Planning and Measuring Performance Essay Example for Free

Planning and Measuring Performance Essay Planning and Measuring Performance Planning and Measuring Performance This paper will discuss Hospital Corporation of America’s (HCA) goals of achieving industry-leading performance in clinical and satisfaction measures and recruiting and employing physicians to meet the need for high quality health services (University of Oregon Investment Group, 2011). This paper will also discuss which tools would be most effective in measuring the organization’s performance against the determined standards. The actual standards that HCA would use to measure the first goal of achieving industry-leading performance in clinical and satisfaction measures are set by The Joint Commission. According to Kicab Casta eda-Mendez (1999), achieving improved clinical performance and satisfaction measures requires performance measures in three areas: * To lead the entire organization in a particular direction. * To manage the resources needed to travel in this direction. * To operate the processes that make the organization work. According to Kicab Casta eda-Mendez (1999), these measures are: * Strategicto drive strategies into action and change the organizational culture. * Diagnosticto evaluate the effectiveness of these actions and the extent of change. * Operationalto improve continuously. The most effective tool to measure these improvements is benchmarking. Benchmarking against the top healthcare companies will determine if HCA is achieving industry-leading performance in clinical and satisfaction measures. Without benchmarking HCA could not determine if the company was leading the industry or if they were at the bottom of organizational ladder. HCA’s goal of hiring physicians to meet the need for high quality health services can be measured by determining the number of physicians need to accommodate the number of patients, determining the specialties/ sub-specialties the physicians are needed in, as well as measuring the retention rate of the physicians. The Balanced Scorecard would best fit this goal. The Balanced Scorecard allows the company to see the projected percentages and the actual percentages of the measurements. It also helps the company see what needs to be changed and gives direction for those changes. HCA can use benchmarking and the Balanced Scorecard to measure the different aspects of their goals. HCA will also be able to see the areas that need improvement and have some guidance into making these changes. With these tools HCA will be able to make an effective go at achieving their goals. References University of Oregon Investment Group (May 6, 2011). Hospital Corporation of America. Retrieved from http://uoinvestmentgroup. org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/HCA. pdf Casta eda-Mendez (1999). Performance Measurement in Healthcare. Retrieved from http://www. qualitydigest. com/may99/html/body_health. html

The Circulatory System In Animals Physical Education Essay

The Circulatory System In Animals Physical Education Essay The role of the circulatory system in animals is the transportation of nutrients and oxygen to every cell that is in an animal organism, and to also remove waste products. The heart, blood vessels and blood are three vital components the body needs to survive. There are also other major roles the circulatory system has which are later discussed. Mammals have a double circulatory system meaning two circuits that blood journeys through; pulmonary and systemic. Pulmonary: Pulmonary circulation is the transportation of blood from the heart, to the lungs, and back to the heart again. The  pulmonary  circuit transports blood to the lungs for it to be  oxygenated  and then transported back to the heart. In the lungs, carbon dioxide is taken away from the blood, and oxygen taken up by the haemoglobin in the red blood cells. Systemic: The  systemic  circuit transports blood around the body to deliver the oxygen and returns  de-oxygenated  blood to the heart. Systemic circulation provides nutrition to all of the tissue located in the organism, with the exclusion of the heart and lungs as they have their own systems.   See below for a diagram of the circulatory system. http://biology-forums.com/gallery/14755_10_09_12_7_22_08_85152044.jpeg This diagram is showing the circulatory system; the pulmonary circuit where it is picking up oxygen from the lungs, and the systemic circuit which is transporting oxygen to the body. Author unknown (Date unknown) Heart: The heart is a muscular pump, when the heart is beating it is pumping blood to the lungs and around your body. The amount of blood pumped can be calculated. Heart rate x stroke volume = cardiac output. Below is a diagram of the heart. https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilELOxt-AUtJmVCeLJFdUPSeBIy4XU3zRZ7Nzzl0XJMu6R0M44zvQu_-t9dja8fqjj2uxFRIU10iYxeznodOZAR_0s2BgCeNAzWX1yacQUPCx7VWw70fFlP_EEP5M3m4V0juVV4XL5q4kA/s1600/HumanHeartDiagram.jpg Author unknown (Date unknown) This diagram of the heart is shown from in the front. So the  right  side is shown on the  left. The  left  side is on the  right  side of the diagram. The heart has four chambers. The two  atria  gather the blood. The two ventricles  pump blood out of the heart. Valves  stop the blood from flowing backwards. The  septum  splits the two sides of the heart. The right side of the heart pumps  de-oxygenated  blood to the lungs to pick up oxygen. The left side of the heart pumps the oxygenated  blood from the lungs around the rest of the body. Blood Vessels: There are three different types of blood vessel: Arteries Arteries transport oxygenated blood from the heart, except from the pulmonary artery which goes to the lungs where the blood would be deoxygenated. Arteries have thick muscular walls and have small lumen and they contain blood which is under high pressure. Veins Veins transport blood to the heart which is always de-oxygenated except the pulmonary vein which goes from the lungs to the heart where the blood would be oxygenated. Veins have thin walls and larger lumen and they contain blood which is under low pressure. Veins also have valves to stop blood from flowing backwards. Capillaries Capillaries are located in the lungs and muscles, when capillaries are looked at under a microscope they are one cell thick, blood is of very low pressure. The capillaries are where oxygen passes through the capillary wall into the tissues and where carbon dioxide passes from tissues in to the blood. Blood: Animal organisms cant survive without blood. Without blood, organs wouldnt get oxygen and nutrients that they need to live; animals wouldnt be able to keep warm or cool down, fight infections, or get rid of waste products. Without enough blood, animals would weaken and die. The circulatory system works carefully with other systems in animal organisms. It delivers oxygen and nutrients to organisms by working with the respiratory system. The circulatory system assists carrying waste and carbon dioxide out of the organism. The circulatory system also has its part in fighting disease in carrying specialised cells which are made in the organs of the immune system. The circulatory system is responsible for the transportation of hormones. Hormones control vast amount of things such as growth, the reproductive cycle and glucose metabolism. Hormones are produced in one part of the body, such as the brain or the liver, and then must be moved to another part of the body by the circulatory system for them to transport their message. The circulatory systems other main role is to regulate body temperature, if body temperature rises then blood vessels close to the skin increase in size so that more heat is directed in to the air and vice versa if body temperature drops the blood vessels decrease in size so the heat will retain in the body. Factors which can influence transportation and circulation in animals High blood pressure (Essential hypertension) where there is no specific cause. High blood pressure of a known cause (secondary hypertension). Low fluid volume which will also include low blood pressure. Low cardiac output. (Î’-Adrenoreceptor antagonists). Obstruct membrane changes and cardiac output, will cause widening of the blood vessels. Aneurysms, where there is weakening in the artery walls, mainly the aorta. Arteriosclerosis is where the artery walls are hardening and thickening: loss of elasticity which is part of aging. Atherosclerosis which is the process in the progression of plaques in the lumen which is located in blood vessels.   All of these may also be influenced by physiological factors for e.g. diet, exercise, disease, drugs or alcohol, obesity and excess weight. Control mechanisms in animals Self-regulating mechanisms, where biological systems try to uphold stable internal conditions e.g., blood pressure and body temperature, when there are changes in the external environment. Internal environment of any living organism was upheld constant within certain restrictions. Homeostasis is usually achieved through two types of regulating systems: on-off control and feedback control.  Hormones  often play a main role in keeping homeostatic constancy.  Homeostasis is carried out around the whole body; reaches every cell up to organs and systems. Enzymes could not work properly, which means nothing could operate correctly if there is not a constant internal environment this would mean the living organism would die. Every single cell is bathed in a watery solution, which is made by some blood plasma which is allowed to escape out of blood. This will carry away any waste back into the blood. The balance in tissue fluid is vital for the cells and the organism.  There are six things that must be controlled in an organism for good health: Carbon dioxide Additional carbon dioxide must be taken away or else the body becomes too acidic. Carbon dioxide is mainly lost in the air we breathe out, but a minor amount is lost in the urine. Urea Urea is poisonous and must be removed from the organism; this chemical is made when amino acids are digested in the liver. This is a waste chemical and is mainly removed through urine and sweat. Ions Cells can end up swollen, shrivelled or sometimes burst, if the right balance is not kept in ions. Sodium, potassium, hydrogen and phosphate are important ions. These are controlled through how much water is drunk by the organism; some are lost like sodium ions, through faeces and sweat. Sugar There has to be enough glucose for respiration and satisfactory stores of glycogen. When blood glucose levels fall too low the organism will die. Water 70% of body mass is water. Not keeping the right amount of water the organism would die. Temperature Enzymes that control all the chemical reactions in an organism work best at the temperature of approx. 37 degrees centigrade, if the organism was to get too hot or too cold the enzymes would die concluding in the organism to die.

The Importance Of Agriculture To Nigeria Environmental Sciences Essay

The Importance Of Agriculture To Nigeria Environmental Sciences Essay Agriculture is the engine that stimulates economic change in a nation development; Agriculture occurs when people begin planting and cultivating crops. It is said to be natures food web and the rechaneling of energy for human planting and animal consumption. To simplify, agriculture involves redirecting natures natural flow of the food web. Nigeria is very blessed with agriculture resources, and if you recall, this is what the green colour symbolizes in our nations flag. Most parts of the country experience rich soil, and good rainfall, not to mention the warm year, round temperature. About 80% of the land is cultivable, and about 13% of the land is forested, and livestock are also maintained by farmers. In the 1960s agriculture was the foundation for the nations economy and Nigeria was self sufficient in terms of food. Before the discovery of oil, our economy was sustained by agriculture. The sector remains the largest contributor to the Nigerian economy, accounting for over 38% of the non-oil foreign exchange earning and employing about 70% of the active labour force of the population. Although, the sector has suffered much neglect since the discovery of petroleum in commercial quantity in 1958 but its importance cannot be over emphasized in the nations economy. Data shows that at independence in 1960 the contribution of agriculture to the GDP was about 60%, which is typical for developing agrarian nations. In 1998, Agriculture was said to have contributed an estimated 32% of Gross Domestic Product (DGP) to Nigerian economy and an estimated 32 percent of labour force was employed. In 2006 contributed 43% to GDP of US $142 billion and employed 70% of the population. The importance of Agriculture is so numerous but to mention a few. People depend on a wide range of Agricultural products in almost all aspects of life. It is a key economic driver. It is central to individual livelihoods and alleviates poverty. Provider of energy fuel-wood and medical plants, it helps in Nations economic growth, e.g. Agriculture contributes between 40 and 60% of the GDP of many African Countries. Agriculture is a key to healthy biosphere, it provide food, which is a key determinant of human health. In general the contribution of Agriculture sector provide food incremental markets for new products manufactured in the industrial sector, it has contributed immensely on the supply of new materials to other sectors, tax revenue to the Government to provide Foreign exchange. Having seen some of the importance of Agriculture, how then do we attain 70% growth in Agriculture sector each year? To achieve growth, bold steps must be taken towards changing our orientation on Agriculture and reversing the trend. For long we have merely been paying lip service to the revival of Agriculture as the main stay of our economy. It is on the drive to bring back the past glories of Agriculture and use it to complement our oil earning: that we came up with the initiative tagged Quest to achieved food sufficiency. CHPTER 2 QUEST TO ACHIEVED FOOD SFFICIENCY Quest to achieved food sufficiency is a way of making sure our food, Fibers, energy and recreational opportunities cheap, sufficient high quality and safe. Quest to achieve food sufficiency is the availability of food or food in excess. This can be accomplished by involving Nigerian youths in farming. That is inculcating the sense of participation in Agricultural sector. Gone are the days where farming is left for retired workers and those in the rural areas. Food is the most essential thing in mans live. According to Abraham Maslow an industrial psychologist, came up with the theory of physiological needs of man and top on the list was the desire for food as the basic need. According to him, after a man has satisfied his need for food, he beings to crave for clothing and then for shelter. Today food which is the basic need of man is readily unavailable all over talk less of man being satisfied with it. This as whole led to world food crisis and no country is unaffected. Particularly years, 2007-2008 saw dramatic rises in world food price, creating a global crisis and causing political and economical instability and social unrest in both poor and developed nations. Although it is almost impossible to pinpoint the exact cause of soaring food price, experts have placed the blame on rising fuel costs, lower agricultural production, weather shocks, more meat consumption, shifts to bio-fuel crops and bad policies. The hike in food price, threaten to increase malnutrition. Malnutrition impairs the ability to lean or to work and reduces resistance to disease. Hunger is a cause of poverty. Last week UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported that 963 million people are now hungry, which means another 40 million people have been pushed into hunger. In addition, child mortality (about 3.5 children die yearly) is attributed to malnutrition since childrens health and cognitive development is sensitive to the overall development. Yet, in the face of this poverty and hunger, our work force is not left untouched or unaffected as this poverty and hunger reduces productivity. EFFECT OF THE WORLD FOOD CRISIS ON NIGERIA Nigeria has never had food security. It has as usual been importing rice, beans and other food items. Since the sources of supplied of these importation are in food crisis it has a spill over effect on Nigeria. The most silent area is that food price will be on the high side, and result to low quantity of food to be import thereby, causing instability in the country economic, social and political sector. Many will starve to death, crime rate will be on the high side, and the rate of poverty will be extremely high. To avert possible food crisis in Nigeria serious, practical and effective implementation needs to be taking in agriculture sector. Poverty in Nigeria is predominantly rural. Of all Nigerians who are poor, nearly two-third lives in rural areas. For the near future therefore, reducing poverty in Nigeria will depend largely on stimulating rural growth. The most powerful engine of rural growth is agricultural growth, because agriculture has important forward and backward linkages to the local economy on both the production and the consumption side. This will in turn make Nigeria to be sufficient in food and agricultural production, and join the league of industrialized nations by the year 2020 because, agriculture is and has always been a major player in the game of industrial revolution. MECHANISED FARMING AND MAXIMISING AGRICULTURE OUT PUT IN NIGERIA Mechanization of the agricultural industry is the way out of solving Nigerias problem instead of the tractorization belief by some. Moreover, this can be achieve by matching up human input with mechanization, bringing in machinery and increase the scale of production, so that whatever you produce will match the population growth rate. No doubt, Nigeria soil is rich and the climate good enough to grow nearly all kinds of food crop anybody can think of. What is required is to get an expert that will manage the soil. Some areas might not belief in tractorization but the use of animal plough, the best is to improve on the technique so you can accelerate their production rate. Some areas have zero tillage, you plant and it will germinate, that kind of place does not need tractors but planters. In addition, part of mechanization plan that is proper is to plan for irrigation itself to water the plant where there is no rain. There is need for improvement on subsistent farmers as record has it that 95% of agriculture product is from then. Subsistent farmers cultivate not more than four hectares. To move from the level of subsistent farming to scale farming, mechanization input must be there. The average yield of maize crop in Nigeria is 3.5 tones per hectare, compared to 8.6 tones per hectare in developed countries. This is very low and cannot be equal with the work force. With this low yield, commercial agriculture is hard to come by. From the global experience its suggests that the path ways along which commercial agriculture can develop, is by successful model ranging from highly diversified systems made up of small holders who deeply involved in commercial production to more specialized systems made up of large-scale mechanized farmers who produce exclusively for the market. Mechanized farming is an easy or stress free farming and the yield is far higher than hoe/merchant farming. It goes along way attracting the youths INVOLVING NIGERIAN YOUTH IN MORDEN DAY AGRICULTURE One of the factors that threatened the sustainability of agriculture is the lack of involvement of our youth in it. It is becoming increasingly difficult to attract our youth in agricultural pursuits. The average age of persons involved in domestic agriculture is 50-65 years old and without increased participation from our youth, by the year 2014, the average age range of agriculture producers will be approximately 65-70 years. The contribution of the youth is essentially important in the development of rural areas. The youth are essential human beings in the development of rural areas. Studies have shown that rural areas, especially in developing countries like Nigeria, have high population ratio when compared to the urban centre. Youths in this context has been defined as individuals male or female above ten but below forty-five years. Indeed, the vital source of work force for development is seen within this range. The employment rate in this country is very low. According to United Nations, population found, approximately three million people in Nigeria, mainly youths, move into the labour market annually with just few getting jobs. These young Nigerians can be re-trained in agriculture sector. When we groom our young people in the process of domestic agriculture, it will in turn develop the rural areas, which is the root of economic upliftment for the nation. The YPAD initiated QUEST TO ACHIEVED FOOD SUFFICIENCY in order to involve young people in agriculture sector. This is a yearly program. The program provides the opportunity for development of practical skills in the areas of farm management, production and marketing of crops, livestock, as well as the business administration of a successful farm enterprise. ACTUALIZING MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS AND 7-POINT AGENDA The MDGs are simply targets and indicators to measure the progress in achieving the eradication of poverty, achieving universal access to primary education, promoting gender parity and women empowerment, reducing child mortality, improve maternal health, combating HIV/AIDS and other diseases, ensure environmental sustainability, developing a global partnership for development. This project was signed in 2000 about nine years ago, with just six years reach 2015. The impact in agric sector is not visible like in the aspect of HIV/AIDS. The YPAD initiative is concentrating on youths and youths are in the vanguard of change. This program will contribute to the achievement of some of the MDGs goals such as, eradication of poverty by being self-employed, promoting gender parity and empowerment of women by giving equal opportunity to the female youth. Areas such as reducing of child mortality improve maternal health; ensure environmental sustainability and developing a global partnership for development will feel the impact. This project will be cited in the rural areas, since it has been revealed that the youth constitute the highest percentage of the rural population. The development of rural areas in developing countries is the root of economic upliftment for the nation. 7-POINT AGENDA The Yaradua 7-point agenda is the vehicle designed by the administration to take Nigeria to a state where the necessary infrastructure will be in place for our collective benefit. Its expected, that, the Nigerian economy would become one of the top 20 in the world by 2020 through the agenda. That means we are aiming at a growth rate of 13 percent per year in the next twelve years and must be sustained to remain in the big league. The seven elements of the agenda are Energy/Power, Security/Niger Delta, Wealth Creation, Food Security, Education/Human Capital Development, Transportation/Mass Transit and Land Reforms. This project is designed to improve the general well being of the citizens and taking Nigeria to the biggest 20 economies in the world by the year 2020. To attain growth rate of 13% annually, some sectors that leads to export of its products has to be consider. And one of this sector include agriculture which could earn the country over 60% GPD annually which is one of the objective of YPAD. This program will touch the lives of many Nigerians and see to the contribution towards the success of 7-point agenda. CHAPTER 3 PLAN OF ACTION We have mapped out strategic plans of inculcating unemployed youths into farming sectors. This plan has worked in the entertainment industry and today the entertainment industry is known all over the country. Massive awareness would be created through media, posters, handbill, signpost, billboard, Local government offices etc. whereby some unemployed youths who are willing to go into farming business or who want to be self-employed will be encouraged to come out in mass and register. The registration will take place in any of the banks within the country for the period of two months only. Immediately after registration audition commences, only twenty five persons will be short listed to participate in the program. Land will be allocating to the twenty-five candidates. Since this is our first time, we intend to start with only twenty-five persons, five per group that is forming only five groups. The program is expected to last for only three months. During this period participants will be accommodated and well catered for. At the end of the third month, harvesting will take place. They will be judge base on the quantities of their farm product. The participants are to undergo series of lecture such as farm management, keeping of farm record, pest control, storage and preservation of farm products and entrepreneurship. In order to make the program more attractive, participants will pay visit to farms, organization and some personnel. Area/Location Without land for cultivation, this project cannot be achieved. Acquiring land for cultivation is one of the major challenges most youth encounter. There is no doubt Nigeria is blessed with verse land. From research, it was estimated that 79 million hectares out of Nigerias total land area of about 91million hectares were arable. However, only about 32 million hectares (or 46% of the cultivable area) were being cultivated out of which 90% of agricultural output is accounted for household with less than two hectares under cropping. The remaining land are left uncultivated these lands can be cultivated by Nigerias youth if given the chance and means. Three states are chosen namely FCT, Niger and Nasarawa States. But only one out of the three states wills this event take place and this depends on the availability of land. Consolation Prices: To make the program more interesting and Competitive, there is going to be prize for the best group, as well as other groups. After harvesting the group with the highest yield have be sponsored for next farming season. The idea of introducing prize is to enhance their performance, help to bring out the best in each participant. Harvesting: The farm products belong to the participants. The instructors will teach the participants how to preserve their farm products and expose them to the buyers. CHAPTER 4 CROP Since this is going to be the first event we intended to start with maize and cowpea. Maize is grown virtually in all parts of the country; it is grown more in the middle belt and in the north central. Maize: Maize (zea mays) is an annual plant which belongs to family Gramineae and Genus zea. Zea mays L. have a normal Chromosome complement of ten pairs. It is divided into seven groups. The classification is based largely on the character of the kernels. Maize is a warm weather plant. It grows from sea level to 300 metre altitudes. The most suitable temperature for germination is 21oc and for growth 32oc. Fifty to Sixty centimeters of well distributed rain is conducive to proper growth. Maize is a cereal plant that produces grains that can be cooked, roasted, fried, ground, pounded or crushed to prepare various food items. Apart from direct human consumption maize is also useful as medicines and as raw materials for industries such as breweries, pharmaceutical companies, baby cereals, livestock feeds and other industries. The global production of maize is estimated to about 300 Million tones per year. In Nigeria, its production is quite common in all parts of the country, form the north to the south, with an annual production of about 5.6 Million tones. Until recent years, the bulk of maize grain produced in Nigeria was from the south-west zone. It was reported that western Nigeria generally produced about 50% of Nigeria grain maize, the remaining 50% being split between the north and east. Although large proportion of the grain maize is still produce form the south-western part, there has been a dramatic shift of dry grain production to the savanna, especially the Northern Guinea savanna i.e. the Middle and Northern belt of Nigeria where sunshine is adequate and rainfall is moderate. Under these conditions, storage of grains can be accomplished without much damage from insect pests. In these zones farmers tends to prefer maize cultivation to sorghum. This trend may have been brought about for several reasons including availability of streak resistant varieties for all ecological zones in Nigeria, availability of high yielding hybrid varieties, increase in maize demand coupled with the federal Government imposed ban on importation of rice, maize and wheat. Local production had to be geared up to meet the demand for direct human consumption and industries. The name maize is derived from the South American Indian Arawat Carib word Mahiz. It is also known as Indian corn or corn in America. It was introduced into Nigeria probably in the 6th century by the Portuguese. Today maize crop covers about 1Milion hectare out of a Million hectares it occupied in Africa and it is the second most important cereal crop in Nigeria. The two varieties of maize are Hybrid and composite but for now we are making do with composite maize. LAND CLEARING Land clearing must be carried out with minimal displacement of the topsoil. It requires judicious use of heavy machinery coupled with sound soil conservation measures that will preserve the soil fertility status, which varies under long term fallow vegetation. Minimum tillage is a feasible way of sustaining high soil fertility under intensive maize farming. PLANTING TIME Sowing date is an essential component of crop management. Yields decline with lateness of planting after an optimum time, usually the start of the rains. Response of varieties to other inputs is dependent upon planting time. Optimum planting in each of the major agro ecological zones of Nigeria falls with these following ranges. Forest Zone Mid April 2nd Week in May Forest Savanna Transition 3rd Week in April 3rd Week in May. Northern Guinea Savanna Last Week in May 1st Week in June Sudan Savanna First 2 Weeks in June SOIL Maize is best adapted to well drain Sandy loam to silty loam soils. Water stagnation is extremely harmful to the crop; therefore, proper drainage is a must for the success of the crop especially during Kharif season. Maize will not thrive on heavy clays, especially lowlands. It can be grown successfully in soil whose PH ranges from 5.5 to 6.5 PLANT NUTRIENTS AND FERTILIZER APPLICATIONS For good growth and high yield, the maize plant must be supplied with adequate nutrients particularly nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. DISEASE CONTROL Although several diseases have been identified on maize in Nigeria, only few of them significantly reduce maize yields. They are maize streak, downy mildew, maize mottle/chlorotic stunk, curvularia leaf spot, stalk and ear rots. In order to make farming economically feasible, resistant line were bred and made available to farmers. With these efforts, maize streak, smut and rust have been kept under control. Genes for downy mildew resistance has been incorporated into streak resistant varieties. Scientists in Nigeria have developed high yielding disease resistant /tolerant maize varieties. The newly developed varieties of maize have between 90 and 95% resistance to the pathogen without extra fungicide protection. Striga hermonthica is a threat to increased maize production in Nigeria particularly in the high yield potential savanna zone. Scientists have identified some inbreed and hybrids that have consistently demonstrated tolerance to S. hermonthica under heavy infestation also reported that the use of NPK and urea fertilizers as effective means of controlling S. hermonthica in maize field. WEED CONTROL Weeds cause severe yield reduction in maize in Nigeria because they complete with the crop for nutrients. Water and light weed controls is the most expensive operation in traditional maize farming since it is procured manually. Often, the labour is too expensive causing many farmers to abandon weed control thereby resulting in very low yields. INSECT PEST CONTROL There has been a renewed interest in the use of natural plant products in the protection of stored agricultural product against insect pest in storage. The use of plant products in form of powders in the management of stored products coleopteran is the most convenient, the powders are easy to apply, and the commodities remain clean after treatments. Moreover, the moisture contents of plants have been used successfully for the control of different species of stored product pests. POTENTIAL IMPACTS/POTENTIAL BENEFICIARIES Maize grain production in Nigeria would have at least double from 7m metric tones in 2004 to 14.0M metric tones by 2007 or 21.0M metric tones by 2010. Public/Private synergy for enhanced production established. Role of Nigeria as a lead player in disaster mitigation strengthened. Income generation, wealth creation, poverty reduction and improved food security through maize farming and related agribusiness improved. COWPEA Cowpea is one of the most ancient crops known to man. Its origin and subsequent domestication is associated with pearl millet and sorghum in Africa. It is now a broadly adapted and highly variable crop, cultivated around the world primarily for seed, but also as a vegetable, a cover crop and for fodder. Cowpea has a number of common names, including crowder pea, black-eyed pea and southern pea. It is known internationally as lubia, niebe, coupe or feijole. However, they are all the species Vigna unguiculata (L) walp, in older references may be identified as vigna sinensis (L). The largest production is in Africa, with Nigeria and Niger predominating. World wide production of cowpeas is approximately 20Million acres. Cowpea is considered more tolerant to drought than Soya beans and better adapted to sandy soils. Many cultivars have a vining growth habit or bush type cultivars. But bush type is better suited for direct combining. PLANT DESCRIPTION All cultivated cowpea varieties are considered warm season and adapted to heat and drought conditions. Cowpeas typically reach a canopy height of 30 to 36 inches, although the more determinate bush types may reach only 24 inches. The seed pods are borne above the leaf axil, making the pods very visible. The seeds pod is typically 3 to 6 inches long and has 6 to 13 seeds per pod. The seed weight per bush is 60 pounds with about 3,000 to 4,000 seeds per pound. UTILIZATION The fresh type referred to as southern peas are shelled green and the peas can be cooked fresh and canned or frozen for later use, but there is also consumption of the whole pea pod as a fresh vegetable. While the dried beans is frequently sold directly to the consumer after cleaning or freezing. Cowpea is consider nutritious with a protein content of about 23%, fat content of 1.3%, fiber content of 1.8%, carbohydrate content of 67% and water content of 8 9%. As in most legumes, the amino acid profile complements cereal grains. PLANTING/GROWING For optimum yield, cowpeas should be planted in early June, although planting dates from late may through mid June are appropriate. The bush types yield better on closer row spacing. The seed should be planted similar to soybeans at 1 to 11/2 inches deep. FERTILITY MANAGEMENT As a legume, cowpea fixes its own nitrogen and does not need nitrogen fertilizer. Infact, some of the vigorous, vining, varieties of cowpeas are excellent nitrogen producers as a cover crop. The soil PH should be 6.0 or higher. DISEASES AND INSECTS The major insect pest is cowpea curculio, and the major disease is root knot, a severe root disease induced by root knot nematodes (melo dogyne spp) but active breeding has taken place for resistant varieties. GROWING Growing cowpea is fairly straight forward, with management practices being similar to soybeans. Proper site selection is important. Cowpea is well adapted to sandy soils, and will perform well on rich, well drained soils, but should not be grown on wet or poorly drained soils. INTERCROPPING AND CROP ROTATION Cowpea has out standing potential for intercropping and crop rotation. In Africa, cowpea has been intercropped for a longtime with various other crops such as maize, groundnuts, millet and other grins. Report shows that 98% of cowpea grown in Africa is intercropped. Cowpea can be intercropped with taller plants, such as maize, particularly in high rainfalls areas, due to their exceptional shade tolerance. They are also outstanding as straight rotational crop because of their susceptibility to root knot nematodes and their beneficial effect on subsequent maize crops, which lasts even for the second succeeding crop. ADVATAGES FOR INTERCROPPING WITH MAIZE Higher total yields then sole crop yields, probably due to less intraspecific competition. Greater yield stability More efficient utilization of environmental resources Better weed control Provision of insurance against crop failure. Improved quality provided by variety Maize as a sole crop requires a larger area to produce the same yield as the maize component in an intercropping system. CHAPTER 5 PROPOSED ESTIMATES FOR QUEST TO ACHIEVEFOOD SUFFICIENCY 2008 LAND About 10,000 hectares located at Yangoji, Dafa, Tungan Galadima, Kwali Area Council all in FCT. The land is lease at N510, 000/hectare for 50years. For 25hectare it will cost N12, 750,000. But there is provision for mortgage finance option whereby the same land is used as collateral. With mortgage finance we are allowed to pay 50% (N6, 625,000.00) and spread the remaining payment within a particular period. The land can be renewed after 50years. No doubt, the mortgage finance scheme is preferred. FURNISHED THREE BEDROOM APARTMENT APPLICANCES QTY UNITY PRICE(N) AMOUNT(N) Accommodation: Three bedroom flat for 25 persons 2 250,000 500,000.00 Carpet for the three rooms 6 room 2,500/room 15,000.00 Rug in the seating room 2room 45,000 90,000.00 Six spring student mattresses 25 4000 100,000.00 Pillows 25 500 12,500.00 21 Flat screen Television 2 50,000 100,000.00 Refrigerator 2 85,000 170,000.00 Stabilizer 2 15000 30,000.00 Ceiling fans 8 3000 24,000.00 Generator of 1.5kv Yamaha 2 50,000 100,000.00 Total 1,141500.00 PUBLICITY Announcement/airing on Electronic Media 4,500,000.00 Newspaper: Full page three times for three weeks 1,134,000.00 Posters 500,000.00 Banners 500,000.00 Hand bill 200,000.00 Bill board 3,000,000.00 TOTAL N9, 334,000.00 FEEDING MEAL FOR TWENTY FIVE PERSONS Three hundred naira per meal, for three square meal per person in a day it is N900 (nine hundred naira) N300/meal/N900/person/day. Three square meal for twenty five persons in a day cost N22, 500 (twenty two thousand five hundred) N22, 500/twenty five persons/three square meal/day. Twenty five persons in ninety days N2, 025,000.00 (two million twenty five thousand naira) N2, 025,000/twenty five persons/ninety days Bottle water N500, 000.00 TOTAL N2, 525,000.00 THE QUANTITY OF SEED NEEDED SEED QTY/Ha QTY/20Ha UNIT PRICE AMOUNT Maize seed (ACR 97) 20kg 500kg 150/kg 75,000.00 Cowpea 20kg 500kg 200/kg 100,000.00 Apron star 55,000.00 Pest Control/weeding 985,000.00 TOTAL 1,215,000.00 Apron star (seed greasing): for slurry seed, treatment, fungicide, insecticide and seed treatment. PLANT NUTRIENTS Plant nutrients involve organic and inorganic nutrients. Nutrients Bags/ha. Bags/20ha. Unit Price/Bag(N) Amount (N) Fertilizer (15:15:15) NPK 6 bags 150 bags 3,000/bag 450,000.00 Urea (20:10:10) 2 bags 50 bags 2,500/bag 125,000.00 Organic nutrients/manure 100,000.00 TOTAL 675,000.00 FARM MACHINERY FARM TOOLS QTY UNIT PRICE(N) AMOUNT(N) Hoes (Galma) 5 1,500 7,500.00 Machetes 5 1,000 5,000.00 Tractor (Hiring for 3days) 2 15,000/day 90,000.00 Planter (plating for 3day) 2 5,000/day 30,000.00 Tot

Examine the contradictions in The Great Gatsby, including its narrative

Examine the contradictions in The Great Gatsby, including its narrative styles. The novel moves on two levels: Fitzgerald makes you see the magic and romance of Gatsby's vision of ideal love, dazzling the eye with wealth; yet, at the same time, the narrator pulls us down to earth revealing the immorality, waste and corruption of those who surround Gatsby and cause his death. Examine the contradictions in The Great Gatsby, including its narrative styles. One of Fitzgerald's main aims is to show the reader that the world he illustrates in The Great Gatsby includes both dazzling wealth and corruption, both of which are evident in American society of the 1920s. These work in parallel and come together as part of the same society: the wealthy upper class. Straight away we see this as being a contradiction, as the glittering surface impression of these wealthy people conceals their true nature as an immoral, careless and unsympathetic society. This novel clearly does move on two levels. The author enables us to look into the different worlds of money and romance (and whether or not they can exist together), as it is not only a story of superficial richness, but also of lost love and the use of wealth to regain it. These themes alone are a contrast, as money is a matter of the mind and love a matter of the heart. Although Fitzgerald glamorises the lifestyles of the rich minority, he also asks us to question how attractive money really is, by conveying to us the destruction and unhappiness that huge wealth can cause underneath its dazzling exterior. We are led through the various events of the novel by our narrator, Nick Carraway, who is also Gatsby's neighbour. Nick, despite being surrounded by e... ...atsby's eventual death. Daisy, by killing a woman in Gatsby's car, represents the fact that unmaterialistic people are often downtrodden by the wealthy. The rich themselves believe that money can buy them everything, including, as in Daisy's case, a guilt-free conscience. An underlying contradiction of the novel is that Gatsby's rich guests all thought that happiness rested in money, but the truth was that it does not, and never will. For Gatsby, the source of his happiness rested in love, and whilst the rich minority took everything, including love, for granted, Gatsby never did, and it proved to be his demise. The novel's biggest contradiction shows that although love is the source of life, in this instance it has killed a man in his quest to find it. Kate Cockburn Bibliography: 'The Great Gatsby', F.Scott Fitzgerald (Penguin Modern Classics).

Goodisons Absolute Essay example -- essays research papers

Goodison’s Absolute In For My Mother: May I Inherit Half Her Strength, Goodison publicizes the private issue of her parents’ less-than-perfect marriage, and, in turn, unfolds a powerful dialectic on female self-sacrifice and subjectivity. She wonders at the prolonged strength of her mother- a woman who, regardless of being the victim of an unfaithful marriage, neither confronts nor flees her fate. And at the core of Goodison’s poem is her own conflicted decision, as the female product of this union, to define her mother’s attitude as unwavering strength, worthy of reverence, or as passivity, masked by nonchalance. The title of this work illustrates this ambiguity: does the clause â€Å"may I inherit half her strength†, translate into â€Å"may I be permitted - by the same mysterious influence that affected my mother - to remain strong just like her† or â€Å"may I never allow myself to be quite as tolerant as she was.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the first stanza, Goodison suggests that the â€Å"absolute,† â€Å"my mother loved my father,† had governed her perspective of her parents’ marriage for twenty-nine years. Its indisputability may have functioned as a motivation for her father’s on-going extra-marital affair(s). But even more explicitly, this absolute implied that despite the pain inflicted by her father, â€Å"whom all women loved†, Goodison’s mother’s love remained unshakably loyal, and that that was somehow all that really mattered. At least, up until Goodison wrote this poem. â€Å"In this my thirtieth year/ the year to discard absolutes† signals Goodison’s revolt against this belief that had relentlessly threatened to break her mother’s â€Å"straight-backed,† fronted dignity and that absolved the indifference of her father’s â€Å"always smile†. The lack of control of Goodison’s writing in the first stanza points to something deeper about her relationship to this absolute. Since absolutes are characteristically irrefutable and deemed factual, I had expected that Goodison’s writing would have illustrated the finiteness of this absolute by sealing it with a full stop. However, here, in the most transparently opinionated stanza of her entire poem, there is no punctuation whatsoever; each distinct thought simply spills into the next, and even farther into the following stanza where her topic diverges. It is difficult to say whether or not Goodison’s omission was deliberate; noneth... ..., â€Å"on her wedding day she wept† and at its setting. She endured â€Å"better† and â€Å"worse† and at last, â€Å"she fell down†¦to the realization that she did not have to be brave, just this once.† Her tears functioned to honor the sacrifices of â€Å"her body†¦ twenty years permanently fat,† of her sewing machine, the emblem of her livelihood, to pay her daughter’s â€Å"Senior Cambridge fees,† but also to purge â€Å"the pain she bore with the eyes of a queen.† Nevertheless, mingled with Goodison’s mother’s sorrows, are tears of love for the husband that betrayed her. For My Mother makes a complete revolution, in that it begins with the acknowledgement and criticism of Goodison’s mother’s love for her mother and ends with the reverence for this kind of love that, a seemingly astonished Goodison, cannot comprehend. Even after giving justifications of why her parents’ marriage was far from ideal, the absolute that she so wanted to discard in the first place looms over her unaffected and, of course, undisputed. In an alpha and omega fashion, this absolute in Goodison’s work proves its place amongst other absolutes as an unfathomable force that refuses to be contested and most assuredly, will not be discarded.

Emotional Intelligence Essay

The ability to express and control our own emotions is important, but so is our ability to understand, interpret, and respond to the emotions of others. Imagine a world where you couldn’t understand when a friend was feeling sad or when a co-worker was angry. Psychologists refer to this ability as emotional intelligence, and some experts even suggest that it can be more important than IQ. Learn more about exactly what emotional intelligence is, how it works, and how it is measured. What is Emotional Intelligence? Emotional intelligence (EI) refers to the ability to perceive, control and evaluate emotions. Some researchers suggest that emotional intelligence can be learned and strengthened, while others claim it is an inborn characteristic. Since 1990, Peter Salovey and John D. Mayer have been the leading researchers on emotional intelligence. In their influential article â€Å"Emotional Intelligence,† they defined emotional intelligence as, â€Å"the subset of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one’s own and others’ feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them and to use this information to guide one’s thinking and actions† (1990). The Four Branches of Emotional Intelligence.  Salovey and Mayer proposed a model that identified four different factors of emotional intelligence: the perception of emotion, the ability reason using emotions, the ability to understand emotion and the ability to manage emotions. 1.Perceiving Emotions: The first step in understanding emotions is to accurately perceive them. In many cases, this might involve understanding nonverbal signals such as body language and facial expressions. 2.Reasoning with Emotions: The next step involves using emotions to promote thinking and cognitive activity. Emotions help prioritize what we pay attention and react to; we respond emotionally to things that garner our attention. 3.Understanding Emotions: The emotions that we perceive can carry a wide variety of meanings. If someone is expressing angry emotions, the observer must interpret the cause of their anger and what it might mean. For example, if your boss is acting angry, it might mean that he is dissatisfied with your work; or it could be because he got a speeding ticket on his way to work that morning or that he’s been fighting with his wife. 4.Managing Emotions: The ability to manage emotions effectively is a key part of emotional intelligence. Regulating emotions, responding appropriately and responding to the emotions of others are all important aspect of emotional management. According to Salovey and Mayer, the four branches of their model are, â€Å"arranged from more basic psychological processes to higher, more psychologically integrated processes. For example, the lowest level branch concerns the (relatively) simple abilities of perceiving and expressing emotion. In contrast, the highest level branch concerns the conscious, reflective regulation of emotion† (1997).  What everyone needs to know. Emotional Intelligence Is the Other Kind of Smart.  When emotional intelligence first appeared to the masses in 1995, it served as the missing link in a peculiar finding: people with average IQs outperform those with the highest IQs 70% of the time. This anomaly threw a massive wrench into what many people had always assumed was the sole source of success—IQ. Decades of research now point to emotional intelligence as the critical factor that sets star performers apart from the rest of the  pack. Emotional intelligence is the â€Å"something† in each of us that is a bit intangible. It affects how we manage behavior, navigate social complexities, and make personal decisions that achieve positive results. Emotional intelligence is made up of four core skills that pair up fewer than two primary competencies: personal competence and social competence. Personal competence is made up of your self-awareness and self-management skills, which focus more on you individually than on your interactions with other people. Personal competence is your ability to stay aware of your emotions and manage your behaviour and tendencies. †¢Self-Awareness is your ability to accurately perceive your emotions and stay aware of them as they happen. †¢Self-Management is your ability to use awareness of your emotions to stay flexible and positively direct your behaviour. Social competence is made up of your social awareness and relationship management skills; social competence is your ability to understand other people’s moods, behaviour, and motives in order to improve the quality of your relationships. †¢Social Awareness is your ability to accurately pick up on emotions in other people and understand what is really going on. †¢Relationship Management is your ability to use awareness of your emotions and the others’ emotions to manage interactions successfully. Emotional Intelligence, IQ, and Personality Are Different. Emotional intelligence taps into a fundamental element of human behaviour that is distinct from your intellect. There is no known connection between IQ and emotional intelligence; you simply can’t predict emotional intelligence based on how smart someone is. Intelligence is your ability to learn, and it’s the same at age 15 as it is at age 50. Emotional intelligence, on the other hand, is a flexible set of skills that can be acquired and improved with practice. Although some people are naturally more emotionally intelligent than others, you can develop high emotional intelligence even if you aren’t born with it. Personality is the final piece of the puzzle. It’s the stable â€Å"style† that defines each of us. Personality is the result of hard-wired preferences, such as the inclination toward introversion or extroversion. However, like IQ, personality can’t be used to  predict emotional intelligence. Also like IQ, personality is stable over a lifetime and doesn’t change. IQ, emotional intelligence, and personality each cover unique ground and help to explain what makes a person tick. Emotional Intelligence Is Linked to Performance. How much of an impact does emotional intelligence have on your professional success? The short answer is: a lot! It’s a powerful way to focus your energy in one direction with a tremendous result. Talent Smart tested emotional intelligence alongside 33 other important workplace skills, and found that emotional intelligence is the strongest predictor of performance, explaining a full 58% of success in all types of jobs. Your emotional intelligence is the foundation for a host of critical skills—it impacts most everything you say and do each day. Emotional intelligence is the single biggest predictor of performance in the workplace and the strongest driver of leadership and personal excellence. Of all the people we’ve studied at work, we’ve found that 90% of top performers are also high in emotional intelligence. On the flip side, just 20% of bottom performers are high in emotional intelligence. You can be a top performer without emotional intelligence, but the chances are slim. Naturally, people with a high degree of emotional intelligence make more money—an average of $29,000 more per year than people with a low degree of emotional intelligence. The link between emotional intelligence and earnings is so direct that every point increase in emotional intelligence adds $1,300 to an annual salary. These findings hold true for people in all industries, at all levels, in every region of the world. We haven’t yet been able to find a job in which performance and pay aren’t tied closely to emotional intelligence. Emotional Intelligence Can Be Developed. The communication between your emotional and rational â€Å"brains† is the physical source of emotional intelligence. The pathway for emotional intelligence starts in the brain, at the spinal cord. Your primary senses enter here and must travel to the front of your brain before you can think rationally about your experience. However, first they travel through the limbic system, the place where emotions are generated. So, we have an emotional reaction to events before our rational mind is able to engage.  Emotional intelligence requires effective communication between the rational and emotional centers of the brain. â€Å"Plasticity† is the term neurologists use to describe the brain’s ability to change. Your brain grows new connections as you learn new skills. The change is gradual, as your brain cells develop new connections to speed the efficiency of new skills acquired. e. Generalization The student learns that Emotional Intelligence? Emotional intelligence (EI) refers to the ability to perceive, control and evaluate emotions. Some researchers suggest that emotional intelligence can be learned and strengthened, while others claim it is an inborn characteristic. Since 1990, Peter Salovey and John D. Mayer have been the leading researchers on emotional intelligence. In their influential article â€Å"Emotional Intelligence,† they defined emotional intelligence as, â€Å"the subset of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one’s own and others’ feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them and to use this information to guide one’s thinking and actions† (1990). The Four Branches of Emotional Intelligence Salovey and Mayer proposed a model that identified four different factors of emotional intelligence: the perception of emotion, the ability reason using emotions, the ability to understand emotion and the ability to manage emotions. 1.Perceiving Emotions 2.Reasoning with Emotions 3.Understanding Emotions 4.Managing Emotions What everyone needs to know. 1. Emotional Intelligence Is the Other Kind of Smart. Personal competence is made up of your self-awareness and self-management skills, which focus more on you individually than on your interactions with other people. Personal competence is your ability to stay aware of your emotions and manage your behaviour and tendencies. Self-Awareness is your ability to accurately perceive your emotions and stay aware of them as they happen. Self-Management is your ability to use awareness of your emotions to stay flexible and positively direct your behaviour. Social competence is made up of your social awareness and relationship management skills; social competence is your ability to understand other people’s moods, behaviour, and motives in order to improve the quality of your relationships. Social Awareness is your ability to accurately pick up on emotions in other people and understand what is really going on. Relationship Management is your ability to use awareness of your emotions and the others’ emotions to manage interactions successfully. 2. Emotional Intelligence, IQ, and Personality Are Different. 3. Emotional Intelligence Is Linked to Performance. 4. Emotional Intelligence Can Be Developed. â€Å"Plasticity† is the term neurologists use to describe the brain’s ability to change.

Strategic Planning and Google

Google is able to achieve the perfect combination of Business, Organizational and IS strategies. Its business strategy focuses on delivering superior technology solutions coupled with a work environment that encourages innovation. Google’s IS strategy involves building state of the art applications, networks and security architecture that facilitate the flow of information throughout the organization. Google is able to balance all three aspects of the IS triangle and as a result has dominated the online search and advertising market. 1.How is Google’s mission statement related to its business strategy? Google’s primary goal is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful (mission statement). Its Business Strategy is to create applications that provide value to wide variety to consumers. By creating these applications, Google is able to provide on-demand access to huge volumes of information to consumers. 2. How does Goo gle’s information systems strategy support its business strategy? As part of its IS strategy Google has built an IT infrastructure that allows data sharing across the organization.Google also favors the use of open source software and internally developed tools to drive innovation and collaboration. Google also allows employees to choose applications according to their preferences and business needs. Google also implements network level security that allows users to maintain freedom of communication. 3. How does Google’s organizational strategy support its business strategy? Google has created a modern organization structure that encourages creative thinking instead of rigid corporate structures.Employees are encouraged to take a day from a week to explore their ideas. Google also tends to implement projects with definite goals and deadlines to ensure accountability and performance. Its work culture encourages risk taking and timely decision making. Google’s org anizational strategy tends to concentrate on practical applications of its products instead of the traditional corporate focus on controlling costs. 4. Which of Porter’s three generic strategies does Google appear to be using based on this case? Provide a rationale for your response.In my opinion, among Porters three generic Strategies, Focus is more relevant to Google. Online advertising has remained as the prime target for Google’s products. With its Android mobile products Google has applied the concepts of Differentiation focus to set itself apart from its competitors. Google has steadily maintained its status as a powerhouse by focusing on mobile and online search and advertising. 5. Using D’Aveni’s Hypercompetitive Framework, analyze Google’s strategy and the type of market disruption it has created.Google was quick to realize that its leadership in online search engine market would come under intense fire from its competitors. Google has mov ed rapidly to develop and acquire emerging technology to constantly fill its pipeline with more exciting products. Google has become the largest mobile operating system vendor and has partnered with a large number of device makers to launch cutting-edge products. Google has focused on pushing the envelope on cloud based computing and in one of the leading vendors of cloud based applications and services.