Caltron Inc

Over the past ten years the importance of accounting cannot be overemphasized, as we've seen our share of national scandals. In today's society accounting principles and standards are severely important in driving the formation of financial statements. Without principles and standards, financial reporting would not fairly present the financial position of a company. Accounting has changed and evolved vastly over time and continues to change.Because of this I am going to breakdown the way your financial reporting team has been recognizing revenue for the fourth quarter of the current year and assess the implications it may have on your financial statements. I will also take you through the process of how the accounting standards are created to give you a better understanding of what my conclusion is. Revenue Recognition Implications As you know Caltron Computers, Inc. s a publicly held company with a total market capitalization in excess of $450 million, and you have a proposed second ary public stock offering coming in early February 20X2. Therefore the auditors are concerned about the impact of these transactions and want to bring it to your attention before it misrepresents the reported earnings. Caltron reported net revenues from four transactions equal to $1,710,000 in Q4, while cash received only totaled $495,000.The quality of earnings issue surfaces and gives the auditors reasons to question the accounting methods and possibly their honesty and ethics. The company policy for recognizing revenue is when the products are shipped, and because of this, a potential issue has come about relating to some of the transactions. Typically revenues are earned when the earning process is complete and an exchange has taken place. Once this happens the risks of ownership are transferred to the buyer, unless an arrangement for the sale states otherwise.Collectibility of the sales price is questionable for three of these transactions. According to FASB, revenue generally is realized or realizable and earned when all of the following criteria are met: persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery has occurred or services have been rendered, the seller's price to the buyer is fixed or determinable, and collectibility is reasonably assured. (FASB, 2008) Now I will follow this with a breakdown of all the

The Many Uses of Baking Soda

The Many Uses of Baking Soda – Informative Speech 1 The Many Uses of Baking Soda General Purpose: To Inform Specific Purpose: The audience will learn about baking soda, the many different ways that it can be used to promote their health, cleaning uses around the home, cooking, in the home uses, and enhancing beauty. Thesis: Baking soda is very low cost, effective alternative to cleaning around the home, promoting health, and enhancing beauty. Introduction I)Fellow classmates, what if I told you that what I have in this small box has been used to promote health, used in cooking, great for cleaning, and enhancing beauty since the 1700’s. Additionally, what if I told you that it only cost about a $1. 00, and is used in two out of every three homes in America. However, most people don’t realize all of the great uses that baking soda has. Well, I am going to tell you just how powerful this stuff actually is. II)With the uncertain state of our country’s economy today, saving a few cents or a few dollars is what a lot of us are doing. Baking soda, for about a dollar, will let you save on a product with so many uses that you may be surprised by some of them. III)Many of you may already have a box of baking soda in your home that you use now and again, though you may not have yet realized that this product is far more powerful than it appears to be. I have done a substantial amount of research on the benefits of baking soda, and found that it is a low cost box of wonder. IV)According to Tip King, author of â€Å"Resourceful and Ingenious uses of Baking Soda†, â€Å"You will find that there are so many tips and ideas on the many uses of baking soda that you will be able to save dollars, yes count them, dollars, each and every week in your home†. Transition: First I will tell you just some of the things that baking soda can clean. ) Body I. â€Å"According to the web site â€Å"Life Hackery†, baking soda can clean and remove odors from a multitude of things inside and outside of your home. † (75 Extraordinary Uses for Baking Soda, 2008) A. Baking soda is very effective in the kitchen. 1. Clean the fridge with it. 2. Run your coffee maker with a baking soda solution, then rinse, for a clean free-flowing coffee maker. 3. Wash your fruits and vegetables with it. 4. Remove grease from pots and pans. . A combination of baking soda and vinegar will break down fatty acids into soap and glycerin, allowing the clog to wash down the drain. B. It can also be used for general cleaning. 1. Boost your laundry detergent’s cleaning power by adding a cup to the wash. Combine with water to make a paste for polishing stainless and chrome. 2. Clean garbage cans. 3. Clean retainers and dentures. 4. Soak brushes and combs in a baking soda solution. 5. Wipe your windshield with it to repel rain. C. Baking soda removes odors. 1. Put an open box of baking soda in the refrigerators to remover odors. 2. Sprinkle it in shoes, boots, or slippers to eliminate foul odors. 3. Suck it in with your vacuum cleaner to remove the odor. 4. Sprinkle it in your cats litter box to absorb bad odor. D. You can do all of your cleaning and deodorizing with a cup or less of this little white powder called â€Å"baking soda†. (Transition: Now that I have discussed many of the ways that you can use baking soda to clean and odor-free your home, let us take a look at how baking soda can be used in promoting ones health. II. There are many health benefits that can be attributed to baking soda. I found just a few at howstuffworks. com. (Uses for Baking Soda: Health and Beauty) 1. Use it as a mouthwash to freshen your breath. 2. Apply it to rashes, insect bites, and poison ivy. 3. Relieve a canker sore by using it as a mouthwash. 4. Heartburn? Take a teaspoon of baking soda mixed with one-half glass of water. (Transition: Since we have talked about many of the ways you can use baking soda to promote your health, let us talk about ways that baking soda can be used to enhance your beauty. ) III. Baking soda is one of the few products on the market for cleaning your teeth or settling an upset stomach. While we have many more choices today, baking soda still does the trick for dozens of health and beauty tasks. 1. 1 tsp baking soda mixed with 1/4 tsp hydrogen peroxide. Mix into paste Treat cold sores by dabbing with baking soda. 2. Rub a baking-soda paste onto your elbows to smooth away rough skin. 3. Soak tired feet in a basin of warm water with 3 tablespoons baking soda. 4. Blackhead Remover Recipe: 50/50 Baking Soda & Water. Use gently on your skin to exfoliate. 11 Easy Food Facials – Homemade Recipes, 2007) (Transition: The lists of uses for this wonderfully versatile product are longer than my allotted time; I’ve told you only a few. Perhaps I’ve sparked your curiosity enough that you’ll look at that little yellow box a bit differently. Conclusion I. Found in superstores, grocery stores, and small markets all across the world, baking soda is ve ry effective in it’s multitude of uses which can help and enhance your life. II. For about a buck, you can go out and buy yourself a box of baking soda and begin reaping all of the benefits of this great product. It will be a dollar well spent. Bibliography 11 Easy Food Facials – Homemade Recipes. (2007, May 3). Retrieved March 8, 2010, from Tipnut: http://tipnut. com/11-easy-food-facials-homemade-recipes/ 75 Extraordinary Uses for Baking Soda. (2008). Retrieved March 5, 2010, from Life Hackery: http://lifehackery. com/2008/07/22/home-4/ Uses for Baking Soda: Health and Beauty. (n. d. ). Retrieved March 5, 2010, from How Stuff Works: http://health. howstuffworks. com/uses-for-baking-soda-health-and-beauty-ga. htm

Employment and Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Employment and Society - Essay Example It is in best interest of society as well as economy to avoid redundancy as much as it is possible. To have economic growth one needs to avoid the redundancy, cut down on the numbers that need to be redundant and devise some strategies that will keep the society prepared to mitigate the losses caused by redundancies. It is in best advantage of the employer to avoid redundancies in general and gender redundancy in particular as it calls for hate crime and discrimination. An effective way to tackle the redundancy is to collectively address it and on occasional basis consult with the trade and organization unions. The employers must discuss with the worker’s representatives parties and with mutual consent should reach some agreements so that there would be a win-win situation for both parties(Godwin, 2010). Some of the nasty situations that cam give rise to redundancies are increased over-times but with pay freezes. These situations can be avoided by reducing work hours, re-training of employees in case of new and improved business cycle, recruitment cycle freezing in time of recession and finally giving both genders equal chances to get the employment.(Davis, 2010) Employers must give the worker’s representative the number of employees that need to be redundant, the proposals for them in return, the pay scales and time scale that are offering at the certain level of the redundancy. The consultation should reach an agreement and no decisions shall be made before the consultation actually takes place. Retaining employees is far less costly than hiring and developing new employees. Every organization can give it a try though how a particular organization can avoid redundancies is purely dependent up on certain aspects such as the structure of organization, the forecasting that how long it will be down turn for you, the type and nature of work employees are engaged in and impact of profitability on credit crunch. Some of

Physical Security Principles Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Physical Security Principles Paper - Essay Example Physical security describes both measures that prevent or deter attackers from accessing a facility, resource, or information stored on physical media and guidance on how to design structures to resist various hostile acts. (Task Committee 1999) According to O’Sullivan (2003), security planning should encompass the following areas: (1) identification of assets; (2) exposing losses; (3) assignment of occurrence probability factors; (4) assessment of the impact of occurrence; and (5) selection of countermeasures. The WBDG Safe Committee averred that the countermeasures that must be implemented by security management in its role to safeguard the assets and resources of the organization would depend on the type of the building, on the risk levels, and on various factors influencing the assessment and evaluation of risk. Diverse classifications of risk are known to be more susceptible to buildings, to wit: forced entry, different kinds of threats (insider, explosive, ballistic), terrorist attacks through weapons of mass destruction, and technological breaches. From among the security measures necessary to address building, grounds and perimeter security, WBDG Safe Committee (2009) identified the following security countermeasures as the most effective: building or organizational access control, detection systems designed specifically to prevent intrusion by installation of fences and barriers, video and CCTV, and alarms. Specifically, the following methods are suggested to protect buildings, grounds and perimeters: (1) implementing stringent policies for access control through checking of proper identifications, (2) limiting and monitoring authority to access to highly safeguarded areas, (3) considering strengthening the foundation of buildings, grounds, and perimeters to ensure protection from collapse and fortuitous

Geriatric Category Patients and Their Treatment Essay

Geriatric Category Patients and Their Treatment - Essay Example Healing, especially, has been identified as an issue in the elderly’ due to characteristic age related changes in skin texture, reduced processes of wound healing which are clearly distinct from the rapid healing in young patients (Gosain & Dipietro, 2004: 321). The particular patient shortlisted for this assessment belongs to the geriatric category as he is an 80 years old man, with an established diagnosis of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), probably precipitated due to a history of excessive smoking. The man has also suffered an episode of shingles, as revealed from his medical history sheet. Due to the multiple comorbidities he is suffering from, he is currently being administered a combination of medications, which complicate his care further due to the multifarious side-effects associated with them. Taking history of a patient is an art which needs to be mastered by each nursing professional. It needs preparation of a proper environment, good communication s kills of the nursing practitioner, and is a thoroughly systematic, sensitive and professional activity (Lloyd & Craig, 2007: 42). The Calgary Cambridge Framework, a widely accepted standard for collecting the anamneses of a patient is generally recommended and includes five stages which summarize the history taking process (Lloyd & Craig, 2007: 44). ... tween the patient and the nurse for establishment of a true interaction, proper planning for shared decision making with the patient’s compliance, and closing the consultation amiably in accordance with the patient’s expectations (Lloyd & Craig, 2007: 44). Unhelpful interview techniques involving questions which are too probing, offensive, misleading or inappropriate are expressly prohibited in the Calgary Cambridge Framework. The framework advises against the use of defensive responses and tendency to jump to conclusions. A properly structured sequence of questioning aimed at obtaining comprehensive information about the patient's condition yielding pertinent data should be strictly followed. Discretion should be employed while obtaining answers to sensitive questions such as sexual and social history, and while gathering details about alcohol, tobacco or substance abuse (Lloyd & Craig, 2007: 47). The patient shortlisted for assessment is dependent on PEG tube for feed ing but is fully capable of taking care of his toilet and bathing needs with some guidance. Currently he suffers from cellulitis, especially in the lower body and the resultant wounds in both legs are causing considerable pain. The severely affected left leg is kept raised to reduce his discomfort and the wound is dressed aseptically on a daily basis. On immediate observation, the patient is afebrile, has a blood pressure (BP) of 140/95, a respiration rate (RR) of 20-37, and a heart rate (HR) of 80 beats per minute. His health parameters have consistently remained at this level for the last few days with only slight variations. However, as the patient was a regular smoker with an established diagnosis of COPD, he is in need of special care and oxygen therapy due to his compromised respiratory system

Proposal Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Proposal Assignment - Essay Example The proposal is worth more research to draw a line between the 2 worlds. In this proposal, I will be in support of the Contemporary Reality. The vital question in preparing this research is; is the present world heading to the cyber world in the near or far future? What is cyber world and where is it based? The answer to the first question is no. The Cyber world is a form of entertainment or literature of science fiction in the setting of the near future. It focuses on the low life and high technology. It is characterized by advanced science like cybernetics and information technology (Campbell, 142). This goes hand in hand with radical change in the social order and a breakdown degree. This is not the case in the contemporary world of reality where everything is normally in the present form. In the real world, technology is not us updated as is put in cyber world and life is just what is expected in the typical world. The concept of having advanced science is reachable in the far future or in some instances might not be attainable. The technology is expected to grow at run of the mill rate in contrast with the one in th e cyber world. There are a few challenges I will expect to get while researching my work. First, Cyber world tends to focus on conflict among the mega corporations, hackers and artificial intelligences. This is based in the setting of near-future instead of far-future (Campbell, 157). This is something that is at present or is expected to happen soon in some parts of the world. Thus, I might have a hard time developing an excellent argument on this concept. The setting of cyber world is also in a level where the service sector is generating more wealth in comparison to the manufacturing sector. This is something that has happened in the developed countries like Japan making it difficult to establish a good

Globalization and International Financial Management Research Paper

Globalization and International Financial Management - Research Paper Example Factors such as relative interest rate, real interest rate, relative income level and other government controls are few which affect the determination of exchange rate. Governments all across the globe vigilantly monitor their exchange rates and actively make the direct and indirect intervention for control purposes. Measuring the change in the exchange rate is easier as compared to evaluating the intricacy of the factors responsible for it. In order to analyze the cause and effect of a change in exchange rate, the concept of exchange rate equilibrium can be utilized. The concept is based on the basics of the law of demand and supply. Like a commodity, the foreign currency is also traded in markets where their exchange rates are determined based on the current demand and supply of that particular currency in the global economy. In order to grasp the concept, let us take two currencies into comparison: United States Dollar ($) and Euro (â‚ ¬). The exchange rate of Euro will be dete rmined by the conditions of demand and supply of the currency in Europe. In addition, the demand for Euro in the United States will also be a major factor in determining the exchange rate of the currency. ... Inflation rate holds significance in determining the spot exchange rate of a country. Inflation rate casts direct impacts on the trading activity of a country. Higher inflation in one country would cause its goods to become less desirable in other parts of the world and thus its exchange will deteriorate as the demand for the currency of that particular currency will decline. Interest rates are also one of the factors responsible for fluctuation in the exchange rate. Interest rate can categorize into relative interest rate and real interest rate in order to determine the effect of a change in the exchange rate as a result of its hike and decline. Considering the relative interest rate, it can be defined as the change in the interest rate of the country when compared with any ot her country. If the interest rate in country A rises while the one in country B remains constant, the investors in the country in A will deter from demanding the currency of country B as for them it is much more lucrative to invest in country A as it offers higher interest rates. Similarly, for investors in country B, it is much more desirable to invest in country A. The investors in country B will then resort to selling their currency in order to obtain the currency of country A. Result, the exchange rate of the country A will escalate when compared with that of country B. This can be more intricate when the effect of change in exchange rate is taken into consideration from a global perspective. The change in the exchange rate of a third can also cause the relative exchange rate between the country A and B although their relative interest rates remain the same.

Policy, Power and Politics in Health Care Essay

Policy, Power and Politics in Health Care - Essay Example People are presently refusing the vaccine which is necessary in preventing a large outbreak and it will need to be made mandatory. There are also specific things such as wearing a mask in caring for all patients that will need to be done to protect our healthcare workers. This new policy will need to occur immediately in order to protect the greatest number of people. The World Health Organization reports that 414 countries and overseas territories or communities have reported laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2012, (fluthreat) including over 177,798 deaths. The global total number of fatalities has increased by 2047 since the previous update just one month ago. This is a increasingly virulent outbreak of a mutated virus. There are also more outbreaks of SARS and Avian influenza (health.gov) Together there have been over one million deaths. Many experts are tying the increasing numbers of outbreaks to the increasing amount of heat in the summer with the last four years being the hottest summers on record and the expectation that with global warming there will continue to be an increase. H1N1 is pandemic in Asia, Europe, The Americas, Africa, and the South Pacific and there have been reports of small outbreaks in all other countries (WHO). H5N1 or Bird Flu started by affecting birds and being transmitted between birds. In the past it affected mostly water birds and domestic birds such as chickens. In the beginning, almost all human cases were from exposure to domestic birds being raised by those people but there are now reports of this virus being transmitted between humans (Poutanen, Low, & Henry, 2003). It is expected that this will be a new human influenza pandemic this fall. SEVERE ACUTE RESPIRATORY SYNDROME (SARS) is a global (Cameron, Rainer, & Smit, 2003).phenomenon that is getting worse fast. It is

Parenting Styles and Developmental Outcomes Research Paper

Parenting Styles and Developmental Outcomes - Research Paper Example This style manifests in the form of substantial parental control coupled with high level of child supervision. Children raised within an authoritarian environment should be obedient and respectful towards parental authority. This means that children are left with limited freedom (Barton & Michael, 2012). Behavioral conduct and general activities of children under this style should incline closely to rules and guidelines stipulated by parents. Usually, violation of those rules attracts punishment. In this regard, authoritarian style has low responsiveness but high demand on children. Authoritative Style Authoritative parenting operates with pre-established rules and guidelines. This means that parents practicing this style have high demands on behavioral patterns of their children. However, the high demand is offset by high level of responsiveness. Unlike authoritarian with low responsiveness, authoritative parents foster a democratic environment where children can question guidelines set by their parents. Parents adopting this style have a high propensity of forgiveness as opposed to punishment (Barton & Michael, 2012). Therefore, authoritative style has high responsiveness and high demand on children. Permissive Style Permissive parents set minimal rules for their children. This style has few demands on children, and tends to be more relaxed compared to the previous two styles.

The Importance of Orientation in the Modern Organization Essay Example for Free

The Importance of Orientation in the Modern Organization Essay Employee orientation is perhaps one of the most neglected human resource functions in most companies. Providing new employees with a company manual and tons of documents is insufficient in terms of welcoming new employees to the company (Brown, n.d). Most of the time, new employees complain about a completely boring orientation or that they are left in the dark. As a result, the employee becomes confused and unproductive and will probably leave the company in a year’s time (Brown, n. d). This paper will first take a look at the definition of orientation as well as its functions. It will likewise provide some facts and figures related to employee orientation. Finally, it will present salient points to support the statement: An orientation is an important aspect of HR training. What is an Orientation? New employee orientation is the act of welcoming recruits into the organization. In most instances, the orientation program is facilitated by the Human Resources Department.   It provides information about safety, the working conditions, the job responsibilities, benefits and qualifications, corporate culture, history of the company, the organization structure, and other vital information needed in the company (Heathfield, n.d). In most cases, the new employee is introduced to each of the department of the organization. The new hiree usually undergoes an on-the-job training (OJT) to become acquainted with the functions of each department in the company (Heathfield, n.d). Purposes of Orientation New employee orientation involves more than just introducing benefits and welcoming the new employee to other workers. Orientation is a make or break period for the new hirees. Orientation programs conclude the hiring process and ushers in the start of retention (Heathfield, n.d). Orientation programs are not just about laying the cards down on the table. It provides an important phase of the recruitment and retention process. The vital purposes of employee orientation are (Heathfield, n.d): 1. Proper orientation can help lessen expenses in order for an employee to learn about their job (Heathfield, n.d). 2. Orientation programs can help lessen the anxiety of the new employee. Through orientation, the new employee need not guess about what should be done (Heathfield, n.d). 3. Employee turnover is likely if there is no feeling of job security on the part of the employees. An orientation program is an indication that the organization treasures their employees and is keen on helping them succeed in their jobs (Heathfield, n.d). 4. Orientation programs likewise give supervisors and managers more time for their work because they no longer need to spend time to train their new employees (Heathfield, n.d). 5. Proper orientation provides employees a framework of what is expected of them. It gives them a realistic overview of their job responsibilities (Heathfield, n.d). The Stages of Orientation Programs There are various methods used by companies in attracting new employees to their fold. Providing nice compensation package is a vital component of bringing in new employees to a certain company but then again it does not assure retention. In fact, according to new technologies in the workplace, effective orientation is actually the best means of reducing the time it would take for new employees to improve their productivity and increase the possibility that they would not leave the company and seek for greener pastures (Award Staffing, 2007). There are three basic stages of orientation namely general, department, and job-specific orientation. Each phase of the program contains key components which are aimed at providing the best results (Award Staffing, 2007). General Orientation This phase of the orientation program is conducted by a personnel from the human resources department and must be completed by new employees of a company. The aim of general orientation is to welcome new employees, make them feel at ease with the workplace and make them aware of the different communication channels (Award Staffing, 2007). Department Orientation While the general orientation provides complete information, the department level orientation is more specific. The aim of this phase is to provide the new employee with knowledge about what they will be their roles and job in the department where they will be assigned. The person in charge of this orientation is the head of the department where the new employee would be stationed (Award Staffing, 2007). The department orientation gives the new employee the chance to get to know the members of the department (Award Staffing, 2007). The goals of the department orientation is to help the new employee become familiar with their department such as its relation to other departments, area of concentration, and the location of the job-related requirement in the area (Award Staffing, 2007). Job Orientation The last phase of the orientation program highlights the expectations and requirements of the employee in order to fit in to the job. It should be conducted by an expert in the main responsibilities of a position and can teach new employees the skills that are required to become successful in their job assignments (Award Staffing, 2007). The Importance of Orientation Program Although companies provide handbooks and manuals, employees still feel confused, overwhelmed, and unwelcome. When this happens, employees begin to cast doubts on the sincerity of the firm and their decision to leave their old company. Here are some of the common mistakes of companies when it comes to new employee orientation (O’Toole, n.d). †¢ Delighting the new employees with statistics, names, and faces integrated into a single session. †¢ Showing boring video †¢ Providing long lectures †¢ Failure to make preparations for the arrival of the new employee The importance of an employee orientation program cannot be discounted. Just as clients want to be treated well by a certain company, the same treatment is expected by new employees from their new company and co-workers. Here are some reasons why new employee is very important. 1. Good orientation programs can increase the retention capability of a firm. New employees have the habit of evaluating the commitment of their future employers within the initial three months of their employment. 2. Orientation programs do not end on the day of the event. They extend beyond the initial week of an employee’s tenure in the company. By providing appropriate orientation and training, companies can improve the productivity of their new employees. 3. Well-crafted orientation programs can help build better attitude and morale, and improve work satisfaction. The Need for an Orientation Program Several studies have underscored the need for companies to put emphasis on employee orientation. New Employee Orientation Practitioner Consensus Survey In a study conducted by the Institute for Corporate Productivity, it was discovered that most companies do not have a new employee orientation program and the main attraction of these firms are branded items bearing the company’s logo. Likewise, the survey revealed that while majority of these companies provide orientation to their new hirees, over one-fifth of these firms do not care to monitor whether the programs are effective (Oakes, 2007). Jay Jamrog (2007), who is SVP for Research of the company believes that the first few days of a new employee are the most crucial as far as building a positive first impression that results to loyal employees. Firms have the tendency to miss out on the opportunity of impressing new employees as well as pouncing on their strengths and weaknesses. This fact is something that companies would need to consider when implementing orientation programs (Oakes, 2007). In addition, the study likewise revealed that 86% of the respondents have established employee orientation programs. Almost half of these programs are conducted in less than a day with 26% concluding their orientation in two or three days. On the aspect of attracting new employees, 54% said that their company relies on handing out items such as pens, folders, binders, etc. while 12% say they do not do anything (Oakes, 2007). On the aspect of effectiveness of the orientation program, 47% of the respondents said that their company relies on employee feedback, 20% on first-year retention, and 17% monitor the performance ratings. It is odd to note that 22% of the respondents did not monitor the effectiveness of their orientation programs (Oakes, 2007). Moreover, 81% of companies delegate the task of administering orientation programs to the human resources department, 23% involve several departments, and 21% include the department where the new employee will be assigned (Oakes, 2007).

Hotel Industry E-Marketing

Hotel Industry E-Marketing Hotel Industry E-Marketing E-marketing is the new trend of marketing extensively acquiring by hotel industry. The traditional marketing strategy of hotel industry now not performing very well. In place e-marketing is taking the drivers seat. The purpose of the research The travel industry survives as one of the better performing sectors in e-commerce. With no fulfillment and no need for online payments, the hotel industry is well positioned to capture the full potential of ecommerce while avoiding many of its risks. â€Å"Currently, in Hong Kong, China, Taiwan and South Korea, approximately 5% to 10% of all lodgings are booked through the Internet, with 2004 estimates approaching 20%. This would follow the U.S. trend where hotels are reporting that up to 30% of all lodging is booked through online channels. Despite the burst of the Internet bubble, the promise of the Internet for hoteliers is still real: Online distribution can reduce costs, attract affluent customers and lessen dependency on more traditional and expensive distribution channels.†(Ref: www.igk.co.kr, available on 23/03/2008) Background â€Å"As of September 2003, 604 million people worldwide had internet access†. (Ref: -www.cyberatlas.com, available on 23/03/2008) The Internet is assumed to be an important channel for marketing and distribution of products and services. This is, among other things, due to the cost-effectiveness of the Internet and the convenience for customers. With the Internet marketers can reach out to a broad customer base, locate target customers, identify their needs and communicate with them at a relatively low cost. The Internet provides an opportunity for market testing and optimization. Increasing digitalization will make it progressively easier to experimentally alter particular aspects of a business and quickly observe how customers respond (Wyner 2000). Since the Web allows access to a plethora of information on different products, the hotel organization must encourage the potential consumer to use the Web site as both an information tool as well as a purchase option. This combination of information search and purchase process is an advantage over traditional retailing as online consumers have stated that personalized targeting is a reason they shop online. When consumers are more involved in the buying process it significantly improves brand recognition and recall. Research Aim Objectives/ Research Questions:- The main aim and objectives of this research was to find out the use, importance and impact of the E-marketing and traditional marketing in hotel industry, explore and analyze which one is the best suited of marketing used by the hotels and its contribution to marketing performance. And finally emarketing and traditional marketing has been compared to reach the desired goal. Research Hypotheses: In the light of the achieving the above aims and objectives, the following hypotheses had been constructed: Hypothesis (1): The level of use of e marketing and traditional marketing by hotel industry is significantly related to the hotel firm’s marketing performance. Hypothesis (2): E-marketing vs. Traditional marketing for the performance of the hotel Structure of the research The research is consisted of 5 chapters. In the first chapter is introduction of the topic, its background and the aims and objectives was described. Chapter 2 deals with the review of literatures in which all the variables are defined. Third chapter deals with the primary research done by the author and dealt with the findings and analysis of the hotels taken in the sample and the interviews had been put in to diagrams to have better understanding of the topic. Chapter four is dealing with the conclusion derived by the author on overall experience while developing the research; recommendations and limitations has been discussed in the last part of the research. Literature Review The researcher had identified a wide range of the literature review (in its wider broad sense which includes: Journals, Academic Books, theses and dissertations, short articles, e-databases, conference papers, etc). Background Marketing existed in society for millennia, ever since when people use to exchange from a product with other one, commonly known as â€Å"barter system†. Since after industrial revolution, market had taken a big turn and changes the meaning of marketing and gives a new definition to it. It’s been well said that marketing is not all about transaction; it’s also about developing relationship and ties with your guest or customer. And our international hospitality business is all about guest relation along with transaction and as we are involved in a transaction, thus we are engaged in a practice of commerce. â€Å"Commerce dealt with purchase and sale of good†. Before introduction of internet in the market, exchange of goods and services from producer to consumer was done through paper work and personnel contact â€Å"Electronic commerce, commonly known as e-commerce or eCommerce, consists of the buying and selling of products or services over electronic systems such as the Internet and other computer networks. The amount of trade conducted electronically has grown extraordinarily since the spread of the Internet. A wide variety of commerce is conducted in this way, spurring and drawing on innovations in electronic funds transfer, supply chain management, Internet marketing, online transaction processing, electronic data interchange (EDI), inventory management systems, and automated data collection systems. Modern electronic commerce typically uses the World Wide Web at least at some point in the transactions lifecycle, although it can encompass a wider range of technologies such as e-mail as well.†(Ref: www.wikipedia.org, 23/03/08) â€Å"A small percentage of electronic commerce is conducted entirely electronically for virtual items such as access to premium content on a website, but most electronic commerce involves the transportation of physical items in some way. Online retailers are sometimes known as e-tailers and online retail is sometimes known as e-tail. Almost all big retailers have electronic commerce presence on the World Wide Web. .†(Ref: www.wikipedia.org, 23/03/08) Research Aim Objectives/ Research Questions:- The purpose of this research was to find out the use, importance and impact of the E-marketing and traditional marketing in hotel industry, explore and analyze which one is the best suited of marketing used by the hotels and its contribution to marketing performance. And finally emarketing and traditional marketing has been compared to reach the desired goal. The research had adapted an interdisciplinary approach that makes use of hotel business enterprises marketing, E-marketing, IT, and information systems literature. This is in line with the point of view of Gatticker et al. (2000) who states that researchers should investigate the opportunities offered by the Internet using an interdisciplinary approach. At the same time, because E-marketing is a field that makes use of IT and IS, depending on that the research was considered the appropriateness of the various theories that underpin research into impact of e-marketing in hotel business. At same time the traditional approach of marketing has been compared to find out which one is the best suited for the hotel industry marketing performance. Consequently, the objectives of this research are as follows:- To clarify a conceptual model to understand and interpret the use of the traditional marketing and E-marketing in hotel industry. To focus this impact of e-markting and traditional marketing has been compared in a view to hotels performance and how they use this. To explore and analyze the importance and form of e marketing used by the hotel industry and its contribution to marketing performance of the hotel. To assess the existing awareness of the hotels in Delhi to the expected benefits of the using of e marketing. To identify the results of using e marketing. To evaluate the current practices of e marketing by the hotels of Delhi taken in the sample. To examine the impact of traditional marketing and E-marketing practices on marketing efficiency To achieve these objectives there was two hypotheses have been constructed to be tested during the research process. Research Hypotheses: In the light of the achieving the above aims and objectives, the following hypotheses had been constructed: Hypothesis (1): The level of use of e marketing and traditional marketing by hotel industry is significantly related to the hotel firm’s marketing performance. Hypothesis (2): E-marketing vs. Traditional marketing for the performance of the hotel Definitions â€Å"Electronic marketing (E-marketing) can be viewed as a new modern business practice associated with buying and selling goods, services, information and ideas via the Internet and other electronic means. A review of relevant literature revealed that definitions of electronic marketing vary according to each authors point of view, background and specialization.†(Ref: www.edamba.eu/userfiles/Hatem%20El%20Gohary.doc, viewed on 24/03/08). Some of the definitions are as follows: Smith and Chaffey (2005) defines it as: â€Å"Achieving marketing objectives through applying digital technologies†. Strauss and Frost (2001) define it as: â€Å"The use of electronic data and applications for planning and executing the conception, distribution and pricing of ideas, goods and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organizational objectives†. The researcher had followed on Strauss and Frost definition in conducting the current research because: it takes into consideration all the element of E-marketing, all types of products, it illustrate the main objective of E-marking which is creating the exchanges that satisfy individual and hotel organizational needs. Moreover it is the official definition for E-marketing adopted by the E-Marketing Association. (Ref: www.edamba.eu/userfiles/Hatem%20El%20Gohary.doc, viewed on 24/03/08). From the researcher point of view, importance and impact of E-marketing in hotel industry has changed the shape and nature of hospitality industry all over the world. Because the rapid proliferation of the Internet, the World Wide Web (WWW) and electronic communication has created a fast growing new electronic channels for hotel marketing. This rapid expanding use of the Internet and other electronic communication for hotel business purposes attracts hotel companies to invest in online presence (Liang and Hung, 1998). Marketing performance Nowadays the fact that a hotel firm survival depends on its capacity to ultimate service experience, create value, and value is defined by customers (Day, 1990), marketing makes a fundamental contribution to long-term hotel business success. E-marketing process used to evaluate marketing performance and effectiveness in hotel industry. On the other hand, when looking to the marketing performance and success measure there are many measures. Recently, in an attempt to organize performance measures Kokkinaki and Ambler (1999) have summarized it and established six categories for marketing performance and success measures which are: Financial measures / Competitive market measures / Consumer behaviour measures / Consumer intermediate measures / Direct costumer measures / Innovativeness measures. (Ref:http://web.biz.uwa.edu.au/staff/jmurphy/OConnor_Murphy_ijhm2004. pdfavailable on 12/03/2008) E-Marketing Performance Measures Standardized measures for E-marketing performance are both needed and necessary. The discussion of most of the researchers has centred on the following measures (beside the traditional marketing performance measures): Traffic Visit duration Conversion rate (visit to purchase) Catalogue size Sales value Number of transactions Number of users (as measured by the number of registered user accounts). E-marketing performance measures. Namely: Financial measures Competitive market measures Consumer behavior measures Consumer intermediate measures E-marketing measures, such as Conversion rate Traffic Visit duration Number of transactions Number of users (Ref: www.edamba.eu/userfiles/Hatem%20El%20Gohary.doc; available on 12/03/2008) â€Å"The World Wide Web (WWW), which is the main e-marketing element, launched and started at 1993.† (Ref: http://www.brad.ac.uk/hub/studentnews/emarketing.doc; viewed on 30/03/08) â€Å"Despite of the fast growth in e-marketing research in the last decade, it appears that only from the late 1980s researches on e-marketing and internet marketing begun to appear in the literature. Starting with the work of: Malone, Yates and Benjamin (1987 1989), crossing by the work of: White (1997), Samiee (1998), Wientzen (2000), Porter (2001), Siddiqui et al. (2003), Daniel et al. (2003), Smith and Rupp (2003), Smith (2004 a, b) and ending with the work of: Sheth and Sharma (2005), Sandeep and Singh (2005), De Kervenoael et al (2006), Flavià ¡n and Guinalà ­u (2006), Taylor and England (2006).† (Ref: http://www.brad.ac.uk/hub/studentnews/emarketing.doc; viewed on 30/03/08) The research studies investigated and covered a wide rang of e-marketing areas, such as: internet-marketing / e-mail marketing / intranet marketing / SMS marketing / extranet marketing. On the other hand, it is noticed that the literature in Internet marketing covers five main areas, which are: Internet marketing (IM) Environment, IM functions, IM applications and IM research. (Ref: http://www.brad.ac.uk/hub/studentnews/emarketing.doc; viewed on 30/03/08) E- Marketing components Customers (Buyers): impulsive, patient, analytical Sellers Products Infrastructure Front end The portion of an e-seller’s business processes through which customers interact, including the seller’s portal, electronic catalogues, a shopping cart, a search engine, and a payment gateway Back end The activities that support online order-taking. It includes fulfillment, inventory management, purchasing from suppliers, payment processing, packaging, and delivery Intermediaries A third party that operates between sellers and buyers Other business partners Support services (Ref:http://www.ionglobal.com/documents/rating_luxury_hotel_emarketing_practices_in_asia.pdf,available on 12/03/2008) Online Pricing Enz (2003) also addresses the issue of the networks identified by Dale (2003) above, which she claims are driving down hotel profitability. Noting that hoteliers use these networks without a clear understanding of their effect, she claims that they encourage competition based solely on price and urges a rethink of such hidden discounting. Citing forthcoming research from the â€Å"Centre for Hospitality Researchat Cornell†, she shows how price has become largely transparent and that consumers now book rooms at one price, shop around for better prices and then cancel and rebook. Rather than yield higher total sales, discounting simply displaces customers from one distribution channel to another. Any increase in volume fails to offset the revenue lost from the discounting. Claiming that this is true for all industry segments, regardless of occupancy rates, Enz maintains that hoteliers need to be more selective about the rates they provide to third party sites to insure that they are actually generating incremental revenues. (Ref:-www.emarketingassociation.com available on 14/02/20080 Pointing out that consumers frequently search multiple channels for the cheapest price, and expect cheaper prices online, O’Connor (2003) investigates if the behaviour of chain hotel brands conforms to these expectations. Using historical data, he surveys rates across five B2C channels to establish whether pricing is consistent across channels; whether one channel is consistently cheaper; and whether the apparent pricing strategy is logical from both consumer and hotel perspectives. His findings show that hotel companies typically use multiple distribution channels, and offer multiple rates across each channel. No channel consistently offers the cheapest price, but the analysis reveals differences based on market segment. Consumers are more likely to find cheapest prices on direct channels (chain website and call centre) at the lower end of the market, and conversely through intermediaries at the upper end. In other words, luxury hotels appear to be offering their cheapest pri ces though channels with the highest cost of distribution. O’Connor concludes that hotel companies in general do a poor job managing their distribution, and urges them to develop well though-out pricing policies that would encourage consumers to book through brand websites. Anecdotal evidence would seem to suggest that operators have followed this advice, as evidenced by the recent widespread use of â€Å"Best Rate Guarantees† on many hotel websites. (Ref:-www.emarketingassociation.com available on 14/02/20080 Litvin and Crotts (2003) focus on the potential use of online negotiation models in hospitality. While yield management varies prices relative to demand, the rate to individual customers is fixed; hotels set the price and potential guests accept their offer or stay elsewhere. In contrast, negotiation is normal with group sales (meetings, conventions, tour groups, and corporate travel accounts), and Litvin and Crotts explore the applicability of contemporary e-commerce negotiation models to group sales. They argue that the â€Å"Consumer to Computer† model, (buyers nominate a price, commit to the transaction and have their offer matched to potential suppliers) is inefficient. Only the highest bid is accepted, other potential customers are left unsatisfied and incremental revenue is lost as non-winning bids are foregone. â€Å"Online Requests for Proposal† (buyers detail their requirements, which are then forwarded to potential suppliers) help overcome these limitations, but generally only facilitate matching and have no influence over subsequent negotiations. Litvin and Crotts advocate an â€Å"Automated Business-to-Business Negotiation† model, whereby the facilitating company maintains a dynamic database of active purchase and sale intentions, which it cross-compares to seek potential transactions. Once detected, the negotiation process begins and the system attempts to bring buyers and sellers together by adding stated trade-offs as needed. As this takes place automatically, negotiation can occur simultaneously with multiple partners, increasing the likelihood of finding an appropriate deal. The authors argue that this approach is superior as it balances power differentials through matchmaking, and facilitates the entire process. Compiling a critical mass of potential buyer and seller transactions has limited the commercial success, so far, of this application. (Ref:-www.learnmarketing.net available on 14/02/20080 Hospitality Consumers and E-marketing Online Consumer Decision Making Several articles investigate how technology influences hospitality consumer decision-making. Seeking information is one of the first stages in the decision making process. Gursoy and Umbreit (2004) use 3,264 responses from a European Commission survey to investigate cultural differences in how travellers from 15 EU countries search for information, online and offline. They found five distinct market segments and suggest specific marketing communication campaigns for each segment. For example, travellers from Belgium and Italy use external information sources more often than other segments, while travellers from Denmark and Finland use the Internet most frequently. Marketers need therefore to align their marketing efforts with a cultures information search behaviour. (Ref:- Reid R. D. Bojanic D. C.(2006); hospitality marketing management; 4th edition; New Jersey; Wiley). Jeong et al (2003) explore the role of online information and behavioural intention, highlighting the importance of information satisfaction. They claim that this is a powerful determinant of behavioural intentions; lodging operators must ensure that websites satisfy visitors’ information needs in order to expect online transactions. Specific website elements to note include accurate and reliable information, and easy navigation. Susskind et al. (2003) investigate how apprehensiveness towards Internet use relates to information seeking, purchase intention and purchase behaviour. (Ref:-Mooij M. D.(2005); global marketing and advertising, understanding cultural paradoxes; 2nd edition; USA; Sageavailable on 14/03/2008) Drawing on three separate surveys to develop and refine two measures, General Internet Apprehensiveness (GIA) and Transactional Internet Apprehensiveness (TIA), their results support strong relationships between apprehensiveness and both online information seeking and purchase. (Ref:http://web.biz.uwa.edu.au/staff/jmurphy/OConnor_Murphy_ijhm2004.pdf,available on 23/03/2008) Card et al (2003) also investigate the purchase decision. Surveying members of the Travel and Tourism Research Association, they found that six out of seven shopped online, with airline tickets the most common purchase, followed by accommodation, travel information, rental cars, event tickets, bus or rail tickets and package tours. They found differences between shoppers and non-shoppers based on personal characteristics, with the former tending to be opinion leaders, more innovative, involved in information seeking and used to TV shopping. Their results, however, showed no differences between shoppers and non-shoppers based on perceptions of online store characteristics. Fam et al (2004) also consider online store characteristics, in particular the role of consumer trust. Their study of New Zealand online accommodation providers and consumers suggests a chasm between actual practice and consumer wants. The latter demand significantly more trust features – guarantees, refunds, company information, privacy statement and email confirmations – than websites currently provide. (Ref:http://web.biz.uwa.edu.au/staff/jmurphy/OConnor_Murphy_ijhm2004.pdf,available on 23/03/2008) Website Layout and Design in process of E-marketing To account for such differences between consumer wants and website offerings, hotels need to reflect upon their website design. However, research on effective hospitality websites is an ongoing quest. Several studies specifically examined website layout and design. The first two introduce the notion of the experience economy and suggest how Web technologies can reinforce the customer experience (Dubà ©, Le Bel, Sears, 2003; Stamboulis Skayannis, 2003). Websites, for example, should reinforce a hotel or resorts position by going beyond visual pleasures on the site and adding sensual, emotional and intellectual pleasures for online consumers (Dubà © et al., 2003). Other authors explore the practical and theoretical issues of howto accomplish this, investigating what features and functions hospitality operators should incorporate into their websites. For example, Jeong et al. draw upon past literature to develop six measures of website quality, namely information accuracy, clarity, completeness, ease of use, navigational quality, and color combinations. Responses from 1,743 US respondents suggest that website quality is an important antecedent of information satisfaction, which in turn is a powerful determinant of behavioral intention. Of the quality measures proposed, ease of use shows the strongest relationships with both information satisfaction and behavioral intentions. (Ref:http://web.biz.uwa.edu.au/staff/jmurphy/OConnor_Murphy_ijhm2004.pdf,available on 23/03/2008) â€Å"Chung and Law (2003) develop a performance indicator for hotel websites based on five dimensions of information richness – facilities, customer contact, reservations, surrounding area and website management. Gauging the importance of dimensions from a survey of hotel supervisors, they analyse Hong Kong Hotel Association member websites. Consistent with past research, the level of information technology application relates directly to the hotel category. Murphy et al. (2003) posit that hotels paying attention to email also pay attention to their websites. Measuring email responses and assessing the website features of Swiss hotels, they argue that hotels with professional email responses also lead in the use of websites. Based on their findings, they suggest that hoteliers focus on inexpensive features that show a significant relationship to quality email responses, such as brochure requests, online services, hyperlinks, and branded URLs. Alternatively, their results sug gest that hotels avoid questionable techniques such as animation, as it may reflect a bandwagon effect rather than add value. As in other studies, they found that hotel size and category relate directly to quality e-mail responses and the presence of appropriate website features.† (Ref: web.biz.uwa.edu.au/staff/jmurphy/OConnor_Murphy_ijhm2004.pdf; viewed on 12/03/08) Customer Relationship Management and E-marketing â€Å"Piccoli and colleagues (2003) review the risks and benefits of customer relationship management (CRM). This philosophy of intimate customer familiarity can lower marketing expenditures and increase sales through closer relationships and increased satisfaction. For this to occur, the entire hotel chain must cooperate in the collection, management and dissemination of customer information – an expensive and complicated process. They highlight a potential data-ownership dilemma caused by the structure of the US lodging industry in which owners, management companies, and brands cooperate in the operation of properties. It is inherently difficult for these three entities to share customer data. In addition to cooperating, they frequently compete with each other, which could limit successful CRM implementation. Piccoli et al argue that if these difficulties could be overcome, CRM would work best at the brand level, a claim supported by two case studies of brands with strong C RM programs – Wyndam International (Picolli et al., 2003) and Harrah’s Hotels and Casinos (Magnini, Honeycutt, Hodge, 2003). The latter also exemplifies how successful CRM relies upon data mining. This procedure applies artificial intelligence and sophisticated statistical techniques to customer data to perform five tasks: classification, clustering, deviation detection, associations and forecasting, and can be a valuable tool for hotels seeking to better understand and predict guest behaviour (Magnini et al., 2003).† (Ref: web.biz.uwa.edu.au/staff/jmurphy/OConnor_Murphy_ijhm2004.pdf; viewed on 12/03/08) Two articles investigate the implementation of a CRM system. Based on qualitative and quantitative research with Italian hotel operators, Minghetti (2003) proposes a CRM system and complementary matrix for evaluating guest information, which serve as a convenient blueprint for implementing or evaluating the CRM process. Louvieris and Driver (2004) suggest how the developing XML web standard could enable the CRM process. Consumers increasingly use a variety of devices (for example cell phones, Interactive television and kiosks) to access the web, and need different types of interactions, information and procedures depending on the relationship stage. They show how the current one-size-fits-all approach is unlikely to be successful. However providing the required personalisation to service each situation is difficult using current technology. They propose how the unique characteristics of XML, which uses content specific rather than stylistic tags, could help hotel companies implement the needed device specific and loyalty level personalisation. (Ref: web.biz.uwa.edu.au/staff/jmurphy/OConnor_Murphy_ijhm2004.pdf; viewed on 12/03/08) Finally, three studies investigate a subset of customer relationship management, online customer service. These use similar methodologies to test Swiss hotels (Frey, Schegg, Murphy, 2003), Tunisian hotels (Gherissi-Labben, Schegg, Murphy, 2003), and luxury chain hotels (Schegg, Murphy, et al., 2003). Swiss hotels showed the highest e-mail response rates at 71% with Tunisian hotels at a 45% response rate performing worst. Most respondents, however, gave sloppy and inadequate replies, which suggest a lack of focus on online customer service. The authors argue that email communication is business communication and use diffusion of innovations (Rogers, 1995) as a theoretical base to investigate differences in response rates and response quality. There were no significant differences in response rates but larger, higher rated and affiliated hotels tended to provide better quality responses. (Ref: web.biz.uwa.edu.au/staff/jmurphy/OConnor_Murphy_ijhm2004.pdf; viewed on 12/03/08) Some economic and human factors that affect hotel choice 1. Follow the money Travel decisions are not just about hotels: airline costs, car rental costs and entertainment expenses also drive how companies make choices for approved hotels, in what cities. 2. Familiarity breeds return The role of chain/brand hotel loyalty programs is a significant benefit to travelers. Companies of all sizes can exert influence over these programs – in some cases aggregating stay points for pooled corporate benefit, in other cases permitting travelers to retain points but only in approved locations/chains/brands. 3. Internal and External Roles Hotel selection is influenced by relationships that are cultivated over time. Full time corporate traveler managers guide purchasing decisions. Others within an organization may also greatly influence hotel choices. Corporations may use mega agencies to provide soup-to-nuts purchasing management. Mega agencies may be limited to making recommendations only. Mega agencies may be used for their buying power in selected markets and not others. Here again the total travel buy can influence both corporation and agency behaviors. 4. Power is Local – Sometimes overlooked and taken for granted is the principle of local selling: look in your own backyard. This backyard can extend many hundreds of miles in less densely populated area, or it can literally be next door in major centers of commerce. Inbound demand to hotels can be driven by external business factors pushing business to an area. Demand is also driven by factors that pull the business into an area. Local companies who supply good and services to larger corporations up the food chain can create a gravitational force on their customers. Examples of these include product demonstration facilities, heavy equipment sales, science

The Confederate Flag Dispute Essay -- Confederate Flag Essays

The Confederate Flag Dispute The start of the Confederate flag controversy was due to the request of the NAACP to remove the flag off of South Carolina’s Statehouse. This request is based on the fact that they, the anti-flag groups, claim that the meaning of the Confederate flag is one of hate and discrimination. On the other hand, there are other groups that believe differently whom are called the pro-flag groups. They claim that the flag is a sign of heritage and should stay on the Statehouse. Liberals tend to be in the favor of the anti-flag groups, and conservatives are more likely to be supporting pro-flag groups. Both sides use evidential logos to prove their arguments, and pathos to show how wrong the other side is. Eric Foner’s article â€Å"Rebel Yell† is an example of an anti-flag argument published in a well-known liberal magazine The Nation. In â€Å"Rebel Yell† historian Eric Foner first explains some of the pro-flag arguments in the introduction paragraph; then throughout his article he shows why claims like these are wrong. First He explains that slavery was a big issue in Civil War. Then he attacks the claim made by pro-flag groups that a large amount of black fought for the Confederacy, and lastly he shows how the Confederate flag is now connected with racial inequality. He points out that the Confederate flag is not only associated with slavery but in addition is now associated with racial discrimination. This article is a definition argument that defines the Confederate flag as a negative symbol; in it Foner mainly uses logos to show the meaning of the Confederate flag, pathos as a way of portraying pro-flag supporters as the bad guys, and his ethos to show his audiences he is well-informed of the pro-flag a... ...tion’s history will also be laid to rest†(par. 8). His logical arguments are strait forward and informative and when used with pathos as a pair is very effective. When pathos is not used with some sort of logos the effectiveness of the article quickly wavers and most of the agreeing audience will only be anti-flag supporters. This article being liberal seems to correlate with what the anti-flag side believes in. Anti-flag groups want to remove the flag because of its connection with racism, which has been part of America’s past. Liberals want to make changes for the betterment of society. If liberals see the Confederate flag as a negative symbol then they will want to remove it even though it’s a part of Southern history, is why liberals tend to support the removal of the flag. Work Cited Eric Foner. â€Å"Rebel Yell.† The Nation. 270.6 (February 14, 2000): 4. The Confederate Flag Dispute Essay -- Confederate Flag Essays The Confederate Flag Dispute The start of the Confederate flag controversy was due to the request of the NAACP to remove the flag off of South Carolina’s Statehouse. This request is based on the fact that they, the anti-flag groups, claim that the meaning of the Confederate flag is one of hate and discrimination. On the other hand, there are other groups that believe differently whom are called the pro-flag groups. They claim that the flag is a sign of heritage and should stay on the Statehouse. Liberals tend to be in the favor of the anti-flag groups, and conservatives are more likely to be supporting pro-flag groups. Both sides use evidential logos to prove their arguments, and pathos to show how wrong the other side is. Eric Foner’s article â€Å"Rebel Yell† is an example of an anti-flag argument published in a well-known liberal magazine The Nation. In â€Å"Rebel Yell† historian Eric Foner first explains some of the pro-flag arguments in the introduction paragraph; then throughout his article he shows why claims like these are wrong. First He explains that slavery was a big issue in Civil War. Then he attacks the claim made by pro-flag groups that a large amount of black fought for the Confederacy, and lastly he shows how the Confederate flag is now connected with racial inequality. He points out that the Confederate flag is not only associated with slavery but in addition is now associated with racial discrimination. This article is a definition argument that defines the Confederate flag as a negative symbol; in it Foner mainly uses logos to show the meaning of the Confederate flag, pathos as a way of portraying pro-flag supporters as the bad guys, and his ethos to show his audiences he is well-informed of the pro-flag a... ...tion’s history will also be laid to rest†(par. 8). His logical arguments are strait forward and informative and when used with pathos as a pair is very effective. When pathos is not used with some sort of logos the effectiveness of the article quickly wavers and most of the agreeing audience will only be anti-flag supporters. This article being liberal seems to correlate with what the anti-flag side believes in. Anti-flag groups want to remove the flag because of its connection with racism, which has been part of America’s past. Liberals want to make changes for the betterment of society. If liberals see the Confederate flag as a negative symbol then they will want to remove it even though it’s a part of Southern history, is why liberals tend to support the removal of the flag. Work Cited Eric Foner. â€Å"Rebel Yell.† The Nation. 270.6 (February 14, 2000): 4.

Conflict between Good and Evil in Bradstreet’s The Flesh and the Spirit

Conflict between Good and Evil in Bradstreet’s The Flesh and the Spirit  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      A colonial Puritan minister, Thomas Shepard, nicely summarized the paradox of the Puritan religion when he noted that â€Å"The greatest part of Christian grace lies in mourning the want of it.†Ã‚   Shepard suggests, in this passage, that good Christians should spend their days, indeed their entire lives, exploring and proclaiming their own depravity and sinfulness, their â€Å"want† of Christian grace.   Paradoxically, only this kind of a life could lead, ultimately, to the possibile attainment of God’s grace and thus entrance into heaven.   For the Puritans, such a formula posed a never-ending, internal conflict: good Christians who hope for grace can never believe that they are worthy of such grace.   Indeed, Puritans who want to be moral and upright must constantly keep in mind the fact that they are sinful and wicked and not deserving of God’s attention, much less admittance to heaven. The paradox of Shepard’s passage is one that the early Puritans not only firmly believed but also lived day in and day out.   As a central tenet of their existence, this paradox led Puritans to experience a constant internal struggle between two aspects of the Puritan self:   the sinful, wicked side and the redeemed, saved side.   Significantly, the struggle became a common motif in many Puritan works, including Anne Bradstreet’s â€Å"The Flesh and the Spirit.†Ã‚   In this poem, Bradstreet describes not only the dual self that was the result of Puritan theology but also the psychological significance of the Puritan paradox.   â€Å"The Flesh and the Spirit† demonstrates that the road to attainment of grace, and thus to salvation, lies not in resolving the conflict between the two aspe... ...e that existed because of the Puritan belief in total depravity.   The conflict between the sinful self and the redeemed self originated from the condition that, according to Puritans, humans, who are stricken with original sin because of Adam’s fall, must always keep an awareness of their depraved status in the forefront of their thoughts.   Such a belief led to a serious internal, psychological struggle that would only come to an end in death.   While the Puritans could never be assured of receiving God’s grace, they believed that if they maintained the struggle between their dual self in this life, when they died, they might be chosen to receive grace and thus attain salvation. Works Cited Bradstreet, Anne.   â€Å"The Flesh and the Spirit.†Ã‚   The Heath Anthology of American Literature.   Ed. Paul Lauter, et al. 2nd ed. Vol. 1.   Lexington:   Heath, 1994.   302-305.  

Graduation Speech: Explore. Dream. Discover :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

I am about to give you a final challenge as a high school student. I am about to ask you to do something you were sure you wouldn’t have to do again for a while with the ending of high school. I am asking you to think. Please, just this once, take a moment to put that educated mind to work. Think of something you really want right now, go ahead, don’t complain, just do it. What do you really want? A few of you searched your minds and out of the millions of things you are sure you want, not one could surface above the rest. The most common thoughts you had were probably "I want to eat" or "I want to sleep" or, "I want to move this hanging thing over to the other side of my cap now so that I can be on my way." There’s something in common with what everyone just thought about. It’s something to make you happy. In a world of ever-growing business and technology, we hear about the new millionaires captured by stocks and the booming world of computers and along with them the amounts of money beyond the comprehension of most of us. This year, I believe I speak for the majority when I say we’ve felt so poor, cutting back on McDonald’s and TCBY to save up for an expensive trip to prom, a grad night party and college applications for which you sent the money away and weren’t even guaranteed anything but probably a nice postcard in return. Now, all of a sudden if we end up somehow with a $5 bill in hand, we think we’re all set and ready to go. A $5 bill is endless possibilities. The truth is, you won’t miss your $30 application fee in a few years, you’ll be happy if you have a job you look forward to every day. You won’t miss the money you spent on prom in 10 years, you’ll be happy if you are content with your life. Perhaps for you this means a family. As Einstein once said, "Happiness is the ability to enjoy the passage of time." Different people can reach happiness in so many different ways, but to everyone it is all that really matters. At this point in our lives it’s difficult not to think that happiness is had by material products — the newest technology, the nicest clothes around, or that car you probably aren’t getting for graduation.

Mineral Particles Derived From Rocks Environmental Sciences Essay

Chapter 2LITERATURE REVIEW2.1. IntroductionDirts are composed of five chief constituents ( Sinha and Shrivastava, 2000 ) : mineral atoms derived from stones by enduring ; organic stuffs – humus from dead and disintegrating works stuff ; dirt H2O – in which alimentary elements are dissolved ; dirt air – both C dioxide and O ; and populating beings including bacteriums that help works decomposition. Soils differ in their birthrate degrees, because they have different proportions of these constituents and because the mineral atoms have been affected to different grades by enduring. Age of dirt minerals, predominating temperatures, rainfall, leaching and dirty physico-chemistry are the chief factors which determine how much a peculiar dirt will endure ( Sinha and Shrivastava, 2000 ) . Soil therefore, is of import to everyone either straight or indirectly. It is the natural organic structures on which agricultural merchandises grow and it has delicate ecosystem ( Sinha and Shrivastava, 2000 ) . South Africa ranks among the states with the highest rate of income inequality in the universe ( Aliber, 2009 ) . Compared to other in-between income states, it has highly high degrees of absolute poorness and nutrient insecurity menace ( FAO, 2009 ) . As portion of this, a possible subscriber to nutrient security might be small-scale agricultural production. Aliber ( 2009 ) indicated that input support aiming smallholder husbandmans could hike production and nutrient security. Use of uncultivated cultivable lands and subsistence agribusiness might be one option to lend to incomes and/or nest eggs, every bit good as to promote nutrient variegation ( Altman et al. , 2009 ) . Land with high agricultural suitableness is considered to hold greater long-run security with respects to both agricultural production and development. From a planning position, high agricultural flexibleness is hence considered an appropriate step of high quality agricultural land that is extremely productive and fertile. Merely a little proportion of universe ‘s dirts have a really good degree of birthrate, most of which have merely good to medium birthrate and some have really low birthrate, and are frequently referred to as fringy dirts ( Ashman and Puri, 2002 ) . Well-known fertile dirts are deep alluvial dirts formed from river clay, organic matter- rich dirts on loess stuff, alimentary rich Vertisols and volcanic dirts ( Brady and Weil, 2004 ) . Under hapless direction, dirt birthrate can be earnestly depleted and dirts may go useless for agribusiness. 2.2. SOIL PHYSICO-CHEMISTRY Soil is a natural medium on which agricultural merchandises grow and it is dependent on several factors such as birthrate to be considered productive ( Shah et al. , 2011 ) . The birthrate of the dirt is depended on concentration of dirt foods, organic and inorganic stuffs and H2O. These soil physico-chemical belongingss are classified as being physical, chemical and biological, which greatly influence dirt birthrate ( Ramaru et al. , 2000 ) . To pull off dirt birthrate, cognition and apprehension of these belongingss is required ( as discussed below ) .2.2.1. Physical dirt belongingss( I ) Dirt textureSoil texture refers to the comparative proportions of the assorted size groups of single atoms or grains in a dirt ( Rowell, 1994 ) . It is dependent on the mixture of the different atom sizes present in the dirt. Based on these different sizes, dirt atoms are classified as sand ( 0.05- 2mm ) , silt ( 0.002-0,5mm ) and clay ( & lt ; 0,002mm ) ( Rowell, 1994 ) . Soil texture is arguably the individual most of import physical belongings of the dirt in footings of dirt birthrate, because it influences several other dirt belongingss including denseness, porousness, H2O and alimentary keeping, rate of organic affair decomposition, infiltration and cation exchange capacity ( Moberg et al. , 1999 ) . Clay particles keep larger measures of H2O and foods, because of their big surface countries ( Brady and Weil, 1999 ) . This belongings causes the puffiness and shrinkage of clay dirts, but merely those with smectitic group of clay minerals. The big surface country of clay atoms gives foods legion adhering sites particularly when the surface charge denseness is high, which is portion of the ground that mulct textured dirts have such high abilities to retain foods ( Velde, 1995 ) . The pores between clay atoms are really little and complex, so motion of both air and H2O is really slow ( Brady and Weil, 1999 ) . Clay atoms are negatively charged because of their mineralogical composing. Dirts with such atoms normally have high CEC and can retain H2O and works foods ; therefore such dirts are considered to be fertile and good for works growing ( Brady and Weil, 1999 ) . The cognition of the proportions of different-sized atoms in dirts is critical to understand dirt behaviour and their direction. Since sand atoms are comparatively big, so are the nothingnesss between them, which promote free drainage of H2O and entry of air into the dirt ( Brady and Weil, 2002 ) . The deduction of free drainage in flaxen dirt is that dirt foods are easy washed down into the dirt and go unaccessible for usage by workss ( Brady and Weil, 2002 ) . Sandy dirts are considered non-cohesive and because of their big size, have low specific surface countries and therefore have low alimentary keeping capacity ( Rowell, 1994 ) . Sand atoms can keep small H2O due to low specific surface country and are prone to drought, hence have a really low CEC and birthrate position ( Petersen et al. , 1996 ) . The pores between silt atoms are much smaller than those in sand, so silt retains more H2O and foods ( Rowell, 1994 ) . Soils dominated by silt atoms hence have a higher birthrate position than sandy dirts and provides favourable conditions for works growing when other growing factors are favourable ( Miller and Donahue, 1992 ) .( two ) Dirt constructionThe term dirt construction refers to the agreement of dirt atoms into sums ( Six et al. , 2000 ) . Dirt construction is affected by biological activities, organic affair, and cultivation patterns ( Rowell, 1994 ) . It influences soil H2O motion and keeping, eroding, alimentary recycling, sealing and crusting of the dirt surface, together with aeration and dirt ‘s structural stableness, root incursion and harvest output ( Lupwayi et al. , 2001 ) . Dirt construction can be platy, prismatic, farinaceous, crumbly, columnar and blocky ( RCEP, 1996 ) . An ideal dirt construction for works growing is frequently described as farinaceous or crumb-like, because it provides good motion for air and H2O through a assortment of different pore sizes and it besides affects root incursion ( RCEP, 1996 ) . An ideal dirt construction is besides stable and immune to eroding ( Duiker et al. , 2003 ) . Organic affair and humification procedures improve structural stableness, and can reconstruct debauched dirt constructions ( Brady and Weil, 1999 ) . Therefore it is critical to return or add organic stuff to the dirt and to keep its biological activity in order to heighten dirt construction for works growing. Favorable dirt construction and high sum stableness are hence critical to bettering dirt birthrate, increasing agronomic productiveness, heightening porousness and diminishing erodibility.( three ) Water keeping capacityWater keeping capacity refers to the measure of H2O that the dirt is capable of hive awaying for usage by workss ( Brady and Weil, 1999 ) . Soil H2O is held in, and flows through pore infinites in dirts. Soil H2O can be described into the undermentioned phases: gravitational, capillary, and hygroscopic, based upon the energy with which H2O is held by the dirt solids, which in bend governs their behaviour and handiness to workss ( Rowell, 1994 ) . Water keeping capacity is an of import factor in the pick of workss or harvests to be grown and in the design and direction of irrigation systems ( Brady and Weil, 1999 ) . The entire sum of H2O available to workss turning in field dirts is a map of the rooting deepness of the works and amount of the H2O held between field capacity and wilting per centum in each of the skylines explored by the roots ( Brady and Weil, 1999 ) . Field capacity is the sum of dirt wet or H2O content held in dirt after extra H2O has drained off and the rate of downward motion has materially decreased, which normally takes topographic point within 2-3 yearss after a rain or irrigation in pervious dirts of unvarying construction and texture ( Govers, 2002 ) . The ability of the dirt to supply H2O for workss is an of import birthrate characteristic ( RCEP, 1996 ) . The capacity for H2O storage varies, depending on dirt belongingss such as organic affair, dirt texture, bulk denseness, and dirt construction ( RCEP, 1996 ) . This is explained by the grade of dirt compression, where jobs will originate if inordinate compression occurs which would consequences in increased majority denseness, a lessening in porousness and aeration and hapless H2O drainage ( Gregory et al. , 2006 ) , all ensuing in hapless works growing.( four ) Electrical Conductivity ( EC )Soil electrical conduction ( EC ) , is the ability of dirt to carry on electrical current ( Doerge, 1999 ) . EC is expressed in milliSiemens per metre ( mS/m ) or centimeter ( cm/m ) . Traditionally, dirt scientists used EC to gauge dirt salt ( Doerge, 1999 ) . EC measurings besides have the potency for gauging fluctuation in some of the dirt physical belongingss such as dirt wet and porousn ess, in a field where dirt salt is non a job ( Farahani and Buchleiter, 2004 ) . Soil salt refers to the presence of major dissolved inorganic solutes in the dirt aqueous stage, which consist of soluble and readily dissoluble salts including charged species ( e.g. , Na+ , K+ , Mg+2, Ca+2, Cla?’ , HCO3a?’ , NO3a?’ , SO4a?’2 and CO3a?’2 ) , non-ionic solutes, and ions that combine to organize ion braces ( Smith and Doran, 1996 ) . Salt tolerances are normally given in footings of the phase of works growing over a scope of electrical conduction ( EC ) degrees. EC greater than 4dS/m are considered saline ( Munshower, 1994 ) . Salt sensitive workss may be affected by conductions below 4dS/m and salt tolerant species may non be impacted by concentrations of up to twice this maximal agricultural tolerance bound ( Munshower, 1994 ) . Electrical conduction is the ability of a solution to convey an electrical current. The conductivity of electricity in dirt takes topographic point through the moisture-filled pores that occur between single dirt atoms. Therefore, the EC of dirt is determined by the undermentioned dirt belongingss ( Doerge, 1999 ) : . Porosity, where the greater dirt porousness, the more easy electricity is conducted. Soil with high clay content has higher porousness than sandier dirt. Compaction usually increases dirt EC. . Water content, dry dirt is much lower in conduction than damp dirt. . Salinity degree, increasing concentration of electrolytes ( salts ) in dirt H2O will dramatically increase dirt EC. . Cation exchange capacity ( CEC ) , mineral dirt incorporating high degrees of organic affair ( humus ) and/or 2:1 clay minerals such as montmorillonite, illite, or vermiculite hold a much higher ability to retain positively charged ions ( such as Ca, Mg, K, Na, NH4, or H ) than dirt missing these components. The presence of these ions in the moisture-filled dirt pores will heighten dirt EC in the same manner that salt does. . Temperature, as temperature decreases toward the stop deading point of H2O, dirt EC decreases somewhat. Below freeze, dirt pores become progressively insulated from each other and overall dirt EC declines quickly. Plants are harmfully affected, both physically and chemically, by extra salts in some dirts and by high degrees of exchangeable Na in others. Dirty with an accretion of exchangeable Na are frequently characterized by hapless tilth and low permeableness and hence low dirt birthrate position, doing them unfavourable for works growing ( Munshower, 1994 ) .( V ) Bulk Density ( BD )Soil majority denseness is defined as the mass of dry dirt ( g ) per unit volume ( cm3 ) and is routinely used as a step of dirt compression ( Gregory et al. , 2006 ) . The entire volume includes atom volume, inter-particle nothingness volume and internal pore volume ( Gregory et al. , 2006 ) . Bulk denseness takes into history solid infinite every bit good as pore infinite ( Greenland, 1998 ) . Therefore soils that are porous or well-aggregated ( e.g. clay dirt ) will hold lower majority densenesss than dirts that are non aggregated ( sand ) ( Greenland, 1998 ) . Plant roots can non perforate compacted dirt every bit freely as they would in non-compacted dirt, which limits their entree to H2O and foods present in sub-soil and inhibits their growing ( Hagan et al. , 2010 ) . Compacted dirt requires more frequent applications of irrigation and fertiliser to prolong works growing, which can increase overflow and food degrees in overflow ( Gregory et al. , 2006 ) . The majority denseness of dirt depends greatly on the dirt ‘s mineral make up and the grade of compression. High bulk denseness normally indicate a poorer environment for root growing, reduced aeration and unwanted alterations in hydrologic map, such as decreased infiltration ( Brady and Weil, 1999 ) . The presence of dirt organic affair, which is well lighter than mineral dirt, can assist diminish bulk denseness and thereby heightening dirt birthrate ( Hagan et al. , 2010 ) .2.2.2. Soil Chemical belongingssSoil chemical belongingss which include the concentrations of foods, cations, anions, ion exchange reactions and oxidation-reduction belongingss, but for the intent of this survey focal point will be based on belongingss that have an deduction on dirt birthrate including:( I ) Soil pHSoil pH is an of import dirt belongings that affects several dirt reactions and procedures and is defined as a step of the sourness or alkalinity of the dirt ( Bohn, 2001 ) . It has considerable consequence on dirt procedures including ion exchange reactions and alimentary handiness ( Rowell, 1994 ) . Soil pH is measured on a graduated table of 0 to 14, where a pH of 7.0 is considered impersonal, readings higher than 7.0 are alkalic, and readings lower than 7.0 are considered acidic ( McGuiness, 1993 ) . Most workss are tolerant of a pH scope of 5.5-6.5 which is near impersonal pH scope ( Bohn, 2001 ) . Soil pH is one of the most of import features of dirt birthrate, because it has a direct impact on alimentary handiness and works growing. Most foods are more soluble in acid dirts than in impersonal or somewhat alkalic dirts ( Bohn, 2001 ) . In strongly acidic soils the handiness of macronutrients ( Ca, Mg, K, P, N and S ) every bit good as Mo and B is reduced. In contrast, handiness of micronutrient cations ( Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu and Al ) is increased by low dirt pH, even to the extent of toxicity of higher workss and micro-organisms ( Bohn, 2001 ) . The pH of a dirt is besides reported to impact so many other dirt belongingss ( Brady and Weil, 1999 ) , including alimentary handiness, effects on dirt beings, Fungis thrive in acidic dirts, CEC and works penchants of either acidic or alkalic dirts. Most workss prefer alkaline dirts, but there are a few which need acidic dirts and will decease if placed in an alkaline environment ( Brady and Weil, 1999 ) .( two ) Cation Exchange Capacity ( CEC )Cation exchange capacity is defined as the amount of the sum of the exchangeable cations that a dirt can keep or adsorb ( Brady and Weil, 1999 ) . A cation is a positively charged ion and most foods cations are: Ca2+ , Mg2+ , K + , NH4+ , Zn2+ , Cu2+ , and Mn2+ . These cations are in the dirt solution and are in dynamic equilibrium with the cations adsorbed on the surface of clay and organic affair ( Brady and Weil, 1999 ) . Clay and organic affair are the chief beginnings of CEC ( Peinemann et al. , 2002 ) . The more clay and organic affair ( humus ) a dirt contains, the higher its CEC and the greater the possible birthrate of that dirt. CEC varies harmonizing to the type of clay. It is highest in montmorillonite clay, lowest in to a great extent weathered kaolinite clay and somewhat higher in the lupus erythematosus weathered illite clay ( Peinemann et al. , 2002 ) . Sand atoms have no capacity to interchange cations because it has no electrical charge ( Brady and Weil, 1999 ) . CEC is used as a step of dirt alimentary keeping capacity, and the capacity to protect groundwater from cation taint ( Brady and Weil, 1999 ) . It buffers fluctuations in alimentary handiness and dirt pH ( Bergaya and Vayer, 1997 ) . Plants obtain many of their foods from dirt by an electrochemical procedure called cation exchange. This procedure is the key to understanding dirt birthrate ( Rowell, 1994 ) . Foods that are held by charges on a dirt are termed ‘exchangeable ‘ as they become readily available to workss ( Rowell, 1994 ) .The higher the CEC of a dirt, the more foods it is likely to keep and the higher will be its birthrate degree ( Fullen and Catt, 2004 ) .Factors impacting cation exchange capacityThe factors impacting cation exchange capacity include the undermentioned ( Brady and Weil 1999 ) , dirt texture, dirt humus content, nature of clay and dirt reaction. Soil texture influences the CEC of dirts in a manner that it increases when dirt ‘s per centum of clay additions i.e. the finer the dirt texture, the higher the CEC as indicated in Table 2. CEC depends on the nature of clay minerals present, since each mineral has its ain capacity to exchange and keep cations e.g. the CEC of a dirt dominated by vermiculite is much higher than the CEC of another dirt dominated by kaolinite, as vermiculite is high activity clay unlike kaolinte which is low activity clay. When the pH of dirt additions, more H+ ions dissociate from the clay minerals particularly kaolinite, therefore the CEC of dirt dominated by kaolinite besides increases. CEC varies harmonizing to the type of dirt. Humus, the terminal merchandise of decomposed organic affair, has the highest CEC value because organic affair colloids have big measures of negative charges. Humus has a CEC two to five times greater than montmorillonite clay and up to 30 times greater than kaolinite c lay, so is really of import in bettering dirt birthrate. Table 2.1: CEC values for different dirt textures ( Brady and Weil, 1999 )Dirt textureCEC scope ( meq/100g dirt )Sand 2-4 Sandy loam 2-12 Loam 7-16 Silt loam 9-26 Clay, clay loam 4-60( three ) Organic MatterThe importance of dirt organic affair in relation to dirty birthrate and physical status is widely recognized in agribusiness. However, organic affair contributes to the birthrate or productiveness of the dirt through its positive effects on the physical, chemical and biological belongingss of the dirt ( Rowell, 1994 ) , as follows: physical – stabilizes dirt construction, improves H2O keeping features, lowers bulk denseness, dark colour may change thermic belongingss ; chemical – higher CEC, acts as a pH buffer, ties up metals, interacts with biological – supplies energy and body-building components for dirt beings, increases microbic populations and their activities, beginning and sink for foods, ecosystem resiliency, affects dirt enzymes. Soil organic affair consists of a broad scope of organic substances, including populating beings, carboneous remains of beings which one time occupied the dirt, and organic compounds produced by current and past metamorphosis of the dirt ( Brady and Weil, 1999 ) . Soil organic affair plays a critical function in dirt procedures and is a cardinal component of incorporate dirt birthrate direction ( ISFM ) ( Brady and Weil, 2004 ) . Organic affair is widely considered to be the individual most of import index of dirt birthrate and productiveness ( Rowell, 1994 ) . It consists chiefly of decayed or disintegrating works and animate being residues and is a really of import dirt constituent. Benefits of Organic affair in dirt harmonizing to Ashman and Puri, ( 2002 ) include: increasing the dirt ‘s cation exchange capacity and moving as nutrient for dirt beings from bacteriums to worms and is an of import constituent in the food and C rhythms. Organic affair, like clay, has a high surface country and is negatively charged with a high CEC, doing it an first-class provider of foods to workss. In add-on, as organic affair decomposes, it releases foods such as N, P and S that are bound in the organic affair ‘s construction, basically copying a slow release fertiliser ( Myers, 1995 ) . Organic affair can besides keep big sums of H2O, which helps foods move from dirt to works roots ( Mikkuta, 2004 ) . An of import feature of organic affair in dirt birthrate is C: N ratio. The C: N ratio in organic affair of cultivable surface skylines normally ranges from 8:1 to 15:1, the average being near 12:1 ( Brady and Weil, 1999 ) . The C: N ratio in organic residues applied to dirts is of import for two grounds: intense competition among the microorganisms for available dirt N which occurs when residues holding a high Degree centigrade: N ratio are added to dirts and it besides helps find their rate of decay and the rate at which N is made available to workss ( Brady and Weil, 1999 ) .( four ) Plant FoodsPlants require 13 works foods ( Table 2.2 ) ( micro and macro foods ) for their growing. Each is every bit of import to the works, yet each is required in immensely different sums ( Ronen, 2007 ) . Essential elements are chemical elements that workss need in order to finish their normal life rhythm ( Scoones and Toulhim, 1998 ) . The maps of these elements in the works can non be fulfilled by another, therefore doing each component necessity for works growing and development ( Scoones and Toulhim, 1998 ) . Essential foods are divided into macro and micronutrients as illustrated in Table 3. Macronutrients are those that are required in comparatively high measures for works growing and can be distinguish into two bomber groups, primary and secondary 1s, ( Uchida and Silva, 2000 ) . The primary macro-elements are most often required for works growing and besides needed in the greatest entire measure by workss. For most harvests, secondary macro foods are needed in lesser sums than the primary foods. The 2nd group of works foods which are micronutrients are needed merely in hint sums ( Scoones and Toulhim, 1998 ) . These micronutrients are required in really little sums, but they are merely every bit of import to works development and profitable harvest production as the major foods ( Ronen, 2007 ) . Categorization Component Function in works growing Beginning Lack symptoms and toxicities Macro foods – Primary Nitrogen ( N ) Chlorophyll and Protein formation Air/Soil, applied fertilizers Slow growing, stunted workss, greensickness, low protein content Phosphorus ( P ) Photosynthesis, Stimulates early growing and root formation, hastens adulthood Dirt and applied fertilizers Slow growing, delayed harvest adulthood, purple green colour of foliages Potassium ( K ) Photosynthesis and nzyme activity, amylum and sugar formation, root growing Dirt and applied fertilizers Slow growing, Reduced disease or plague opposition, development of white and xanthous musca volitanss on foliages Macro foods – secondary Calcium ( Ca ) Cell growing and constituent of cell wall Dirt Weakened roots, decease of workss ‘ turning points, unnatural dark green visual aspect on leaf Magnesium ( Mg ) Enzyme activation, photosynthesis and influence Nitrogen metamorphosis Dirt Interveinal greensickness in older foliages, curling of foliages, stunted growing, Sulfur ( S ) Amino acids, proteins and nodule formation Dirt and carnal manure Interveinal greensickness on maize foliages, retarded growing, delayed adulthood and visible radiation viridities to yellowish colour in immature foliages Micronutrients – necessity Iron ( Fe ) Photosynthesis, chlorophyll synthesis, component of assorted enzymes and proteins Dirt Interveinal greensickness, yellowing of foliages between venas, twig dieback, decease of full hitch or workss Manganese ( Mn ) Enzyme activation, metamorphosis of N and organic acids, formation of vitamins and dislocation of saccharides Dirt Interveinal greensickness of immature foliages, step of picket green colour with darker colour next to venas Zinc ( Zn ) Enzymes and auxins constituent, protein synthesis, used in formation of growing endocrines Dirt Mottled foliages, dieback branchlets, lessening in root length Copper ( Cu ) Enzyme activation, accelerator for respiration Dirt Scrawny growing, hapless pigmentation, wilting of foliages Boron ( B ) Reproduction Dirt Thickened, curled, wilted and greensick foliages ; reduced blossoming Molybdenum ( Mo ) Nitrogen arrested development ; nitrate decrease and works growing Dirt Stunting and deficiency of energy ( induced by nitrogen lack ) , searing, cupping or turn overing of foliages Chlorine ( Cl ) Root growing, photosynthetic reactions Dirt Wilting followed by greensickness, inordinate ramification of sidelong roots, bronzing of foliages Extra foods Carbon ( C ) Component of saccharides and photosynthesis Air/ Organic affair Hydrogen ( H ) Maintains osmotic balance and component of saccharides Water/Organic affair Oxygen ( O ) Component of saccharides and necessary for respiration Air/Water/ Organic affair Table 2.2: Essential works elements, their beginnings and function in workss ( Ronen,2007 ) Lack of any of these indispensable foods will retard works development ( Brady and Weil, 2004 ) . Deficiencies and toxicities of foods in dirt present unfavourable conditions for works growing, such as: hapless growing, yellowing of the foliages and perchance the decease of the works as illustrated in Table 3 ( Ahmed et al. , 1997 ) . Therefore proper alimentary direction is required to accomplish upper limit works growing, maximal economic and growing response by the harvest, and besides for minimal environmental impact. In add-on to the foods listed supra, workss require C, H, and O, which are extracted from air and H2O to do up the majority of works weight ( Brady and Weil, 1999 ) . Achieving balance between the alimentary demands of workss and the alimentary militias in dirts is indispensable for keeping dirt birthrate and high outputs, forestalling environmental taint and debasement, and prolonging agricultural production over the long term.2.2.3. Soil Biological belongingss( I ) Soil beingsSoil beings include largely microscopic populating beings such as bacteriums and Fungis which are the foundation of a healthy dirt because they are the primary decomposer of organic affair ( Brady and Weil, 1999 ) . Soil beings are grouped into two viz. soil micro-organisms and dirt macro beings ( Table 2.3 ) . Table 2.3: Dirt Macro and micro-organisms and their function in works and dirt ( Brady and Weil, 1999 ) Categorization Organisms Function in works and/or dirt Beginning Microorganisms Bacterias Decomposition of organic affair Soil surface and humus atoms Actinomycetes Beginning of protein and enhance dirt birthrate Surface beds of grass lands Fungus kingdoms Fix atmospheric N and enhance dirt birthrate Soil ( without organic affair ) Alga Add organic affair to dirty, better aeration of swamp dirts, and repair atmospheric N Moist dirts Macro-organisms Nematodes They can be applied to harvests in big measures as a biological insect powder Dirt and works roots Earthworms Enhance dirt birthrate and structural stableness Aerated dirts Ants and white ants Soil development Dominant in tropical dirts Dirt can incorporate 1000000s of beings that feed off disintegrating stuff such as old works stuff, mulch & A ; unrefined compost ( Ashman and Puri, 2002 ) , Microorganisms constitute & lt ; 0.5 % of the dirt mass yet they have a major impact on dirt belongingss and procedures. 60-80 % of the entire dirt metamorphosis is due to the microflora ( Alam, 2001 ) . Micro-organisms, including Fungis and bacteriums, affect chemical exchanges between roots and dirt and act as modesty of dirt foods ( Kiem and Kandeler, 1997 ) . Soil organic affair is the chief nutrient and energy beginning of dirt micro-organisms ( Ashman and Puri, 2002 ) . Through decomposition of organic affair, micro-organisms take up their nutrient elements. Organic affair besides serves as a beginning of energy for both macro and micro beings and helps in executing assorted good maps in dirt, ensuing in extremely productive dirt ( Mikutta et al. , 2004 ) . Macro-organisms such as insects, other arthropods, angleworms and roundworms live in the dirt and have an of import influence on dirt birthrate ( Amezketa, 1999 ) . They ingest soil stuff and relocate works stuff and signifier tunnels. The effects of these activities are variable. Macro-organisms improve aeration, porousness, infiltration, aggregative stableness, litter commixture, improved N and C stabilisation, C turnover and carbonate decrease and N mineralization, alimentary handiness and metal mobility ( Amezketa, 1999 ; Winsome and McColl, 1998 and Brown et al. , 2000 ) . The assorted groups of dirt beings do non populate independently of each other, but form an interlocked system more or less in equilibrium with the environment ( Brady and Weil, 1999 ) . Their activity in dirt depend on wet content, temperature, dirt enzymes, disintegration of dirt minerals and dislocation of toxic chemicals. All have a enormous function in the development of dirt birthrate ( Alam, 2001 ) . Their actions involve the formation of structural systems of the dirts which help in the addition of agricultural productiveness ( Alam, 2001 ) .2.3. SOIL CLAY MINERALOGYThe clay fraction of dirt is dominated by clay minerals which control of import dirt chemical belongingss including sorption features of dirts ( Dixon and Schulze, 2002 ) . Minerals are of course happening inorganic compounds, with defined chemical and physical belongingss ( Velde, 1995 ) . Minerals that are formed in the deepnesss of a vent are called primary minerals ( Pal et al. , 2000 ) . Feldspar, biotite, vi treous silica and hornblende are illustrations of primary minerals. These minerals and the stones made from them are frequently non stable when exposed to the weathering agents at the surface of the Earth ( Dixon and Schulze, 2002 ) . These stones are broken down ( weathered ) continuously into little pieces by exposure to physical and chemical weathering procedures ( Dixon and Schulze, 2002 ) . Some of the elements that are released during weathering, reform and crystallise in a different construction organizing secondary minerals ( Melo et al. , 2002 ) . Secondary minerals tend to be much smaller in atom size than primary minerals, and are most normally found in the clay fraction of dirts ( Guggenheim and Martin, 1995 ) . Soil clay fractions frequently contain a broad scope of secondary minerals such as kaolinite, montmorillonite and aluminium hydrated oxides, whereas the sand or silt atoms of dirts are dominated by comparatively inert primary minerals. The clay fraction is normally dominated by secondary minerals which are more chemically active and lend the most to dirty birthrate ( Melo et al. , 2002 ) . Two major secondary mineral groups, clay minerals and hydrated oxides, tend to rule. These groups can look in assorted mixtures frequently in association with dirt organic affair ( Brady and Weil, 2004 ) . Clay minerals are hydrated aluminum phyllosilicates, sometimes with variable sums of Fe, Mg, alkali metals, alkalic Earth metals and other cations, ( Joussein et al. , 2005 ) . They are derived from enduring of stones and are really common in all right grained sedimentary stones such as shale, mudstone and siltstone and in all right grained metamorphous slate and phyllite ( Van der Merwe et al. , 2002 ) . There are besides non-clay minerals such as vitreous silica and calcite which are derived from enduring of pyrogenic stones, ( Van der Merwe et al. , 2002 ) . Clay minerals are indispensable stages in dirt chemical science and play highly of import functions in ion exchange reactions ( Brigatti et al. , 1996 ; Barrow, 1999 ) . Soils which are texturally and chemically similar may differ in productiveness or birthrate due to the presence or absence of little sums of peculiar clay minerals ( Van der Merwe et al. , 2002 ) . For illustration, smectite clays are various and strong cationic money changers and their presence can greatly act upon the mobility of potentially toxic elements. Vermiculite has been widely used in the survey of short- to medium-term fluctuations ( seasonal and one-year ) in dirt procedures ( Monterroso and Macias, 1998 ) . Soil clay mineralogy plays a critical function in dirt birthrate since mineral surfaces serve as possible sites for alimentary storage ( Tucker, 1999 ) . However, different types of dirt minerals hold and retain differing sums of foods ( Velde, 1995 ) . Therefore, it is critical to cognize the types of minerals that make up a dirt so as to foretell the grade to which the dirt can retain and provide foods to workss. Knowledge of the clay mineralogical composing and the different clay minerals present in dirt is of import in understanding usage, and direction of the dirt, and in finding the agricultural potencies of dirts.2.3.1. Happening of clay and clay mineralsClaies and clay minerals occur under a reasonably limited scope of geologic conditions ( Velde et al. , 2003 ) . The environments of formation include dirt skylines, Continental and marine deposits, geothermic Fieldss, volcanic sedimentations, and enduring stone formations ( Joussein et al. , 2005 ) . Most clay minerals form where stones are in contact with H2O, air, or steam ( Hillier, 1995 ) . Examples of these state of affairss include enduring bowlders on a hillside, deposits in sea or lake undersides, profoundly inhumed deposits incorporating pure H2O, and stones in contact with H2O heated by magma ( liquefied stone ) ( Hillier, 1995 ) . A primary demand for the formation of clay minerals is the presence of H2O. Soil clay minerals ‘ formation occurs in many different environments, including the weathering environment, the sedimentary environment, and the digenetic-hydrothermal environment ( Brady and Weil, 1999 ) . Clay minerals composed of the more soluble compounds e.g. smectites are formed in environments where ions can roll up ( e.g. in a dry clime, in a ill drained dirt, in the ocean, or in saline lakes ) ( Velde 1995 ) . Clay minerals composed of less soluble compounds ( for illustration, kaolinite and halloysite ) signifier in more dilute H2O such as that found in environments that undergo terrible leaching ( for illustration, a brow in the wet Torrid Zones ) , where merely meagerly soluble elements such as aluminium and Si can stay ( Brady and Weil, 1999 ) . Illite and chlorite are known to organize copiously in the diagenetic-hydrothermal environment by reaction from smectite ( Brady and Weil, 1999 ) . 2.3.2. Weathering of mineralsThe minerals ‘ parent stuffs form in the crystallization of liquefied stone stuff: these are known as primary minerals, and include olivine, quartz, feldspar and hornblende. Primary minerals are non stable when exposed to H2O, air current and extremes of temperature ( Hillier, 1995 ) . Some of the elements that are released during enduring reform and crystallise in a different construction: these are the secondary minerals, and include vermiculite, montmorillonite and kaolinite ( Hillier, 1995 ) . Secondary minerals tend to be much smaller in atom size than primary minerals, and are most normally found in the clay fraction of dirts. As minerals weather, they lose Si ( as soluble silicic acid ) , taking to increasing proportions of aluminates in weather-beaten clays, such as kaolinite. Aluminium hydrated oxide species are amphoteric. The rate and nature of the enduring procedure really much depends on climatic conditions. Intense enduring produced in a hot and damp clime can take to major alterations in mineral construction and the transition to hydrated oxides. There are four stages to be considered in the system that model the formation of clay minerals by the weathering of flinty stones as the clays have a definite composing: K-feldspar, Muscovite ( illite ) , Kaolinite and gibbsite: 3KAlSi3O8 ) +2H+ +12H2O i‚ «2K+ +6Si ( OH ) 4 +KAl3Si3O10 ( OH ) 2 ( K- Feldspar ) ( Illite ) †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ [ Eqn. 2.1 ] 2KAl3Si3O10 ( OH ) 2 + 3H2O + 2H+ i‚ «2K+ + 3Al2Si2O5 ( OH ) 4 ( Illite ) ( Kaolinite ) †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . [ Eqn. 2.2 ] Al2Si2O5+ ( OH ) 4 5H2O i‚ «iˆ 2Si ( OH ) 4 + 2Al ( OH ) 3 ( Kaolinite ) ( Gibbsite ) †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . [ Eqn. 2.3 ]