Hate Hurts, How Children Learn and Unlearn Prejudice

You know there is hate and prejudice out there in the world, but sometimes you try to live your life pretending it’s not, just as long as it is not affection you or your family. It was surprising to me to see how early children notice differences in each other. Even children are already using (race) in some rudimentary way at six months (Stern, Larosa pg. 18). It’s amazing to hear about Dr. Phyllis Katz’s experiment. We know babies pay attention to their surroundings, and the people in it. Just didn’t realize how closely. In her experiment it showed how a six month old baby got bored looking at the same pictures of the same faces, and then got interested when a face of a different color was introduced. These differences help babies form a secure knowledge of themselves as entities separate from others (Stern, Larosa pg 18). I was very shocked by how ignorant one parent was about prejudice. She says â€Å"It’s something I thought he didn’t notice†¦ that wouldn’t be part of his consciousness†¦ I sort of wanted him to be colorblind. † Clearly children are NOT color – blind. Unless they are taught to appreciate differences, their views can be quite early (Stern, Larosa pg. 27). With teenagers things get a little harder. They are torn between being a child and a young adult. You want to be sure they are not doing things they shouldn’t, but you don’t want to pry into their lives too much. They are trying to be independent from you, and do and make their own decisions. Parents of teenagers in our society must learn to listen to what their offspring are saying, especially what they are saying to one another (Stern, Larosa pg. 9). This book gives you so many heart breaking examples of how children have treated other children so wrong with hatred and prejudice. It also has given examples of how these children over came those hardships; it just would have been nice to hear more of the good instead of the bad. After reading this book, it makes you wake up and realize you can’t live your life as if hate and prejudice isn’t out there. We as a society must teach our children that differences should ot be a threat, but that differences are what make the world go around. It seems that hate and prejudice has plagued our country for the entirety of it’s existence. You can go back and look in history books and find it almost any where in history. This is an issue that bears much consideration because it is not going away by itself. We were created equal in the sight of God, and when everyone recognizes that to be fact and teaches their children, then maybe we will be well on our way to a peaceful existence.

Albert Camus’ novel, The Stranger Essay

Albert Camus’ novel, The Stranger, strongly resembles the concepts of absurdism, the efforts of humanity to find meaning in the universe all fail because no such meaning exists. Life just has no meaning or purpose. Camus accepts one inevitable thing, death. The idea that everyone will meet death, then everyone’s life is equally meaningless. The inability to find meaning in life is not logical impossible but rather humanly impossible. The title, The Stranger, is significant towards Meursault’s character in the book because he sees himself as a â€Å"stranger† in the world. It seems to be a nickname for him. He only shares certain things and keeps everyone at a distance. Society does not appreciate him like their own; he does not conform to their ideas and rules. The title is also a reflection of the author because when he wrote the book, no one truly knew the philosophical views of the absurd. The idea that things sometimes happen for no reason, and that occasions sometimes have no meaning to anything in life is disruptive and threatening to society. Meursault seems to be the only one who thinks he has the freedom to do whatever he wants and therefore he does not preoccupy himself with what society has set as the norm. An interesting relationship is between Maman and Meursault. In the beginning of the novel, Maman passed away and Meursault seemed to show no emotions towards her death. He accepted that she died and moved on. He knew that putting her in the Morengo Home was the best for her. Meursault tells his boss that is not his fault that Maman died. Throughout the novel, he contemplates memories of her and what he knew about her. When he is sentenced to a horrible fate, he understands his mother more than ever. Meursault knows why she wanted to be around people who cared and loved her when she died. He realizes that she understood what life was really like similar to him. At the end, he knows that she left this world just like he is going too, meaningless and purposeless. Albert Camus’ novel, The Stranger, strongly resembles the concepts of absurdism, the efforts of humanity to find meaning in the universe all fail because no such meaning exists. Life just has no meaning or purpose. Camus accepts one inevitable thing, death. The idea that everyone will meet death, then everyone’s life is equally meaningless. The inability to find meaning in life is not logical impossible but rather humanly impossible. The title, The Stranger, is significant towards Meursault’s character in the book because he sees himself as a â€Å"stranger† in the world. It seems to be a nickname for him. He only shares certain things and keeps everyone at a distance. Society does not appreciate him like their own; he does not conform to their ideas and rules. The title is also a reflection of the author because when he wrote the book, no one truly knew the philosophical views of the absurd. The idea that things sometimes happen for no reason, and that occasions sometimes have no meaning to anything in life is disruptive and threatening to society. Meursault seems to be the only one who thinks he has the freedom to do whatever he wants and therefore he does not preoccupy himself with what society has set as the norm. An interesting relationship is between Maman and Meursault. In the beginning of the novel, Maman passed away and Meursault seemed to show no emotions towards her death. He accepted that she died and moved on. He knew that putting her in the Morengo Home was the best for her. Meursault tells his boss that is not his fault that Maman died. Throughout the novel, he contemplates memories of her and what he knew about her. When he is sentenced to a horrible fate, he understands his mother more than ever. Meursault knows why she wanted to be around people who cared and loved her when she died. He realizes that she understood what life was really like similar to him. At the end, he knows that she left this world just like he is going too, meaningless and purposeless.

An Analysis of the Strengths and Weaknesses of Kentucky Fried Chicken and McDonalds

An Analysis of the Strengths and Weaknesses of Kentucky Fried Chicken and McDonalds Strengths Among the strengths is that KFC has adequate financial resources. KFC is the second best global fast food brand in terms of value. Besides, KFC enjoys global presence just like McDonalds with almost seventeen thousand (17,000) outlets across 105 countries. Additionally, KFC’s estimated value is US$6 billion. Therefore, as a fast food outlet, KFC has a better financial muscle to facilitate its expansion. Further, KFC enjoys perfect marketing tools. KFC commands the market with a lot of competitors featuring chicken as their main merchandise. It has placed itself plainly with a great trade name among the fast food chains. To illustrate, the company enjoys a strong market standing in the market, China. Besides, KFC gets half of its total revenue from the Chinese market, a market where it has close to 4,000 restaurants (Yang 2014). Weaknesses Despite all its strengths, KFC still receives negative publicity and criticism from PETA. The criticisms result mainly due to the nature of the food they are selling. For instance, the company has received negative criticisms for selling chicken wing with a kidney. Furthermore, they have received negative publicity due to their unhealthy food menu. Some of the firms customers claim that KFC menu contains high-calorie foods. The other weakness that threatens to pull down the brand is high employee turnover. Among the things causing high rates of turnover is, low wage rates. Besides, the company invests so much in training their low skilled workers, which increases the overall cost of operation (Mylonakis Evripiotis 2016). Question 2-LO3b Political Factors Individual state policies enforced by the government, influences the operations of any business and especially, McDonalds. For example, there are people in Europe and America that have been protesting to their states regarding the health effects of taking junk food. The groups allege that obesity and cholesterol are attributable to taking junk foods. Besides, there are other factors like tax laws, employment provisions, and related trade limitations. Undoubtedly, tax rates influence the growth of a business greatly. On the other hand, employment laws like working hours regulations will necessitate a business to hire more staff. If a state amends such laws, then the cost of doing business will go up (Greenspan 2015). Economic Factors Further, Greenspan (2015) points out that changes in inflation and exchange rates affect businesses like McDonalds, which enjoy of a global presence. The chains have no otherwise other than to adapt to the changes and implications of the economic environments. For example, when the rate of inflation goes up, the cost of raw materials increases. It is correct to argue that economic factors affect demand and supply relationship. Besides, cost of living and wage rate can affect the operations of business in a state. Socio-Cultural Factors McDonalds global strategies seem to act on a number of fields to ensure worthwhile profits for the firm. For example, the business thrives by creating a positive attitude from their regulars. McDonalds have comprehended its regulars based on their various aspects. Based recent research, most customers frequenting McDonald’s outlets are below the age of 35 (Greenspan 2015). Technological Factors Additionally, McDonalds main marketing tool is using television advertisements. In addition, the advancement in technology allows the business to conduct elements like inventory system and supply chain management through advanced payment systems. Their integration with advanced systems adds value to their products. Adoption of technology, therefore, allows the company to operate efficiently in a global context (Greenspan 2015). Environment Nonetheless, the operations of McDonalds in a particular region influence its social responsibility, for instance, accusations of environmental damage. To illustrate, if McDonald chooses to employ non-biodegradable substances for the glasses and Styrofoam coffers, they will face such claims and allegations (Greenspan 2015). Question-3LO3c According to Air New Zealand (2013), the company focuses on the contentment of both the staff and clientele and promotion. Being a number one airline in the world is not easy. It requires a joint effort from both the management and staff. Their skilled workforce enables the company to serve its clients satisfactorily. The airline has dedicated staff, and that is why the company won the ATW award in 2010and 2012. Further, promotion and high rate of sales contribute to its excellent performance. Marque (2012) points out that the airlines working methods has enabled them to earn high revenues of up to NZ$4,486 million (in 2012). Among the external environmental factors, influencing the companys ability to achieve goals is the strategic alliance. For example, the company entered into a partnership with, Quantas. An alliance with Quantas presents one of the primary and most fundamental pillars of the airline. The company could not go alone on international routes. The best they could do was to form an alliance to solve its strategic dilemmas (Air New Zealand, 2012). Diebelius (2015) in his arguement asserts that the innovative nature of the company provides its clients with the best long-haul flights to various destinations. SkyCouch and Spaceseat are two extraordinary innovations that the company has achieved. Furthermore, a consistently high standard of customer services has enabled the company to compete favorably. The airline constantly reinvents and refines its products. After developing the SkyCouch and the Spaceseat, other airlines would have taken time out. By the time the other airlines are on that pl atform, Air New Zealand is on its next innovation giving it a competitive advantage over other airlines. Question 4-Lob4 From a classical perspective, the purpose of business to exist is for distributing goods and services to the society. Thereafter, the business will create economic value, which consequently generates income for the companys shareholders (Kitzmueller Shimshack 2012). The management runs an organization in the best interest of the owners. In the case of Fonterra, the company should focus a lot on the interest its shareholders rather than the society. According to the socio-economic view of social responsibility, maximizing income comes as a second priority. What comes first is, protecting the society in which the business operates in by improving the general welfare of the people (Kitzmueller Shimshack 2012). In this case, Fonterra should focus so much on the society rather than the interests of the owners.

Bottom of the Pyramid Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Bottom of the Pyramid - Essay Example By targeting the middle and lower incomes, they can hope to cash in on the phenomenon on the rising imbalance in wealth across the globe. What the article implies is that people who scrape together a living may well be the gold mine that marketers may want to look at. By scraping the bottom, the marketers may well find gold dust that has been neglected for so long.  The authors make the point that there are four tiers of the consuming classes. The tier 1 is the most affluent with annual incomes more than $20,000.   The next two tiers 2 and 3 have annual incomes in the range of $1,500 to $20,000, while the last tier makes up of those who have incomes less than $1,500 annually.   The article makes a strong case for devoting resources to target the tier 4 consumers.   The point about social unrest due to the ability of the tier 4 consumers disturbing the lifestyles of other tiers is discussed.  Therefore, it is in the interests of all sections to maintain the equitable balance in society to ensure that the tier 4 consumers are not neglected.   This is the social point of view.   However, as the article states, there are compelling reasons from the profit point of view as well to create a market for tier 4 consumers.   The wave of industrialization and globalization has created a category of consumers who are willing to try and experiment with new products but do not have the resources to buy premium products.   Thus, there is a need to create and make products that are suitable for this class of consumers.

RESEARCH PHILOSOPHIES AND PRINCIPLES Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

RESEARCH PHILOSOPHIES AND PRINCIPLES - Essay Example As such, quantitative methodologies generally involve statistical or mathematical models of data analysis. Qualitative research methodology is relatively new when compared to quantitative methods. Qualitative research emerged towards the later parts of the 20th century through an increasing acceptance of post-modern epistemological formations that greatly complicate the very nature of reality (Denzen & Lincoln, 2011). Rather than being something that could merely be measured and determined through statistical models, qualitative research involves researcher interpretive processes (Denzen & Lincoln, 2011). It follows that in many ways qualitative research compliments quantitative by articulating abstract concepts that can be refined and understood by later quantitative investigations (Creswell 2003). Still, it’s noted that in other ways qualitative knowledge runs counter to quantitative claims to validity, as some qualitative epistemological foundations contend that knowledge i s personal or perspective based (Creswell 2001). Additionally, there are mixed method pursuits that implement both quantitative and qualitative research (Brannen 2005). This essay specifically examines four research studies – some with quantitative and others with qualitative approaches -- in terms of a variety of analytical criteria. Analysis 1. Quantitative analysis of defects in Malaysian university buildings: Providers’ perspective This specific research investigation implements a qualitative methodology. The research question this study aimed to resolve was the areas of university buildings that required repairs. The research argued that it was important as increased levels of knowledge regarding defects in the buildings could aid the university by contributing to the development of a system that would more efficiently address these concerns. There is the tacit recognition then that the current system is unstructured and implemented in ineffective ways. It is reco gnized that qualitative research assumes a great many analytical methods. Within the specific context of this research the primary data collecting method is the questionnaire. This study sent out questionnaires to maintenance managers at the university. Each questionnaire contained five options: not at all urgent, not very urgent, urgent, very urgent, and extremely urgent. There is a clear challenge in that certain maintenance managers could consider an area more urgent than another area more strenuously than another manager’s perspective. That is, one managers understanding of the linguistic elements of the questionnaire would be different from another manager. The study indicates these challenges are circumvented, as urgency is determined through comparison between studies. As such if there is one area that managers frequently rate as urgent then these multiple perspectives are interpreted as a valid conclusion. Specifically 50 questionnaires were sent out to the maintenanc e departments in universities in Malaysia. While 50 questionnaires were sent out, only 33 were returned. This is discrepancy is significant as it indicates that certain departments were more receptive to the study than departments at other universities. This discrepancy could indicate that the questionnaires are biased in that the organizations that responded had more pressing concerns or were more receptive to changes in the university. Still, research on questionnaires attest to this response rate as

The Grand Canyon Caper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Grand Canyon Caper - Essay Example But many still consider the formation of the Grand Canyon an unsolved mystery. Some challenging the evolutionary account might ask how the relatively tiny river could erode such a colossal canyon when rivers like the Nile and the Amazon, which are many, many times larger and swifter, have not eroded away similar or larger canyons (Brown, 2008, p. 86). But if the Colorado River did not cut out the Grand Canyon, what did? One account from a former evolutionist, Navy SEAL, and MIT graduate, Dr. Walt Brown, lets the evidence left behind do the talking, demonstrating that the Grand Canyon was the result of a massive sheet of water rapidly sweeping over and cutting through the region in weeks – not erosion from a slow-running river over millions of years (Brown, 2008, p. 107). Once true scientific analysis is examined to uncover the mystery of the formation of the Grand Canyon and the smoke of unscientific theories that try to squeeze it into the evolutionary timeframe and process i s cleared, the most spectacular natural wonder in America becomes a testimony of what the rapid cataclysmic force of water can do. But from where could so much water come? ... What are the results of such breaching? The Strait of Gibraltar was most likely the result of the breach of the Mediterranean â€Å"lake,† the Bosporus and Dardanelles were evidently cut by the Black Sea’s rupture, and the opening at the Golden Gate Bridge was likely caused by the breach of â€Å"Lake California,† which filled the Great Central Valley before dumping into the Pacific (Brown, 2008, p. 107). So, when examining the topography around the Grand Canyon, one notices that just west of the Grand Canyon’s eastern border straddling the Four Corners region are two gigantic dry lakebeds ? Grand Lake and Hope Lake. The lowest points of these lakebeds are on their western banks, where both show geologic evidence of breaches ? one triggering the other (Brown, 2008, p. 117-18). Because these colossal lakes had no oceans or seas to dump into, their breaches violently channeled the Grand Canyon, as more water than what is contained in the five Great Lakes com bined gushed out from the western banks of Grand Lake and Hopi Lake to rip a 230-mile-long, 4-18-mile wide, and one-mile deep gash in the land in just weeks. Only a rapidly moving sheet of water ripping through the area would provide enough force to create the adjacent massive side canyons and hundreds-of-miles-long caverns not connected to the river (Brown, 2008, p. 107). But could such a massive canyon have only been created in weeks? Many geologists learned much from the eruptions of Mt. St. Helens in the early 1980s, which melted several glaciers that caused torrents of water to rapidly cut smaller-scaled stratified canyons and reformed Spirit Lake. To evolutionists’ chagrin, the stratified canyon walls resembling the Grand Canyon’s resulted from the lowering water level –

Historical topics since 1500s Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Historical topics since 1500s - Assignment Example They were devoted, loyal and keen followers of the law. The force was created by Sultan Murad in 1383 (Rice, 1999). Devshirme. This was a Turkish term referring to blood tax. During this period, the Ottoman empire sent the military to abduct young guys. They were then converted to Islam. The ablest were trained for military and civil war. The age of the recruit was from 7 to 10 years (Menage, 1966). Mamluks. This is an Arabic word meaning property. It may also mean the slave of the king or white slave. It is, therefore, an Arabic designation of slaves. This dynasty lasted from 1250-1517. Mamluks had a special status in relation to the ordinary slaves and were considered to be real lords with status above freeborn Muslims. Oyo. This was a Yoruba kingdom or kingdom. It covered parts of Benin and Nigeria. In modern day, it is an inland state in southwestern Nigeria, and its capital is at Ibadan. It is the 14th largest state. It contains a number of natural features, and the climate is equatorial with relatively high humidity. Marco Polo. This was a Venetian merchant .his travels are recorded in livres des Merveilles. he was born in Venice hence Venetian nationality. He was born in 1254 and died in 1324. His book was highly publicized and introduced Europeans to Central Asia and China (Polo, 1854). Battle of Lepanto . This was a battle between Islamists and Christians. This fight took place in 1571 on 7th October. It was a naval engagement and it was between the Christians and the ottoman. The Islam were defeated at the end and more than 50000 casualties were reported. Enclosure. An enclosure is an area that is sealed off. Economic history defines compound as the process which ends traditional rights such as mowing meadows for hay. The appropriation of land can be done through a fence or other methods such as enclosing through a stone wall or such. St. Petersburg. This is the second largest

Legislative Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Legislative Proposal - Essay Example Contrary to the hardline opinion of the conservatives, we have the liberals who envision America as the land of opportunity, not just for American citizens but all of mankind. According to these liberals, America is a proverbial utopia of opportunity where virtually anyone can make it in life as long as they are willing to work hard for it (Daniels, p.71). Clearly, the topic of immigration is a divisive one. Over the past decade, immigration has morphed from a legislative topic to one of the mainstream issues being discussed on the streets by the local people. Irrespective of political affiliations and social standing, every American citizen seems to fall victim to this rather polarizing issue. It is as a result of this that there is need to formulate and put in place legislative work that is aimed at streamlining the issue of immigration (McLaughlin, p13-25). Not only keeping in mind that the interests of American citizens come first but also that the immigrants may play an instrumental role in building the economy of the united states. This paper focuses on immigration laws in the state of Virginia vis a vis the interest of the Americans living in Virginia but also the immigrants who are protected by international laws set forth by the United Nations. As in accordance with the 287(g) immigration and customs enforcement program famously known as ICE, law enforcement agencies in the state of Virginia liaise with each other. This liaison can be viewed in the form of a network of law enforcement agencies where these agencies share relevant information with each other pertaining the issue of immigration. This program gives the state police jurisdiction that was previously a reserve of the federal immigration agencies. This jurisdiction includes, but is not limited to, checking the immigration status of anyone who is stopped by the state police (Farnam, p23-30). A closer examination of this piece of legislation is

Solid and Hazardous Waste Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Solid and Hazardous Waste Assignment - Essay Example Agricultural waste comprises mainly slurry and farmyard manure with significant quantities of straw, silage effluent, and vegetable and cereal residues. Most of this is spread on land. Certain types of waste are defined as hazardous because of the inherent characteristics (e.g. toxic, explosive). The three largest waste streams in this category are oils and oily wastes, construction and demolition waste and asbestos, and wastes from organic chemical processes. Non-controlled waste includes waste generated from agriculture, mines and quarries and from dredging operations. In 1998–99 over 470 million tons of wastes were generated in the UK. The mean production of daily household and commercial waste in EU Member States in 1993–96 was approximately 370 kg/capita/annum, ranging from 350 to 430 kg (Waste Statistics). Most people lack of understanding on â€Å"hazardous waste†; it doesn’t always mean that when waste is hazardous it is harmful, though most can be . Hazardous waste defines that a waste has a property which might make it harmful to human health and the environment. Most, but not all, wastes produced by humans can be classified as hazardous. That is why, authorities and government agencies concerning environmental issues are stepping forward to the control and proper disposal of hazardous waste. Domestic wastes that are, may be, hazardous are the following: asbestos, pesticides and garden chemicals and medicine, fluorescent tubes and lamps, oils and oil filters, plastics, paints and coatings, household batteries and car batteries, discarded electrical equipment like TVs and radios, and computers, computer monitors and CRTs, fridges and freezers, discarded energy saving light bulbs (CFLs), Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), HCFCs, Cathode ray tubes, and tires and rubber. Environmental impact on the disposal of municipal solid wastes (MSWs) Many options may be taken by management of environmental agencies to dispose hazardous wastes, pa rticularly incineration and landfills. However, several potential health risk

Resource Allocation Essay Example for Free

Resource Allocation Essay Project management is the discipline of defining and achieving targets while optimizing the use of resources: time, money, people, materials, energy, space, etc. , over the course of a project. The most important resources that project managers have to plan and manage on day-to-day basis are people, materials, equipment and working capital. Obviously, if these resources are available in abundance then the project could be accelerated to achieve shorter project duration. On the other hand, [Avoid using colloquial language, slang or jargon in formal writing (14)] if these resources are severely limited, then the result more than likely will be a delay in the project completion time. Depending on the type of resources, the costs of providing an abundance of such resources to accelerate project completion time can be very high. However, if resources are readily available and excess premiums are not incurred to use them on the project, then project cost should be low, as some project costs are resource related while others are likely to be time dependent. In seeking professional services for the design and construction of our garage with living quarters, the management team has been confronted with a broad variety of choices. The services solicited are based on past history and excellent referrals. The Ransom family has selected the following individuals for the organizational structure of the garage project, all team member functions, responsibilities, qualifications, and capabilities are defined, as well as where each member fits into this structure. [Comma splice and/or run-on sentence. Rewrite as two sentences, or separate with a semicolon. (32)] The Ransom’s are confident that this group of individuals will form a cohesive team to complete the project within scope, budget and time. Ransom Family James Sampson is a low-level manager who will function as project manager. As PM he has been given the authority by the board of directors to resolve any resource allocation issues that may arise. James reports directly to the board of directors. His qualifications are over 20 years of experience in the areas of industrial engineering, materials and operations management. His academic credentials include a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering and an MBA specializing in quantitative business analysis and business statistics. James will serve as liaison for the city planning commission. James has the following skills and abilities: principles and practices of contemporary project management, strategic, conceptual and analytical thinking, adaptability and flexibility including ability to manage pressure, ambiguity and change, team leadership, interpersonal, communication, and project management skills. Jody Bryant is a functional manager in charge of Contract Administration and Documentation. She reports to James Sampson. Jody’s qualifications are 18 years experience in the area contract administration and associated policies, and procedures. Her academic credentials include a bachelor’s degree in business administration and an MBA specializing in technology. She maintains contract administration systems that ensure that contractors perform in accordance with the terms, conditions, and specifications of their contracts and/or purchase orders. Her responsibilities include: documentation and record keeping, receiving, evaluating and acting on engineering and other change proposals, negotiating cost and schedule impact relating to change orders and other contract modifications. She also ensures timely submission of required reports. Rose Matos is functional manager in charge of structure and on-site management. She reports to James Sampson and Jody Bryant. Rose has 15 years experience designing beams, columns, walls, floors, roofs, and foundations of various structures. She will be responsible for overseeing Big Time Builders, Keep-em Happy Architectural, Martin Grading, and other of contractors such as electrical, plumbing, mechanical, and industrial engineers. James Vann Haigler is functional manager over quality assurance. Vann, as he prefers to be called, has an extensive background in quality assurance management, which includes a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, specializing in Computer Science. He has over 13 years of experience in QA, 3D graphics applications. Vann reports to James Sampson, and is responsible for the overall management of activities related to the sampling, and release of raw materials and components. This includes, but is not limited to, writing of specifications and SOPs, control of artwork, shop floor testing, resolution of Sub-standard Material Reports, and maintenance of vendor files. He guarantees a level of quality for the end client, and is focused on creating a quality deliverable. Task and Responsibility Matrix After the project is organized, there is a need to define what roles and responsibilities for each member of Team B. Within the project the labor will not be specificity be accomplished by the team members but from sub-contractors, however each task must be carried out in order to complete the project. [This sentence is confusing. Reword for clarity] In order to insure that all tasks are carried out in the necessary order described within the Statement of Work the overseeing of the tasks are divided and assigned to various team members according to the members role which is defined by; responsibility, approval and support. With this in mind, the team has developed a task/responsibility matrix to keep track of these steps.

Problems of Water Supply in the Rural Communities of Nigeria

Problems of Water Supply in the Rural Communities of Nigeria Problems of Water Supply in the Rural Communities of Delta State, Nigeria Abstract This study assess the problem of rural water supply in Delta slate with the main aim of examining the factors responsible for the incidence of ineffective water supply to the rural communities of Delta state, Nigeria. Questionnaire survey was the instrument of data generation and a total of 500 questionnaires were administered to 10 rural communities of the state. The data were analyzed with descriptive and multiple regression analyses and the following constitutes as the observations as follows: erratic power supply, embezzlement of fund, diversion of hydraulic equipment, theft, government policy, indiscriminate wastage/carelessness, poor maintenance culture, fruity hydraulic equipment and loss by evaporation. Introduction Studies on water resources have concentrated on urban setting to the detriment of rural communities (Adesuyi, 1996; Adebola, 2001; Ovrawah and Hymore, 2001 and Efe, 2003). For instance, there is absolute absence of water schemes in most rural communities of Delta state e.g. Otorho-Abraka, Samagidi/Kokori, Abbi, Anwai etc., even when they exist, they are non-functioning. Thus, most women and school children balanced basin, buckets, 20-50litres Geri cans on their head and trek long distances to streams, rivers, wells and bore holes. The varied water sources result in consumers spending many hours waiting for water or carrying water to their homes. For example, in Anwai the delay in getting water from private bores is detrimental to the study regime of students of the Delta State University, Anwal Campus. The inadequate water supply has resulted in water borne disease largely because of the supply misappropriation of fund, diversion of water scheme, erratic power supply amongst other (Efe, 2003). This problem becomes more acute in recent times as a result of increased population. Thus, this work seek to investigate: the factors militating against effective water supply, study the cost of each water supply scheme, study time spent on obtaining water on daily as a social cost; and study response to ameliorate the problems. Study Area Delta state lies between longitude 5 °E and 6 °45E and latitudes 5 °N and 6 °30’N and has landmass areas of 16,842km Square. Delta state lies within the Benin, Agbada and Akata formation in terms of geology (see fig.1). The state is drain by river Niger, and its distributaries (Forcados, Escravos and Warn river and creeks), Jamieson and Ethiope (www.on1ine.nigeria.com 2312/05). River Niger drains the eastern flank of the state and empty it water into the sea. Delta state has a population of about 2,590 491, where about 75% of her population lives in rural areas (1991 census), without good access to potable water. The state is divided into three seaatorial districts: Delta North, 793,517; Delta central with a population 936,707 and Delta South, 865,540 population (Omaksone, 2004). Methodology This work-utilised data generated through direct fieldwork exercises. The instrument of data generation is the questionnaire administration. The questionnaire was administered through systematic sampling technique. On the whole, a total of 50 questionnaires were administered to eh community, making a total of 500 respondents that were interviewed. The data were analysed with the aid of multiple regression analysis and descriptive statistics. Data Analysis and Discussion of Results Source of Water Supply Different types of water supply sources exdist in the study for effective utilisation of the respondents as follows (See table 1) Table 1: Sources of rural water supply in Delta State Source: Author’s fieldwork, 2005. Table I indicates that 39% of the rural inhabitants of these communities obtain their drinking water from Rain Water Harvesting, 24% from river or stream who carried the water through long distances, 14% from Wells, 13% from private boreholes who make a charge to households on the water supplied, 9% from Tankers which supply water to homes from long distances, and 1% from state owned boreholes who provide free water services to the households. Most of the water sources are owned and maintained by private individuals. For instance out of the 72 boreholes in table 1, it is only 3 that are owned and maintained by State Government. These bores are found in Patani, Ozoro, Anwai. This represents only 4% of the boreholes in these communities. The State owned boreholes are very irregular in their water supply. Essentially, there are times Quantity, Distance, Time and Cost of Water Table 2 show the volume of water supply to each household, distance and time spent in obtaining water from the various sources. On daily basis, an average of 80 litres of Rain Water are harvested whenever it rains. This recorded the highest volumes of water obtained by each household. About 30minutes are spent on the average whenever it rains by each household fetching water. Table 3: Average time and daily demand of water per household It is observed from table 3 that Well Water recorded 35 litres of water obtained by each household at a time and distance of 1hours 30minutes and 1km respectively. The volume of well water obtained by each household is attributed to the long distance and time spent, hence reduction in the quantity of supplied. According the inhabitants because they cannot afford the price of Borehole water, we resort to trekking distance places and spending long time as well carrying water from Wells and Streams the various houses. Similarly, the long time and distance spent in obtaining water from streams reduces the quantity of stream water supply. This show an average of 30litres of stream water supply at a time and distance of 2hours and 1 V2 km respectively spent in obtaining stream or river water by each household. Thus, the higher the distance and time spent in obtaining water from these sources reduces the volumes of water demanded by each household (See fig, 2). For instance it is clear from these communities (Otorho, Ozoro, Ekpan-Ovu, Kokoro and Patani) in fig.2 that as the time expended in obtaining domestic water increases, the quantity of water demanded by the inhabitants of these communities decreases. Though the water from these sources is free, but there is economic cost to the water as children, women and students in most of these communities spend a considerable time carrying water to meet their need, which time they could have expended in earning income. Fig. 2: Domestic water consumption and time required for well water and stream water collected at Otorho-Abraka, Kokori Ekpan-Ovu, Ozoro and Patani Similarly, it also reduces the time they could have expended in household labour amongst other activities. However, the cost of water from boreholes and tankers led to the reduction in volumes of water obtained from boreholes and water tankers. Factors of Ineffective Water Supply The respondents generally agreed that in all the rural communities they experienced acute problem of water supply. Essentially, they observed that the factors that are responsible for the problem of water supply relates to erratic power supply, embezzlement of fund/corruption, diversion of hydraulic equipment/political factors, theft, government policy, indiscriminate wastage/carelessness, poor maintenance culture, faulty distribution system and topography of the areas (See table 4). Table 4: Correlation co-efficient between acute problem of water supply and the associated factors responsible. Source: Author’s Fieldwork, 2005 The results of the correlation statistics shows that the problem of inadequate water supply to the rural communities of Delta State, rely heavily on the predictive factors The individual explanatory contributions of each of this predictive model are discussed below. Erratic power is the highest explanatory factor of inadequate water supply. This is evident from a positive correlation coefficient of 0.48 (see table 4). This is significant at 0.05 confidence level, This shows a positive contribution, and as such the problem of water supply became worsen with increasing epileptic power supply to these communities. For instance most of these communities resort to the use of self-generating plant to pump the water through self-help efforts. But as a result of hike in prices of petroleum products, the generating plant was abandoned, hence acute shortage of water supply to these communities. The second contributory is embezzlement of fund, which shows a correlation coefficient of 0.39, thus water problems became more acute as more funds meant for water projects are embezzled. For examples there are series of complains by the rural inhabitants that huge amount of money has been released for the sitting of water projects by the successive government. But such projects are either not undertaken due to embezzlement of fund or they are poorly executed. As such, most of the hydraulic projects packed up soon after commissioning. The third predicative factors affecting acute supply of water in the rural communities of Delta State is the diversion of hydraulic project or political factor. This indicates a positive correlation coefficient of 0.35. For instance, water projects meant for Otorho Abraka, Abavo, Samagidi etc has been diverted to personal compound or to other villages because these communities did not vote for them during the last political dispensation. Theft of hydraulic equipment is the fourth predictive factor of water supply with positive correlation coefficient of 0.33. This indicates that as more hydraulic equipment are stolen or vandalized, the problem of water supply to the area will become more acute For instance the generating plants and submersible pump at Emevo, Otorho — Abraka, have been vandalized. Thus, the acute problems of water supply in these in these rural communities of Delta State. Another causal factor is the lack of laudable government policy of water supply for all (b oth rural and urban areas of the state). This factor shows weak positive effects of 0.22 correlation coefficient. The state, local government and ministry of water resources in Delta state, have not made concerted effort to actualise this policy, to them they are constraints with the problem of finance and high price of hydraulic equipments. Another identified factor of inadequate water supply is indiscriminate wastage arid careless use of water. This indicates correlation coefficient values of 0.12. In some of the rural communities (Patani, Ozoro, and Anwai) where there is existence of public tap, it is not uncommon to find children and some adults, attempting to drink direct from household and public taps without using a container. At times, the children forget to lock the tap back after usage. In this way, they waste the greater portion of the water, and the wasted water is depended on pressure of the area. This view collaborated the work of Oyabande (1981) in the city of Jos. Lack of good maintenance culture is another causal factor in the areas where there is public water supply. It shows weak correlation coefficient of 0.04. For instance, most of the equipments are old and absolute and some of the pipes are corroded, without replacement. As such, there is frequent breakdown of†¢ the equipment. Similar to this factor, is faulty hydraulic and distributing system. Due to corrosion and old age of the pipe lines there are many leakages from these pipelines and finihy fitting in tank. This indicated an inverse effect on effective water supply. This is evident from a correlation coefficient of —0.35. The topography of the area recorded the list amongst the predictive factors of water problem. This shows an inverse correlation coefficient of —0.50. This factor is most severe in Delta north senatorial district (Anwal, Uineunede and Abavo) communities. For examples at Anwai it takes up 200 — 250 feet depth before the aquifer can be stroke, at Abavo and Umuenede it takes 180 — 210 feet depending on the location, such, sitting of water project in these areas is relatively very difficult. Conclusion Certainly the health, amenity and standard of living of the inhabitants of these communities are dependant upon the provision of acceptable system of water supplies to these rural communities. Its regular supply enhanced liveability and longevity of Life in this environmental setting. To enhance regular supply of water to the rural inhabitants of Delta state there is urgent need to adopt the above policy measures. References Adebola, K.D. (2001) Groundwater Quality in Ilorin Township: An Environmental Review. African Journal of Environmental Studies 2(2): Pp. 4-7. Adesuyi, O. (1996) Nigeria Produces 25 year water Masterplan. Ultimate water Technology and Environment 1(1): l7-ISpp. Efe, S.I. (2003) Water Quality and its Utilisation in the Nigerian Rural Setting of Abraka Delta State, Nigeria. International Journal of Ecology and Environmental Dynamics. Maiden (ed) pp. 81 —86 Ovrawah, L. and Hymore, F.K. (2001) Quality of Water from hand-dug wells in the Warn Environs of Niger Delta Region 2(2):pp. 169-173 Oyebande, L. (1981) The Hydrology of Urban Water Supply: A Case of Jos. P.O. Sada and J.S. Oguntoymbo (eds) in: Urbanisation Processes and Problems in Nigeria. Ibadan. University Press pp.141 — 149. 1