A nature and sources of data

A nature and sources of data Methodology Nature and sources of data The specific data required for this study were from primary and secondary sources. Secondary data were obtained from the Ibadan North Local Government Authority and Ibadan Waste Management Board. Analogue map of the study area was obtained from the Local Government headquarters. Land use map (1995), road map, elevation data, rail line data were made available from Ibadan Waste Management Board. A field visit was paid in order to determine the names of features on the analogue map in the attribute field of the digitised copy. GPS was used to capture points on ground for analysis. Hardware and Software The hardware used in this study included PC Pentium IV (RAM 250 MB, HD 2 GB), HP DeskJet 1220C color printer, HP Scanjet 2400, Logic Trace digitiser, Sony digital camera (8mp) and Garmin E trex 12 channels GPS receiver. The software used in preparing and analysis of the data included MS Excel, ArcView 3.3 with Network Analyst and Super decision for the AHP aspect. Digitising The base map was transformed into digital map for use in GIS by digitising using the platform of ArcView 3.3 GIS software. Digitising a map means converting an analogue map into a digital form by encoding the spatial coordinates of features on the map through the process of on-screen digitising. A digital map that is recognised by the computer in a GIS environment is the end-product of this exercise. Data analysis Five major GIS spatial operations were performed to achieve the set of objective for this project. These are, buffering, overlay, query, network analysis and nearest neighbourhood analysis Buffering It is a spatial analysis known as proximity analysis, generating zones of a given distance around a feature theme. It forms a polygon around a point, line or polygon theme by locating its boundaries at a specified distance. GIS can create buffer zones around selected features. The roads and rails were buffered at a radius of 100m (Javaheri 2006) while the streets were buffered at a radius of 30m. Overlay Overlay was performed to identify areas that meet all the set criteria and to show areas that do not meet the criteria. GIS can overlay different pieces of information. It helps in understanding the association between network analysis and specific geographic features. Ibadan North map and other data were overlaid to get possible sites. Query This command is used to answer the question of ‘what is and where is in GIS. The land use was queried to get the open space while the elevation was queried to get the suitable elevation. Network analysis Arc view Network Analyst is a powerful extension that provides network-based spatial analysis including routing, travel directions, closest facility, etc. This was made use of in this study to show the possible routes of connection from the transfer stations to the disposal site. Nearest Neighbour Analysis The nearest neighbour analysis helps to determine the nature of the distribution of the features which can be clustered or scattered. It is employed in this study to determine the pattern of skip distribution. If the index is less than 1, the pattern exhibits clustering and if greater than 1, the trend is toward dispersion. Cartographic model ‘The cartographic model is simply a graphical representation of data and procedures used in a study (Eastman 1995). It is a set of interacting ordered map operations that act on raw data as well as derive intermediate data to simulate a spatial decision making process (Tomlin, 1990). It shows all the layers of information starting with the base maps on the left and ending with the end product on the right. Its purposes are to help the analyst organise and structure the procedures that the analysis to be performed in a study will require and to identify the data needed to complete them. LU= Land-use The above cartographic model was constructed based on the following parameters: The land use maps was queried because site location must fall outside the land use areas so that settlement will not be polluted by the exhume/stench from the waste. The roads and rail were buffered at a distance of 100m and the streets were buffered at a distance of 30meters to create a good distance between them and the landfill site. The elevation was queried to get an elevation greater than or equal to 222meters so that it will not be located in an area that is too low because of water flow. Questionnaire Questionnaires were designed to seek public opinion as they include part of decision-making in a study such as this. 720 questionnaires were distributed among the various stakeholders, which include the public, planners and officials of Ibadan Municipal Government and Waste Management Board. In order to identify the criteria for siting, opinions from planners were required. Questionnaires were given out to 10 experts as part of public participation. Questionnaires were also distributed among the people living in the major areas where skips were to be allocated. These areas include, Oje market, Gbenla, Adeoyo, Danadaru, Premier Hotel, Jemebewon, Poly road, Cultural Centre, Bodija, Ikolaba, Oyo Secretariat. 60% of the questionnaires were distributed around the southern part as it was observed during field visit that most illegal dumpsites are around that area. Criteria for selection To arrive at the selection criteria for choosing a site for landfill, relevant literature and decision makers opinion were sought. Site must be close to at least a street with a buffer of 30m (Decision makers preference) Site must not be too far from a transfer station (Decision makers preference) Site must be 3km from residential areas, with the exception of areas with barriers (trees, hills, etc.) (Banar et al. 2007). There should be a minimum distance of 100m between site and roads (Decision makers preference, Javaheri et al. 2006) Site must be on a suitable soil. Site should be constructed in areas which do not have an important economic or ecological value (Lober 1995, Siddiqui et al. 1996). The AHP component Finally, in the second step, a decision hierarchical structure using the AHP was developed and implemented to rank the two suitable sites according to their suitability for landfill siting. The AHP can assist in identifying and weighting selection of criteria and expediting the process of decision making (Sener 2010). Preferences of decision makers can be included in a planning problem within an AHP. The problems then structured in a hierarchical form to allow for weighting of the preferences by pairwise comparisons (Phua and Minowa 2005). The AHP typically involves establishing a graphical representation of problem as a hierarchy, weighting the elements at each level of the hierarchy and calculating the weights (Phua and Minowa 2005). The AHP methodology compares criteria or alternatives with respect to a criterion, in a natural, pairwise mode. To achieve this, the AHP uses a fundamental scale of absolute numbers (Table 3.2) that has been tested in practice and validated by physical and decision problem experiments. It is perhaps the most widely used decision making approach today. The AHP is generally used to support other methodologies such as in deciding how many servers to employ in a queuing situation taking into account factors like costs, waiting times and human frustration. Several other applications include resource allocation, forecasting, etc. The Super Decisions software (Saaty 2003) was used in developing the AHP model. A Super Decisions model generally comprises clusters of elements rather than elements arranged in levels. Clusters contain node which represent the elements in them. For example, the criteria for siting a landfill may include proximity to transportation networks, proximity to waste collection centres, etc. These represent the nodes in the ‘Criteria cluster. When a line joins a cluster with another cluster, it means the nodes in both clusters are connected together. The main aim of using the AHP is to assign weights to criteria and come out with the best alternative.

Book Review Moral Leadership: Getting to the Heart of School Improvement By Thomas J. Sergiovanni :: essays research papers

The heart of leadership has to do with what a person believes, values, dreams about, and is committed to. - Sergiovanni Summary Target Audience of the Book: According to the author in the introduction of the book, this work was basically intended to serve as a guide for developing moral leadership in schools geared toward superintendents, supervisors, principals, and any other persons at the upper levels of school management. The author's design was to provoke thoughts and raise questions in the minds of these people to help them analyze the leadership processes in their schools and help them make adjustments to the leadership process that will in the end reduce the need for "direct" leadership in favor of "moral" leadership. He also makes point that this book can serve as a "counterpoint" to some of the textbooks, currently being used in university courses on leadership. Sergiovanni also states that the book would be useful for parents, school board members and policy makers. Because I have been involved in the education process from the teaching side of education, I see this book as being of particular val ue to teachers as well. Overall, this book is for anyone who cares about improving the leadership in our schools. The Scope of the Book: The aspects of leadership covered are broad, from analyzing the traditional leadership roles, to the tapping of higher levels of human potential. It is written from the standpoint of managers or leaders and covers point by point the author's ideas of how to shift the environment of schools from that of a "factory" to one of a â€Å"learning community. Sergiovanni discusses "living school" in leadership rather than just being concerned with the facts and figures involved in "playing school." The viewpoint of the author is being concerned about the leadership processes in schools that are presently accepted as the norm. Sergiovanni would like to see school leadership shift to one that is self-motivated by teachers who want to do a great job, not one where the teachers feel they have to as a result of dependency on "extrinsic" rewards. A school, he says, is a community with a shared sense of values and purpose. He describes a "virtuous schoo l" as one founded on the beliefs that a school must be a community, that this school community includes parents, teachers, students and other community members. He believes that every student can learn, that caring for the whole child is the key to academic success, and that mutual respect and positive expectations are the operating dynamics.

Bracket International Case Study Essay

Case Review The company Bracket International has grown 78 million last year with a cost of goods sold of 61 million. Currently there are three locations in Ohio, Kentucky, and South Carolina. At the Ohio and Kentucky factories are automated flow shops and South Carolina factory focuses on small custom orders and is more of a batched process. However all three locations use a bar coding labels and scanning equipment to monitor and control the flow of material. Currently there are 8,850 items scanned per day at all three factories. The Bracket International employees work 2000 hours each year with a average salary of $5,000. A company is trying to explain why switching to a radio frequency identification device (RFID) system can save money. It will help the company to be on demand operational planning and control. The system could help speed of the process of workflow. Right now the average scan time per items is ten seconds. The ten seconds does not include the employee walking to each location to scan the bar code or replace any demanaged bar code tags. An average replacement of a tag can take as much as five minutes. To purchase a radio frequency identification device for all three locations will cost around $620,000 plus for the software programming and debugging another $480,000. There could be an error with the computer unable to read the scan and the company believes the items is lost or not recorded in the Bracket International system. This could be cost error on the equipment. This system could cut down on audits because it is a readily location inventory. Bracket International has lost a job averaging around two million per year from Wolf Furniture because they were not able to react quickly enough to change in job specification and order size. The Home Depot is expressing Bracket International needs to be more flexible and wants the radio frequency identification. The Home Depot is Bracket International number one supplier. Related Information to Text After reading about Technology and Operation Management section in our text book it give me an understanding of the different type of technology out there. According to the text they do speak about radio frequency identification and explains this technology is considered hard technology. Using technology can have a huge advantage for companies whether it be from productivity improvement from technology or cost savings from technology. Discussion Questions 1) Some advantages of radio frequency identification technology are simple to install or inject the body, human intervention is required to scan a barcode, where in most application a tag can be detected with hands off, have a long reading range, has read/write memory capability, and is able to scan without having to physically scanning (Advantages of RFID 2009). Some disadvantages are difficult to read if tag is in liquid because liquid reflect the radio waves, dead area and orientation problems, security concern, ghost tags, and high cost (RFID FAQ & Tutorial 2010). How do they compare to barcode scanner? There is no line of sight requirement, the tags can stand a harsh environment, long read range, portable database, multiple tag read/write and tracking people, item, and equipment (Pandey, K., 2010). 2) There are a few paybacks for the RFID. One of the payback could be reduce the amount of time it takes an employee to search and found the barcode take ten second while the RFID system is done in 2/100ths seconds. Another payback a RFID system does not having to redo labels that could take over five minutes. The company will be able to reduce inventory because the new system will be done in real time allowing supplier to see what needs to be restocked. All these things have a cost advantages to making the switch. 3) I think the short term would be to start doing research and getting an understanding of what it really takes an employee to do their job. Job shading would give a leader an true understanding of how long it will take to do thing. After the short term happens the long term would be doing the calculating to see if the cost advances to purchasing the equipment. If the company decides to move forward with purchasing the equipment they will need to get the employees to buy into this new equipment. Reference Advantages of RFID. (2009) Retrieve November 6, 2010, from http://www.activewaveinc.com/technology_rfid_advantage.php Moscatiello, R. (2010) Advantages of RFID. Basic Concepts in RFID Technology. Pg. 1 Pandey, K., (2010) Advantages and Disadvantages of RFID Technologies. Retrieve November 6, 2010, from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-rfid-technology.html RFID FAQ & Tutorial (2010) Retrieve November 6, 2010, from http://www.idautomation.com/rfid_faq.html#RFID_Advantages

Causes of Rebel 1776 Essays

Causes of Rebel 1776 Essays Causes of Rebel 1776 Essay Causes of Rebel 1776 Essay Evaluate the relative importance of two of the following as factors prompting Americans to rebel in 1776. Parliamentary Taxation The legacy of colonial religious and political ideas British military measures Restrictions of Civil Liberty Some say that the Revolution was destined to happen ever since Settlers set foot on this continent, others argue that it would not have happened if it werent for a set of issues that finally drove the colonists to revolt. Ultimately, Britain lost control in 1765 when they gave in to the Stamp Act Congress’s boycotts against parliamentary taxation and gave them the idea that they had the power to run a country. To a lesser degree, Salutary Neglect led to the conception of a legacy of colonial religious and political ideals which set in motion an eminent conflict. During this period, England â€Å"forgot† about the colonies and gave them colonists a taste of independence and suspicions of individual political theories. Through Parliaments ruthless taxation without representation and a near opposite religious and political mindset, Britain and the colonists were heaved into a revolutionary war. The most important issue prompting Americans to rebel in 1776 is clearly parliamentary taxation. The first time a Parliamentary imposed tax threatened the livelihood of the colonies was in 1733 with the Molasses Act, stemmed from the loss of profit for the British West Indies under the Navigation Act. However, this act was avoidable and rarely paid. Following the long and harrowing French and Indian War, Britain was deep in debt and George Grenville was appointed British Chancellor. He was determined to pay off the debt by brutally taxing the colonies. He not only reinforced the ignored Navigation Acts, but he placed the new Sugar Act which was similar to the Molasses Act which put a tax on rum and molasses imported from West Indies, but this Act would be enforced. Needless to say, the colonists were not used to this intrusion of Parliament and felt that it was wrong because there were no members in Parliament to represent the colonies. They felt it was a direct violation of their civil liberties and the first whiff of resentment was beginning to spawn. Next was the Currency Act which disregarded the colonies paper money, forcing the colonist to pay in only silver and sending their economy into chaos. Perhaps the most important and controversial acts were the Stamps Acts that placed a tax on legal documents, almanacs, newspaper, pamphlets, playing cards and dice. This act placed a large and blatant stamp on all tax items and could not be ignored. In response to this act, the colonists boycotted British goods, mobbed against the tax, and set up the Stamp Act Congress to ask the Parliament to repeal this harsh intrusion on colonial freedoms. Because the boycotts threatened British economy, Parliament repealed the Stamp Act and the colonists rejoiced in their success. They had their first taste of victory, and England would learn to hate how addicting it could be. Their elation didnt last long however, when in 1767 Charles Townshend replaced Grenville and set forth his Townshend Acts which taxed all the items frequently imported from England such as glass. The colonists responded with fury and more importantly the non-importation agreement. They had begun to reject all British goods, which resulted in an accommodating spike in American economy. Unfortunately, not everything these acts brought was positive. Another result of the Townshend Acts was the Boston Massacre, a small yet groundbreaking incident between a group of colonists and British military that resulted in the loss of five colonists lives and the repealing of the Townshend Acts. In 1770 Lord North took over for Townshend and let the highly hated Quartering Acts expire. North was off to a good start keeping the fire for independence down in the colonies until he imposed the Tea Tax to keep the East India Company from going bankrupt. This act more or less forced the colonists to buy the East India Companys tea instead of smuggling Dutch tea as they had been doing for years. This drastically affected many colonists incomes and sparked even more hatred. Famously this resulted in the Boston Tea party, an act of the Sons of Liberty against Britain and their harsh ‘taxation without representation. For many of the colonists, this was the last straw and they were through with Britains rule and restrictions upon their lives. Yet another factor leading to the revolution, though possibly of lesser importance, was the legacy of colonial religious and political ideas. Regarding religion, colonists were outcasts from the mainland from the beginning. This is because the majority of them were religious pariahs eager to escape oppressions from the Puritan Church. However, by the time of the revolution, he colonies were not only separated by belief from Great Britain, but they were also religiously fragmented. The Anglican Church, the official church of some colonies often times served as a â€Å"prop† for kingly authority. This angered Congregationalists, Presbyterians, Quakers, Baptists, Catholics, and virtually everyone else who composed the new world’s variety of faiths. The Anglican Church did not serve the needs of the people and it didnt hold up its promises to the pe ople, holding true to English authority. Also, the Anglican Church had a notorious reputation for clergymen with loose morals and worldly lifestyles. The British tried to impose the Anglican Church on additional colonies to everyones displeasure. Finally, when the Quebec Act came along granting large territories to the defeated French Catholics, the colonists feared that protestant religion would suffer and they were pushed to their religious stress limits. On the political side of things, colonists in North America had developed a political outlook far different from Great Britain’s. Prime Minister Robert Walpole stated that if no restrictions were placed on the colonies, they would flourish, and that they did during the period of time called Salutary Neglect. Salutary Neglect was a time in which Britain did nothing to guide its developing colonies and became nearly as important as the Stamp Act Congress when it comes to factors that led to the American Revolutionary War. When the imperial authority did not assert the power that it had to control America, the colonists were left to govern themselves. These essentially sovereign colonies soon became accustomed to the idea of self-control and democracy. The effects of such prolonged isolation eventually resulted in the emergence of a collective identity that considered itself separate from Great Britain. The turning point from salutary neglect to an attempt to enforce English policies was during The French and Indian War. Great Britain was fighting France for imperial control of the known world and was losing very badly until Secretary of State William Pitt the Elder took charge. To help the war effort, Pitt tried to seize supplies from the colonies, force colonial men into service, and take control of military issues. This along with the latter Quartering Acts was an unpleasant reminder that they were not independent, and it was more than the colonists could stand. Perhaps things may have ended differently if England had kept a tight leash on the colonies in the beginning, or given them representation in Parliament, but the world will never know. As soon as the colonies realized Britain responded to violence and boycotts, they knew they could have more. They longed to be independent and to be a unified nation separate from Britain. Though, in the beginning only a few had the drive and the willingness to go towards their goal, oppressive British actions helped support their claims. When Parliament began to tax, the colonists felt strongly that taxation without representation was against their political ideals which they held so highly. In the end, it was Britains own fault for letting the colonists know they had the power to free themselves from Europes most powerful country.

Employee Attraction and Retention in the Australian Resource Sector

Employee Attraction and Retention in the Australian Resource Sector The article presents three arguments to the reader. First, it argues that organizational practices and changes in certain external factors affect attraction and retention of employees. The main challenges faced by organizations are due to changes in laws that govern industrial relations.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Employee Attraction and Retention in the Australian Resource Sector specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Secondly, it argues that good organizational practices are important in attraction and retention of skilled employees. Thirdly, the article argues that it is necessary for organizations to diversify their workforce and address issues regarding balance between work and life for employees in order to attract and retain them. These arguments are built upon using a research study conducted in 2009. The study provides responses from employees concerning challenges they face at their workplaces, strategi es that managers use to attract and retain employees, and challenges managers face in attracting and retaining employees. The research also investigated how employees in the resource sector in Australia perceive the influence of changes in legislation. The article uses evidence of examination of strategise that can help to attract employees to advance the arguments. Such strategies include good employment practices and employee involvement in the resource sector. Finally, the article uses evidence form literature on attraction and retention of employees and good employment practices to further the arguments. The arguments presented in this paper are convincing because the evidence they present to build on them are reliable and valid. The survey presents data obtained from employees’ responses to questions whose answers validated the arguments. For example, the literature reviewed by authors of the article included past studies conducted by government agencies and professional writers. The article cites information from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO). There are also citations from various writers such as Crawford, Frith, Cooper, Bailey et. al, and Knox who are professional and reliable writers. Information obtained from Australian Mines and Metals Association (AMMA) and The Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) gives reason to believe that the information is accurate and applicable. The authors also cite literature from different professional authors who have studied the subject of employee attraction and retention for many years. They have also conducted several studies relating to the topic in past years.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More For example, they cite the works of Vanderberg et al., Guest, Boxall, and Mackay that studies the role of high involvement work systems in retention of employees. In addition, they cite the works of Beauregard Henry, O’Halloran, and Erickson and Gratton that explore the role played by good employment practices in attracting and retaining skilled employees. The arguments could be improved by providing more statistical data from past research studies. This could include studies and surveys conducted by authors whose works have been cited in the article. In addition, the arguments could be improved by involving workers from other sectors of the economy. 97 % of workers who participated in the survey worked in either mining or gas and exploration industries. This could have resulted in biased results because other sectors of the economy were poorly represented. Evidence obtained from the survey is biased because it is not representative of all sizes of organizations. It focuses on medium sized and large corporations that have well-established human resource divisions. They could have included small organizations whose human resource divisions are not well established. This would aid in eradicating bias and giving more accurate and reliable information and data.

How Did Japan's Successful Adaptation to the Challenges of Western Imp Essay - 1

How Did Japan's Successful Adaptation to the Challenges of Western Imperialism and China's Failure Complete - Essay Example Similarly for China, to revive an economy that was devastated by the ravages of a long civil war, and turn it into one of the fastest growing economies by the end of the century was a truly laudable achievement. Japan moved from a limited democracy with a semi-divine monarch before world war II, to a thriving progressive one by the last decade of the twentieth century. China, on the other hand, transformed from a communist form of government at the end of the civil war, to a more modern form of socialism using reform and an opening of its markets by the end of the century. At the beginning of the twentieth century, western powers like Britain, France, Germany, and Belgium had grown rich and powerful through the acquisition of colonies in Asia and Africa. Japan sought to imitate western imperial powers by acquiring foreign territorial possessions because of the power and prestige associated them. The frequent provocation by western powers, their racial prejudices towards Asian people; as well as its own concerns for its territorial and economic security, led Japan into a series of wars in China as well as other South Asian countries. This was done mainly to increase its sphere of influence and to secure much-needed markets for its goods. The disastrous results of trying to imitate western imperialism saw Japan reduced from a dynamic Asian empire in the 1930s and 1940s to a small group of islands in a western dominated order by the end of WWII. The result of the second world war changed Japan’s fortunes. Devastated by the atomic bomb and over-populated due to the return of its people from   Manchuria and Korea, a starving Japan was forced to accept free food from America. The impact of this on the Japanese people was naturally profound and resulted in a steely determination to return to a position of power in the new world order. Japan had to begin over again the process of developing industry and self-sufficiency. One advantage it had was its talent pool in terms of educated people in the field of science and technology. Another was its strong belief in free enterprise and its expertise in managing industry in such an environment.  

Famine, Affluence, and Morality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Famine, Affluence, and Morality - Essay Example The same feeling of caring and helping should be applied to people from all over the world. The second reason for agreeing with Singer is the fact that ‘developed countries’ have resources to help the hungry. I agree with Singer’s point that instead of terming the act of helping famine victim as a ‘charitable act’, it should be termed as ‘moral obligation’ (Singer 236). So much of food is wasted and thrown away by common people. One can easily feed hundreds of starving people with the amount of the left-over food by people in a developed nation. Also, people make choices regarding the food items and quality. This shows that there is more than enough amount of food related items available in a country. Hence, when a country has the storage of food even after feeding its citizens sufficiently, then it becomes amoral obligation of that nation, or people of that nation, to help minimize the world hunger. Instead of wasting food or throwing aw ay the edible parts just because they are not needed for a particular dish, it should be given to people who need it. No sane human being will choose to throw food in waste bin rather than giving it to a person who is starving to death. Hence, I agree with Singer that minimizing world hunger is a moral obligation of human beings. ... Singer’s argument is convincing as he has pointed out to the fact that richer nations have the capacity to reduce the suffering of famine victims in other countries without causing any reduction in the supply of resources to its own people (Singer 229). He has also stated that at the individual level also, common people have failed to raise their voice to help famine victims (Singer 229). Singer is convincing as he has exposed the selfish attitude of people and their lack of empathy towards the needy. From his argument, it becomes clear that proving money is not the only way one can help the famine victims. They can help the famine victims by holding demonstrations on the street to force the government to take right decisions. They can encourage people to help the victims by conduct awareness campaigns to let them know about the inhuman conditions in which the victims are living. As Singer says, they can write to responsible government officials, hold symbolic fasts and donate whatever is essential for the survival of the victims (Singer 229). His argument shows that people have aced irresponsibly and immaturely. Moreover, Singer’s argument is strengthened by the fact that what is needed to help the victims is nothing more than just a little awareness and desire to help the needy. By focusing on the people’s and nation’s lack of desire to help the victims, and irresponsibility towards the world citizenship despite of having the resources to help, Singer convinces the reader that individuals and nations have failed on the level of humanity. Answer C Singer’s argument can be objected on the point that being wealthy is not crime. Singer has pointed a finger towards wealthy people by saying that instead of choosing to help the famine victims, they