Energy Risk Management Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Energy Risk Management - Dissertation Example Regulatory agencies of governments sell smaller units of this limit to individual organisations in the form of emission permit or carbon credit (Bayon, 2007). The emission permit gives an organisation the right to emit a specified volume of green house gas. The carbon credits can be traded in the market and on specified stock exchanges. Organisations must buy the required number of permits equivalent to the amount of emissions. There is a limit on the total number of permits that are offered by the government. If an organisation needs more permits, it can buy these from the market and thus offset their emissions. The whole system of carbon credit trading is rigidly controlled by the stock exchanges. While erring firms now have the option of getting away with pollution and excess emissions, the government is at least making these firms to pay for the emissions. Since the number of carbon credits available is limited, the price of the credits can fluctuate. Eventually, erring firms wou ld be expected to improve their process so that fewer emissions take place. The carbon credit trading market is worth more than 64 billion USD in 2007 and the market is expected to grow rapidly as accountability increases (Tietenberg, 2009). This dissertation will research the structure of carbon credit market and emissions trading. The dissertation will also examine price fluctuations, drivers for price variations and make recommendations to improve the market structure. 1.1. Rationale for the paper The term carbon credit is used to identify a permit or tradable certificate. It gives the owner the permission to emit one tonne of greenhouse gases or carbon dioxide or any other equivalent gas such as sulphur or carbon monoxide. One carbon credit represents one metric tonne of green house gases and is designated by the term tCO2e. The Kyoto Protocol brought in some accountability for nations and signatories to this protocol agreed for some legal targets that limited the amount of emis sions by each nation (Stone, 20110. The European Union Emissions Trading Scheme - EUETS and other bodies have agreed to reduce the CO2 emission by 8% in 2012 as compared to the 1990 levels. As per the protocol and agreements, emission quotas were assigned to each nation and these are called as assigned amount units AAAs. Each nation was allowed to sell these units to industries and even individuals. Based on the nature of industry and processes, each industry was expected to buy a certain amount of units. Failure to comply would result in social stigma besides having to pay extra taxes. In some nations, these units were in shortage and in France, Germany and UK; the price for a unit quickly rose from 50 Euros to 90 Euros per unit. Croci (2011) says that nations such as Russia, Ukraine and many other former USSR satellite nations had huge surpluses and they dumped their AAAs in the market, bringing the market down. It was also seen that during recession, the amount of emissions in ma ny nations reduced and this was mainly due to fewer industries operations. Overall, the market for carbon credit sees a lot of volatility, fluctuations and even price manipulation (Stone, 2010). Existing literature does not examine these aspects or understand the correlation between various drivers. In addition, since the subject of emissions trading is relatively recent, many studies have not been conducted in

Case Study Situation Go Fast Essay Example for Free

Case Study Situation Go Fast Essay Situation Go Fast is a motorcycle manufacturer in the southern United States. Though sales have been steady, profits have declined because of increasing operational costs. The Board of Directors felt a fresh look at the operations side was needed. They developed a 5-year plan to increase operating efficiency and set out to find someone to lead the effort. Four months ago, GO FAST found what they saw as â€Å"the person† to be the new operations director and develop a new operational plan to reduce costs. Jill Jones had an outstanding reputation as operations director for a manufacturer of a closely related product. While she was located in a different state and was happy with her current job and lifestyle, she found the 5-year plan exciting. Besides, the offer was too tempting to refuse. Jill was offered the position, including a substantial increase in salary and benefits. She accepted the job, sold her home, and purchased a home near her new job. Her husband runs an in-home business and her children had adapted well to the new community and schools. She did not have a written contract, but was promised a great future with GO FAST and was given a salary of $90,000 per year. With the economic downturn, sales for this past year were the lowest in five years. The company needs to make drastic cost reductions or it could face bankruptcy. All senior managers agreed to a 25% pay cut. Several other high-paid positions will be eliminated. Among them is Jill Jones’ operations director position. Published by DECA Related Materials. Copyright  © by DECA Inc. No part of this publication may be reproduced for resale without written permission from the publisher. Printed in the United States of America. YOUR CHALLENGE The CFO has been asked by the board of directors to investigate GO FAST’S obligation to Jill Jones. You have been assigned the task of doing research. The board of directors assumes their agreement with Mrs. Jones is â€Å"terminable-at-will† based on the law in the state, and therefore GO FAST has no obligation to her. You will prepare recommendations to be presented to the chief financial officer (CFO). Since the decision is ultimately up to the CFO, your presentation should include, at a minimum: 1. How you expect Jill would react to the board’s hard-line approach. 2. Possible ways to deal with Mrs. Jones’ situation, including the positives and negatives of each. 3. Of these, you are to advise the CFO on the best course of action, and how to present it to Jill. While the financial challenges of the company are not a secret, Jill does not yet know that her position has been targeted for elimination. Your presentation to the CFO will begin in one hour. As part of your research you have pulled a copy of The Fair Debt Collections Practices Act, as well as cases related to this issue (see reference information provided). The information in THIS section is the result of research done specifically for this case situation, and has been given to you to help you prepare your recommendations within the allotted time. The judges will also receive this information, in addition to the Case Study Situation and Your Challenge as presented. BACKGROUND INFORMATION The following information provides background related to this situation. State Employment Law Under state law, employment generally is considered to be at will, terminable by either party at any time. This means that an employer may terminate an employee with or without just cause, in the absence of an agreement limiting the employee’s discharge to just cause or specifying the term of the employment. Even where an employer makes assurances seeming to mean job permanence, such assurances are generally considered mere statements of policy indicating only at-will employment. However, state courts have also held that employee personnel manual provisions, if they meet the requirements for formation of a unilateral contract, may become enforceable as part of a contract of employment. An agreement which includes a promise from one party but not from the other is called a unilateral contract. A unilateral contract is, for example, where an employer promises to pay a certain wage if an employee does a certain task for a certain period of time. The employee’s performance of that task for that time makes him or her entitled to the promised wages. The promise of employment on particular terms of unspecified duration, if presented in the form of an offer and accepted by the employee, will create a binding unilateral contract. These types of actions are referred to as â€Å"promissory estoppel† actions and they provide an exception to the employment-at-will doctrine. In order to constitute a contract, the employer’s personnel policy as set out in the personnel policy handbook must be more than a general statement of policy and must provide reasonably definite terms for a fact finder to interpret and apply in determining whether there has been a breach of the contract arising from that handbook. General statements of policy by an employer do not meet the contractual requirements of an offer. Employees frequently couple claims that certain oral representations constitute an enforceable agreement with assertions that certain actions by the employer create an implied contract to terminate only for good cause. For example, employees often contend that an employer has established a custom and practice such that employees are permitted to continue employment until retirement unless discharged for good and sufficient cause. Such an allegation does not meet the requirement of a definite offer. Similarly, an employer’s commendations and approval of the employee’s performance do not alter the employee’s at-will status. Severance pay is not required by legislation. Where it is provided by an employer or labor agreement, it must not be administrated in a discriminatory manner. Where it is provided, severance pay is considered wages in this state. The method of payment of severance pay may delay the employee’s eligibility for unemployment compensation benefits. Promissory Estoppel The state Supreme Court recognized that, despite the absence of a contract in fact, courts may imply the existence of a contract in law by utilizing the principle of promissory estoppel. The doctrine of promissory estoppel is applicable when: 1. A promise has been made; 2. The promissory reasonably expected to induce action of a definite and substantial character by the promise; 3. The promise in fact induces such action; 4. The circumstances require the enforcement of the promise in order to avoid injustice. An estoppel may arise from a promise of future performance. The doctrine of promissory estoppel is based in a promise which the promisor should reasonably expect to induce action of forbearance of a definite and substantial character on the part of the promise and which induces such action or forbearance and is binding if injustice can be avoided only by enforcement of the promise. Under the theory of promissory estoppel, liability on a contract may ensue even if the detriment incurred by one party is not bargained for where it can be shown that the promisor should reasonably have expected its promise to induce another’s detrimental action. The impairment-of-contract clause in the state’s constitution applies to an implied-in-law obligation created by promissory estoppel. The effect of promissory estoppel is to imply a contract in law where none exists in fact. When a promise is enforced pursuant to the doctrine of promissory estoppel, the remedy granted for the breach may be limited as justice requires; relief may be limited to damages measured by the promise’s reliance. RELATED CASE PRECEDENTS INFORMATION The following information is designed to provide samples of cases that may influence decisions made related to the case situation. The participants must decide what, if any, relevance these Related Case Precedents have on this Case Study Situation. Grouse v. Plan, Inc. (1981) The doctrine of promissory estoppel was applied by the court to grant damages to a pharmacist who accepted a job offer, resigned his current job and declined another job offer in reliance on this offer, but was â€Å"terminated† from his new job before he even had a chance to start it. Plan Inc knew that to accept its offer Grouse would have to resign his employment. Grouse promptly gave notice and informed Plan Inc that he had done so when specifically asked by them. Under these circumstances it would be unjust not to hold Plan Inc to its promise. Gorham v. Optical (1995) Former employee was entitled to reliance damages based on theory of promissory estoppel, where he quit his previous job and declined any renegotiations with previous employer in reliance on promise of new job, and on his first day of employment went through hostile reinterview process that led to his immediate termination. Lewis v. Assurance Society (1986) A promise of employment on particular terms of unspecified duration, if presented in form of an offer and accepted by employee, will create a binding unilateral contract. Pine River v. Mettille (1983) Generally speaking, promise of employment on particular terms of unspecified duration, if in form of an offer, and if accepted by employee, may create binding unilateral contract; offer must be definite in form and must be communicated to the offeree. Goodkind v. University (1988) Whether a proposal by employer is meant to be an offer for a unilateral contract is determined by the outward manifestations of the parties, not by their subjective intentions, and employer’s general statements of policy do not meet the contractual requirements for an offer. Gunderson v. Professionals, Inc. (2001) To overcome the presumption that employment is at will, an employee typically must establish clear and unequivocal language by the employer evidencing an intent to provide job security. General statements about job security, company policy, or an employer’s desire to retain an employee indefinitely are insufficient to overcome the presumption that employment is at will. Spanier v. Bank (1993) Terminated employee failed to show any evidence of offer for long-term employment in definite form so as to be entitled to recover for employer’s breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing as result of his termination, where employee’s claims were based on subjective belief and his own inferences that employer’s commitment to commercial lending business would provide him job security and employer’s statements about developing this new area of business did not constitute long-term employment offer.

Dramatic Interpretation of Death and the Maidan and They Dance Alone :: Drama

Dramatic interpretation: 'Death and the Maidan' and 'They Dance Alone' RESPONDING The strategies that we have used in Death and Maiden, 1984 and They Dance Alone are cross-cutting, non-verbal means role play and freeze frame. We used cross-cutting in Death and Maiden, non-verbal means in They Dance Alone, role play in 1984 and freeze frames in most of the performances. Cross-cutting is a technique used especially in filmmaking in which shots of two or more separate, usually concurrent scenes are interwoven; it can also be called inter-cutting. We used this technique in the Death and Maiden piece of Drama where we had five different scenes; two past, two futures and one present, and we started the piece in the future then past, then present, then past and finishing on future. This technique was used many times in this performance and resulted into being very effective. It was effective because in our performance we cut in and out of different scenes showing Paullina’s life in the past and in the future, but depending on what was going to happen in the present depended on which future was going to happen. The two different future scenes were two completely different outcomes; one being her talking to a councillor about her week and her past with the doctors. She is still paranoid that people look at her because they do not like her and she panics about the slightest noise or incident which might be taking place, and the other was her getting married to her partner. The future of Paullina would only happen depending on her past, which was her attending an opposition leader’s meeting which resulted in her being found out and the other scene which was Paullina starting in a mental hospital being supervised by medical staff. FUTURE PAST PRESENT PAST FUTURE Nonverbal communication includes facial expressions, tones of voice, gestures, eye contact, spatial arrangements, and patterns of touch and expressive movement. Research suggests that nonverbal communication is more important in understanding human behaviour than words alone - the nonverbal "channels" seem to be more powerful than what people say. Non-verbal means is being other than verbal; not involving words: nonverbal communication this could include involving little use of language: a nonverbal intelligence test. But for our non-verbal means performance we did not use any verbal communication in any of the scenes. Our performance was one scene because making the performance non-verbal decreases the chance of engaging the audience into the scene. We used simple repetitive movements and sounds to engage the audience which was very effective.

Facebook Addiction

FACEBOOK ADDICTION SPEECH GOAL : I WOULD LIKE MY AUDIENCE TO UNDERSTAND THAT FACEBOOKING IS ADDICTIVE. INTRODUCTION : WHO DOESN'T HAVE ANY FACEBOOK ACCOUNT? MOST OF US ARE ON FACEBOOK BECAUSE EVERYBODY IS IN IT. RIGHT? TODAY, I WANT TO SHARE LITTLE THINGS ABOUT HOW THIS AFFECTS OUR DAILY LIFE. FACEBOOK ALLOWS US TO STAY CONNECTED WITH ONE ANOTHER, EXPRESS OURSELVES THROUGH PROFILE ACTIVITIES, INTERESTS, MUSIC, ETC. THIS ALSO ALLOWS US TO SEE OUR FRIENDS THAT WE HAVEN'T TALKED FOR A QUITE WHILE†¦AND A GREAT ADVANTAGE FOR THOSE WHO ARE LIVING FAR AWAY FROM THEIR HOME TOWN WITH RELATIVES AND CLOSE FRIENDS. FACEBOOK HELPS US TO BUILD OUR SOCIAL LIFE SINCE WE COULD INTERACT WITH OUR MUTUAL FRIENDS WITH OTHERS AND MAY START A GOOD REALTIONSHIP WITH THEM. FACEBOOK GIVES US SO MUCH REASONS TO JOIN THE SITE, TO SIGN IN, AND NOT TO LOG OUT. IT HAS SO MANY FEATURES THAT A PERSON CAN DO IN ONE SITE SUCH AS PLAYING ONLINE GAMES ON FACEBOOK TOGETHER WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND RAISE YOUR FARM ON FA RMVILLE.SPEAKING OF FARMVILLE, ONCE YOU'VE STARTED TO PLAY THAT GAME, YOU WOULD HAVE TO MAINTAIN YOUR FARM FOR YOUR ANIMALS AND IT WOULD GET INTENSE WHEN YOU START LOSING YOUR COINS AND SO ON. I MIGHT NOT HAVE PLAYED THE GAME BUT BASED ON MY INTERVIEW FROM A PERSON WHO ACTUALLY SPEND HIS WHOLE NIGHT ON FARMVILLE, THOSE WERE THE ONLY THINGS HE COULD SAY ABOUT FARMVILLE AS I ASKED HIM, HE WAS QUITE BUSY PLAYING IT. A LOT OF FUN APPLICATIONS YOU CAN USE ON FACEBOOK WHEN YOU GET BORED. BUT THESE COOL APPLICATIONS TAKES A PERSON'S VALUABLE TIME USING IT.ONCE YOU'VE START USING ANY APPLICATION ON FACEBOOK, YOU'D HAVE TO GET TIME TO MAINTAIN A CERTAIN LEVEL AND NOT TO LOSE YOUR POINTS. THESE TIME OF HOURS YOU'RE SPENDING ON ONE APPLICATION CAN ALREADY MAKE ONE SET OF DINNER ROLLS FOR SNACKS. AND NOT ONLY THAT, OF COURSE, AFTER PLAYING YOU'D GONNA CHECK YOUR NOTIFICATIONS AND NEWS FEEDS. THEN, YOU MIGHT ALSO LOOK AT YOUR FRIENDS NEW PHOTOS AND GIVE ATTENTION TO SOME NEW POSTS AND MOST LIKEL Y GIVE A COMMENT ON SOMEONE'S WALL. A QUESTION FOR EVERYBODY WHO'S ON FACEBOOK, DO YOU USE FACEBOOK FOR 5 MINUTES OR MORE THAN 20 MINUTES?BESIDES USING FACEBOOK ON YOUR PC, DO YOU ALSO OPEN IT ON YOUR SCHOOL'S LIBRARY OR YOUR CLASSMATES' LAPTOP, OR EVEN ON YOUR MOBILE DEVICE MORE THAN ONCE PER DAY? IF YES, YOU ARE A FACEBOOK ADDICT. YOU WILL ALSO FIND YOURSELF LOOKING UP TO OTHER'S PROFILE, CHECKING ALL THEIR ACTIVITIES, MIND OTHER PEOPLE'S BUSSINESSES BETWEEN HOURS OF COMMITTED TO WORK. NOT ONLY THAT, YOU WOULD ALSO FEEL THAT LIFE WITHOUT FACEBOOK IS TOTALLY WORTHLESS. BASED ON MY OWN EXPERIENCE, I STARTED OUT SIMPLE ON FACEBOOK, KEEP IN TOUCH WITH MY FRIENDS, CHECK NOTIFICATIONS AND MESSAGES AND THEN LOG OUT AFTER 5 MINUTES.BUT NOW, IT'S ALREADY A MIRACLE IF I GET OFF AFTER 15 MINUTES. I GET INVOLVED IN MY FRIENDS'S LIVES THAT I ALMOST NEGLECT THINGS IN MY PERSONAL LIFE. ALL MY HOMEWORKS WERE PILED UP BECAUSE I GET LOST ON FACEBOOK. I tell myself that I am only going to get on for five minutes; however, as soon as I look at the New's Feed, it's all downhill from there. I SEE MY FRIENDS NEW UPLOADED PHOTO ALBUM AND I MUST SEE ALL THE PHOTOS INSIDE IT. NEXT THING I KNOW 5 MINUTES BECOMES 30 MINUTES TO AN HOUR.I become so interested with my friends' activities that I don't consider the time I spend on Facebook. I could be doing my homework or something more productive, but instead I am consumed with Facebook to the point where I wonder if it is an addiction. BEFORE IT REACHES TO A POINT WHERE IT WILL LEAVE US IN A COLD SWEAT WHEN WE'RE LOGIN OUT ON FACEBOOK, WE SHOULD Get off the computer WHEN WE GET BORED, INSTEAD GO FOR A WALK, HIT THE GYM OR SEE A MOVIE. THERE IS SO MUCH MORE TO DO IN LIFE THAN WATCH OUR HATCHING EGG GROW. REALLY!

Management of Primary and Secondary Education in Nigeria Essay

Introduction There is no gainsaying the fact that education is very vital to the pace of social, political and economic development of any nation. This is why most nations of the world strive to devote a sizeable proportion of their Gross National Income to develop the educational sector. In Nigeria, between 7. 6% and 9. 9% of our annual expenditure is devoted to education. Management of primary education refers to the process of planning, organizing, directing, staffing, coordinating, budgeting for and reporting on primary education system. Primary education in Nigeria refers to the education which children receive from the age of 6 years to 11 years plus. It is the foundation level of the educational system which runs for six years, and it is aimed at developing basic literacy, numeracy, communication skills and transmission of the culture of the people to younger generations. Information gathered through the education data bank shows that as at 1998, there were 41,814 primary schools with an enrolment of 16,348,324 (13. 75% of these were females) and 468,770 teachers (26. 45%) of these were non-qualified teachers). The teacher/pupil ratio at the level was 1:38 while the completion rate was 64. 1 percent and the Crucial Issues in the Management of Primary Education in Nigeria74 transition rate of products to Junior Secondary Education level was 39. 1 percent. The structure of our population in Nigeria is such that about 45% of the people are within the age bracket of six to twelve years. According to the provisions of National Policy on Education, this is the corresponding age group for primary education. Obviously, the enrolment pattern in the educational system follows the pyramidal structure of the nation’s population distribution. The primary level has the largest enrolment, followed by the secondary level and then the tertiary level. This enrolment structure, no doubt, depicts the structure of our social demand for the various levels of education. The primary education level, being the bedrock of the child’s basic education, is a very vital aspect of the nation’s educational system that deserves to be handled with great care and caution. Any error committed in the organization and management of this level of education may reverberate on other levels and thus seriously mar the lives of the people and indeed the overall development of the nation. This is one good reason why all the stakeholders must show enough concern for those issues that concern the organizing and managing of our primary education system. This paper presents a humble attempt to highlight some contemporary issues and problems facing the organization and management of primary education in Nigeria with a view to proffering possible solutions to them. Contemporary Issues in Primary Education Management No doubt, there are numerous issues and problems involved in the management of primary education system in Nigeria. However, this paper would simply highlight some of the crucial ones. Some of such issues include: a. Policy gap in the management of primary education in Nigeria, b. Data gaps, c. Funding gaps, d. Institutional capacity gaps, e. Expansion of the curriculum to cater for early childhood care, f. Gender balancing in enrolment, g. Quality assurance in Primary Education, h. Improved nutrition/Health of learners and i. Issues of HIV/AIDS pandemic 75D. O. Durosaro Over the last two decades, the management of primary education had been experiencing some problems as a result of policy gaps. Teachers salaries were not paid adequately, schools were not well-maintained and facilities were not adequately provided owing to the fact that management of primary education had to be oscillating among State Government, Local Government and Federal Government. At a time, State Government took control, later it was handed over to the Local Government and then to a Federal Commission. Moreover, it was just until lately that a concrete legislation was passed on primary education in Nigeria – the UBE Bill. Lack of accurate and timely data has long been the bane of policy formulation and management of our primary education system in Nigeria. To obtain accurate data on enrolment, teachers, non-teaching staff and even facilities appears to be a difficult task for the school managers. The school managers and teachers appear to lack adequate cognitive development in the areas of data collection, analysis and storage. Apart from this lack of capacity of the school managers, school data collection and analysis seem to be marred by other socio-politico-economic factors such as fraud, politics of national resource allocation and social apathy. Another issue of concern in the management of primary education in Nigeria is that of inadequate funding. According to a World Bank survey on Nigeria, the federal expenditure on education seems to be below 10% of its overall expenditures. For instance, between 1997 and 2002, the total share of education in total federal expenditure ranged between 9. 9% and 7. 6% with the trend showing a downward plunge (World Bank, 2002). Table 1: Federal Government Expenditure on Education as Percentage of total Federal Government Expenditure 1997 – 2002 _________________________________________________________ Expenditure199719981999200020012002 Area%%%%%% Recurrent12. 312. 011. 79. 49. 59. 1 Capital6. 17. 55. 08. 56. 06. 0 Total9. 99. 69. 09. 07. 58. 0 Source: FGN, Annual Budgets 1997-2002 It would have been more interesting to spell out what proportion of this expenditure on education actually goes to primary education but the non ¬ Crucial Issues in the Management of Primary Education in Nigeria76 availability of accurate data did not permit this. It is even worth mentioning here that the bulk of this meager expenditure shown on Table 1 even goes to recurrent activities. This issue of under-funding of education U so endemic that it has now encompassed series of other problems of shortages of human and material resources (Durosaro, 2000). The current pattern of investment within the education sector is such that the tertiary level gets the lion share while the primary level gets the least. This pattern is inversely related to number of institutions, enrolment and teachers at the different education levels. Table 2 presents the data on the pattern of funding of the educational levels by the Federal government. Table 2: Pattern of Federal Government funding of Education by levels, more 1996 – 2002 ____________________________________________________________ __ Educ. 1996199719981999200020012002 Levels%%%%%%% Tertiary79. 978. 968. 469. 175. 868. 176. 9 Secondary10. 411. 314. 618. 715. 315. 515. 6 Primary9. 79. 816. 912. 28. 916. 47. 5 Total100. 0100. 0100. 0100. 0100. 0100. 0100. 0 The issue of gaps in the institutional capacity to deliver primary education of a sound quality is also crucial in the management of primary education in Nigeria. It is a known fact that most of our institutions do not have vision whether written or unwritten nor a mission statement to guide their activities. There is widespread shortage of qualified teachers, shortage of even classrooms, shortage of both pupils’ and teachers’ furniture and a dearth of required fund, teaching materials and textbooks. In a survey conducted on primary education cost, financing and management in Federal Capital Territory, Kogi, Kwara and Niger States, it was discovered that only f9. 57% of the schools in Kwara and 27. 08% of the schools in FCT had school libraries while none of the schools in both Kogi and Niger States had any school library. It was also found that 24% of schools in Kogi State, 21% of schools in Kwara State, 40. 3% of schools in Niger State and 16. 75% of schools in FCT were not using any form of wall charts teaching aids (Abdulkareem and Umar, 1997). All these gaps have combined with frequent teachers’ strikes and absenteeism in recent years to weaken the capacity of the institutions to deliver sound primary education. 77D. O. Durosaro Furthermore, there is an emerging issue of great importance in the management of primary education in Nigeria. This is that of restructuring the level by expanding it to accommodate both the early childhood care and the pre-primary education curriculum. This is now a burning issue in view of the level of social poverty and the need for poverty alleviation by economic empowerment of women. Stakeholders in primary education are now being mobilized towards this direction with a view to encouraging both public and private participation. This issue will however have grave implications for funding, personnel, facilities, curriculum development and monitoring. A related dimension of this issue is that of expanding and restructuring the system to also cater adequately for the almajiris, area boys, street children and disabled school-age populace across the nation. Furthermore, the issue of poor enrolment in primary schools in some special areas should be of great importance to primary education management in Nigeria. This issue has three major dimensions. The first is that of how to ensure gender balance in enrolment in some parts of the country. Owing to some socio-cultural factors in some parts of the country, female enrolment needs to be improved. In another part, it is the male enrolment that needs improvement. But in majority of cases, the second dimension is that of non-enrolment in public schools. Parents prefer the private school since they appear more effective. The third dimension of this issue is ensuring retention and completion once enrolled. Resolving this issue is closely connected to the next issue of poverty alleviation and provision of good nutrition for children. The issue of poverty alleviation is more about the parents and the wider social constituency of primary education. This phenomenon impacts greatly on schooling particularly at the primary level. Owing to poverty, parents cannot afford to buy school uniforms, books, pay transportation cost and even provide good nutrition for their children. These impair both teaching and learning. There is no doubt that the primary school management should find a way of intervening in assisting the pupils within the national framework of poverty alleviation scheme. Some States have already introduced free mid-day meal service to primary schools. This meal service has some implications for school management to ensure it is . not counter-productive. Nutritional well-being in childhood has been shown to have large benefit on school performance as well as physical and mental capacity in later life (World Bank, 2003). Crucial Issues in the Management of Primary Education in Nigeria78 A similar issue which could also impact seriously on primary education is that of HIV/AIDS pandemic. This could have impact on both teachers and students and its effect on parents or guardians of the pupils could spill ¬over to the school. It was reported in 2001 that the prevalence rate was 5. 8% of teachers nationally (World Ban, 2003). Across the federation, it was found to range between 1. 8% of teacher population in Jigawa and 13. 5% of the teacher population in Benue. This disease was found to be prevalent in the age-group 20 – 24 years which forms the core age group from which primary school teachers are recruited in Nigeria. Table 3: Projected Teacher Attrition due to HIV/AIDS Pandemic in Selected States of Nigeria, 2003 ____________________________________________________________ __ StatesNo. of TeachersPrevalence rateAttrition of % of HIV/A IDSTeachers Benue1384813. 5185 Lagos180405. 590 Plateau175265. 098 Rivers83215. 542 Table 3 presents the projected attrition of teachers due to HIV/AIDS disease in some selected States of Nigeria. This projection is based on the rates found for these States in a previous survey reported by the World Bank. Given the clear fact that AIDS is real and the spread is growing, there is the need to estimate its likely impact on the primary education management in Nigeria and ensure the problems are contained. This could be done through creation of HIV/AIDS awareness programmes on the school curriculum for both learners, teacher and even parents. Expert could be invited to assist in enlightening the school community on how to combat the spread of this pandemics. Conclusion It is quite clear from the foregoing that for primary education in Nigeria to achieve its stated objectives, these crucial issues of policy, funding, data, curriculum review and capacity buildings gaps must be squarely addressed by education managers in Nigeria. In addition, the issues of genderization, poverty alleviation, pupils’ and teachers’ health and nutrition need prompt attention of the stakeholders and managers of 79D. O. Durosaro the system. Primary education is central to the achievement of the overall national educational goals. The primary education managers, in their quest to continue to meet the national demand for primary education quite efficiently and effectively, must constantly device new and improved ways of managing the system. The following recommendations are put forth: There is need for the creation of more social awareness on the recent Ube Bill to ensure compliance. The various States and Local Governments should also back this up with edicts and byelaws where necessary. Various tiers of government should also formulate clear policies on enrolment of pupils, funding, provision of facilities as well as quality assurance. There is the urgent need to set a national minimum standard for primary education which must be followed by all providers of primary education in Nigeria whether private or public. Since the government is still the major source of found to education in Nigeria, there is the need to change the pattern of funding so that provision for primary education should adequately match its needs, To be able to take sound decisions on the management of primary education in Nigeria, there is the need to ensure availability of accurate data on the system. The present effort of the Federal Ministry of Education in collaboration with both the UNESCO and UNDP on the creation of an Education Data Bank is highly commendable (FGN/UNE SCO/UN DP, 2003). The government should give the data bank all the enabling environment required to generate and analyse and bank the data. The institutional managers and teachers should be constantly trained and retrained in the modern data management techniques. There is the need to step up the institutional capacity building. The school managers should be mandated to attend training workshops and conferences to improve their managerial skills. Organizations like the National Institute for Educational Planning and Administration, which have been set up for capacity building in educational management, should be empowered to start some annual training programmes towards this end. Concerted efforts by ways of quality control and monitoring would improve the quality of public schools and the drift from them to private schools would be checked. Effort should also be made to promote gender balance in schools Crucial Issues in the Management of Primary Education in Nigeria80 through gender sensitivity of the teachers, curriculum and teaching materials. The school environment should be made more child-friendly. The government needs to step up its poverty alleviation process by rendering assistance to parents indirectly through provision of free books, uniforms and even free mid-day meals to the children of the poor. There is need to embark more aggressively on the public enlightenment on the HIV/AIDS disease control. This would help reduce both pupil and teacher loss that this disease could cause. References Abdulkareem, A. Y. and I. O. Umar (1997) Follow-up Study on Primary Education Cost, Financing and Management in Kogi, Kwara and Nigeria States and the Federal Capital Territory. National Primary Education Commission Project. Durosaro, D. O. (2000) Resource Allocation and Utilization for University Education in Nigeria, Trends and Issues in E. G. Fagbamiye and D. O. Durosaro (eds,). Education and Productivity in Nigeria, N AEAP 51-67. Federal Government of Nigeria (1997 – 2002) Annual Budgets World Bank (2003) School Education in Nigeria: Preparing for Universal Basic Education. , (Human Development II, African Region), September 1. FGN/UNESCO/UNDP (2003). A Decade of Basic Education Data in Nigeria (1988-1998).

Niels Bohr Institute

Niels Bohr Institute The Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen is one of the most historically-significant physics research sites in the world. Throughout the early twentieth century, it was home to some of the most intensive thinking related to the development of quantum mechanics, which result in a revolutionary rethinking of how we understood the physical structure of matter and energy. Founding of the Institute In 1913, Danish theoretical physicist Niels Bohr developed his now-classic model of the atom. He was a graduate of Copenhagen University and became a professor there in 1916, when he pretty much instantly began lobbying to create a physics research institute at the University. In 1921, he was granted his wish, as the Institute for Theoretical Physics at the University of Copenhagen was founded with him as the director. It was often referenced with the short-hand name Copenhagen Institute, and youll still find it referenced as such in many books on physics today. The funding to create the Institute for Theoretical Physics largely came from the Carlsberg foundation, which is the charitable organization affiliated with the Carlsberg brewery. Over the course of Bohrs lifetime, the Carlsberg forked out well over a hundred grants to him in his lifetime (according to NobelPrize.org). Beginning in 1924, the Rockefeller Foundation also became a major contributor to the Institute. Developing Quantum Mechanics Bohrs model of the atom was one of the key components of conceptualizing the physical structure of matter within quantum mechanics, and so his Institute for Theoretical Physics became a gathering point for many of the physicists thinking most deeply about these evolving concepts. Bohr went out of his way to cultivate this, creating an international environment in which all researchers would feel welcomed to come to the Institute to assist in their research there. The major claim to fame of the Institute for Theoretical Physics was the work there in developing an understanding of how to interpret the mathematical relationships that were being demonstrated by the work in quantum mechanics. The main interpretation that came out of this work was so closely tied to Bohrs Institute that it became known as the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics, even well after it had become the default interpretation the world over. There have been a number of occasions where people directly affiliated with the Institute received Nobel Prizes, most notably: 1922 - Niels Bohr for his atomic model1943 - George de Hevesy for work in nuclear medicine1975 - Aage Bohr and Ben Mottelson for work in describing the structure of the atomic nucleus   At first glance, this might not seem particularly impressive for an institute that was at the center of understanding quantum mechanics. However, a number of other physicists from other institutes throughout the world built their research on the work from the Institute and then went on to receive Nobel Prizes of their own. Renaming the Institute The Institute for Theoretical Physics at the University of Copenhagen was officially renamed with the less-cumbersome name Niels Bohr Institute on October 7, 1965, the 80th anniversary of Niels Bohrs birth. Bohr himself had died in 1962. Merging the Institutes The University of Copenhagen of course taught more than quantum physics, and as a result had a number of physics-related institutes associated with the University. On January 1, 1993, the Niels Bohr Institute joined together with the Astronomical Observatory, the Orsted Laboratory, and The Geophysical Institute at the University of Copenhagen to form one large research institute across all of these diverse areas of physics research. The resulting organization retained the name Niels Bohr Institute. In 2005, the Niels Bohr Institute added the Dark Cosmology Centre (sometimes called DARK), which focuses on research into dark energy and dark matter, as well as other areas of astrophysics and cosmology. Honoring the Institute On December 3, 2013, the Niels Bohr Institute was recognized by being designated an official scientific historical site by the European Physical Society. As part of the award, they placed a plaque on the building with the following inscription: This is where the foundation of atomic physics and modern physics were created in a creative scientific environment inspired by Niels Bohr in the 1920s and 30s.

An analysis of I Have a Dream essays

An analysis of I Have a Dream essays This famous speech by Martin Luther King, Jr, in 1963 is an example of structured and impassioned rhetoric that is also carefully designed to elicit a specific response and to appeal to a wide ranging audience. The use of language and stylistic devices in the speech serve to enforce the central massage, which is repeated and built on throughout in different contexts. The central thrust of the speech lies in the demand for freedom and equality for African Americans or the Negro' population. This is a carefully structured and controlled argument that begins with the necessity to rectify the injustices of the past and then, logically and emotionally, builds on the legitimacy of this demand. This is enforced by a veiled threat that the demand for equality is not to be taken lightly; which in turn is ameliorated by a reassurance that the speech is not a call to irresponsible actions. Lastly, the speech emphasizes that the issue of freedom and basic human rights for the Negro is related to the freedom of all in a harmonious and united society. Throughout the speech the use of language is concise and controlled and aimed at evoking specific responses. I will focus on the use of metaphor that dramatically enforces the central message. The analysis also focuses on the way in which the speech is constructed to appeal to the audience's sense of morality and justice and to allay any preconceptions or fears about radical black empowerment. The first paragraph encapsulates the intention of the speech, namely that while the Proclamation of Emancipation is a historical fact it is still not yet a fact in the daily lives of the Negro people. The immediate intention is to emphasize the legitimacy of what is to follow and to refute preconceptions relating to these demands. The sense of justice and legitimacy is emphasized by the use of historical/Biblical terminology and style to em...

How to Set and Use Cookies in PHP

How to Set and Use Cookies in PHP As a website developer, you can use PHP to set cookies  that contain information about the visitors to your website. Cookies store information about a site visitor on the visitors computer that can be accessed upon a return visit. One common use of cookies is to store an access token so the user doesnt need to log in each time he visits your website. Cookies can also store other information such as the users name, the date of the last visit and shopping-cart contents. Although cookies have been around for years and most people have them enabled, some users either do not accept them because of privacy concerns or automatically delete them when their browsing session closes. Because cookies can be removed by a user at any time and are stored in a plain-text format, dont use them to store anything sensitive. How to Set a Cookie Using PHP In PHP, the setcookie() function defines a cookie. Its sent along with the other HTTP headers and transmits before the body of the HTML is parsed. A cookie follows the syntax: setcookie(name,value,expire,path,domain,secure,httponly); where name​ denotes the name of the cookie and ​value​ describes the cookies contents. ​For the setcookie() function, only the  name​ parameter is required. All other parameters are optional.   Example Cookie ​To set a  cookie named UserVisit in the visitors browser that sets the value to the current date, and further sets the expiration to be  in 30 days (2592000 60 seconds * 60 mins * 24 hours * 30 days), use the following PHP code: ?php $Month 2592000 time();//this adds 30 days to the current timesetcookie(UserVisit, date(F jS - g:i a), $Month);? Cookies must be sent before any HTML is sent to the page or they do not work, so the setcookie() function must appear before the html tag. How to Retrieve a Cookie using PHP To retrieve a cookie from the users computer upon the next visit, call it with the following code: ?phpif(isset($_COOKIE[UserVisit])){$last $_COOKIE[UserVisit];echo Welcome back! br You last visited on . $last;}else{echo Welcome to our site!;}? This code first checks if the cookie exists. If it does, it welcomes the user back and announces when the user last visited. If the user is new, it prints a generic welcome message. TIP: If you are calling a cookie on the same page you plan to set one, retrieve it before you overwrite it. How to Destroy a Cookie To destroy a cookie, use setcookie() again but set the expiration date to be in the past: ?php $past time() - 10; //this makes the time 10 seconds ago setcookie(UserVisit, date(F jS - g:i a), $past);? ​Optional Parameters In addition to value  and  expire, the setcookie() function supports several other optional parameters: Path​ identifies the server path of the cookie. If you set it to / then the cookie will be available to the entire domain. By default, the cookie works in the directory its set in, but you can force it to work in other directories by specifying them with this parameter. This function cascades, so all subdirectories within a specified directory will also have access to the cookie.Domain​  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹identifies the specific domain that the cookie works in. To make the cookie work on all subdomains, specify the top-level domain explicitly (e.g., sample.com). If you set the domain to www.sample.com then the cookie is only available in the www subdomain.Secure​ specifies whether the cookie should transmit over a secure connection. If this value is set to TRUE then the cookie will set only for HTTPS connections. The default value is FALSE.Httponly​, when set to TRUE, will only allow the cookie to be accessed by the HTTP protocol. By default, the value is FALSE. T he benefit of setting the cookie to TRUE is that scripting languages cannot access the cookie.

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 35

Marketing - Essay Example As noted by Masterson and Pickton, it is important in distinguishing a business function (23). Indeed, marketing is a major success factor for any business entity. First, marketing plays a crucial role in creation of utility. From the definition of marketing by Jain, it would be noted that marketing involves time, place and people (3). It is against this background that marketing is considered as a useful function in creating time, place and possession utilities. Jain supports this argument noting the critical marketing activities of transportation, storage and selling as the key players in effecting this creation of utility (32). Transportation creates the place utility by making goods and services available to customers at the desired place. Storage allows businesses to supply such goods and services at the time when needed. Finally, through selling, marketing provides the possession utility of the commodities being sold to the customers. Thus, marketing enables organisations to create utilities. For example, Coca Cola uses marketing to create the time utility by promoting its products during festive seasons, say Christmas Day. Such boosts t he sales of the products when needed. Indeed, marketing creates utilities for products of business entities. Marketing fosters the competitiveness of a business entity. This is particularly so through marketing intelligence. As defined by Masterson and Pickton, marketing intelligence refers to the information relevant for a business entity’s market which is gathered and analysed to help in decision-making (54). Marketing is the business arm that involves direct interaction with customers and prospects. It is therefore an appropriate strategy to use for collection of information from the market. Such information would be useful in the determination of market opportunity and penetration strategies. It provides business entities with appropriate

Power & Organisation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Power & Organisation - Essay Example aintain a high degree of relevance and importance in the study and understanding of the dynamic movement of the human sociological environment, conduct and behavior. The complexity and diversity of human activity and social order carries with it the inception of uniquely new problems arising from the structural changes in contemporary society. It is then essential to know the various elements and factors that knot the ties of human relations and to identify the causes affecting the same, whether adversely or beneficially. The focus of this paper is to come up with a critical analysis of the various views made by selected authors in the study and understanding of how knowledge and power affect the relationships between individuals and similarly in their associations and organizations. In so doing, the author aims at obtaining a fresh perspective at improving the practice of the profession of a manager from the explanations and arguments made by authors and practitioners on the subject under the discussion. Miriam-Webster Dictionary defines power, among others, as â€Å"(1) the ability to act or produce an effect (2) capacity for being acted upon or undergoing an effect (3) legal or official authority, capacity, or right or, (4) possession of control, authority, or influence over others;†. The second definition is the reverse of the first whereby the power is in the passive sense. The individual is capable of achieving his goal through cooperative and collective endeavor with other individuals. Power comes with being able to yield to others or to a common cause or to pursue a common purpose. The third definition is a traditional concept of power usually exercised by some form of discipline and punishment mandated by a political authority. An example is how the citizenry are compelled to obey the laws of government. The last definition identifies power as the embodiment of that political authority. In this sense, power is exercised by a particular individual

Team Conflict Case Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Team Conflict Case - Term Paper Example Two of our number – Tanu and Cyndy (me!) - also excelled at research, which meant that we had little trouble acquiring the information we needed. Writing was also another one of our collective strengths courtesy of John, and both Powerpoint and video presentations were equally achievable for our group due to the presence of Vishal and Venkat, our leader. Even Nader, the one among us who, at first glance, had no overt specialties, more than pulled his weight by assisting the rest of the group at whatever needed to be done. Overall, our group could be said to be very well-balanced, which meant that our objectives could be achieved with little to no difficulty, at least in theory. However, as we quickly found out, what is theoretical does not always match up with the actual results. Various difficulties did in fact get in our way, and will be elaborated upon in the following anecdotes. For instance, the very first obstacle our group had to get around was the calendar. Since ours was a virtual team, our members all hailed from different backgrounds and territories, and by extension, different time zones. This meant that, for instance, if it was daytime where I was, it may not necessarily follow for my teammates. And conversely, ‘daytime’ for my teammates could mean differently for me, ranging from ‘sunrise’ to ‘sundown’ and even to ‘midnight’. Needless to say, scheduling our work hours and online conferences proved to be quite a chore in the beginning. When it comes to groups, each member is usually given his or her own tasks and/or roles to perform. In this case, tasks and responsibilities can either be assigned 1) all at once, from the very beginning of the project; or 2) every step of the way. In a group such as ours, where each member had a different sleeping and waking schedule, the former would have been the intuitive and therefore most

Drawing on current academic theory and debate, critically evaluate the Essay

Drawing on current academic theory and debate, critically evaluate the contribution of the Human Resource Management function to the management of employee reward practices - Essay Example Throughout the whole XX century and even earlier both practitioners and scholars attempted to design the theories explaining human behaviour at work and the ways to raise its effectiveness. A good insight into the value of HR related programs is provided by Schuler (1990: 52-54). He emphasizes that the HR function had an opportunity to shift from being an â€Å"employee advocate† (associated with personnel management) to a â€Å"member of the management team†. Schuler’s (1990) view was that this required HR professionals to be concerned with the profits, organizational effectiveness and business survival. In other words, human resource issues should be addressed as business issues. Storey (2001: 18-34) believes that emergence of HRM contributed greatly to an ever-greatest since industrial revolution shift in the principles of management. HRM encouraged both managers and employees to get rid of traditional patterns of interaction, outdated ideas of motivation, stereotypes, assessment and appraisal. Managers ceased to be mere mentors and executioners and turned to be the members of business teams. Introduction of HRM principle has made modern companies more competitive, dynamic and people-friendly that consequently influenced their efficiency and marketability. Therefore, many believe that HRM caused what was later called â€Å"a new managerialism† – a new look on organization, the ways it functions and succeeds and the way its employees work (Storey, 2001, p. 18). At the same time, HRM is not just a set of principles; it is rather an organizational science that helps to implement company’s general strategy in a most effective way. Thus, according to the most conventional definitions HRM is defined as a â€Å"system that is tailored to the demands of the business strategy† (Miles and Snow, 1984, p. 36-37); or â€Å"the pattern of planned activities intended to enable an organization to achieve its goals† (Wright and McMahan, 1992, pp. 343-345).

Health, safety and enviroment managment Personal Statement

Health, safety and enviroment managment - Personal Statement Example I chose to study ‘Health, Safety, and Environment Management’ because my former education and professional career are skewed toward this area of specialization. Technically and professionally, I have a solid background, but there is dire need of a weighty academic advancement not only to deepen my own knowledge and understanding of health and safety management, but also to have my experience validated. I wish to continue studying at Leeds Beckett because it is one of the top-ranked universities in the UK and is popular for its quality of education in the Bachelor Degree program I am interested in. The course contents including drilling, decommission, construction, and policy formation regarding corporate health and safety are all integral parts of my daily work as a senior safety technician. Getting this degree will enable me to be more productive with thorough knowledge of the processes and the ensuing informed decision

Drawing on current academic theory and debate, critically evaluate the Essay

Drawing on current academic theory and debate, critically evaluate the contribution of the Human Resource Management function to the management of employee reward practices - Essay Example Throughout the whole XX century and even earlier both practitioners and scholars attempted to design the theories explaining human behaviour at work and the ways to raise its effectiveness. A good insight into the value of HR related programs is provided by Schuler (1990: 52-54). He emphasizes that the HR function had an opportunity to shift from being an â€Å"employee advocate† (associated with personnel management) to a â€Å"member of the management team†. Schuler’s (1990) view was that this required HR professionals to be concerned with the profits, organizational effectiveness and business survival. In other words, human resource issues should be addressed as business issues. Storey (2001: 18-34) believes that emergence of HRM contributed greatly to an ever-greatest since industrial revolution shift in the principles of management. HRM encouraged both managers and employees to get rid of traditional patterns of interaction, outdated ideas of motivation, stereotypes, assessment and appraisal. Managers ceased to be mere mentors and executioners and turned to be the members of business teams. Introduction of HRM principle has made modern companies more competitive, dynamic and people-friendly that consequently influenced their efficiency and marketability. Therefore, many believe that HRM caused what was later called â€Å"a new managerialism† – a new look on organization, the ways it functions and succeeds and the way its employees work (Storey, 2001, p. 18). At the same time, HRM is not just a set of principles; it is rather an organizational science that helps to implement company’s general strategy in a most effective way. Thus, according to the most conventional definitions HRM is defined as a â€Å"system that is tailored to the demands of the business strategy† (Miles and Snow, 1984, p. 36-37); or â€Å"the pattern of planned activities intended to enable an organization to achieve its goals† (Wright and McMahan, 1992, pp. 343-345).

Marketing Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Marketing Management - Assignment Example The element of self-image is encompassed among many personal attributes like perceptions and attitudes, as well as many others that influence an individual’s decision making process. The element of self-image can be termed as a highly reliable predictor of consumer choices. Many consumers make choices based on their personal desires despite having other social factors influencing their buying decisions (Aghdaie and Khatami 134). A consumer will purchase products that they feel provide them with value for money based on their perceptions of self, making self-image a predictor of consumer purchasing behaviour. The consumer market for briefcases would be mainly focused on considering the reasons why the market is involved in purchasing briefcases. This would involve the consideration of the persons involved in conducting the direct purchase of briefcases. It would be essential for the marketers to understand the times when the products are bought the most in order to use this period for maximising sales. After determining these critical factors the marketers can focus on delivering the briefcases to outlets that have prospects of selling briefcases. Aghdaie, Seyed Fathollah Amiri, and Farhad Khatami. â€Å"Investigating the Role of Self Confidence and Self-Image Proportion in Consumer Behavior.† International Journal of Marketing Studies 6.4 (2014): 133–143.

Church and Dwight Essay Example for Free

Church and Dwight Essay A. Executive Summary 1. Summary statement of the problem: Church Dwight, more commonly known by its brand name â€Å"Arm Hammer,† has held a commanding lead in the sodium bicarbonate product market for over 160 years with virtually 99 percent of all consumer products in households within the United States. However, in order to promote growth and diversity while maintaining a steady profitability rate of three five percent per year, the company has expanded uses of sodium bicarbonate products so that it is no longer the only focus. The acquisition of a diverse group of consumer products in international markets has been viewed as a viable option to sustain the profitability margins well into the 21st century (Wheelen Hunger). 2. Summary statement of the recommended solution: Since Church and Dwight is a relatively small company, when compared to competitors in household and personal care product markets they must recognize the challenges of growing sales through acquisitions to promote growth and competitiveness within those markets. Church Dwight must incorporate additional acquisitions of solid brands and products in order to grow market share through an expansion of product lines into a variety of â€Å"personal care, deodorizing and cleaning, and laundry products† as well as â€Å"specialty chemicals, animal nutrition, and specialty cleaners† (Wheelen Hunger). In addition, to maintain its position in the world market place, Church Dwight must expand into international markets and gain footholds in product markets through acquisition of manufacturing assets. Simply shipping domestic product lines overseas is cost prohibitive. Foreign manufacturing assets will allow product recognition by local consumers in foreign countries and markets. B. The Situation After 160 years, Church Dwight is a giant in the household domestic product market with brand name recognition more commonly associated with â€Å"Arm Hammer† products. However, this achievement in the market only nets $2.5 billion in annual sales worldwide. The company’s brand portfolio includes over 80 popular brands and competes for market share with other giants including Colgate-Palmolive, Clorox, and Proctor Gamble, which have combined sales of over $100 billion. The company has also expanded over the past decade into other household product lines through acquisitions of consumer brands including Mentadent, Pepsodent, Aim, and Close-up, as well as Trojan. Church Dwight has a core of specialty products primarily based on its successful sodium bicarbonate line of products. It currently holds 75% of the sodium bicarbonate market share. Expansion in the domestic markets has proven successful because of the â€Å"company’s pristine balance sheet†. Gro wth into the foreign markets has proven more challenging than domestic markets. Foreign market net sales in 2009 were only $393 million compared to domestic net sales of $1.8 billion (Cook). II. ANALYSIS A. Analysis of the Situation 1.Management – The Church Dwight Company has continued a tradition of slow and steady leadership with a solid focus on long-term goals. The steadiness of the company’s leadership can be primarily attributed to the fact that 25 percent of outstanding common stock is owned by descendants of the company’s original cofounders, a tradition that continues today. In addition, the management of the company over the past 160 years has been handed down from generation-to-generation until recently when Dwight C. Minton passed on the position of Chief Executive Officer in 1995 to an outsider, Mr. Robert A. Davies, III (Wheelen Hunger). This focused leadership style has enabled Church Dwight to overcome potential leveraged buy-outs and hostile takeovers with a series of calculated actions and savvy business decisions. These actions allowed the board of directors and management to amend the company’s charter and allowed shareholders four votes per share. The board of directors was also re-structured into classes, in which each class serves staggered three-year terms (Wheelen Hunger). In addition to staggering the tenure of the directors, the company initiated employee severance agreements with key officials, providing a severance package agreement to provide a â€Å"safety net† should any of the board member positions be terminated by a hostile takeover or leveraged buy-out by an unwanted suitor. By providing these lucrative packages for senior management, many were able to stay with Church Dwight. This allowed for continuity of leadership styles, vision and mission focus. Because of this steadfast devotion to principles, steady growth over the years has occurred, identifying Church Dwight as a Cash Cow, using the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Growth-Share Matrix. However, as the company focuses more on international markets and enters other potential avenues of growing product lines, it will surely find itself labeled as a Star. 2.Operations – Church Dwight have peacefully existed over the past 60 years with sustained growth and profitability because it virtually held the market in the palm of its hands as other companies searched for ways to enter the household and personal care product lines. As a result of the constant forces in emerging markets, Church Dwight has come to the realization that they have major challenges to overcome if they are to compete with other giants in the industry and continue to thrive. As the company gains a stronger market share in the international consumer products, the growth and profitability standard will continue well into the future. However, Church Dwight also recognize they must remain vigilant to quickly and adequately deal with Porters Five Forces: Bargaining power of suppliers; Threat of new entrants; Threat of substitute products or services; Bargaining power of buyers (customers); and Rivalry among existing firms (competitors) (Wheelen Hunger). When considering Bargaining Power of Suppliers, the force rating could be considered Medium as management must be constantly aware of any potential market shocks or trends. If an affiliate retailer is affected by unforeseen supply chain issues, like increased fuel prices, then those costs throughout the company may be affected to remain competitive. In addition, Church Dwight are well aware of the economic situations that may affect their trade customers who may reduce distribution of products in which sales may decline, or adversely affect the financial performance of the company (Craigie). There was never historically a threat of new entrants into the sodium bicarbonate market prior to 1970. However, since the company has developed new product offerings and other established consumer brands, they now face the same competition threats of mature and domestic and international markets for consumer products. This threat of new entrants has emerged over the past decades and may now be rated high. The threat of substitute products or services is always considered high, as well, because consumers might choose a substitute item, if it is cheaper. This is a problem for any company. Bargaining power of buyers (customers) is generally a medium concern as consumer satisfaction is evaluated in a variety of ways. Otherwise, dissatisfaction can drive prices up or down based on demand, or the lack of. Quality is a hallmark of Church Dwight and the perception by consumers of any potential lowering of standards to decrease prices will typically drive loyal customers away. Finally, rivalry among existing firms (competitors) is high as competitors try to achieve greater market shares to grow potential profit shares. â€Å"Church Dwight has in an enviable position to profit from its dominant niche in the sodium bicarbonate products market since it controlled the primary raw material used in its production† (Wheelen Hunger). 3.Marketing – The Church Dwight marketing strategy has been fairly simplistic since its focus has been on the sodium bicarbonate product lines for over a century. However, with additional acquisitions over the past 20 years, and the expansion into other household products, the brand recognition has become even more important. As a result, â€Å"marketing expenses for 2009 were $353.6 million, an increase of $59.5 million or 20% as compared to 2008† (Craigie). In addition, Church Dwight caters to people of all ages and backgrounds. This wide range of customers allows them to develop more and more organic products and services with large scale agreements to satisfy those demographics. As the company expands globally, markets for one region could also be satisfied by other regions as production opportunities allowed greater cost-effectiveness. Unfortunately, â€Å"attempts to enter international markets have met with limited success, probably for two reasons: (1) lack of name recognition and (2) transportation costs† (Wheelen Hunger). Finally, the company began a ground-breaking marketing campaign by airing commercials for condoms on prime-time television. This â€Å"shock† strategy increased its marketing strength and enabled the partnership with Quidel Corporation, â€Å"a provider of point-of-care diagnostic test, to meet women’s health and wellness needs† (Wheelen Hunger). There are potential problems if va rious brand names fall into â€Å"the precarious line-extension snare† (Wheelen Hunger). As the company expands and acquires more product lines bearing the â€Å"Arm Hammer† trademark, the potential for substandard quality or customer satisfaction could cause a back-lash resulting in reduced sales around the world. Therefore, product marketing is essential to reinforce brand name recognition so consumers never forget the value and quality of a company’s name and its product lines. 4.Finance – Initially, the company’s domestic markets have proven successful. However, in keeping pace with competition in expanding product line markets, acquisition of assets has taken place, which could negatively impact the overall financial picture if profitability is not maintained. In 2009, Church Dwight’s performance worldwide achieved an increase in sales of 4 percent; organic sales increased 5 percent, gross profit margin increased 44 percent while global marketing expenses only increased 20 percent; and the Net Cash Flow grew to a record level of $401 million (Craigie). Perhaps even more significant to investors is the report that earnings per share grew 23% and dividends on investments increased by 35 percent (Craigie). In contrast to the growing profits and expenses, the compa ny also jettisoned noncore assets for the first time, including â€Å"five domestic and international consumer product brands acquired during the 2008 Del Laboratories transaction† (Wheelen Hunger). This posturing of assets will enable a financially sound balance sheet in the future. Therefore, the financial status of Church Dwight continues to grow as it has achieved modest gains from year to year, with hopes of even greater revenue and sales. Finally, the CEO remains focused on â€Å"building a portfolio of strong brands with sustainable competitive advantages† and the â€Å"long-term objective is to maintain the company’s track record of delivering outstanding TSR (Total Shareholder Return) relative to that of the SP 500† (Wheelen Hunger). 5.Administration – Church Dwight enjoys a sound management strategy. It incorporates affiliates through agreements to sell its products. In addition, the former CEO, Mr. James R. Cragie, stated â€Å"†¦We have added $1 billion in sales in the past five years, a 72% increase, while reducing our total headcount by 5%, resulting in higher revenue per employee than all of our major competitors† (Wheelen Hunger). While it may appear unsympathetic to the employee perspective, technologic al advancements allow for increased productivity in various aspects of manufacturing and labor allowing for greater productivity without the added expense of additional manpower. Church Dwight also continue to operate with an ethical employment code in keeping with today’s expectations of utmost respect for both consumer and employee. The following is the company’s published Ethical Standards: â€Å"The reputation and integrity of Church Dwight Co., Inc. are valuable corporate assets, vital to the Company’s success. Each Company employee, including each of the Company’s officers and general managers and each Company director, is responsible for conducting the Company’s business in a manner that demonstrates a commitment to the highest standards of integrity. Specifically, we encourage among Company personnel a culture of honesty, accountability and mutual respect. Additionally, we provide guidance to help Company personnel recognize and deal with ethical issues. Finally, we have provided mechanisms for Company personnel to report unethical conduct. Dishonest or unethical conduct or conduct that is illegal will constitute a violation of these Standards and are grounds for disciplinary action† (Church Dwight). 6.SWOT a.Strengths – The Church Dwight Company has many strengths, with brand recognition being their greatest. In fact, Arm Hammer continues to be their greatest asset and strongest product on the market today; the little yellow box is in over 95 percent of all households across the country. The sodium bicarbonate product line has proven itself for over 160 years with uses in baking, cleaning, and deodorizing, and as an added ingredient for things like drain openers and neutralizing agents. While there may be other similar products, Church Dwight have virtually cornered the market by holding 85 percent of it. b.Weaknesses – A potential weakness within the company is the overextension of branding into many other product lines. â€Å"Until 1970, it produced and sold only two consumer products: Arm Hammer Baking Soda and a laundry product marketed under the name Super Washing Soda† (Wheelen Hunger). The company enjoyed success domestically, but â€Å"in the internat ional arena where growth was more product-driven and less marking sensitive, the company was less experienced† (Wheelen Hunger). Therefore, they relied on acquisitions and management changes to improve its international footprint and reach. With ever-expanding product lines, suppliers, and retailers, the potential for an inferior product or service can cause a negative reputation, impacting the overall brand. Therefore, brand recognition should continue to be the focus when researching future products or investment avenues to ensure the quality of the product/service in the name of the company. Entire corporations have gone away because of a negative connotation to its brand name in the eyes of consumers. c.Opportunities – The possibilities are endless as Church Dwight continue to pursue additional product lines in household, personal care, specialty, and international products. Future expansion in acquisitions and assets may prove more advantageous as potential consumer products become even more attractive to increase the profitability as the manufacturing base is expanded around the globe. Perhaps in 20 years, we may have cars manufactured by Church Dwight, as well. d.Threats – The primary threat to Church Dwight is competition. Competitors have an even greater market share and larger marketing campaigns to remain leaders in their respective niche. There are always going to be threats to its business operations, products, services, and reputation. Therefore, ongoing evaluation of partnerships, agreements, consumer satisfaction, quality of production, quality of service, etc. is always continuing. Without a continuous evaluation process, companies may find themselves outsmarted, out-marketed, out-produced, and out of a job. Church Dwight have done a great deal in maintaining a very loyal customer base through evaluations of consumer trends and ensuring affiliates maintain the highest standards to retain the reputation as the leading household product manufacturer 7.Products or Services – Church Dwight continue to produce some of the most widely known household care products. These products are based on differences in the nature of their uses and organized into three reportable segments: Consumer Domestic, Consumer International and Specialty Products (SPD) (Craigie). The company currently produces 80 different product lines, in which eight major brands make up a total of 80 percent of its business (Craigie). The most famous of the company’s products is Arm Hammer Baking Soda. As a company focused on quality and innovation, Church Dwight has â€Å"a discreet marketing team focused solely on new product development† (Church Dwight). In addition, the company is focused on goals to develop differentiated products with new and distinctive features, increased convenience and value, and engaging outside contractors for research and development activities (Church Dwight). B. Problem Definition 1.The Church Dwight case study identified a corporate problem needing to continue expansion in products and services, while presenting a consistent operating profit and increasing market shares of the household product industry. Expenses were continually evaluated and streamlined to reduce inefficiencies; including product research and development to identify â€Å"new uses/markets for an existing product† (Wheelen Hunger). Unfortunately, constant pressure from global competitors seeking to enter domestic and international markets, as well as an overall poor economy, is creating an atmosphere where continued growth must be developed through new opportunities for expansion into new geographical markets, new products/uses, all while striving to control increasing transportation costs. 2.In order for Church Dwight to retain its position as the leading household product manufacturer, it must continue to provide outstanding customer service, excellence in product quality, invest in cutting edge technology to remain a viable resource for consumers, as well as developing new uses for its primary product line to ensure customers remain satisfied with the product, as promised. In addition, expanding its share of other household product opportunities and innovations will be key to any future growth. Yet another opportunity for Church Dwight to grow is in the business-to-business exchange market for suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers to use. By providing this service to its affiliates and partners, they would be able to achieve greater operational efficiencies in their supply chains. 3.As Church Dwight enjoy a considerably large loyal customer base, competing with Proctor Gamble and other industry giants to get customers to switch competitors is no easy task. However, with any challenge comes greater innovation and new ideas. Relationships with suppliers, manufacturers and other retailers allow for greater efficiencies in costs by consolidating orders, developing greater discounts on shipping costs, or even creating greater financial incentives for affiliates to increase sales and customer satisfaction rates by increasing consumer awareness of the quality and reliability of services and products available to them. III. SYNTHESIS A. Alternative Solutions Brand recognition for ARM HAMMER brand products has already been established within the domestic markets of the United States. International markets continue to challenge emerging companies due to cultural differences in market populations, cultural differences in marketing strategies, and language barriers requiring new brand names more suitable for local languages/cultures. With low population growth rates and households in international markets, increasing transportation costs, and intense competition and higher commodities costs, manufacturers are turning to new and innovative processes to increase their share of the household product markets. For example, rising gas prices are a concern since it directly contributes to increased production costs. In response, household and personal care product companies are making efforts to stimulate sales in varying ways, such as entering new markets, creating new product segments, strengthening strong brand image, acquiring businesses, targeting market audiences, and increasing advertising budgets. Another alternative could be to develop joint-business ventures with suppliers, manufacturers, distributers, and retailers. The benefit to this option would be to streamline production and sales and allow the ease of marketing products and services to its affiliates and partners. This option would also allow greater operational efficiencies and translate into lower costs for Church Dwight and lower prices for consumers. B. Recommendations and Conclusions As Church Dwight look to satisfy competitive pressures while still reeling from the recent economic crisis, the following recommendation and solution is presented in hopes of reducing expenditures and continuing company growth through new product development and market expansion. Expanding into new markets with â€Å"major competitors jockeying for shelf space and retailers seeking to rationalize their breadth of product offerings, more changes may be considered† (Wheelen Hunger). Therefore, the best recommendation for Church Dwight at this point in time would be to implement the first alternative, delving into new product lines both in domestic markets and even greater exploration of international markets. This option would be advantageous because of the limited financial investment required to grow already established footholds in foreign countries to manufacture and transport new product lines. In addition, by improving upon past successes and avoiding past mistakes, a s ound marketing campaign could attract additional consumer traffic to its existing retailers and product outlets. Arm Hammer also has premier brand recognition within the United States, which would look to use its large customer base to compete against Proctor Gamble or Colgate-Palmolive, and Clorox. Finally, to satisfy any shortcomings in this solution, it is further recommended that Church Dwight initiate an aggressive marketing strategy incorporating foreign experts in business and marketing development to identify focus groups to better understand cultural differences and expectations in product innovations. Understanding why a specific culture or race chooses one brand over another is key to identifying potential aspects of a new product line that would be warmly received in another country rather than simply pushing an American-made product brand on a culture that has no experience with the product or whose name may have a derogatory meaning in their language. This option could also allow Church Dwight to market potentially less expensive alternatives to Proctor Gamble or other foreign corporations specializing in household products in another country or region. This recommendation provides a potential solution to increase sales while growing market share and staying ahead of the competition. References Church Dwight, Co. Inc. (web). Churchdwight.com. Retrieved on April 8, 2012 from http://www.churchdwight.com/index.aspx Craigie, J. R. (February 24, 2010). Church Dwight co., inc. 2009 annual report: Churchdwight.com. Retrieved on April 8, 2012 from http://www.churchdwight.com/PDF/AnnualReports/2009-CDH-Annual-Report.pdf Wheelen, T. L., Hunger, J. D. (2012). Strategic management and business policy toward global sustainability. (13th ed., pp. 19-20). New York, NY: Pearson Hall.

Impact of Non Native Insects on Agricultural Ecosystems

Impact of Non Native Insects on Agricultural Ecosystems Subject Using examples, describe how invasive, non-native insects can affect agricultural ecosystems and wild ecosystems in areas outside their native range Abstract The global climate is changing rapidly and this trend is expected to continue throughout and beyond the 21st century. Rising temperatures as well as new precipitation patterns are toady affecting different aspects of natural world and human society worldwide. Indeed, we are experiencing many changes as a result of climate change in the ecosystems on an astonishingly pace and scale. Non-native species are thought to be of greatest threats as a result of the current global warming. There are almost approximately two thousand established invasive species in Britain. Indeed, the factor of non-native species cost Great Britain approximately  £1.7 billion annually. As each species have their way of responding to these changes in environment, its interactions with the physical world as well as the organism around it change too. This causes a cascade of influence within the entire ecosystem. In fact, such influence can lead to a spreading out of species into new areas, interaction of diffe rent species to a point of species extinctions. This paper aims to examine and describe with examples how invasive or non-native insects can impact agriculture ecosystems and wild ecosystems in areas outside their naive range. Non-native insects also referred as exotic, non-indigenous, alien, or introductions are insects introduced to new areas or living outside their native distribution range as a result of human activities, either deliberate or accidental. According to Krueger and May (1991) non native species can be described as the transfer of different organisms outside their native range. Different type of animals have been transferred or transported to different locations as a result of different means and introduced into new areas for many years. Many of these introductions have been both accidental and intentional, however, many have not. For intentional, the primary reason is for agriculture or livestock production such as domesticated cattle, honeybees, goats, swine etc. Invasive species either large or small have devastating impact on agricultural ecosystem and wild ecosystem in areas outside their native range. According to Schowalter and Whitmore (2002) invasive insects are one of the major threats to native wildlife and other plantations worldwide. In fact, approximately 42 percent of endangered or threatened species are at risk mainly as a result of invasive species. Agricultural ecosystems are also at high risk from invasive species. The effect of invasive insects on our agricultural products cost billions of dollars annually. An invasive species are many type of living organism-an amphibian, insects, plant, bacteria, fungus or eggs that are not native to an ecosystem and has the potential to cause harm to the environment. However, for the purpose of this paper, we shall examine the species insect as the invasion species. Insects in non-native areas have the potential to harm the environment especially the agricultural ecosystem. They do grow and reproduce rapidly and hence spread in a hostile way, with the potential to cause harm and thus, they are labeled as invasive. It is important to understand that invasive insects might not come from a different country. According to Wittenberg and Cock (2001), invasive species such as insects pose great threat on biodiversity across the globe. However, insects from a large part of the invasion fauna across the globe appears to have received excessively less attention regarding their impact on the agricultural and wild ecosystem compared to aquatic or vertebrate organisms (Levine et al. 2003; Long 2003). Nevertheless, according to Jenkins (2003) through direct interactions, invasive insects have the potential to affect native biodiversity, for instance, a herbivore feeding on a native plant that wild animals are supposed to feed on. Evans (2006) note that the migration of insects to a new location has the potential to attack native prey or host. Additionally, invasive insects has the potential to affect native species as well as ecosystems indirectly through cascading impacts or other several mechanism such as the spread of diseases, competing for space and food (NRC, 2002). Invasive insects can particularly be harmful to native plants populations. Nevertheless, many publications examining ecological impacts of non-native insects do not appropriately quantify these effects. However, the most documented effects on invasive species are undoubtedly these caused by insects on agriculture and wild ecosystems. According to Mallet (2005) hybridization between native ecosystems and invasive insects is a major concern as a result of disturbances that can produce in native genetic resources. Indeed, hybridization has been established in plants and in many cases has continued to show a negative effect on native species (Long 2003). In particular, North America has been largely been affected by invasive insects that are said to originate from Europe. For instance, the balsam woolly adelgid, A. piceae, (pictured below 1) as well as the hemlock wooly adelgid, A. tsugae, are said to pose threat to forest ecosystems in Northern America through killing Fraser fir and Carolina hemlock, Tsuga Canadensis on a large scale (Small et al. 2005). As shown in image 2 below: Image 1: balsam woolly adelgid, A. piceae Image 2: hemlock wooly adelgid, A. tsugae,attackingFraser fir and Carolina hemlock Another example is the gypsy moth,Lymantria dispar (image 3 below)as well as the hemlock woolly adelgid, Adelges tsugae,is seriously affecting the hemlock and oak forest in North America (Orwig and Foster, 1998). Another example of invasive insects threatening agriculture is the scale insects Orthezia insignis, which are seriously threatening endemic gumwood (Fowler, 2004) and the ambrosia beetle Xylosandrus compactus that are attacking a number of vegetations in Hawaii. Image 3: gypsy moth,Lymantria dispar Since their accidental introduction to North America from Europe, around mid 19th Century, the gypsy moth (L. dispar) has become major pests that affect trees in Eastern North America (Liebhold et al. 1995). Additionally, Eurasian insects have also caused serious issues for many trees in America and Europe including the spruce aphid, Elatobium abietinum image 4 below (Lynch 2004), as well as the recently introduced emerald ash borer, which in the past few years has affected over 15 million ash trees (Poland and McCullough 2006). Image 4: Spruce aphid, Elatobium abietinum attacking a plant By reducing or killing the host plant populations, invasive insects also have the potential to impact many other native plants species. According to Gray (2011), the bugs which were introduced accidently in Britain from other countries are at this period considered as the greatest threat to many garden plants. Plants such as rosemary and sage, lilies and fritillaries flowers and shrubs like berberis are today under attack from invasive insects. Many insects have been confined to attack plants in the south east of England. As a result, many horticulturalists have monitored the spread of insects such as Scarlet lily Beetle (Lilioceris lilii) image 5 below, Rosemary Beetle, Hemerocallis gall midge (Contarinia quinquenotata), and Berberis sawfly (Arge berberidis) have warned that the insects have the potential to spread quickly northward and westward across Britain devouring plantations (Gray, 2001). Image 5: Scarlet lily Beetle, Lilioceris lilii attacking a leave The Royal Horticultural Society (2016) has described the invasive insects as most wanted pests and they are urging farmers to be on the lookout. The organization continues and said that the spread of these insects is quite worrying as they defoliate the plantations and spoil the flowers. Even though they do not kill the plants they leave the weakened to a point that they cannot grow properly. Climate change is the main cause of this move as summer got hotter and winter milder, it has cause insects that were in the south of England to migrate and spread further north. These insects (Scarlet lily Beetle, Rosemary Beetle, Hemerocallis gall midge, and Berberis sawfly) are among the increasing number of non-native species that are causing devastation across the England landscape. One of the common insect is Rosemary Beetle (Chrysolina americana) that has spread quickly attacking herbs such as sage, lavender, rosemary and thyme. The image below shows Rosemary Beetle: Image 6: Rosemary Beetle As they establish themselves in the new environment, invasive insects in Canadian forests such as Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera, and Coleoptera engage in competitive and trophic interactions with native species and hence potentially impacting natives through several direct and indirect mechanisms (Gandhi and Herms 2010). Invasive insects such as phytophagous feed on native woody plants and thus compete with native species for space and food and they also consume native insects and parasitoids. As well as direct interactions such as interference competition and consumption, non-native insects might therefore interact with native species through other mechanisms such as indirect mutualism, trophic cascades, and exploitative competition (White et al. 2006). According to Lovett et al. (1995) this interactions are most of the time considered to be negative. However, there are some beneficial of mutuality interaction with naÃÆ' ¯ve species. For instance, the impact of interactions between natives and invasive might occur are different levels of ecological organization such as the level of the gene, population, ecosystem, community and individual (Parker et al. 1999). As discussed above, the introduction of invasive insects such as gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) is most of the time described as one of the most destructive ecological species in North America forest (ISSG 2009). According to Gale et al. (2001) the defoliation of Gypsy moth opens up the canopy, reduces the growth of trees, kills and weaken trees outright and as well as alter nutrient cycling and ecosystem processes in the forest. At the long run, gypsy moth invasion can also lead to changes in stand composition and structure. These effects of gypsy moth on forest can cause both lasting and temporary changes in habitant for other organisms in the forest such as birds and mammals (Schowalter and Whitmore, 2002) Invasive insects causes harm to wild ecosystems in many different ways. When a new and aggressive species are introduced to a new ecosystem, it can breed quickly as well as spread, taking over the plants and the location. As a result, native wildlife might fail to provide any protective mechanism against the invader as the species has no predators. Invasive insects are said to have devastating effects on an ecosystem and it might result to the local extinction of native species, particularly if they are endangered. When invasive insects are introduced to a new area outside their range it is likely that they will disrupt the natural food web and as a result start to compete with the native wild ecosystem and directly predating them. In this view, when natural food pattern are disturbed, the results becomes complex and varied consequences, which later lead a reduction in biodiversity within the habitant. The gypsy moth defoliation effect on canopy openness lead to understory plant growth, tree mortality and stand composition that has some impact on wildlife. Increased openness of canopy can in one way reduce populations of birds species that are linked with closed canopies The effects of gypsy moth defoliation on canopy openness, understory plant growth, stand composition, and tree mortality can also have impacts on forest wildlife. Increased canopy openness can temporarily reduce populations of bird species associated with closed canopies Gale et al. 2001, as well as cause nest predation. Equally, increases in understory cover and dead trees have been considerably linked with increased profusions in the eastern towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus) as well as cavity-nesting bird species. Moreover, species that stay in an open canopy are more in defoliated stands (Bell and Whitmore 1997). This means that gypsy moth defoliation leads to an increased habitat complexity, which at the other case can be beneficial for forest birds and wild animals in the ecosystem. Parasitism on native fauna Invasive insects have also the potential to affect that native fauna as a result of parasitism on native vertebrates or insects. In many cases, parasitoids have been applied as biological control means nationally. In just a few cases, these control measures have turned to be a threat to non-target insects. One of the best know example in forest ecosystem is that is tachinid fly, Compsilura concinnata, which were introduced in North America from Europe at the start of 20th century to control gypsy moth, which is today suspected to have a negative effect on populations of endangered natives (Boettner et al. 2000). Also, according to Bildfell et al. (2004) alien ectoparasites of vertebrates have the potential to threaten native species. For instance, a chewing louse, Damalinia sp., can cause hair-loss effect in black tail deer in western North America. Competition Additionally, competition is likely to occur between non-native insects and native animals for nesting areas. Hybridization between invasive and native species can as well occur, which leads in reduced fitness of offspring and could eventually result to the extinction of the species. Moreover, invasive insects can introduce pathogens into the new area, which has the potential to spread to the native ecosystem which has not experienced the disease there before and thus they have no immunity to it. In additional to diseases being transmitted to flora and fauna, other many diseases that come with insects can as well be transmitted to nearby human population. Invasive insects are said to affect communities and populations of native area through competing for same resources (Reitz and Trumble 2002). The Asian adelgid (Pineus boerneri Annand) have shown some competitive nature that has resulted to displacement of native congener in red pine plantations in Eastern parts of the U.S, through the reduction of host plant quality forcing the native animals to less suitable locations (McClure, 1989). Also, the European weevil (R conicus) act of feeding on flower-heads of native animals in the U.S. considerably reduces the density of native tephritid flies, which also are said to feed on flower-heads (Louda et al. 1997). Also, according to Roque-Albelo (2003) the scale insect kill endangered plants populations in the Galapagos, has also led to local extinctions of host-specific Lepidoptera. Several ecosystem processes can also be altered by invasion insects such as nutrients and water cycles, habitant and succession modification, which later result to a reduction of biodiversity. Indeed, altered water cycle can result to an increased risk of flooding within the area. In additional to be associated with high scale ecological impact, invasive insects can as well have some economical implications. For instance, the government of U.K often spent approximately  £1.7 annually in the control of pests (Wild Screen Arkive, 2001). In fact, direct economical losses might occur from non-native insects causes serious damage to infrastructure or goods and indirect losses leading from decreased tourism in affected area. Spread of Vectors of diseases Invasive insects might also be a source of several vectors or facilitate the transmission of both plant and wild animal diseases. According to Brasier (2000), the European bark beetle, Scolytus multistriatus, is known to be a common source of the Dutch elm disease in North America. The European beech scale, Cryptococcus fagisuga is linked with the fungus ectria coccinea var. faginata, which causes beech bark illness (Houston 1994). Additionally, the invasion mosquitoes are also vectors of avian malaria that affect endemic birds in the forest ecosystem in Hawaii (LaPointe et al 2005). Above all, invasive insects also play an important role as pollinators in the flowering plants. Many of the plants especially flowers are dominant producers in several terrestrial ecosystems, but there is no way they can reproduce without insect intermediaries in order to carry pollen from one flower to another. Plants in the ecosystem produce an array of colors, rewards, odors, as well as ruses in order to attract their insect accomplices. Any flower grows in a design that ensures no insect visitor leaves without a thorough dusting of pollen, which is destined to another flower nearby. Therefore, invasion insects have the capability to continue transfer of pollen to anther flower and thus ensure continued populations of plants. Despite the fact that many of the remarkable studies focuses on ecological effects of invasive insects in the forest ecosystem, there is a still neglected scope that would merit further attention. In conclusion, this paper has clearly indicated that invasive or non-native insects have the potential to affect agricultural ecosystems and wild ecosystems in areas outside their native range through several mechanisms. Several examples have shown that invasive insects affect growing plants and wild animals in the ecosystems. As it has been established in this paper, non-native insects can impact biodiversity through direct interactions such as herbivore feeding on native plantations. The other effect is a predator or a parasitoid attack on native wild or host. Moreover, there invasive insects hybridize with native species. It is also established that invasive insects may affect communities and plant populations of native herbivores through competing for the same resources. In addition, this paper has established that invasive insects can affect vegetation and wild ecosystems indirectly. This can occur through cascading effects or other mechanisms such as carrying diseases, competing for space and food as well as sharing natural enemies with native ecosystems species. Moreover, it has been established in this paper that ecological effect by invasive insects can happen at different levels of biological organizations such as genetic impact- effects on populations, communities or individuals of species. The invasive insects effect on the processes of ecosystems in both agriculture and wild animals. Finally, invasive alien insects have been considered to be one of the most significant threats to biodiversity across the globe. In fact, invasive insects are seen top threaten many native ecosystems by consuming, competing and displacing them. 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