My Strong Belief Of Taking Responsibility For Me And My...

My strong belief in taking responsibility for me and my family actually began in earnest, when we moved from India to the United States, six years ago. I don’t recall having very strong beliefs about anything specific in the past, but as I got older and especially when I moved to America, major changes began to take place in my life. I had just completed eighth grade and was about to enter ninth, when we moved to the U.S. My family was very happy in their native country of India; the only reason the decision was made to move, was because of me. My parents wanted me to be assured of a good education, which would enable me to enjoy a much better life in the future. When I began ninth grade in the U.S., I finally realized how important it was that I concentrate diligently on my schoolwork in order to succeed in my education and also, start taking on some increased responsibilities. I have an older brother who is disabled, so I am the only hope for my parents, to eventually help take care of my family. My parents have always taken care of me, for the most part, so I believe I have a responsibility to take care of them, as well. At this time, I find my job to be the most difficult part of my life. I first started working when I was about sixteen and half years old and so far, I have only worked at two different places. I used to work in Chester, VA, at a Super 8 Motel as a front desk clerk, where I gained experience working all three shifts. I didn’t have as many responsibilitiesShow MoreRelatedThe Strengths And Weaknesses Of An Individual Impacts Essay1723 Words   |  7 Pagesidentified my personal top five themes as responsibility, strategic, significance, adaptability, and learner. First the theme responsibility displays my willingness to take psychological ownership of what I say I will do, my commitment to values such as honest and loyalty, a strong desire to make others feel welcomed and accepted in my presence, and a need to conduct myself in a proper, ethical, legal, and upright manner to gain a sense of righteousness. Second, the theme of strategic highlights my abilityRead MoreEssay about My Core Values985 Words   |  4 PagesExample Essay My Core Values As I have grown as an adult and moved further towards success in my life, I have always maintained a guided structure to achieve goals and tasks that challenge me. I call these my â€Å"Core Values†. This is a strict regimen or a belief system that I have instilled into my everyday practice to complete any task that presents itself. Although not perfected, I have found this method to be quite successful. My work ethic, responsibility, and my drive to further my education andRead MoreMy Cultural Identity : Hawaii Essay1223 Words   |  5 Pagesfrom, I immediately think about my Japanese and Filipino lineage. I also think about Hawaii, and how growing up there has shaped me today. This are only parts of the equation to my cultural identity. No matter what nationality or country you grow up in, each person is exposed to different ideals that mix in with their background culture. I would like to look at my cultural identity by looking at some traditions in Hawaii, the organizatio ns I’ve been a part of, and my own unique personal identity. EachRead MoreCommunity s Membership And How My Identity As A Social Worker Is Influenced By The Community1669 Words   |  7 Pagescharacters and interpersonal relationships. This paper seeks to discuss my community which is Rosslyn community, my role in the community and the challenges and benefits of belonging to this community. Moreover, the paper will discuss the nature of the community’s membership and how my identity as a social worker is influenced by the community. The Rosslyn community in Alberta province is a location- based community which from my frequent interactions with the members, I can simply term it as a tolerantRead MoreA Short Description Of Rosslyn Community1626 Words   |  7 Pagescohesiveness. Communities are a major determinant of an individual’s attitude, characters and interpersonal relationships. This paper seeks to discuss my community which is Rosslyn community, my role in the community and the challenges and benefits of belonging to this community. Moreover, the paper will discuss the nature of the community’s membership and how my identity as a social worker is influenced by the community. Rosslyn is a sub-urban community located near Edmonton city. The community is heterogeneousRead MoreThe Success Of A School Environment758 Words   |  4 Pagesfashion. I have been the student sitting behind the desk, the teacher in a classroom and that eager parent involved in my children’s school life. Each setting has been a ‘family’ in its own manner, with each member contributing to my growth and understanding of who I am and want to be as an educator and a ‘conscious leader’. My love of learning has instilled a curiosity asking those around me what they have come to know and why they know it. In asking, I have learned about vulnerability and courage andRead MoreThe Inequality Between Gender Roles1280 Words   |  6 PagesAt a very young age our beliefs start developing and our values become more and more important. Those experiences that we face during our childhood shape us up to be who we are today. Family, culture, and friends influence the se beliefs constantly because they are who we look up to for moral support. However, the way we perceive the world doesn’t stop once we become â€Å"adults†, we all continue to grow and learn from our mistakes and experiences. It is fascinating to see how we evolve over time andRead MoreThe Establishment Of The One Child Policy932 Words   |  4 Pagescountry’s family dynamics by preventing millions of births and creating single-child homes (DeLauche). As a result of the controversial policy, orphanages began filling with Chinese children, predominately girls, for adoption in order to uphold the new legislation of one child per family. Because of this sole decision of the People’s Republic of China, my childhood consisted of two cultures: Chinese and American. For, as an infant, I was adopted by a single mom in America. Shortly after my thirteenthRead MoreThe Public Relations Industry1576 Words   |  7 PagesMy father always said, â€Å"Nothing is handed to you on a silver platter. You have to work for what you want.† From an early age, I was raised to stand for what I believed in, to work hard and to never give up. Eventually, this began the foundation of how my leadership began. When I think of leadership, I think of three skills I possess: responsibility, loyalty, and integrity. These three skills will be especially important upon my graduation in May 2018 when I hope to go into the public relations industryRead MoreMy Moral Compass1070 Words   |  4 Pagesindividual. A moral compass is something everybody has and lives by. It helps assist in formulating decisions, and is based on morals and virtues. Good managers need a strong moral compass to have the ability to influence others to follow suit, and do the right thing. My personal moral compass is directed by foundational influences , sources, beliefs, and an analysis of the moral philosophies I follow. Just like the cardinal compass, an individual’s or organization’s moral compass must be consistent. 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Analysis of the Warehouse Automation Failure at Sainsbury’s Free Essays

Abstract All organizational departments play a collective role in ensuring that the intended goals and targets are achieved. It is vital that they work together because the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Because of the connection that exists amongst different departments, failure in one department may have a detrimental effect to the entire organization. We will write a custom essay sample on Analysis of the Warehouse Automation Failure at Sainsbury’s or any similar topic only for you Order Now In this regard, this report addresses the case of warehouse failure at Sainsbury’s. It provides an in-depth discussion of the failure and utilizes Porter’s value chain analysis model to explore how failures in primary and supporting activities from the model might have contributed to this. Introduction One of the responsibilities of managers is ensuring that all components or departments within the organization work effectively. This is because success in organization is dependent on the contributions made by different departments. There have been several cases where failure in a single department has adversely affected all operations of the company. This paper seeks to address this management issue by focusing on the failures that occurred in the warehouse automation strategy at Sainsbury’s in 2004 (Double Loop, 2013). It is based on the view that there are many operational failures or disasters occur due to managers’ lack of understanding about the whole organization. This leads to problems in the synchronization of different organizational functions. An Overview of Sainsbury’s Sainsbury’s is one of the largest supermarket chains in the United Kingdom, with a current market share of 17.7%. Apart from running the supermarket business, the brand also deals in the banking and property industries. Since it was founded in 1869, the company has undergone a phenomenal growth. Currently, it runs more than 1,106 convenience stores and supermarkets, and has more than 150,000 employees. The company operates both as a wholesaler and as a retailer (Sainsbury’s, 2014). It has stores that comprise of supermarkets, convenience stores, and pharmacies. In the supermarkets’ category, the company runs Sainsbury’s cafe and Sainsbury’s fuel. It also has an online business referred to as Sainsbury’s online, and comprises of Sainsbury’s Energy, Entertainment, Compare and Save, and Sainsbury’s gift cards. There are also banking and mobile businesses that are run by the company. Even with this level of success that the company presently enjoys, it has also undergone a number of challenges, some of which have led to heavy losses. Key among these was the warehouse project failure in 2004 (O’Brien, 2004). Warehouse automation failure at Sainsbury’s The warehouse automation project commenced in 2000 and had originally been meant to improve the efficiency of the company’s supply chain. The project was under the â€Å"business transformation programme†, whose key planks were Electronic Point Sale (EPOS), supply chain management, and outsourcing of its IT projects to Accenture. The warehouse automation project was intended to overhaul and improve supply chain management of the company. The company had originally intended to make installations of automated fulfilment systems in one of its distribution centres, Waltham Point in Essex. This is the company’s biggest depot, and distributes stock around London and southeast England. By implementation of a barcode based fulfilment system though this project, it was projected that it could make the company’s warehousing operations more streamlined and efficient (Double Loop, 2013). Three years into the launch of the business transformation programme, the CEO who had launched the project reported that it was on the right track, and had saved the whole organization a total amount of ?700 million. However, it was later realized that automation system had developed technical issues, mainly errors in reading barcodes. Not only did this failure affect the company’s operations, it also caused contractual rows between Sainsbury’s and Accenture, financial losses and undue attention from media. With reference to O’Brien (2004), implementation of this project led to a pre-tax loss of ?39 million in the first half of 2004, the worst that the company had ever recorded in its 139 years of operation. This also made the company lose ground to its competitors in the market, which included Asda and Tesco (Double Loop, 2013). Causes of the failure This failure can be attributed to several management issues in the company. One of these was the situation on which IT projects, which were to facilitate the automation project, were outsourced to another company (Abdullah Verner, 2012). Even though the company being outsourced to might have had a good reputation in implementing such projects, the lack of involvement by parent company managers in the monitoring and evaluation of the project can affect the attainment of the intended objective (Alexander Walker, 2013). The minimal involvement by Sainsbury’s management in this project explains why it took three years and a change in leadership to realize that the project was not likely to attain its set objectives (Alexander Walker, 2013). Another possible cause, which has also been identified by Double Loop (2013) is that there was insufficient engagement between the company’s CEO and its IT suppliers in projecting the possible key business and IT risks. For this reason, no delivery strategy that could tackle these challenges was promptly designed (Chermack, 2011). This can also be considered as the lack of sufficient preparations by the then CEO (Sir Peter Davis) before the initiation of the project. Insufficient preparation exposes projects to the risk of possible failure and over-expenditure (Kardes et al., 2013). There was also a communication problem, which can be mainly blamed on Sir Peter Davis. Whereas it must have been known to him that the project could probably fail to serve its intended objective, his presentation about the project to the public was that its progress was as planned and that by 2003, it had saved the company ?700 million. Had the issues been frankly and promptly pointed out, necessary measures could have been undertaken to avert the heavy loss that was later incurred (Aula Siira, 2010). Given that this failure was associated with the warehouse automation exercise at Sainsbury’s warehouse automation project, it is also worth noting that the failure might have been partly caused by automation challenges. The fact that automated system failed to operate as it was intended to, indicates that all the inputs in terms of time, money and resources were lost (Kardes et al., 2013). Porter’s Value chain Analysis of the Failure Porter’s value chain model can be used to identify the primary and supporting activities which contributed to the failure at Sainsbury’s According to Porter (1985), generic value added activities can be divided into two. These are primary activities and support activities. Primary activities comprise of inbound and outbound logistics, sales and marketing, services and operations. Supporting activities, on the other hand, comprise of firm infrastructure, senior management roles, internal culture, procurement, outsourcing and technological developments. The model is represented in the diagram below, in which the functions that contributed to the failure at Sainsbury’s have been marked. Fig. 1: Sainsbury’s value chain components that contributed to the failure in warehouse automation The functions marked in the value chain model above have been identified as the contributors towards the identified failure. They are explained in more detail below: Outbound logistics: in the value chain, outbound logistics are referred to as activities that mainly relate to transference of goods to customers through warehousing. The automation of the warehouse at Sainsbury’s was being done so as to facilitate this primary activity in the organization. The failure of the warehouse automation to effectively take place thus affected the activities in outbound logistics (Zott et al., 2011). Senior management Roles: There was a failure by the senior management, led by the company’s CEO to effectively make an exhaustive plan of the warehouse automation project, which could have identified the potential risks and contributed to the formulation of possible strategies to overcome these challenges (Kardes et al., 2013). Another failure by the management was in terms of their involvement in the implementation of the project, only to identify issues three years after implementation of the project (Double Loop, 2013). Internal Communications: This function refers to how effectively and accurately information is passed within the organizational precinct (Wright, 2012). The failure was due to the miscommunication by the CEO, where he purported that the project was on the right track and had in fact saved the company a reasonable amount of money. This shows that he was either being given the wrong information by the contractor company or he was presenting wrong information about the project. Technology developments: It has to be acknowledged that the company’s agenda was to improve its service delivery to its customers through technological innovation. However, given that the entire automation project failed to materialize, it can be argued that there was a technological development failure. According to Porter’s (1985) model, technological development comprises of all activities that relate to the processing and management of information. It also involves the activities undertaken in ensuring that the organization keeps up with the latest technological changes. Outsourcing: The IT automation project was undertaken by Accenture, an outsourced IT company, which failed to deliver the intended automation results, and ultimately led to the cancellation of the contract (Double Loop, 2013). Conclusion This paper has presented a case of warehouse automation failure at Sainsbury’s in 2004. With the help of the Porter’s value chain model, several primary and supporting activities that might have contributed to the failure have been identified. The identified primary activities are inbound logistics and outbound logistics. Supporting activities are outsourcing, technology developments, internal communications and senior management roles. The fact that all these activities affected and were also affected by the warehouse automation failure at Sainsbury’s proves that many operational failures or disasters that occur because there is lack of understanding of the whole organization, resulting in problems in the synchronization of different organizational functions. References Alexander, A. Walker, H., 2013. Sustainable supply chain management: towards a systems theory perspective. Dublin: EUROMA conference. Double Loop, 2013. Sainsbury’s Warehouse Automation Project. [Online] Available at:http://www.doubleloopconsulting.com/sainsbury-warehouse-automation [Accessed 6 March 2014]. Kardes, I., Ozturk, A., Cavusgil, S.T. Cavusgil, E., 2013. Managing global megaprojects: Complexity and risk management. International Business Review, 22(6), pp.905-17. O’Brien, L., 2004. Digital disaster. [Online] Available at:http://www.supplymanagement.com/analysis/features/2004/digital-disaster/ [Accessed 6 March 2014]. Porter, M., 1985. Competitive Advantage. New York: Free Press. Sainsbury’s, 2014. About us. [Online] Available at: http://www.j-sainsbury.co.uk/about-us/ [Accessed 6 March 2014]. Zott, C., Amit, R. Massa, L., 2011. The business model: recent developments and future research. Journal of Management , 37(4), pp.1019-42. Abdullah, L.M. Verner, J.M., 2012. Analysis and application of an outsourcing risk framework. Journal of Systems and Software, 85(8), pp.1930-52. Aula, P. Siira, K., 2010. Organizational Communication and Conflict Management Systems: A Social Complexity Approach. Nordicom Review, 31, pp.125-41. Chermack, T.J., 2011. Scenario Planning in Organizations. California: Berrett-Koehler. Wright, M., 2012. Gower Handbook of Internal Communication. Burlington: Gower Publishing. How to cite Analysis of the Warehouse Automation Failure at Sainsbury’s, Essay examples

Super Weeds and Problems with Them

Agriculture is the backbone of any economy given that people will need food now and in the future. It is important to note that people spend huge percentages of their income on food. To have sustainable growth in any country, there needs to be a continuous growth in food production (Acquaah 549). Food production has even gained a lot of concern in the recent past because of the ever increasing population which exerts more pressure on the current quantities of food.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Super Weeds and Problems with Them specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Consequently, scientists all over the world are busy looking for ways of increasing productivity from agricultural fields. Unfortunately, while scientists and other professionals are working hard to come up with ways of curbing weeds, nature is working against their efforts. Strains of weeds that are resistant to herbicides have developed and ar e increasingly becoming a problem to agriculture. Super weeds as these new strains are known are quickly multiplying and giving specialists a lot of problems. Over the years, people have depended on herbicides to deal with weeds and this has been so far effective. However, from early 2000’s reports started to be made on some strains of weeds that were resistant to herbicides (Rastogi par 3). Though the problem looked minor at that time, it has slowly caught up with farmers. Since then, more and more farmers have reported presence of resistant weeds in their fields. Despite the increased efforts that have been directed towards researching on how to deal with super weeds that have destroyed many farms, solution is not insight. Weeds are increasingly becoming resistant to the herbicides that are currently in use. Waterhemp and actually many weeds are developing herbicide resistant strains at a very alarming rate. The numbers of acres of land that have been infested by super weed s have increased to around 12 million (Gillman and Eric 148). The crux of the matter is that no current technology seems to have a solution to this problem. Scientists have hinted that it might take as long as 20 years before they are able to come up with herbicides to deal with super weeds. That period spells doom to the entire human race. It is difficult to explain with certainty how the problem of super weeds begun. However, the era of roundup has been blamed for making people forget that weeds were also mutating. Genetically modified crops that were produced with the ability to withstand glyphosate that is the main ingredient in roundup made many people to use the herbicide. It is important to note that this worked wonders from the beginning. Weeds were destroyed and output increased (Zimdahl 381). As a result, people forgot about the traditional methods of weed control or even to use different herbicides.Advertising Looking for research paper on agriculture? Let's see if w e can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More However, while people were basking in their temporal success, strains of weed that are resistant to glyphosate developed. This has become a real problem in the agricultural sector given that more and more weeds are becoming resistant to herbicides. On the same note, advanced technologies in food production that were highly advocated for in the 1990’s encouraged the use of too much herbicide. This has also been linked with the emergence of super weeds which are resistant to these herbicides (Garthwaite par 6). Some people wonder why the issue of super weeds is a problem. We have had weeds from time immemorial so why should this one be special. Super weeds have been known to be very efficient in absorption of soil moisture leaving the ground dry for crop survival. It is important to note here that that super weeds take up water from the soil at a faster rate than crops do therefore giving crops unfavorable co mpetition. Unfortunately, super weeds do not only absorb water from the soil, they also take up nutrients leaving crops without the important means of survival. Moreover, the weeds multiply and grow at a very high rate compared to crops. As a result, super weeds interfere with the normal production of crops (Moss and Brown 143). This reduces the output that can be collected from one acre compared to a field without weeds. Reduced production of food directly leads to increase in the prices of food in the world. Given the current rate of population growth as well as worsening economic standards, we cannot afford either food reduction or increased food prices. Besides the reduction in the quantity of food in the country, reduction in production reduces income of farmers. On the same note, farmers usually try their best to find ways of eliminating the super weeds from their fields. This makes them to use different herbicides with the aim of finding the best one (Johanning, John and Brya n 403). These herbicides are not given freely to farmers. As a result, farmers end up using a lot of money on a problem that they cannot solve. Similarly, in their quest to do away with the super weeds, farmers go to the extent of assuming that they apply small quantities of herbicides. In this regard, farmers increase the quantities of herbicides they use. Unfortunately, these herbicides contain chemicals that are harmful to the environment in the long run. Subsequently, the problem of super weeds has indirectly led to increased chances of environmental pollution (Zimdahl 384). Additionally, some species of super weeds have been identified as being harmful to the health of livestock. Some weeds grow very tall to the extent that they are able to stop combines in their run ways.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Super Weeds and Problems with Them specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Fortunately, there are alte rnative ways that can be used though they are not very effective in dealing with the problem of super weeds. Those fields or areas where super weeds have not taken root should take precautions to avoid getting into this predicament. Firstly, traditional means of weed control will have to be used in some instances (Rastogi par 7). Crop rotation is one way through which weeds have been controlled over the years. It is important to note that crop rotation is also environmentally friendly because it reduces the amount of herbicides that are used in a given field. Use of cover crops is also good because it helps to hinder growth of weeds. Moreover, there are other very effective biological weed control methods that can help in reducing development of resistant weeds. Additionally, good soil management can significantly reduce weeds as well as the use of herbicides. This will help in curbing the problem of resistant weeds given that people will not depend on herbicides which frustrate the m. On the same note, farmers should be educated on the importance of interchanging the type of herbicides they use so that weeds do not easily develop a resistant strain (Garthwaite par 8). There is a proposal that people should find ways of collecting seeds of weeds during harvest so that they can be destroyed. This is expected to highly reduce the rate at which weeds multiply though nobody has decisively explained how this will work. The future of the super weeds problem is vivid. The problem will get worse if people do not reduce their reliance on herbicides. Nature has once again manifested itself as being superior. Scientists are busy trying to come up with a chemical that can be effective in dealing with the super weed problem. However, this will not extricate farmers from the current scenario. Chemicals will just postpone the problem, but it will eventually come back and nobody knows how serious it will be. The main aim of technological advancement in agricultural production has been to reduce the quantity of chemicals used in farming. But with the current wave of things, farmers are being forced to use huge quantities of chemicals. Moreover, given the emergence of resistant weeds, the possibility of having resistant insects in future is high which poses another problem (Johanning, John and Bryan 405). Food production needs to be enhanced in order to feed the ever growing population of the world. Consequently, weeds should be eliminated to reduce competition they give to crops. However, weeds are continually mutating and will develop resistant strains.Advertising Looking for research paper on agriculture? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It is important to note that though scientists say that they are working round the clock to come up with a solution to super weeds, the truth is that these kinds of research take decades before they give results. Meanwhile, a way has to be found to contain the super weeds that are increasing daily. Otherwise, our country and the world at large should be ready to deal with the problem of food scarcity in the near future. Works Cited Acquaah, George. Principles of Plant Genetics and Breeding. Hoboken: John Wiley Sons, 2012. Print. Garthwaite, Josie. â€Å"Superweeds, Superpests: The Legacy of pesticides.† The New York Times 5 Oct. 2012. Web. Gillman, Jeff and Eric S. Heberlig. How the Government Got in Your Backyard: Superweeds, Franenfoods, Lawn wars and the (Nonpartisan) Truth about Environmental Policies. Portland: Timber Press, 2011. Print. Johanning, Nathan R., John E. Preece and Bryan G. Young. â€Å"The Influence of Chilling and Chipping of Star-of-bethlehem (ornithoga lu, Umbellatum) Bulbs on Plant Growth and Reproduction.† Invasive Plant Science Management 5.4 (2012): 402-407. Print. Moss, Stanley R. and Brown rubin. â€Å"Herbicide-resistant Weeds: a Worldwide Perspective.† The Journal of Agricultural Science 120.2 (1993): 141-148. Print. Rastogi, Nina S. â€Å"Genetically Modified Crops May not be Environmentally Harmful.† Washington Post 18 May 2012. Web. Zimdahl, Robert L. Fundamentals of Weed Science. Waltham: Academic Press, 2007. Print. This research paper on Super Weeds and Problems with Them was written and submitted by user Mary Q. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

The Sunne Rising Essays - Fiction, Literature, Congo Free State

The Sunne Rising Essays - Fiction, Literature, Congo Free State The Sunne Rising Heart of Darkness-Conrad in the Congo-Background and Sources The walls between insanity and sanity are often paper thin in ones own mind. Joseph Conrads novel, Heart of Darkness, exemplifies this wall, or realm, through the manipulation of his characters narration. Initially, the narrative simply appears to be a reflection of Conrads style. However, as the story unfolds one may notice that the language and style can be interpreted as a literary tool. A tool that effectively illustrates the gradual deterioration, paranoia, and unresolvable confusion that man can experience when entering mysterious modes of consciousness; as Marlowe does in the African Congo. Conrad himself was subjected to the isolation and darkness of the Congo when he made his own journey through Africa. The complicated rhythm of the narrative with its quotations within quotations allows us, the reader, to partly understand, if not experience, the desolate feeling of loss and isolation that Marlowe is feeling as he is travelling through the Congo. Although Marlowe claims to be sane; the way in which he speaks is often contradictory, and his thoughts seem to suggest that he suffers from perpetual paranoia. Overall, Conrad brings into being a character in Marlowe who is suffering from an, attitude that recognizes the unresolvable confusion of the human world, and grasps outward at anything made to appear firm or familiarreason, God, nation, authority(Solomon, 1) For Marlowe, the point of firmness is Kurts, who he looks to with absolute adoration and searches to be at the same level. The use of Conrads narrative is an ingenious tool to demonstrate the mindset of the men that were hired to explore Africa.

How to Find the Best Firewood for Burning

How to Find the Best Firewood for Burning Finding Firewood If you are looking for firewood to cut, you need a wood source that is relatively close to your storage area and easily accessible by your vehicle. If you have a place to store and season the cut wood, inexpensive wood can be found nearly anywhere trees are being removed because of storms, right-of-way clearing, or logging. Places to look for wood include sawmill yards, national forests, logging and arboricultural operations and even your own property. The old saying, the best firewood is free firewood has some merit if you have the desire and equipment to process it and a place to store it. Many urban firewood users purchase processed wood because of its convenience, availability, and deliverability. It takes a lot less room to store the wood and is usually processed to fit the fireplace or stove. Processed firewood comes at a premium cost associated with its preparation, handling, and transportation. You should acquaint yourself with the value of firewood in your area and pay a fair price. You can find plenty of great dealers online and in the phone book. The Easiest Wood to Split Various woods have different splitting characteristics which are important to consider. Some woods split with little effort while others can be tough, stringy, and difficult to split. Splitting enables the wood to dry out faster and reduces the size of the sticks to stove or fireplace size. Some wood has to be split to use in a stove. Tree species to avoid because of splitting difficulties are elm, sycamore, and gum. Tree species especially easy to split are most conifers, oaks, ash and hard maple. Woods with interlocking grain like elm, gum or sycamore are to be avoided and are difficult to split even with a mechanical log splitter. A couple  rules of thumb should also be remembered: green wood will split more easily than dry wood and softwoods will generally split more easily than hardwoods. How Wood Burns Every species of wood provides different quantities (BTUs) of usable heat when burnedwe will discuss this, further in the next section. Heating efficiency of firewood depends on how that wood progresses through the three stages of burning.   In the first stage, wood is heated to the point where moisture within the wood cells is driven off and the cells are drying out. As the wood is losing moisture, it is chemically changing into charcoal, which is famous for its volatile gasses and liquids. Stopping the process at this point is where the charcoal industry packages their products. In the second stage, actual flames burn off the volatile gasses and  liquids to the point at which the charcoal has lost most of these volatile fuels. Much of the woods fuel energy is lost during this stage and premium wood burning systems can improve their efficiency. The third and final stage occurs when the charcoal burns and produce visible, glowing embers. This is called coaling. At this point, heat is radiated from the burning bed of coals. Different species of wood burn and expend energy differently throughout these three stages. Good firewood species should be dry, should burn through the second stage without sparks with a minimum of smoke production, and should spend a long time burning in the third coaling phase. Wood That Burns Best The heating potential of wood depends upon the increased density of that wood. A woods density is genetically determined by the tree species. Dense or heavy wood contains higher heating values, in British thermal units per unit volume, than lighter wood. A British thermal unit (BTU) measures the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit. Most of us dont realize that air dried wood will produce about 7,000 BTU’s per pound. Regardless of the species, all wood burns with the same value. The complication here is in the density variation between different species, which can be significant. As an example, one unit of heavy oak wood will produce roughly as much heat as two units of cottonwood when measuring BTU output. Therefore,  lighter woods like cottonwood and willow will produce the same heat per pound as the heavier oak and hickory woods. This means that a greater volume of cottonwood is needed than oak to produce the same amount of heat. Also consider that some species of wood start easier than others but give off more smoke and more sparks than others. Easy starting wood is not necessarily the best wood to use for heating. Remember that different species of wood will last longer and have better coaling qualities than others. It is important to consider these factors when selecting firewood. The Needle and the Leaf Debate Then comes the  issue of burning needled conifers and softer wood species. Harder wood species that are very dense, and typically called hardwoods, are the firewood of choice in North America. However, not everyone has access to wood from the Eastern hardwood forest. Conifers and softwoods have served well in those regions with limited hardwoods but the limitations are overcome with proper preparation and appropriate wood burning systems. On the positive side, conifers are easier to ignite because they are resinous. Still, these softwoods tend to burn rapidly with a high, hot flame and burn out quickly, requiring frequent attention. Finding a wood heating unit that can store this quick heat and distribute it through time is critical. Red cedar and other trees with high-resin will often hold moisture pockets which can be both irritating and dangerous without the proper burning hardware. When heated these trapped gasses will pop and cause sparks. This can present a significant fire risk, especially when burned in open fireplaces without screens. Hardwoods will burn longer but less vigorously when compared to softwoods. The wood is harder to start and conifers are often used to kindle the wood burning process. Hardwoods make the best fuel because they tend to produce more coals, a process called coaling, that lasts longer than softwoods. A well-seasoned oak makes an excellent fuel because it produces a uniformly short flame and provides heat preserving coals.

Self Analysis Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Self Analysis Paper - Essay Example This is particularly more prevalent in male-dominated industries, such as the transportation industry, where I have been working for a long time. Others believe that an aggressive female manager will experience backlash, but not in my case, specifically when I work with men (Brescoll, 2011, p.626). As a result, when I work with the opposite sex, I act like a man who is more aggressive in expressing and negotiating my arguments and ideas. On the contrary, when I work with women, I am less aggressive and more empathetic. I prefer keeping peace than expressing aggressive ideas when dealing with women. Thus, I follow a double-standard approach when dealing with coworkers. Upon realizing my double-standard gender behaviors, I have become aware that my strengths are my long experience in working with men, which makes me aware of their non-verbal and verbal language and my ability to project a strong image that can elicit respect from men, although I do need to improve on my ability to be firm without necessarily being masculinized in the process. Being in the transportation business for so long, I know how to â€Å"read† and respond to men. I agree with Kimmel (2009) that some men continue to preserve masculine identities, where they believe that they must be the primary breadwinners and decision-makers in their families (p.326). I know who among my coworkers are traditional in this way and who are more liberal, which is seen in how they speak and interact with men and women, including female managers. This knowledge allows me to adapt to male egoism and how I can reduce their anxiety of being under a female manager. Another source of strength o f mine is that I can gain the respect of male subordinates. I do this through my masculine style of management, where I am direct in my rules and expectations and firm in my rewards and punishment measures. Despite these strengths, I do believe that I need to work on a more balanced gender management identity. I

Nutrition programs Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Nutrition programs - Assignment Example ion (2010), "The costs associated with feeding people in poverty, combined with the costs of treating diet-related diseases, speak strongly of the need for nutrition education" (p. 3). The fact that many individuals in the U.S. today are inundated with unhealthy foods also necessitates the need for nutrition education. In other words, nutrition education presents people with the information they need to help them make informed choices in regards to eating habits. It is not uncommon to find malnourished individuals in the U.S today particularly those from low income backgrounds. As noted by University of Wisconsin (2010), the incidences of malnutrition are as a result of a lesser amount of knowledge on nutrition recommendations and inaccessibility to information among low income families. In this perspective, the nutrition component is imperative in a public nutrition program. Secondly, a public nutrition program must include an evaluation of factors that affect eating practices (Jones, Nobles, and Larke, 2006). Eating practices, according to the World Health Organization (2015) are determined by various factors including level of income, genetics, education level, and social interactions. Understanding these factors is of significance as they form the basis for the formulation of action plans to address the poor eating habits. For instance, evaluating individual level of income can help policy implementers devise relevant or appropriate strategies to improve peoples income level and as a result improve their eating practices correspondingly. Increased level of income, in other words, improves peoples accessibility to healthy foods. To further explicate the importance of assessing the factors that affect eating practices, the World Health Organization (2015) asserts that holding individuals responsible for poor health is inapt as health status is shaped b y other factors. Assessing these other factors is therefore a fundamental factor in achieving program success