systematize their work. From the data as of April 2011, Chipotle has about 1096 cafà © situated in key areas around the world including in the United States, France, London, Canada, Milan, Paris, Munich, and Ontario among others. In spite of its position around the world, Chipotle has achieved a lot in terms of business due to its organized management and organization in its operations that has been supported through implementing fig 5 order of organizational management. Chipotle has exceptional food tradition that provides the best ingredients in the fast food competitive market. Notably, specific Chipotle personalities have been key figures in its success. For instance, Steve Ells and Monty Moran-Chipotle Mexican Grill, CEO, have steadily improved the companyââ¬â¢s income by investing in their staff by applying the principles defined in fig 2 below. Application of the same principles has made Chipotle to record increased revenues through increased investments and steady inflow of customers. Additionally, the company has the same employment prospect that give opportunity to all citizens in spite of their race, gender, country of origin, age, religion, or disabilities. Nonetheless, Ells and Moran boasts of tactical human resource management model that has helped Chipotle grow up from within. This is the model by which managers devise the workings of an HRM model to be dependable with each other and with other essentials of organizational design. Moreover, employees
Saturday, September 21, 2019
Genetically Modified Foods Essay Example for Free
Genetically Modified Foods Essay The topic of genetically modified foods is one that is hotly debated, but the problem is that the phrase GMO is very broad and encompasses techniques and modifications to food that you potentially should and shouldnt be concerned about. At this point in time there doesnt seem to be an overt benefit or risk to consuming GMO foods. According to the FDA, the big three GMO foods are soybeans, corn, and canola. But the FDA has also evaluated the safety of genetic modifications to flax, tomatoes, potatoes, cantaloupe, alfalfa, creeping bentgrass, papaya, sugar beets, wheat, squash, radicchio, and plums. The FDA lists consultations on GMO foods and what was genetically modified in the food to warrant the safety consultation on its website. GMOs, or ââ¬Å"genetically modified organisms,â⬠are plants or animals that have been genetically engineered with DNA from bacteria, viruses or other plants and animals. These experimental combinations of genes from different species cannot occur in nature or in traditional crossbreeding. The world population has topped 6 billion people and is predicted to double in the next 50 years. Ensuring an adequate food supply for this booming population is going to be a major challenge in the years to come. GM foods promise to meet this need in a number of ways: Pest Resistance: Crop losses from insect pests can be staggering, resulting in devastating financial loss for farmers and starvation in developing countries. Farmers typically use many tons of chemical pesticides annually. Consumers do not wish to eat food that has been treated with pesticides because of potential health hazards, and run-off of agricultural wastes from excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers can poison the water supply and cause harm to the environment. Growing GM foods such as B. t. corn can help eliminate the application of chemical pesticides and reduce the cost of bringing a crop to market. Herbicide tolerance: For some crops, it is not cost-effective to remove weeds by physical means such as tilling, so farmers will often spray large quantities of different herbicides (weed-killer) to destroy weeds, a time-consuming and expensive process, that requires care so that the herbicide doesnt harm the crop plant or the environment. Crop plants genetically-engineered to be resistant to one very powerful herbicide could help prevent environmental damage by reducing the amount of herbicides needed. For example, Monsanto has created a strain of soybeans genetically modified to be not affected by their herbicide product Roundup. A farmer grows these soybeans which then only require one application of weed-killer instead of multiple applications, reducing production cost and limiting the dangers of agricultural waste run-off. Disease resistance There are many viruses, fungi and bacteria that cause plant diseases. Plant biologists are working to create plants with genetically-engineered resistance to these diseases. Cold Tolerance: Unexpected frost can destroy sensitive seedlings. An antifreeze gene from cold water fish has been introduced into plants such as tobacco and potato. With this antifreeze gene, these plants are able to tolerate cold temperatures that normally would kill unmodified seedlings. Drought tolerance/salinity tolerance: As the world population grows and more land is utilized for housing instead of food production, farmers will need to grow crops in locations previously unsuited for plant cultivation. Creating plants that can withstand long periods of drought or high salt content in soil and groundwater will help people to grow crops in formerly inhospitable places. Nutrition:Malnutrition is common in third world countries where impoverished peoples rely on a single crop such as rice for the main staple of their diet. However, rice does not contain adequate amounts of all necessary nutrients to prevent malnutrition. If rice could be genetically engineered to contain additional vitamins and minerals, nutrient deficiencies could be alleviated. For example, blindness due to vitamin A deficiency is a common problem in third world countries. Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Institute for Plant Sciences have created a strain of golden rice containing an unusually high content of beta-carotene (vitamin A). Since this rice was funded by the Rockefeller Foundation, a non-profit organization, the Institute hopes to offer the golden rice seed free to any third world country that requests it. Plans were underway to develop a golden rice that also has increased iron content. However, the grant that funded the creation of these two rice strains was not renewed, perhaps because of the vigorous anti-GM food protesting in Europe, and so this nutritionally-enhanced rice may not come to market at all. GMO is essentially the next evolution of crossbreeding. Common ingredients derived from GMO risk crops are; Amino Acids, Aspartame, Ascorbic Acid, Sodium Ascorbate, Vitamin C, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Ethanol, Flavorings (ââ¬Å"naturalâ⬠and ââ¬Å"artificialâ⬠), High-Fructose Corn Syrup, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, Lactic Acid, Maltodextrins, Molasses, Monosodium Glutamate, Sucrose, Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP), Xanthan Gum, Vitamins, Yeast Products. These ingredients are found in almost all the foods and snacks that we consume everyday and feed to our growing children. The notations above are just some examples of how GMOs could be helpful to our crops, but there are also risks as well. There is a growing body of evidence connects GMOs with health problems, environmental damage and violation of farmersââ¬â¢ and consumersââ¬â¢ rights. Grass roots organizations have been crying foul since GMOs were first introduced into the food system approximately 20 years ago. Many people believe the consumption of GMOs may contribute to serious health issues. In fact, recent studies raise serious concerns about the safety of GMOs and show they may contribute to the following conditions: Intestinal Disorders: An Australian study recently claimed that pigs fed genetically modified (GM) soy and corn displayed a 32 percent rate of severe stomach inflammation whereas pigs not fed a GMO diet only showed 12 percent. Infertility: A study performed at the University of Vienna showed that mice fed GM corn over a period of twenty weeks had impaired fertility. In addition, some of the offspring of the mice displayed decreased weight. Kidney and Liver Issues: The International Journal of Biological Sciences offers a study that showed certain varieties of GM corn to have a negative impact on kidney and liver function. As a result, the study concluded that some GM varieties may contribute to hepatorenal toxicity. Increased Allergies: While its hard to pinpoint the source of any food allergy, there is concern that new proteins in GM soy and corn crops might increase their frequency. Organ Toxicity: An abstract from the National Institutes of Health (PubMed) indicates that studies show most GM foods cause some form of toxicity to certain organs such as the pancreas, kidneys, and reproductive organs and also show hematological, biochemical, and immunological factors. They go on to mention that major studies over many years will be required in order to support these findings. GMO is essentially the next evolution of crossbreeding. Common ingredients derived from GMO risk crops are; Amino Acids, Aspartame, Ascorbic Acid, Sodium Ascorbate, Vitamin C, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Ethanol, Flavorings (ââ¬Å"naturalâ⬠and ââ¬Å"artificialâ⬠), High-Fructose Corn Syrup, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, Lactic Acid, Maltodextrins, Molasses, Monosodium Glutamate, Sucrose, Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP), Xanthan Gum, Vitamins, Yeast Products. These ingredients are found in almost all the foods and snacks that we consume everyday and feed to our growing children. If the risk of consuming GMOs are overall harmful to the human bodies; then all food containing ANY GMOs should be labeled specifically. This way each consumer is aware of that they are ingesting for their own personal health concerns or lifestyle. http://www. shape. com/healthy-eating/diet-tips/ask-diet-doctor-gmo-foods http://www. nongmoproject. org/learn-more/ http://touch. organicauthority. com/organicauthority/#! /entry/8-reasons-gmos-are-bad-for-you,516d81d0d7fc7b5670b377dc http://organic. lovetoknow. com/Why_GMOs_Are_Bad.
Friday, September 20, 2019
How to Interpret an Education Essay Question
How to Interpret an Education Essay Question Interpreting education essay questions is a skill that can easily be acquired. The key to doing this is in understanding the variety of expectations that are expressed in a given essay question. Each essay question is specially worded in order to garner a specific response from the student. Understanding how to interpret education essay questions begins with understanding the form of the specific question. Each form will demand a different response and will also give specific cues as to how the question should be answered. It is easy to decipher the form of an essay question if you look for the verb prompt in the question. This verb prompt will tell you what the purpose of the question is and what to do in order to answer it correctly. A verb prompt is an action or instruction word, such as discuss, describe, analyse, explain, contrast or compare. By locating the verb you will know what sort of action to take when responding to the question. Some of the most common verb prompts used in an education essay question, are: Account for: Here you state reasons to support a specific topic or argument. Analyse: When asked to analyse you will need to offer a detailed study of the subject matter, identifying key points and characteristics, critically responding to the subject and giving specific examples to support your case. Argue: Here you are asked to put forward an argument or adopt a position on a given subject. To argue successfully, you will need to consider the pros and cons of the subject and give practical and theoretical examples to illustrate and support your position. Assess: Here you are asked to closely examine a given topic or situation, discuss the pros and cons or strengths and weaknesses, and make a judgement based on what you have written. Clarify: Here you are asked to simplify an argument or proposition in order to shed light on its meaning and significance. Comment: When asked to comment you are being asked for your opinion on the subject matter. You will also have to support your opinion with relevant examples and evidence. Compare: Here you simply place two or more things side by side in order to ascertain the similarities and differences between them. Consider: This word simply asks you to reflect on a given topic, offering thoughts that are informed by practical and theoretical observations. Contrast: In a similar fashion to the compare form of essay question, this one asks you to consider two or more things, but the emphasis is on the differences between them, though there may also be similarities. Six steps towards interpreting an education essay question. Always begin by reading the question in full before you do anything else. This will give you a general idea of the focus of the question. Read again, more closely this time, and locate the key words and phrases. This will help you locate the purpose of the essay and what you need to do in order to answer the question correctly. Look for the verb prompt or instruction word. Circle it. Remember these are words such as, analyse, describe, discuss, compare and examine. Look for the key words. Underline them. These words might refer to an educational theory or method, a theorist, a classroom situation, or a task that you might need to complete, such as a lesson plan. Divide the essay question into parts. An essay question often asks more than one thing. Deciphering the parts of a question will help you structure your response so that each section of your essay responds to and answers a part of the question. Rewrite the question in your own words. This is the final and most important step in interpreting an essay question. Here you will confirm your understanding of the purpose of the question and what you need to do. Phrase your rewritten question as a note to yourself, telling yourself what must be done. For example, In this essay, I must consider the role of the teacher in the contemporary classroom and give examples from theoretical models that Ive studied. Examples of education essay questions. The term ââ¬Å"pedagogyâ⬠refers to the methods, styles and strategies used by a teacher to instruct students. One such pedagogical theory is the constructivist teaching method, where students enjoy an active role in the learning process, experiment, make inferences and discoveries of their own and come to their own conclusions. Here the teacher functions as a companion and guide in the learning process. With this in mind write an essay in which you discuss the advantages and disadvantages of constructivist pedagogy. Consider how you could implement constructivist pedagogical theories in the classroom to improve the educational experience of learners. Refer to the work of at least one constructivist theorist in your essay. Socrates once said, ââ¬Å"I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think.â⬠Socrates did this by employing one of the most famous teaching methods in history, the Socratic Method. Write an essay in which you analyse the structure of the Socratic Method and evaluate its usefulness as a pedagogical strategy. State your opinion on whether this method might be useful in a contemporary classroom situation. How might the Socratic Method be used today? Support your response with examples and a lesson plan. ââ¬Å"A teacher is one who makes himself progressively unnecessary.â⬠What might it mean for a teacher to become ââ¬Å"progressively unnecessary?â⬠Do you agree with the above statement? What must occur so that a teacher might become less necessary and learners more independent? Write an essay in which you discuss these questions in light of your understanding of the ideal role of the teacher in the contemporary classroom. Support your argument by referring to one or two pedagogical methods or strategies that might facilitate the role of the teacher in becoming ââ¬Å"progressively unnecessary.â⬠Illustrate your answer with examples. ââ¬Å"A liberal education is at the heart of a civil society, and at the heart of a liberal education is the act of teaching.â⬠In response to the above statement, consider the relationship between society, education and the teacher. If a good educational system is a way of producing good citizens and the teacher is the intermediary between education and society, how does this impact on the role of the teacher? Consider a situation where the community disagrees with what is being taught in school. Should a teacher teach what the community demands or what the teacher believes is correct? In your essay, firstly argue for either the communitys or the teachers position, giving sound reasons, and then assess the implications of such a situation on teaching strategies. Consider Paperts principle which states: ââ¬Å"Some of the most crucial steps in mental growth are based not simply on acquiring new skills, but on acquiring new administrative ways to use what one already knows.â⬠Interpret the above statement in your own words then write an essay in which you explain the implications of Paperts principle in the contemporary classroom. With reference to the use of technology in the classroom, assess how learners may use technology to enrich their learning experience and apply what they have learnt in new and meaningful ways. In your answer refer to the teachers role in this classroom situation. 2/ 4
Thursday, September 19, 2019
Faust: A Legend of Modern Times Essay -- Literature Essays Stories
As the children of a melting pot culture of British, French and German influences, the American consciousness is uniquely poised to reflect upon the impact of one of the most prevalent and oft-retold legends of the modern age: Faust. German in origin but moreover a culmination of various historical figures and indigenous lore, the story of Faust is that of a man who sells his soul to the devil for youth, wealth, pleasure, power or whatever else the writer in question can think to attribute to him. The legend's themes touching so frequently on the subjects of the supernatural and the struggle of good and evil in a Christian mythological setting, it is little wonder that the story has caught the attention and inflamed the imagination of literally hundreds of storytellers from all over Europe and, more recently, North America. Enjoying in excess of five centuries of exposure through books, plays, opera and film, not to mention its basic concepts permeating to the depths of modern speech and expression, Faust is indeed one of the most notable singular legend of modern times. Yet Faust is a malleable figure, gaining influence just as much as it gave, to finally become an amalgam of half a dozen countries' sensibilities. Faust was also a real person. Although accounts vary, in his translation of Goethe's Faust (pub. 1803-1833; trans. pub. 1961) Walter Kaufman is able to pinpoint the real Johann Faust's birth to around 1480, in the town of Knittlingen, WÃ ¼rttemberg, near Stuttgart in modern-day Southeast Germany (12). He is thought to have studied magic -a field still regularly taught at many schools of the time-- at the University of Cracow in Poland, and is said to have been a colleague of Martin Luther and Phillip Melanchthon, alth... ...". Mystica, The. Paragraphs 3-9. 09 November 2003. Marlowe, Christopher. Doctor Faustus. Ed. Irving Ribner. New York: Macmillian Publishing Company, 1985. 87. Mason, Eudo C. Goethe's Faust: Its Genesis and Purport. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1967. 389. McLean, Adam. "Alchemical Drama of Goethe's Faust, The". Alchemy Website, The. Paragraph 2. 27 November 2003. Montgomery, Paul. Review Notes and Study Guide to Goethe's Faust. New York: Monarch Press, 1963. 5. Nietzsche, Friedrich. "Wanderer and His Shadow, The". Gay Science: With a Prelude in German Rhymes and an Appendix of Songs, The. Trans. Josephine Nauckhoff and Adrian Del Caro. Cambridge University Press, 2001. 237. Young, T. Personal interview. Rec. 19 November 2003.
Wednesday, September 18, 2019
Personal Narrative: My Run Away Dog :: essays research papers
"Honey," my mom yelled to me one sunny afternoon, "Go out and feed Sugar." Sugar was our dog, a big, husky lap dog. I went to our kitchen, and got some food. Then I stepped outside, into the warm, fresh August air, looking for Sugar. I glanced to where I kept Sugar, and couldn't believe my eyes. Sugar was not there. I ran to the place where Sugar slept, I saw that the leash was elegantly coiled up. I knew that Sugar could not have run away. I thought that she must have chased a deer or another animal. Then a disturbing thought hit me, Sugar might have been abducted. As I tried to push that thought out of my mind, I thought that my mom could have put Sugar out in the garage. I went to the garage to check, but unfortunately Sugar wasn?t there. ?Mom,? I cried after a couple of seconds, ?Do you know where Sugar is?? ?Check the garage,? was all my mom replied. As soon as she said this, I knew that my beloved dog was gone. I had never been a dog lover. Matter of fact, I hated dogs, cats, and other animals. My Grandmother is a great animal lover, but she has a soft spot for dogs. One of her first dogs was an enormous, white, Sonoma named Coda. Coda enjoyed licking my face and then knocking me over. With Coda, my fear of animals started. For the next 11 years, I despised dogs. I refused to be near one. I cried, yelled, and trembled as if a monster was coming, anytime I thought a dog was near. It all changed with Sugar. The day Mom got Sugar was somewhat frightening for me. Obviously, I wanted nothing to do with the dog, I never planned to be in the same room as the dog, much less, take care of the dog. After all, Mom was supposed to take care of the dog. Slowly, I fell in love with her. She looked stern and loving. Her warm, brown eyes and pearly white smile only helped me fall in love with her. Not long after that I started to enjoy her company. Sugar was a loyal dog, she wanted to please everyone. When we went for a walk Sugar would come with us. We kept her on a leash, yet she never strayed from us.
Tuesday, September 17, 2019
A Survey on the Impact of Green Procurement
TABLE OF CONTENT DECLARATIONi TABLE OF CONTENTâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦. â⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦. ii-iii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTIONâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦.. 1 1. 1 Background of the Study1 1. 1. 1 The Kenyan Cement Industries3 1. 2 Statement of the Problem4 1. 3 Objectives of the Study5 1. 4 Significance of the Study5 1. 5 Justification for the Study6 1. 6 Scope of the study6 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW7 2. 0 Introduction7 2. 1 The concept of green procurement7 2. 2 Appreciation of Green Procurement in the Cement Industry7 2. Green Procurement Practises in the Cement Industry9 2. 4 The Impact of Green Procurement on the Performance of the Organization10 2. 5. Conceptual framework11 CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY13 3. 0 Introductio n13 3. 1 Research Design13 3. 2 Target Population13 Table 3. 1: Target Population and Sample Size14 3. 3 Sampling and Sample techniques14 3. 4 Data Collection Instruments15 3. 5 Data Collection Procedure15 3. 6 Data Analysis15 REFERENCES17 APPENDICES20 Appendix I: Introduction Letter20Appendix II: Research Questionnaire21 Appendix III: Budget26 Appendix IV: Time Schedule27 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1. 1 Background of the Study Environmental issues have become a subject of critical concern for businesses in recent years worldwide. Environmental obligations have grown substantially as society becomes more conscious of its environment. Legislation relating to the environment is increasing in number, and companies have to be environmentally responsible by taking a proactive stance on voluntary initiatives.Therefore, it is essential that they deliver reasonably priced quality goods and services in desired time frame. Porter and Vander Linde (1995) proved that properly designed environmen tal standards can trigger innovations that improve values, ultimately enhanced resource productivity that makes companies more competitive. Green procurement is an approach in which environmental impacts play an important role in procurement decisions, with procurement officers concerned about more than just price and quality.Companies which pride themselves on environmental stewardship and thoughtful care of the environment may use green procurement, among many other tactics, to ensure that they do business in an environmentally responsible way. A number of aspects of the procurement process may be adjusted to meet a mission of environmental sustainability (Williams, 2000). Within a procurement office, green procurement can involve changes in office procedures which are designed to benefit the environment.For example, rather than having people submit purchase orders and requests on paper, the procurement office might switch to electronic methods of communication so that paper is no t wasted. The office might also engage in environmentally friendly activities like reducing energy usage, keeping plants around the office to improve air quality, or buying carbon offsets to compensate for office energy usage. During the procurement process, green procurement involves seeking out products which are manufactured sustainably (Williams, 2000).On a simple level, green procurement can push companies to seek out office supplies made from environmental products, or products made by companies which are committed to environmental stewardship. The office might also demand minimal packaging on the products it orders, look for products moved with bio-diesel, seek out manufacturing facilities which bear environmental certifications, or indicate to potential vendors that it would prefer products from companies which are committed to minimizing waste and benefiting the environment.Procuring products which are environmentally responsible can be a challenging occupation both in the organization and the procurement officers. Going green can make your products more attractive to big buyers and consumers, reduce waste disposal and operating costs, and help you comply with increasingly stringent environmental regulations (Alsop and Post, 1995). On the other hand building environmental concerns into procurement might seem only to add to your costs, force you to buy products of inferior quality and cost you time and effort.There are a number of obstacles for implementing green procurement programs and this include, lack of readily available environmental friendly products, zero or expensive environmental alternatives, inaccurate studies, lack of organizational support and inaccurate or unsupported environmental claims by the manufacturers and suppliers. Others are legislation, organizational policies, and directives, environmental management systems or multi ââ¬â lateral agreements often require organizations to implement a green procurement program (Worrell, Ma rtin, Hendriks and Meida, 2001).Labeling and certification requirements vary, so a green procurement officer may think that he or she is doing the right thing by procuring a product which bears a ââ¬Å"greenâ⬠label and later learn that the product is not more environmentally responsible than that of a competitor, even though it is more expensive. Good procurement officers will investigate their sources with care, taking the time to confirm that the claims made by a company are accurate and comparing data from different sources to see which vendor is the best (Alsop and Post, 1995).Companies which engage in green procurement processes may be eligible for environmental certification, formal recognition from the government, and other perks. Projecting a sustainable image can also be a valuable marketing tool which a company may use to get an edge on the competition. Environmental advocates also point out that as more and more companies demand green procurement, the market for en vironmentally sustainable products expands, making them cheaper and easier to obtain.These advocates hope to see green procurement becoming the norm, rather than an unusual event (Worrell, Martin, Hendriks and Meida, 2001). 1. 1. 1 The Kenyan Cement Industries The major cement manufacturing industries in Kenya are, the East African Portland Cement and Bamburi Cement. Bamburi Cement Ltd. was founded in 1951 by Felix Mandl ââ¬â a director of Cementia Holding A. G. Zurich. Cementia later went into partnership with Blue Circle PLC (UK). In 1989, Lafarge, the worldââ¬â¢s largest building materials group, acquired Cementia, and thus became an equal shareholder with Blue Circle.Lafarge bought Blue Circle in 2001 to become the largest building materials company in the world and Bamburi Cement Limited principle shareholder. Bamburi Cement is the largest cement manufacturing company in the region and its Mombasa plant is the second largest cement plant in sub-Saharan Africa. It is also one of the largest manufacturing export earners in Kenya, exporting 28 per cent of its production in 1998. Export markets include Reunion, Uganda and Mayotte (Coito, 2004).The East African Portland Cement Company (EAPCC) started as a trading company importing cement mainly from England for early construction work in East Africa. It was formed by Blue Circle Industries United Kingdom. The name Portland was given due to the resemblance in color of set cement to the Portland stone that was mined on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, England. For more than 70 years, East African Portland Cement Company has been Kenya's leading cement manufacturer. By providing the ââ¬Ëlifeblood' of the country's construction industry, the company has played a central role in nation building.The EAPCC has greatly expanded its production capacity with the introduction of Mill No. 5 and at present produces over 1. 3 million tonnes of cement per annum (Detwiler and Tennis, 1996). 1. 2 Statement of the Prob lem Sustainability in procurement is a growing business and social phenomenon, as organizations around the world attempt to align their operations with their sustainability priorities, whether to source ethically, reduce their environmental effect or to support their host communities.All kinds of organizations are being swept up in these developments, including local and central governments, public sector institutions, non-profit organizations and businesses large and small. This naturally has a cascading effect on suppliers who need to anticipate these marketplace changes in order to meet the evolving requirements of their clients (Alsop and Pos, 1995). The Kenyan cement industry has not been left behind either.Through the Kyoto protocol, the government has set up policies and regulations which must be adhered to by the players in the industries including cement manufacturing industries. The process of cement manufacturing involves a long process and combinations of materials whose by ââ¬â products are released into the environment. This poses a great challenge and threat to environmental sustainability especially to the people around the factories and the workers in the industries (Terra, 2007).According to Coito, (2004), through the Kyoto protocol, the government has set up standards for environmental sustainability practises to ensure that the operations of the industries do not interfere with the environment around them, however, due to the nature of the cement manufacturing industries, they pose a greater risk to the environment and this calls for a critical understanding on how the practice of green procurement is carried out in these industries. As the gap between green procurement and the work activities of institutions continue to widen significantly it poses a major challenge to the sustainability of the environment.The researchers have been motivated to carry out this research in order to reduce this disparity by encouraging the society to lear n on the impact of the green procurement. Through green procurement the end products of an organization are environmentally friendly to the consumers, the cost of production is reduced hence higher profits to the organization and cheaper prices to the consumers, the products are of high quality and the consumers of such products are satisfied, however due to the `nature of the cement production, his becomes a big challenge to the organizations and therefore it calls for a critical understanding on how the practise is carried out in these industries and how it affects their products. The study intends to find answers to the following questions; do the cement manufacturing industries practise green procurement? What is the impact of green procurement on the organizational performance? 1. 3 Objectives of the Study The objectives of this study include; i.To establish the extent to which the procurement staff within the cement manufacturing industries appreciate the concept of green proc urement. ii. To investigate how green procurement is carried out by the procurement officers in cement manufacturing industries. iii. To establish the impact of green procurement on the performance of the organizations. 1. 4 Significance of the Study The Procurement officers The study will enable the procurers to appreciate green procurement as a current practise which must be given keen attention and carried in a way that ensures environmental sustainability.The procurers will find this study important especially those who do not have the green procurement competence and hence seek for further information to enable them execute the practise without difficulties. Organizationsââ¬â¢ management Through this study, the managers will be enlightened on the impact of green procurement its benefits and impacts to the organizations and the law, so as to plan and incorporate it in the organizationsââ¬â¢ plans. This will ensure that such organizations carry out their procurement process in a way which shows concern for environmental sustainability.The Government The study will help the government in evaluating the practise of green procurement in the industries, whether the cement industries are adhering to the set regulations and rules. This will be a benchmark for the government to assess the set down rules and the level of compliance by the industries. The Academicians This study will form a basis for further studies on green procurement and add onto the existing literature on procurement and environmental sustainability. 1. 5 Justification for the StudyIn the cement manufacturing process in the industry, the product goes through various stages before the production of the final product. Throughout the product life cycle (PLC), the industry has many potential environmental impacts and it must deal with restoring exhausted limestone quarries, minimizing wastes, reducing emission of carbon dioxide and impacts from dust and traffic or other air pollutants such as NOx and SOx which are mainly emitted in process of energy consumption in baking of cement. Therefore, the industry must provide a mechanism of dealing with the waste in a responsible and acceptable manner.This is why the researchers have come up with this study so as to assess how the cement industries apply the green procurement policies regardless of the type of operations they carry out. 1. 6 Scope of the study The study will focus on the impact of green procurement on the cement manufacturing industries. It will be carried out in Blue Triangle and Bamburi cement ââ¬â Athi River. The study will target the procurement departments within the two organizations. The respondents for the study will be drawn from the employees working in those departments. CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 2. 0 IntroductionThe chapter reviews the literature related to green procurement, its importance and impact on the organization that carry out the process. 2. 1 The concept of green procurement Green Procurement can be stated as the procurement of products and services which are environmentally friendly. The products or services procured should have a lower impact on the environment over their whole life cycle than the standard equivalent. It involves the integration of environmental issues, such as pollution prevention and reduction of waste into procurement decisions along with traditional factors such as price, performance and quality (Williams, 2000).Green Procurement entails practices which encourage suppliers to safeguard the environment by producing goods or offering services that do not harm the environment or lead to heavy use of resources such as energy when being used (Williams, 2000). These practices include; use of products made using recycled materials, use of energy efficient or low energy-consuming products, procuring products that use alternative fuel for example solar, bio-diesel, and ethanol, use of bio-degradable materials and use of non-ozone layer depletin g substances (Perry and Singh, 2002). . 2 Appreciation of Green Procurement in the Cement Industry Sustainable procurement is a growing global trend. Increasingly businesses, governments, non-profit and other organizations are integrating social and environmental objectives into the procurement process as a means to reduce their environmental effects, leverage social benefits and foster a sustainable economy for example green procurement has increased in North America (US, Canada and Mexico) in the last three years, as reported in the 2007 and 2008 Eco ââ¬â Markets studies, (Terra, 2007).In Europe, membership of the Buy-It-Green Network has seen its membership of government procurers more than double from 1997 to 2001 and more than triple since 2001. This is an indicator of the growth in green procurement within Europeââ¬â¢s government sector. A 2005 survey of 25 EU member states was conducted in which government procurement agencies were assessed to determine the effectivene ss of their green procurement programs. The study evaluated 1,099 tender documents and surveyed 865 procurers and found that while 67% identified themselves as green procurers, only 37% had green procurement programs in place (Terra, 2007).In the period 1900-2004, the whole of Africa was responsible for 2. 5% of cumulative carbon dioxide emissions whilst the US accounted for 29. 5%. In 2007, India's per capita carbon dioxide emissions were 1. 4 metric tonnes per annum against 19. 3 tonnes in the US. Although these gaps are narrowing, historic emissions are relevant because carbon dioxide remains in the atmosphere to exert a greenhouse effect for many decades. All assessments of vulnerability to climate change concur that the countries most seriously threatened are those which carry the least historical responsibility (Perry and Singh, 2002).The Kyoto Protocol was negotiated in 1997 as a supplement to the Framework Convention on Climate Change and eventually ratified in February 2005 . Richer countries, known as ââ¬Å"Annex 1 countriesâ⬠, are subject to legally binding targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions. In aggregate, these seek a 5% reduction in the 1990 level of global emissions before the end of a first commitment period in 2012. However, the calculation excludes emissions from aviation and shipping and there has been no contribution from the US which refused to ratify the Protocol.Furthermore, several countries, including Canada and Japan, have blatantly disregarded their Kyoto commitments (Terra, 2007). The poorest countries now find themselves in an impossible position. They unanimously favour continuity of the Kyoto Protocol as the only currently available means of binding the big polluting countries to their promises. But if they refuse to compromise, they may be accused of collapsing the UN process which is the only international forum in which poor countries have an equal voice (Tokyo, Worrell and Galitsky, 2004). . 3 Green Procurement Practises in the Cement Industry Suppliers are required to provide proof of their commitment to environmental protection. This may take the form of statements on the steps they are taking to reduce their impact on environment, or alternatively to demonstrate that they are not in breach of any statutory requirements relating to the environment. In addition, suppliers should consider the environmental impact of their products through the whole life cycle, from ââ¬Ëcradle to graveââ¬â¢.Today, environmental procurement is an increasingly important issue and decision-making tool for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries and economies in transition. It can be ignored by an enterprise only at peril to its long-term survival (Coito, 2004). Every product, process and service has an impact upon the environment. Using life cycle thinking can help our understanding of the types and degree of impacts and where they occur. Life cycle thinking can also provide inf ormation on how changes made in a particular stage of the life cycle affects impacts upstream or downstream.For example, the highest impacts of cement products occur in the extraction of raw materials while for others it is during their use or disposal when higher environmental impacts occur. Taking a life cycle perspective can also illustrate the benefits of collecting and recycling packaging materials instead of sending them to landfill; the recycled can replace the need to use virgin materials (Detwiler and Tennis, 1996). On a simple level, green procurement can push companies to seek out office supplies made from environmental products, or products made by companies which are committed to environmental stewardship.The office might also demand minimal packaging on the products it orders, look for products moved with bio-diesel, seek out manufacturing facilities which bear environmental certifications, or indicate to potential vendors that it would prefer products from companies w hich are committed to minimizing waste and benefiting the environment (Roth et al, 2002). Before a green procurement program can be implemented, current procurement practices and policies must be reviewed and assessed.A life cycle assessment of the environmental impacts of products or services is required and a set of environmental criteria against which procurement and contract decisions are made has to be developed. The outcome is a regularly reviewed green procurement policy that is integrated into other organisational plans, programs, and policies. A green procurement policy includes date-stamped priorities and targets, the assignment of responsibilities and accountability and a communication and promotion plan (Roth et al, 2002). 2. The Impact of Green Procurement on the Performance of the Organization The environmental impacts over the life cycle of products are a simple concept to understand. Essentially the diverse environmental impacts such as greenhouse gas emissions, wate r use, air pollution, non renewable resource material use, chemical emissions and waste amounts are measures along the life of a product through a quantification methodology and accumulated. This quantification allows the results to visually represented delivering guidance for procurers that seek to compare different products (Nik et al, 2008).Green procurement policies and programs can reduce expenditure and waste; increase resource efficiency; and influence production, markets, prices, available services and organisational behaviour. They can also assist countries in meeting multi-lateral requirements such as the Kyoto Protocol and Rotterdam Convention. International Standards Organisation and other bodies have established guidelines for green procurement programs (Tokyo, Worrell and Galitsky, 2004). Environmental procurement reduces your costs.Some costs in procurement are visible: price; transport; etc. Others are ââ¬Å"invisibleâ⬠: losses due to inefficient use of resourc es; product liability; and the like. Environmental procurement can help reduce overall costs for the short, medium and long term by introducing a life-cycle perspective. Compliance with regulations ââ¬â environmental procurement helps you meet regulations. Adopting the approach at an early stage can help your enterprise meet progressively stricter environmental regulations at a lower overall cost.Environmental procurement can help you keep pace with consumersââ¬â¢ preferences. The demand for environmentally safe products is being increasingly felt in developing countries and transition economies as well as in developed countries (Worrell, Martin, Hendriks and Meida, 2001). In sum environmental procurement improves your overall competitiveness. Applying environmental procurement can improve your enterpriseââ¬â¢s strategic position in the market, whether domestic or international. Green procurement steams from pollution prevention principles and activities.Also known as gree n or environmental purchasing, green procurement compares price, technology, quality and the environmental impact of the product, service or contract. Green procurement policies are applicable to all organisations, regardless of size. Green procurement programs may be as simple as procuring renewable energy or recycled office paper or more involved such as setting environmental requirements for suppliers and contractors (Tokyo, Worrell and Galitsky, 2004). 2. 5. Conceptual framework Figure 1. 1: Conceptual framework Dependent variable Independent variablesGreen procurement is a fundamental environmental concern that every procurement officer is required to embrace so as to be able procure goods and service that are environmental friendly or procure from suppliers who are environmental conscious about the effect of their products on the environmental sustainability. Appreciation of green procurement by the procurement officers helps in studying the environment under which the organi zations operates and therefore buying their products from suppliers who show concern for the environmental well being.The process of green procurement in the industry takes many different forms but the most important is how it is done in the cement industry. The procurement officer in a cement industry must be able to buy products which are acceptable to environment due to the nature of the cement industry; the products bought should be able to reduce its effect on the environment. Green procurement has several impacts on the performance of the procurement officers; they are able to purchase goods which promote environment sustainability to the people around them hence promoting a positive social cohabitation and reputation of the organization.Green procurement directly affects the end product i. e. the final product becomes competitive in the market. This greatly improves the performance of the procurement officers in the organization. CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3. 0 Intro duction This chapter presents the various steps that will facilitate the execution of the study to satisfy the objectives of this study. These steps include the research design, population of interest, sampling and sampling techniques, data collection instruments and procedures and data analysis. 3. 1 Research DesignThe design of this study is based on survey research of cement industries in Kenya, which will be used mainly because the design is useful in describing the characteristics of a large population. The research design allows the use of various methods of data collection like questionnaire, interview methods and observation guides. 3. 2 Target Population The study will target two cement industries that East African Portland Cement (EAPC) and Bamburi Cement (BC). The respondent will be drawn from the top management and the procurement department from these organizations as shown in table 3. below. Table 3. 1: Target Population and Sample Size Target PopulationPopulation Esti mateSample SizePercentage (%) Top Management (CEO or MD) from BC1 1100 Top Management ( CEO or MD) from EAPC1 1100 Procurement Manager (BC)11100 Procurement Manager (EAPC) 11100 Procurement department (BC) 501020 Procurement department (EAPC) 501020 Total1042423 Source: Authors 2011 According to Table 3. 1 the target population of the study includes the procurement department (100 officers) and the management (4) therefore the total target population is 104 respondents.Under the management category the study will target the top management of the organizations ââ¬â the CEO or MD (2) or the representative because they are the ones who make decision on policies regarding the operations of the organization and the procurement managers or their deputies (2). 3. 3 Sampling and Sample techniques A sample is a smaller group or sub-group obtained from the accessible population (Mugenda and Mugenda, 1999). This subgroup is carefully selected to be representative of the whole population wi th the relevant characteristics.The total sample size for this study is 24 (n=24) as shown in table 3. 1 above. The sample size is convenient to handle due to time constrains. The sampling technique to be used is simple random to pick respondent for the study from the target population. 3. 4 Data Collection Instruments These are the data collection instruments to be used in the process of data collection. They will be questionnaires and this will be used to collect data from all the respondents. The questionnaires, will be used for the following reasons: a) can reach a large number of respondents within a short ime, b) gives the respondents adequate time to respond to the items, c) offers a sense of security (confidentiality) to the respondents, and d) tends to be objective since no bias resulting from the personal characteristics (as in interview). There will be two sets of questionnaires which will have a number of sub-sections that will be sub-divided based on the major research objectives or questions except the first sub-section (section A) that is meant to capture the demographic characteristics of the participants like sex, marital status, age, working experience, and level of education. 3. Data Collection Procedure The authority to conduct the study in the organizations will be obtained from the management through a personal letter of request from the researchers and an introduction letter from the department to show that these are genuine students from the University of Nairobi. The selected respondents will be given the questionnaires to fill. The researchers will then pick them thereafter at an agreed time. The researchers will make sure that they observe all the ethical consideration in the research and the respondents will be assured of confidentiality 3. 6 Data AnalysisThe collected data will be analyzed using quantitative and qualitative methods. The qualitative data will be organized and then coded accordingly using statistical package for soci al sciences (SPSS) and Excel. Descriptive analysis such as frequencies, mean and percentages will be used to present the data in form of tables and graphs. This will involve coding both open and closed ended items in order to run simple descriptive analyses to get reports on data status. The study has three objectives. The questionnaire has been designed according to these objectives and it contains both open and closed ended questions.The close ended questions have been rated using the likert scale where the respondents will be required to select the answers from the ones given in the questionnaire while the open end will require the respondents to give their own views depending on the questions asked. After that data collection it will be in a qualitative form. This will be quantified by coding the data using SPSS to generate tables, graphs, charts for interpretation. The data analysis will be done according to the objectives of the study from where conclusions will be made for ea ch objective. REFERENCES Alsop, P. A. and J. W. Post. 995. The Cement Plant Operations Handbook, (First edition). Tradeship Publications Ltd. , Dorking: UK. Blumenthal, M. 2004. Scrap Tires Fuel U. S. Cement Industry. Cement Americas July 2004. Boustead I. 2001. Who Gets the Credit? Association of Plastics Manufacturers in Europe, Brussels. Coito, F. 2004 (draft). Industrial Case Study: The Cement Industry. Prepared by KEMA Xenergy with assistance from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Oakland, Calif. Detwiler, R. J. , and P. D. Tennis. 1996. The Use of Limestone in Portland cement: A State-of-the- Art Review. Skokie, Ill: Portland cements Association.Goh, Eng Ann, Zailani, Suhaiza, & Wahid, Nabsiah Abd. (2006). A study on the impact of environmental management system (EMS) certification towards firmsââ¬â¢ performance in Malaysia. Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal. Kaantee, U. , Zevenhoven, R. , Backman, R. & Hupa, M.. (2002). Cement manufacturing using alternative fuels and the advantages of process modeling. Presented at Rââ¬â¢2002 Recovery, Recycling, Re-integration, Geneva. Kitazawa, S. & Sarkis, J.. (2000). The relationship between ISO 14001 and continuous source reduction programs. International Journal of Operations and Production Management, 20(2), 225-248.Kvist, S. , Pongracz, E. & Keiski, R. L.. (2005), ISO 14001 and waste minimization in metallurgy industry. Proceedings of the RESOPT closing seminar ââ¬Å"Waste minimization and utilisation in Oulu region: Drivers and constraints, Oulu: Oulu University Press. Martin Perry & Sanjeev Singh. (2001). Corporate environmental responsibility: The potential and limits of voluntary initiatives. Technology, Business and Society Program Paper Number 3, April 2001. Geneva. Mugenda an Mugenda, A. G (1999) Research Methods: Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches: Nairobi: Acts Press Nik Ramli Nik Abdul Rashid, Nabsiah Abdul Wahid & Norizan Mat Saad. 2008). Expanding the sco pe of education for sustainable development among employees of organizations involved in the implementation of the environmental management system. The 12th UNESCO-Asia-Pacific Program of Educational Innovation for Development (APEID). Bangkok. Perry, M. & Singh, S.. (2002), Corporate environmental responsibility In: Utting, P. (Ed. ). The greening of business in developing countries: Rhetoric, reality, and prospects. London: Zed Press, 97-131. Porter, M. E. & van der Linde, C.. (1995). Green and competitive: Ending the stalemate. Harvard Business Review, 73(5), 120-129 Portland cements Association (PCA). 997. Blended Cement Potential Study. Skokie, Ill. : Portland cements Association. Roth, K. , F. Goldstein, and J. Kleinman. 2002. Energy Consumption by Office and Telecommunications Equipment in Commercial Buildingsââ¬âVolume I: Energy Consumption Baseline. Washington, D. C. Tokyo. Worrell, E. , and C. Galitsky. 2004. Energy Efficiency Improvement and Cost Saving Opportunities for Cement Making: An ENERGY STAR Guide for Energy and Plant Managers. Berkeley, California: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. United States Census. 2005d. 2002 Economic Census, Industry Series Reports: Semiconductor and Related Device Manufacturing.Washington, D. C. : U. S. Census. Williams E. 2000. Global Production Chains and Sustainability: The Case of High-Purity Silicon and its Applications in Information Technology and Renewable Energy. United Nations University, APPENDICES Appendix I: Introduction Letter The Chief Executive Officer/ Managing Director East African Portland Cement/ Bamburi Cement P. O Box Athi River Dear Sir/Madam, RE: A SURVEY ON THE IMPACT GREEN PROCUREMENT IN THE CEMENT MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY IN KENYA. As mentioned above we are conducting as survey on the impact of green procurement in the cement industries in Kenya.Your organization has been targeted for the study therefore, we are kindly requesting you to allow us obtain the relevant data. The respon dents will be the CEO/MD or his representative and others will be picked from the procurement department. This study is being carried out as a requirement in partial fulfillment of the award of a degree in management research project ââ¬â Bachelor of Commerce, University of Nairobi. A copy of this research will be submitted to you upon request. Your positive response will be highly appreciated. Thanking you in advance. Yours Faithfully, â⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦ â⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦ â⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦ â⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â ¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦ Appendix II: Research Questionnaire We are students from the University of Nairobi. As part of the course work in our undergraduate program, we are carrying out a survey on the impact of green procurement in the cement industry in Kenya. We kindly request that you provide information as required by the questionnaire in the study. Any information that you will provide will be kept confidential and will be used only for the study and the results then availed to the interested parties afterwards. Part A: Demographic InformationPlease put a tick (v) in the brackets next to the right response 1. Indicate your organization a) East African Portland Cement [ ] b) Bamburi Cement [ ] 2. Indicate your gender a)Male[ ] b)Female[ ] 3. Your Department, â⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦. 4. What is your job designation? â⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦ Part B: 1. Appreciation of Green Procurement Use the likert scale to answer the questions below. 1 ââ¬â strongly agree (SA), 2 ââ¬â agree (A), 3 ââ¬â strongly disagree (SD), 4 ââ¬â disagree (D), 5 ââ¬â not sure (NS).State the extent to which you agree with the following statements based on your level of appreciation of green procurement in your organization. ActivitySAASDDNS It is important to think twice before buying supplies that are environmentally unsustainable Environmental procurement means systematically building environmental considerations into your day-to-day procurement decision-making and operations Its objective is to help you procure the most suitable and ââ¬Å"environmentally preferable productâ⬠that meets your enterpriseââ¬â¢s needs.I appreciate the ISO standards which requires companies to incorporate environmental considerations into their procurement procedures It involves ensuring the improvement of the suppliersââ¬â¢ environmental performance Due to green procurement increasing number of products that are harmful to the environment (especially chemicals) have been banned by international conventions and treaties Harmful products and technologies, risks to the health of the environment and of the population Due to pressure from consumers, various countries have started to put forward restrictions on importing certain consumer goodsAny other, explainâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦ â⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦ â⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦.. To what extent do you appreciate green procurement as part of your responsibilities in the organization. â⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦. 2. How Green Procurement is carried out in the Organization Please put a tick (v) in the brackets next to the right respo nse a)Do you practise green procurement? Yes [ ] No [ ] b)If yes how do you do it? Explain, â⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦.. â⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦ â⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦. 3. Use the likert scale to answer the questions below. 1 ââ¬â strongly agree (SA), 2 ââ¬â agree (A), 3 ââ¬â strongly disagree (SD), 4 ââ¬â disagree (D), 5 ââ¬â not sure (NS).State the extent to which you agree with the following statements based on the considerations during green procurement ConsiderationsSAADSDNS Procurement officers have to ask themselves questions such as whether a product is based on resources from environmentally sensitive bases (including regions with fragile ecosystems, rare woods or endangered animals). If a product has a percentage of recycled materials rather than relying on virgin materials. If the production process involves a high level of wastage.Companies should look for products with reduced wastage levels achieved through use of more appropriate m aterials or better technologies. The life-cycle approach seeks solutions that reduce negative harmful impacts and costs to the environment. This can mean avoiding restricted or banned substances, non-degradable materials and packaging prone to leakages in transit. An analysis of purchased items can show what the critical needs are for the enterprise to operate international. Any other, please explain â⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦.. â⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢ ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦ 4. Impact of Green Procurement on the Organization Use the likert scale to answer the questions below. 1 ââ¬â strongly agree (SA), 2 ââ¬â agree (A), 3 ââ¬â strongly disagree (SD), 4 ââ¬â disagree (D), 5 ââ¬â not sure (NS). State the extent to which you agree with the following statements based on the impact of green procurement ImpactSAASDDNS Consider environmental issues in procurement to reduce total costs Makes your enterprise more competitive.Building environmental concerns into procurement adds to your costs, force you to buy products of inferior quality and cost you time and effort Going green can make your products more attractive to big buyers and consumers reduce waste disposal and operating costs. Help you comply with increasingly stringent environmental regulations. Environmental procurement can help you keep pace with consumersââ¬â¢ preferences Applying environmental procur ement can improve your enterpriseââ¬â¢s strategic position in the market, whether domestic or international.It encourages continuous improvement in products and services; Promotes sustainable development in the organization Any others, please explain,â⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦ â⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Thank you for your coop eration END Appendix III: BudgetItemsAmount (Ksh. ) 1. Stationary (Photocopying papers and writing materials) 15,000 2. Telephone calls 5,000 3. Transport and movement 5,000 4. Binding and Photocopying 15,000 Total 40,000 Appendix IV: Time Schedule Time (Month/Activity)Jan 2011 Feb 2011 Mar 2011 Topic search and approval and material collection Pre-visiting the research area. Proposal writing and defense Data collection and analysis. Report writing and defense Final drafting and submission of the research paper
Monday, September 16, 2019
Language in culture: conference on the interrelations of language and other aspects of culture Essay
Anthropology Introduction à à à à à à à à à à à This essay will focus on evaluating the claim that culture is perfectly understood as a symbolic classification system. Culture can be defined as cumulative deposit of beliefs, attitudes, knowledge, values, experience, roles, meanings, spatial relations, hierarchies, notions of time, possessions and material objects obtained by a group of individuals in the course of the generations through group and individual thriving. Culture involves patterns implicit and explicit, for and of behavior obtained and conveyed through symbols, representing the unique achievement of the human groups, comprising of their personifications in artifacts; the fundamental core of culture include the traditional ideas and particularly their emotionally involved values; culture systems on the other hand may be deemed as products of action. A symbol refers to any object, usually material, meant to stand for another, even though there is no significant relationship. Typically culture is founded on a shared set of meanings and symbols. Symbolic culture allows human communication and therefore must be taught. The symbolic culture is more adaptable and malleable than biological evolution. Humans subconsciously and consciously, strive always in making logic of their surrounding world. Some symbols like objects, words, gestures and signs assist individuals in understanding the world. Usually symbols offer clues in understanding the experiences. They usually express familiar meanings which are shared by the societies. Uniform and badge held by police officers represent symbols of law or authority enforcement. When an officer is seen wearing a uniform or in a squad car enhances reassurance in man citizens, and anger, fear, or annoyance among others (Browne et al, 1990, p38-p42). à à à à à à à à à à à The world has countless symbols. Company logos, traffic signs and sports uniforms are some of the symbols. A gold sign in some cultures symbolizes marriage. There are some symbols which are very functional; for example, stop signs offers valuable instruction. They belong to the material culture since they are physical objects, however they function like symbols, in addition they pass on nonmaterial cultural meanings. Some of the symbols are only helpful in what they signify. Gold medals, trophies and blue ribbons, for instance, provide no other function other than representing the accomplishments. However numerous objects have both nonmaterial and material symbolic value. Symbols are usually taken for granted easily. Few individuals challenge or even consider sticking the figure signs on the public bathroomsââ¬â¢ doors. However those figures signs are more than being mere symbols which informs women and men which bathrooms they are supp osed to use. Also they uphold the value, in USA, that restrooms ought to be gender exclusive. Even if stalls are comparatively private, most places do not offer bathrooms that are unisex (Hoijer, 1954, p. 14). à à à à à à à à à à à Symbols frequently get recognized when used out of context. Symbols express strong messages and are used unconventionally. Even destruction of symbols is perceived to be symbolic. Effigies signifying public figures are beaten so as to express anger at particular leaders. Crowds in 1989 tore down Berlin wall a symbols which decades-old of the division between West and East, capitalism and communism. While diverse cultures have different systems of symbols however language is common to all. Language refers to a symbolic system by which individualsââ¬â¢ converse and through which the culture is spread. Various languages include a system of symbols utilized for written communication, whereas others rely on nonverbal actions and spoken communication. Societies regularly share one language, and a lot of languages have the same fundamental components. An alphabet refers to a written system which is made of symbolic shapes which refer to sound which is spoken. These symbols taken together, express definite meanings. English alphabet employs a mixture of 26 letters in order to create words; where these 26 letters create over 600,000 English words which are recognized (Smith, 2001, p. 46). à à à à à à à à à à à Additionally, through using language, individualsââ¬â¢ converse without using words. The communication which is nonverbal is symbolic, and, similar to the case of language, a lot of it is learned by the individualââ¬â¢s culture. Various signals are almost universal: crying regularly represents sadness and smiles frequently signify joy. Additional nonverbal symbols differ across the cultural backgrounds in their meaning. For instance, a thumbs-up symbol in the United States shows positive support, while in Australia and Russia, it signifies an offensive curse. Various gestures differ in meaning depending with the individual and the situation. A symbol of waving the hand can represent numerous things, considering for whom it is done and how itââ¬â¢s done. It may signify ââ¬Å"no thank you,â⬠ââ¬Å"hello,â⬠or ââ¬Å"Iââ¬â¢m royalty,â⬠or ââ¬Å"goodbye.â⬠Winks express a range of messages, comprising of â⠬Å"Iââ¬â¢m only kidding,â⬠or ââ¬Å"Iââ¬â¢m attracted to you,â⬠Or ââ¬Å"We have a secret.â⬠From a distance, an individual can comprehend the emotional idea of two individuals in conversation just through examining their facial expressions and body language. Folded arms and Furrowed brows signify a serious topic, perhaps a disagreement. Smiles, with arms open and heads lifted, imply a cheerful, friendly conversation (Durkheim, 2003, p. 41). à à à à à à à à à à à Even though language is possibly the most apparent system of symbols that used in communication, numerous things we do express a symbolic meaning. For instance, of the way individuals dress and what it signifies to other individuals. The manner in which a person dress symbolically communicates to other people if that individual care about academics or if he or she is a fan of their schoolââ¬â¢s football group, or it might converse that the individual is a fan of punk music or has adopted an anarchist philosophy. In various urban settings, the symbolic meaning of individualââ¬â¢s clothes can signify gang connection. Other gang associates use these symbolic sartorial signs to identify allies or enemies. Anthropologists argues that, through their evolution course, individuals evolved a universal individual capacity to categorize experiences, as well as encoding and communicating them symbolically, like with language which is written. Du e to the fact that symbolic systems were learned as well as being taught , they started developing independently of the biological evolution. Since this capacity for social learning and symbolic thinking is a human evolution product confuses older arguments regarding nurture versus nature. This view of culture shows that individuals who live away from each other begin develops distinct cultures. Basics of different cultures, but, can spread easily from one group of individuals to another. Belief that culture is coded symbolically and can, consequently, can be taught from one individual to another, meaning that cultures can change even if they are bounded. Culture is dynamic can be learned and taught, which makes it a rapid adaption form potentially to variations in the physical conditions. Anthropologists usually view culture both as supplement and product of the biological evolution; culture can be perceived as the core means of human version to the world which is natural (Middleto n, 2002, p.16). à à à à à à à à à à à The above view of culture as symbolic system with the adaptive functions varying from one place to another, made the anthropologists to conceive of various cultures as described through different structures or patterns of continuing conventional meaning sets. These meanings took solid form in diversity of artifacts like rituals and myths, tools, well as the planning of villages and the design of housing. Anthropologists differentiate between symbolic culture and material culture, not only since each signifies distinct types of human activity, however also because they comprise of different forms of data that necessitate dissimilar methodologies to study. The culture sociology relates to culture since it is evident in the society: the ways of acting, the ways of thinking and the material objects that collectively shape the individualââ¬â¢s way of life. In regard to Max Weber, the symbols are very essential features of culture: individual s employ symbols to convey their spirituality as well as the spiritual side of actual events, and perfect interests are obtained from the symbols (Smith, 2001, p.21-24). In accordance with the sociologists, symbols composes one of the five essential basics of culture, the others being norms, values, language and beliefs. Symbolic anthropology perceives culture as independent system of meaning decoded through interpreting the key rituals and symbols (Werness, 2000, p.37). à à à à à à à à à à à In conclusion, it is evident that culture is as set of symbolic classifications, referred to as a group of symbols which can prearranged into a paradigmatic set, frequently hierarchical. These systems of classifications show a world view or tribal order. Languages are constituted of the systems of classifications like grammars. Grammars classify number, person and time. Cultures consist of unconscious classifications which include relatives, plants, colors and animals. References Browne, R. B., Fishwick, M. W., & Browne, K. O. (1990). Dominant symbols in popular culture. Bowling Green, Ohio: Bowling Green State University Popular Press. Durkheim, E. (2003). Emile Durkheim sociologist of modernity. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub.. Hoijer, H. (1954). Language in culture: conference on the interrelations of language and other aspects of culture. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Middleton, J. (2002). Culture. Oxford, U.K.: Capstone Pub.. Smith, P. (2001). Cultural theory: cn introduction. Malden, Mass.: Blackwell :. Werness, H. B. (2000). The Continuum encyclopedia of native art: worldview, symbolism, and culture in Africa, Oceania, and native North America. New York: Continuum. Source document
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