Friday, December 27, 2019

African Commonwealth Nations

The following alphabetical list gives the date at which each African Country joined the Commonwealth of Nations as an independent state. The majority of African countries joined as Commonwealth Realms, later converting to Commonwealth Republics. Two countries, Lesotho and Swaziland, joined as Kingdoms. British Somaliland (which joined with Italian Somaliland five days after gaining independence in 1960 to form Somalia), and Anglo-British Sudan (which became a republic in 1956) did not become members of the Commonwealth of Nations. Egypt, which had been part of the Empire until 1922, has never shown an interest in becoming a member. African Commonwealth Nations Botswana, 30 September 1966 as a Republic after establishing independence and electing Seretse Khama as President.Cameroon, 11 November 1995 as a RepublicThe Gambia, 18 February 1965 as a Realm—became a Republic on 24 April 1970Ghana, 6 March 1957 as a Realm—became a Republic 1 July 1960Kenya, 12 December 1963 as a Realm—became a Republic on 12 December 1964Lesotho, 4 October 1966 as a KingdomMalawi, 6 July 1964 as a Realm—became a Republic on 6 July 1966Mauritius, 12 March 1968 as a realm—became a Republic on 12 March 1992Mozambique, 12 December 1995 as a RepublicNamibia, 21 March 1990 as a republicNigeria, 1 October 1960 as a Realm—became a Republic on 1 October 1963 – suspended between 11 November 1995 and 29 May 1999Rwanda, 28 November 2009 as a RepublicSeychelles, 29 June 1976 as a RepublicSierra Leone, 27 April 1961 as a Realm—became a Republic 19 April 1971South Africa, 3 December 1931 as a Realm—withdrew on becomi ng a Republic on 31 May 1961, rejoined 1 June 1994Swaziland, 6 September 1968 as a KingdomTanganyika, 9 December 1961 as a Realm—became Republic of Tanganyika on 9 December 1962, United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar on 26 April 1964, and United Republic of Tanzania on 29 October 1964.Uganda, 9 October 1962 as a Realm—became a Republic on 9 October 1963Zambia, 24 October 1964 as a RepublicZimbabwe, 18 April 1980 as a Republic—suspended on 19 March 2002, departed on 8 December 2003

Thursday, December 19, 2019

My Philosophy My Personal Philosophy Of Education

To google, education is defined as â€Å"the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life.† To a teacher it is defined as giving a child the confidence to make the most of themselves in life. The principles behind this plan defers between educators, but most have the same goal in mind; to make a difference in the education system for newer generations of students. My philosophy of education at the beginning of the term was based directly on my personal experiences as a student in the school I previously attended. The attitude I carry now reflects a more logical understanding of a student and teacher’s mind†¦show more content†¦Becoming a teacher seemed to be the perfect way for me to help the youth of society whilst challenging my love for learning. Dolmage proved the intentions I thought were negative about becoming a teac her may be positive. â€Å"The most effective teachers are those who never stop being students themselves.† (Dolmage, 11) I understand the intentions of the reading, and am motivated to help improve the education system in small steps and through learning the different parts of the education system. The reading gave me the understanding of why every student may not want to learn a certain subject, and not every student can be saved; but the difference between teaching and learning lies in the method it is taught. Any person can teach, not every person can give someone the will to learn. The education system now has many flaws, but the advancements and new prospects change the overall outlook every day. During the first system of schools, the basis of education was memory. Students were not taught to learn, but taught to recite information. Society told people, you need school to get an education, when that it is far from the truth. Education is information collected through numerous resources, whether it be from an Elder, parent, or curriculum. School is a noun, it is no more than an object that people classify as a place for learning. Before the school systems were created, children were taught at home through their parents and survived. Now, if a child does not attendShow MoreRelatedMy Personal Philosophy : My Philosophy Of Education1046 Words   |  5 Pagesmanipulate the information for their own use in the future. Choosing between the four, I would say my philosophical views line up more as an essentialist. My philosophy of education, is that every teacher and student has an environment where they are challenged, yet still encouraged, in their instructional matter and teaching and learning strategies to prepare them to meet the goals set upon them. A philosophy is a search for wisdom in a particular area; it builds a framework of thinking, and guides instructionalRead MoreMy Personal Philosophy : My Philosophy Of Education1844 Words   |  8 PagesMy philosophy of education is romanticism. According to Ryan, Cooper, and Bolick, romanticism can be defined as â€Å"a child-centered philosophy of education that condemns the influences of society and suggests that a child’s natural curiosity and the natural world should be used to teach.† I am a believer in â€Å"gaining knowledge through sensory experiences and interactions with your peers† (Ryan, Cooper, and Bolick, 2016). I agree with this philosophy because it says that the needs of the student areRead MoreMy Personal Philosophy Of Education997 Words   |  4 Pages Philosophy of Education Discovering the place where personal values and expertise meet organizational values and needs offers a dynamic partnership opportunity. Mutual achievement of organizational academic quality and professional fulfillment provides a positive learning environment. Developing a personal philosophy of education enables an educator to understand and communicate the underlying basis for his or her approach to education. Sharing this philosophy provides valuable information forRead MoreMy Personal Philosophy Of Education1476 Words   |  6 Pages871 Foundations of Higher Education Summer 2015 Instructor: Joel Abaya, PhD Personal Philosophy of Education Submitted by: Wessam Elamawy . Personal Philosophy of Education Introduction: From the very beginning of my life I recognized the importance of higher education. I am 34 years old. I am Egyptian. I was born in a highly educated family . My father earned a Ph.D. in chemistry. My uncle earned a Ph.D. in Engineering . My aunt is a doctor. My grandparents were highly educatedRead MoreMy Educational Philosophy : My Personal Philosophy Of Education1023 Words   |  5 Pages My personal philosophy of education was thought of when I was little before I really acknowledged it or knew exactly what it was. My ideas of school has been collecting for years, ever since kindergarten. Ive always thought of school as something that is important. I went to school everyday and did my work and moved on to the next thing I needed to do. I did what I was suppose to, not because I enjoyed it but because I knew I had to. School has always been kinda boring and uninterestingRead MoreMy Personal Philosophy of Education958 Words   |  4 PagesMy Personal Philosophy of Education It is customary that on New Year’s Eve, we make New Year resolution. The fact is that we are making a set of guideline that we want to live by. These are motives that we seek to achieve. In a similar way, teachers live by philosophy. This essay focuses on my personal philosophy of education. It unfolds the function of philosophy in a teacher’s life, my view on the purpose of education, the student teacher- relationship and the philosophy which influences myRead MoreMy Personal Philosophy Of Education966 Words   |  4 Pages Personal Philosophy of Education Allyson C. Taylor EDUC 542 Dr. M. Derrick Regent University The definition of curriculum can be as mysterious as the curriculum itself. Oliva (2013) described the hunt for the curriculum as being similar to â€Å"efforts to track down Bigfoot, the Bear Lake Monster, [and] the Florida Everglades Skunk Ape †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (pg. 2). All of these elusive beings have left tracks, yet there isn’t a single photograph to prove their existence—just likeRead MoreMy Personal Philosophy Of Education1335 Words   |  6 Pagesteaching style in the â€Å"Finding Your Philosophy of Education Quiz.† While I enjoyed learning about the different philosophies and psychological influences of teaching, I prefer constructivism, social reconstruction, and progressivism due to their student-centered learning, hands-on or project based learning style, while making efforts to improve the world around them. I will be discussing why I chose progressivism, social reconstruction, and constructivism as my preferences, as well as the role ofRead MoreMy Personal Philosophy Of Education1443 Words   |  6 PagesThese beliefs of education are known as the philosophy of education. The philosophy of education is defined as the influences of what is taught and how the students will be taught. Throughout my study in my education class and past experiences, my mind was expanded and I acquired sufficient knowledge to develop my own concept of my personal philosophy of education. First, I will clarify the reasons why I choose the profession of being an educator. The first reason has been my parents influenceRead MoreMy Personal Philosophy Of Education938 Words   |  4 PagesPHILOSOPHY ESSAY 2 I remember my history teacher. He would often chat with me in German before or after class; sometimes helping explain certain nuances of the language. However, I can’t tell you what information we covered that year, let alone if it was American History, or Ancient History. Can you remember anything specific from your history class in high school? My hope is that if

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Information System of Amazon Samples †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Information System of Amazon. Answer: Introduction Effective use of the information system in the business potentially increases the competitiveness. The use of information system is to provide proper information to the people seeking them at the right time. The companies can use it for storing, tracking, manipulating and distributing the information from the gathered data to proper persons in the time of necessity. Various advantages and disadvantages can be identified in the in the use of the information system. With proper use of the system can provide potential advantages to the organization. Some companies build their own IT team for handling the data and use it as an integral part of the organization. Whereas, some companies outsource the information system work to the popular IT companies like IBM, Netflix, Google and many more (Laudon and Laudon 2016). The company under consideration is Amazon, an international e-commerce business that based in America. A brief background of the company and their product is provided along wit h an overview of the organizational strategy. A detailed study of the IT strategy and its competitive advantages in operations, business process, and competitive strategies is performed. A brief recommendation is provided at the end of the study. Background and history Amazon is an e-commerce business established by Jeff Bezos in the year 1995. It was initially an online bookstore fulfilling the vision of its founder. In nineties, Amazon took the first initiative to bring all the big names in the book industries around the world to the doorsteps of the customers. The first orders were deliver within 30days to the customers of 50 states and 45 countries. In was a grand success for them as it was a big deal to work with this potential in the nineties. The customers had only one thing to do, that is search and select for the book and place the order to Amazon. The company opened their doors for the retailers and individual sellers in the year 2000. The service of the company now extended towards four types segment markets that are sellers, customers and enterprises and content editors (Amazon 2015). Only the customers are the segment who purchases the products, whereas the other segments use their services. Amazon is a platform for the later three seg ments to reach of the customers around the globe. In the mean time Amazon has shifted from selling book to all kinds of retail products. The customers can reach out the company through their official website www.amazon.com or using the Amazon smartphone app. Hence, Amazon is both a product seller and a service provider according to the target market. Since its starting time, Amazon had been a customer centric company. The business strategy for the company is hence to provide a vast selection of product in such a low price with maximum satisfaction level (amazon.com, 2017). Product and services Initially the company focused on selling only books of the large publishing companies around the world. Now it sells almost any possible tangible thing to the customers. On the other hand, it also provides service to the customers such as retailers, manufacturer by providing online platform for them. Information Technology: IT Strategy Amazon has perfectly aligned their IT strategy with companys overall strategic goal with the help ofCustomer relationship management and information management. They have managed to keep their website system separate from the order system for a long time. Moreover, their IT played vital role in developing the companys global development. Major contribution of their It lies in both streamlining the management activates and serving their customers with diversified offers at the same time. They have completely merged their IT strategy with their overall business strategy for achieving the companys goal. It can be found in every business level of Amazon starting from sale to the delivery of the shipment. The utilize multi level e-commerce strategy. Their business has always been of two types that are business to business and business to customer model (questjournals.org, 2017). For the recent growth in e-commerce population, the business is now focusing more on customer value using the I T tools for getting their reviews and using them in value creation and customer satisfaction. Use of IT can be noticed in payment system and product selling where CRM of the business strategy comes in. They have blend logistics system in CRM to gain access to the customer information database (Khodakarami and Chan 2014). Moreover, they use incentive-marketing tool as an integral part in each of their marketing strategy in the process. The use of virtual store from on the other hand enabled Amazon to retain their current customer loyalty simultaneously attracting the new ones by the use of word of mouth marketing (Arvidsson, Holmstrm and Lyytinen 2014; Mithas and Rust 2016). Use of Information System Company uses their information system in various aspects like transacting process, recommendation system, supply chain management, and many more. Transaction Process Transaction process involves two types namely one-click purchase and secure credit or debit card payment. In one-click purchase, companys information system stores the customers previous transaction and process accordingly. In secured transaction, customers private details are encrypting to secure it from the internet (Laudon and Traver 2013). Recommendation System An intelligent recommendation system is implement by the information system of amazon that records the customers past purchase and searching data. It enables the company to recommend the customer his favorite items in the next visit. It is base on the linking and data mining. This system allows Amazon to provide maximum customer satisfaction (Walunj and Sadafale 2013). Interactive Searching System It enables the customers to select desired item from the item catalogs where they can gain access to millions of items. All they have to do is use the searching tool in the company website (Lu et al. 2017). Supply Chain Management Supply chain system is the reason behind the companys success in the year 2004. As discussed earlier, the company invested a bulk amount of money to renovate their entire management and IT. For the enterprise resource management, Amazon utilize oracle that has a giant database to hold information that are related to the customers. It automatically locates the customers location and generate the supply process from the nearest warehouse for the fastest fulfilment of the distribution process. Customer Relation Management on the other hand looks after the customer satisfaction for the company. All the information related to customers are recorded, stored in the database of the company. The information system automatically initiate and utilize the data whenever the customer returns for purchase and make the customer to experience easy shopping experience (Al Imran 2014; Christopher 2016). Companys Information System The company started its venture in 1995 using website system and order fulfilment system in separate process to obtain the security. They used Digital Alpha Servers for running their servers in that time. The company underwent renovation in the year 2000, spending $200 million on analysis software from Epiphany, new DBMS from oracle and logistics from Manugistics. Moreover, Amazon used Amazon Web Service and Simple storage Service for maintaining their wide range of products and millions of active customers. Amazon built both the software themselves. On to it, they sealed deal with Excelon for business-to-business integration system. They also use Customer Relation Management system for taking customer information through their data mining, searching, wish list and many more. It records the choices of the customers without filtering them on the basis due the purchase made. CSR also facilitates in keeping the system reliable, secured, and fast. The company built Smart Analysis Search also known as SAS for tracking fraudsters, which helps to decrease and detect fraud in their web page using behavior pattern analysis. It participates in measuring and personalizing customer and help the company in performing efficiently to provide the best service to their customers. The web page Amazon.com is back up by Service Oriented Architecture, which focuses on multiple applications instead of bigger process (Al Imran 2014). The reason behind the building some of the information system by their own and simultaneously outsourcing some is because it is an e-commerce business. Amazon is a service provider and product seller. Shifting from this industry to IT would have cost them much more than their investment. They try to outsource the more complex ones to the IT companies where as simple systems are build by them only. Attribution of Information System to its success Information system is an integral part of amazon and can never be separated from the company because of its importance in running the business. The complete business of amazon is based on the utilization of information system to record customers data and provide them the best experience they can ever get. It also contributes in customers satisfaction and the value creation of the company. CIO of the company The chief Information officer and the Chief Technology Officer of Amazon is Werner Vogels who is responsible for looking after whatever is going on in the information system of the company (forbes.com, 2017). He oversees the use of information technology in the company and responsible for devising companys IT strategy and setting objective. He is authorized to select and implement the necessary technology best suited for streamlining all the internal operation fro optimizing their strategic benefits. The customer satisfaction provided by the company is the end-product of vogelss work where he designed and customized the technological system to provide the platform. He is also authorized in taking decisions for making partnerships with IT providers and approving purchases of software and technological equipment on behalf of the company (Singh and Hess 2017). It is Vogels duty to analyze the value, cost and risk in the sphere of information technology and propose the strategy according ly. This process includes tracking the changes and advancement in technology for discovering the way for gaining competitive advantages in the market. In short, the role of CIO is to oversee, direct, organize, and implement the IT projects and framing strategies for gaining the competitive advantage in the market (Whitler, Boyd and Morgan 2017). Recommendation Various recommendations can be made basing on the above discussion. Amazon faces phishing issues that need to be resolved. Moreover, they need to enhance their sorting of product to provide the customers the exact as per their demand. They need to focus on their operation on the social networking for marketing and acquiring more customers. Integration of tehir website into social networks can help them increase their business. On to it, they must offer touch point to the customer in each point of time. Implementation of artificial intelligence and intelligent virtual agents can help enhancing their business. Last but not the least, establishment of customer relationship management interventions across the business operation of the company can show positive signs in the improvement of the business. Conclusion It can be conclude from the above study that, Amazon has implemented there is in their business strategy in such a fashion that it cannot be seen as separate entity. They use their own developed software and some from the other for maintaining the uninterrupted flow in their business. Their IT strategy is incorporate and embedded deeply into their business strategy from the beginning and one can hardly make distinction between them. They provide a secured and easy transaction process to their customers using there IS. Amazons IT shows its efficiency in providing the customers the best online shopping experience with the best customer satisfaction. However, some modifications are recommended that can be devised by the company to increase its efficiency as well as the customers level of satisfaction. References Al Imran, M.A., 2014. A Study On Amazon: Information Systems, Business Strategies And E-Crm. Amazon, E.C., 2015. Amazon web services.Available in: https://aws. amazon. com/es/ec2/(November 2012). amazon.com. (2017).About. [online] Available at: https://www.amazon.com/p/feature/rzekmvyjojcp6uc [Accessed 4 Sep. 2017]. Arvidsson, V., Holmstrm, J. and Lyytinen, K., 2014. Information systems use as strategy practice: A multi-dimensional view of strategic information system implementation and use.The Journal of Strategic Information Systems,23(1), pp.45-61. Christopher, M., 2016.Logistics supply chain management. Pearson UK. forbes.com. (2017).Amazon CTO. [online] Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/ericsavitz/2011/06/21/amazon-cto-werner-vogels-on-the-state-of-the-cloud/#3e1d9b5e1c13 [Accessed 4 Sep. 2017]. Khodakarami, F. and Chan, Y.E., 2014. Exploring the role of customer relationship management (CRM) systems in customer knowledge creation.Information Management,51(1), pp.27-42. Laudon, K.C. and Laudon, J.P., 2016.Management information system. Pearson Education India. Laudon, K.C. and Traver, C.G., 2013.E-commerce. Pearson. Lu, Y.J., Nguyen, P.A., Zhang, H. and Ngo, C.W., 2017, January. Concept-based interactive search system. InInternational Conference on Multimedia Modeling(pp. 463-468). Springer, Cham. Mithas, S. and Rust, R.T., 2016. How Information Technology Strategy and Investments Influence Firm Performance: Conjecture and Empirical Evidence.MIS Quarterly,40(1), pp.223-245. questjournals.org. (2017).Case Study. [online] Available at: https://questjournals.org/jrbm/papers/vol4-issue11/B4111117.pdf [Accessed 4 Sep. 2017]. Singh, A. and Hess, T., 2017. How Chief Digital Officers Promote the Digital Transformation of their Companies.MIS Quarterly Executive,16(1). Walunj, S.G. and Sadafale, K., 2013, May. An online recommendation system for e-commerce based on apache mahout framework. InProceedings of the 2013 annual conference on Computers and people research(pp. 153-158). ACM. Whitler, K.A., Boyd, D.E. and Morgan, N.A., 2017. The criticality of CMO-CIO alignment.Business Horizons,60(3), pp.313-324.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Synopsis for Grievance Handling Essay Example

Synopsis for Grievance Handling Essay The aim of the study is to find whether the grievance handling mechanism ensures that employee’s problems are recognized and appropriately reviewed in a prompt and timely manner. 2. The grievance mechanism acts as a foundation for a harmonious and healthy relationship between employee and employer. 3. The grievance mechanism ensures a fair and just treatment of employee’s concerns and prompt resolution of grievances without discrimination, coercion, restraint or reprisal against any employee who may submit or be involved in a grievance.Benefits of having Grievance procedure: ? The grievance procedure provides a means for identifying practices, procedures, and administrative policies that are causing employee complaints so that changes can be considered. ? They reduce costly employment suits. ? A grievance procedure allows managers to establish a uniform labor policy. ? A grievance system can be a reliable mechanism to learn of, and resolve employee dissatisfaction. It c an produce early settlements to disputes or provide for correction of contested employment issues.OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY PRIMARY OBJECTIVE To study the effectiveness of grievance handling mechanism. SECONDARY OBJECTIVE 1. To identify whether the employees are aware of the grievance handling mechanism. 2. To identify whether the grievance handling system leads to a favorable attitude towards the management 3. To identify that the grievance handling system leads to a mutual understanding between workers and the management 4. To know the level of satisfaction towards the grievance handling procedure of the organization . To identify the factors influencing the effectiveness of the grievance handling in the organization Research design The research design followed for this research study is descriptive research design where we find a solution to an existing problem. The problem of this study is to find the effectiveness of Grievance Handling at ITC Limited, Saharanpur. Sample Design Sa mple Element: Employees at ITC Limited, Saharanpur. Sample Size: 50 samples Sample Test: Percentage Method CorrelationSample Media : Questionnaire Sampling Method: Simple Random Sampling Scope for the study †¢ The project will throw light on need for Grievance handling mechanism at ITC Limited, Saharanpur and this study will help the management to understand whether there is need to improve the grievance handling process in the organization. †¢ This study will be useful when similar kind of research is undertaken. Limitations of the study †¢ The sample size is restricted to 50. †¢ Personal interview of the employees is not allowed.

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Reflection Week free essay sample

Apply ratio, vertical, and horizontal analyses to financial statements Ratio analyses are used by companies to gather information in a company’s financial statement. Ratios and numbers from a company’s current year are compared to previous years and sometimes even the economy to judge the company’s performance. There are several ratios such as profitability ratios, liquidity ratios, activity ratios, leverage ratios and market ratios that can be used to calculate financial information. In vertical analyses, each entry of the assets, liabilities and equities in a balance sheet is represented as a proportion of the total account of the financial statement. In horizontal analysis a company’s ratios are compared in the financial statements over a period of time. Horizontal analysis can be used from revenues to earnings per share. Prepare a statement of cash flows using both direct and indirect methods. When preparing a statement of cash flows, there are two different methods that can be used; there is the direct method, and there is also the indirect method. We will write a custom essay sample on Reflection Week or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The direct method shows operating cash receipts and payments, making it more consistent with the objective of a statement of cash flow, while the indirect method adjusts net income for items that do not affect cash. The FASB allows both methods to be used because in the end the results of the total amount for net cash provided by operating activities arrive in the same way. Companies use numerous adjustments when preparing such statements so following a proper guide such as the direct method or indirect method will help to ensure that everything is properly in order the way it should be. Prepare journal entries associated with the issuance of preferred and common stocks and the declaration and payment of dividends The issuance of common stock affects only paid-in-capital accounts. Always record common stock at its par or stated value. Debit Cash and credit Common Stock. Preferred stock has preference over common stock. However, preferred stockholders do not have voting rights. The entry is debit to Cash and credit to Preferred Stock. For a corporation to issue cash dividends there must be: retained earnings, adequate cash, and a declaration of dividends. A company does not pay dividends unless its board of directors decides to do so, then it is deemed declared. When it is declared then it becomes a liability. Three important dates are observed with dividends: declaration date, record date, and the payment date. Declaration commits a corporation to legal obligations.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

10 Fascinating Facts About Dung Beetles

10 Fascinating Facts About Dung Beetles Is there anything cooler than a dung beetle pushing a ball of poo? We think not. But lest you disagree, please consider these 10 fascinating facts about dung beetles. 1. Dung Beetles Eat Poop Dung beetles are coprophagous insects, meaning they eat excrement of other organisms. Although not all dung beetles eat poop exclusively, they all eat feces at some point in their life. Most prefer to feed on herbivore droppings, which are largely undigested plant matter, rather than carnivore waste, which holds very little nutritional value for insects (and really, who could blame them for that preference). Recent research at the University of Nebraska suggests dung beetles may be most attracted to omnivore excrement, since it provides both nutritional value and the right amount of odor to make it easy to find. 2.  Not All Dung Beetles Roll Their Poop When you think of a dung beetle, you probably picture a beetle pushing a ball of poop along the ground. But some dung beetles don’t bother rolling neat little dung balls at all. Instead, these coprophages stay close to their fecal finds. Aphodian dung beetles (subfamily Aphodiinae) simply live within the dung they find, often cow patties, rather than investing energy in moving it. The earth-boring dung beetles (family Geotrupidae) typically tunnel below the dung pile, making a burrow which can then be easily provisioned with poop. 3. Dung Beetles Provision Their Nests With Poop for Their Offspring When dung beetles do carry or roll the dung away, they do so primarily to feed their young. Dung beetle nests are provisioned with poop, and the female usually deposits each individual egg in its own tiny dung sausage. When the larvae emerge, they are well-supplied with food, enabling them to complete their development within the safe environment of the nest. 4. Many Dung Beetles Are Good Parents Dung beetles are one of the few groups of insects that exhibit parental care for their young. In most cases, child rearing responsibilities fall on the mother (surprise!), who constructs the nest and provisions it with food for her young. But in certain species, both parents share child care duties to some degree. In the Copris and Ontophagus dung beetles, the male and female work together to dig their nests. Certain Cephalodesmius dung beetles even mate for life. 5. Most Dung Beetles Are Particular About the Poop They’ll Eat For most dung beetles, not just any poop will do. Many dung beetles specialize on the dung of particular animals, or types of animals, and simply will not touch the poo of other critters. Australians learned this lesson the hard way, when the outback was nearly buried in cattle dung. Two hundred years ago, settlers introduced horses, sheep, and cattle to Australia, all grazing animals that were new to the native dung beetles. The Australian dung beetles were raised on poop from Down Under, like kangaroo poo, and refused to clean up after the exotic newcomers. Around 1960, Australia imported exotic dung beetles that were adapted to eating cattle dung, and things got back to normal. Phew. 6. Dung Beetles Are Really Good at Finding Poop When it comes to poop, the fresher the better (at least from the dung beetles perspective). Once a dung patty has dried out, it’s less palatable to even the most dedicated poop eater. So dung beetles move quickly when an herbivore drops a gift in the pasture. One scientist observed 4,000 dung beetles on a fresh pile of elephant scat within 15 minutes after it hit the ground, and shortly thereafter, they were joined by an additional 12,000 dung beetles. With that kind of competition, you have to move quick if you’re a dung beetle. 7. Dung Beetles Navigate Using the Milky Way With so many dung beetles vying for the same pile of poop, a beetle needs to make a quick getaway once he’s rolled his dung ball. But it’s not easy to roll a ball of poop in a straight line, especially when you’re pushing your ball from behind using your hind legs. So the first thing the dung beetle does is climb atop his sphere and orient himself. Scientists had long observed dung beetles dancing on their poo balls, and suspected they were looking for cues to help them navigate. New research confirmed that at least one species of African dung beetle, Scarabaeus satyrus, uses the Milky Way as a guide to steering its dung ball home. The researchers placed tiny hats on the dung beetles, effectively blocking their view of the heavens, and found the dung beetles could only wander aimlessly without being able to see the stars. 8. Dung Beetles Use Their Poop Balls to Cool Off Have you ever walked barefoot across a sandy beach on a scorching hot summer day? If so, you probably did your share of hopping, skipping, and running to avoid painful burns to your feet. Since dung beetles often live in similarly hot, sunny places, scientists wondered if they, too, worried about burning their tootsies. A recent study showed that dung beetles use their dung balls to cool off. Around noon, when the sun is at its peak, dung beetles will routinely climb atop their dung balls to give their feet a break from the hot ground. The scientists tried putting tiny, silicone booties on the dung beetles, and they discovered the beetles wearing shoes would take fewer breaks and push their dung balls longer than the beetles that were barefoot. Thermal imaging also showed that the dung balls were measurably cooler than the surrounding environment, probably because of their moisture content. 9. Some Dung Beetles Are Surprisingly Strong Even a small ball of fresh dung can be hefty to push, weighing 50 times the weight of the determined dung beetle. Male dung beetles need exceptional strength, not just for pushing dung balls but also for fending off male competitors. The individual strength record goes to a male Onthphagus taurus dung beetle, which pulled a load equivalent to 1,141 times its own body weight. How does this compare to human feats of strength? This would be like a 150 lb. person pulling 80 tons! 10. Millions of Years Ago, Ancient Dung Beetles Cleaned up After Prehistoric Giants Because they lack bones, insects rarely show up in the fossil record. But we do know that dung beetles existed around 30 million years ago, because paleontologists have found fossilized dung balls the size of tennis balls from that time period. Prehistoric dung beetles collected the poop of South America’s megafauna: car-sized armadillos, sloths taller than modern houses, and a peculiar long-necked herbivore called Macrauchenia.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Dilemma Analysis #2 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Dilemma Analysis #2 - Coursework Example The ethical issue to be addressed, therefore, is non-maleficence and beneficence. Jared decides that to make things right, he and the company must start clean-up exercise in the river and notify the authorities. This, from his perspective, will help in making the company better positioned to move ahead with a clear conscious and also be part of the corporate social responsibility. The decision is also based on the fact that reports have shown that the chemical has negative effects on the people’s health, although in large amounts, and also on the fish which the people consume. However, the dilemma comes in when the authority has been unaware for a long time and the fact that clean up exercise may not be successful since other factories continue to dispose of their chemicals into the same river. The exercise is also repulsively expensive for the company. In addition, notifying authorities will attract hefty fines to the company since it is a foreign entity. Doing the right thing does not have to involve the authority or expose the company to fines and unnecessary expenses. On realizing the existing problems, the management can decide to start engaging on doing the right thing from that point onwards. This implies that the company should adopt the right processes for chemical disposal and engage more on social responsibility to enhance their reputation. Utilitarianism is a moral philosophy which is based on analyzing the consequences. This means that first, the managers have to analyze the situation, the existing problems and seek for the alternative actions regarding the situation. In this case, we compare working to do what is right from that day on with exercising the clean-up. The second step involves estimating the costs of the actions and the benefits and later selecting the best alternative. Clean-up and reporting are costly and dangerous to the reputation of