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News Analysis

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News Analysis

For an extended period, there have been debates on ownership of guns and the regulations governing acquisition and ownership. This discussion follows various individual’s suggestions and take from individuals in the government and also gun downs that occur in states. Trump, the president of the United States, has also shown efforts to review the legislation on gun control and tried to stop epidemics of gun violence. I found three articles to analyze on the gun control issue. The first article of the professional news site from the New York Times, second from a liberal news site, Think progress.org and a conservative news site, Redstate.com. To analyze the articles, I used the Society of professional journalism code of ethics (“SPJ Code of Ethics – Society of Professional Journalists”, 2014) and identified the differences in writing styles and the information therein.

The first article is from the New York Times, titled, ‘Trump Weighs Action on Gun Control. But It’s Still a Theoretical Discussion’ and provides information on Trump’s actions on controlling the guns in the states (Haberman et al., 2019). The article is about Trump’s opinions on gun measures, including senators and statehouse officials. After a gun down at an elementary school, A democrat from Connecticut, Christopher Murphy communicated to senators to support a bill on background checks. The senators identify that President Trump has not put legislation on gun control that forces a bill through congress. White House officials feel that Trump has no interest in including public opinion in gun control. I was interested in the SPJ to provide context code of ethics that states, ‘Take special care not to misrepresent or oversimplify in promoting, previewing or summarizing a story.’ The author ensures that the speaker or source of information is specified. The article has provided the names and titles of individuals who provided views used, hence providing the right context by not misrepresenting.

Also, in another code, ‘Support the open and civil exchange of views, even views they find repugnant.’ For example, the article states that Trump is facing pushback from gun rights advocates, and this may make him drop ideas of doing some things even after promising. From the statement, the statement is repugnant as this may make citizens lack trust in him; nevertheless, the author stated it. The reader is supposed to understand the stage at which the government has addressed the gun control issue since it is a problem affecting the people. The writer has clearly stated Trumps acts and its possibilities of implementation, which is adequate to the reader. However, the article mentions 26 people gunned down in an elementary school and 31 people in El Paso Massacre but does not provide the legislations that led to their justice. These are sensitive issues, and I may wish you know how the authorities handle it and the legislations that should be changed. After reading the article, one should find more information on Trump’s actions, to understand his reasons. This fact will guide on the truth of the material.

The title of the second article from thinkprogress.org is, ‘Mitch McConnell suggests Trump cannot be trusted to mean what he says on guns.’ The work is about the leader of the majority Mitch McConnell doubts on Trump’s actions and words concerning stop on gun violence (Israel, 2019). It first acknowledges there have been a series of mass shootings in various places, and Trump had promised background checks but changes later after speaking to the public. McConnell has had any experience of this before with Bill Clinton, and he was honest in radio that the president promised to reinvent the government but instead used funds to reinvent his campaigns. The article tends to provide the weakness of Trump concerning gun control and gives reasons for the facts. I was interested in the SPJ code of ethics that states,’ Boldly tell the story of the diversity and magnitude of the human experience.’ Seek sources whose voices we seldom hear.’ I think the article proves boldness because it provides information of leadership faultiness to the public.

Also, the code, ‘Be vigilant and courageous about holding those with power accountable. Give voice to the voiceless’, is excellently applied. Trump is in power, and the article provides information on his accountability to the citizens or nation concerning gun control and mass shootings. This code makes the piece more attractive to readers as they wish to understand the take of their leaders on issues that affect them. The reader of this article should know the reason why gun control legislation is not working and why the president’s words cannot be trusted. However, the writer has provided the information based on one person’s opinion hence not sufficient to the writer. It limits the data to only one person; therefore, it does not give broad ideas on the issue; thus, the reader may not get so much informed. It only provides McConnel’s views and opinions on Trump’s actions, which may be biased on individual concepts. Also, after the mention of the mass shootings, the article should provide a link to the materials that can provide information on the shots. After reading the article, the reader should find more evidence that supports the idea in the article; that Trump should not be trusted.

The third article from Redstate.com is titled,’ Watch: Nancy Pelosi Gets Treated Like a Republican by the Press, and She Doesn’t Like It at All.’ It is a reported article that gives the difference by which the media or press treats the politicians on the two political parties; republicans and democrats (Morse, 2019). Democrats have the opportunity to even lie without the reporter correcting them while the republicans are given hot seat and snarl through pre-established narratives by the media. It then narrows down to Nancy Pelosi’s experience with the press. She is a democrat, but the media treats her like a republican. She gets directed on what to talk about through the use of questions. She blamed Senator McConnel for the non-existence of advancement in gun control legislation. I was interested in the SJP code of ethics that states,’ Never plagiarize. Always attribute.’ The article gives information that had happened through other sources and, as such, acknowledges them. For example, the author recognizes information was gotten from an interview with San Francisco Chronicle reporter, and through the conversation, they acquired the stated knowledge.

Also, under the Society of professional journalist code of conduct that states, ‘provide access to source material when it is relevant and appropriate,’ the article applies it by providing a link on further reading. It first explains that the American people are losing interest in gun control; hence gun sales have increased tremendously. It then provides a link that reads,’ READ: Gun Sales See Spike Despite Democrat Efforts to Slow It Down. This link ensures that the reader gets all the information required from the article without doubts. The article wishes to inform the reader of the effect of media on political parties and the party to blame on the issue of gun control that is affecting people. However, I find the topic concentrating on Nancy Pelosi, while the article speaks of the two political parties. Nancy is just used as an example to show the treat. Therefore, the topic should focus on republicans and democrats. The reader should find out why the blame has been put on senator McConnel on lack of legislation on gun control to get more information on gun control. As a senator, what power did she have?

The articles provide political opinions on gun control, starting with Trump in New York Times, McConnel doubts on trump opinion in thinkprogress.org, and Nancy Pelosi takes on gun control awareness in media. Second, in thinkprogress.org, McConnel warns people not to trust Trump, and lastly, in Redstate.com, Nancy Pelosi blames McConnel for increase in gun sales. All the articles narrate experiences of individuals that make them get into a conclusion. They give occurrences of individuals actions on the verge to solve the problem on gun control legislation. The New York Times article proves to be more informative due to various characterization, and provision of lots of ideas that provide sufficient and efficient information to the audience. Also, in terms of the headline, the New York article offers the right topic to the audience. It first informs that Trump is just weighing actions against the issue and further states that there are no conclusions made, but rather a theoretical discussion. As the reader reads this, one is convinced of the information in the article and understands the conclusion made.

The three articles addressing news on gun control by the government and its officials are informative. They follow some of the code of ethics of the Society of professional journalism, hence providing context, and ensuring they don’t mislead the audience. The New York Times article offers a lot of information that enhances readers understanding and satisfaction. However, the ThinkProgress and RedState articles have limited some information that may be useful to the audience. The headlines, too, are not much informing on the content of the article, unlike the New York article, which provides full information. The new yok headline is direct to the point, understandable, and ensures the reader concentrates on the concept. The information provided and the way it is addressed determines the way the reader will interpret and believe hence proper ethics with short and comprehensive headline is appropriate.

References

Haberman, M., Stolberg, S., & Martin, J. (2019). Trump Weighs Action on Gun Control. But It’s Still a Theoretical Discussion. New York Times. Retrieved 18 February 2020, from http://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/14/us/politics/trump-gun-control.html.

Israel, J. (2019). Mitch McConnell suggests Trump cannot be trusted to mean what he says on guns. Thinkprogress. Retrieved 18 February 2020, from http://thinkprogress.org/mitch-mcconnell-admits-trump-may-not-actually-support-the-gun-legislation-he-said-he-wanted-c704c035f366/.

Morse, B. (2019). Watch: Nancy Pelosi Gets Treated Like a Republican by the Press and She Doesn’t Like It at All. Redstate. Retrieved 18 February 2020, from http://www.redstate.com/brandon_morse/2019/09/12/watch-nancy-pelosi-gets-treated-like-republican-press-doesnt-like/.

SPJ Code of Ethics – Society of Professional Journalists. Spj.org. (2014). Retrieved 18 February 2020, from https://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp.

Newhouse Utility

Newhouse Utility

A). for the facility

A population growth can only lead to an improved quality frontier if and only if, the population provides more and better qualified doctors and physicians. This will mean that the ratio of doctor to patient will increase ensuring that the patients are well treated. An increase in population will also increase the number of patients and not only those who are sick but also for the consultation and regular check-up patients. This will lead to increase the amount earned from the standing fee that every hospital is allowed to charge by the state. This will aid in catering for the operational costs and increase the equipments to be used in the hospital.

For the public

Increase in population of doctors and physicians means that the quality of service offered will be better. More doctors indicate more patients will be better treated and the health of the population will be improved (Gustafson, 1997). Increase in the public population offers a ready market for the hospital services and increases the amount of revenue earned ensuring that there are enough medicines and vaccines for the people. This is a benefit to the public.

B). a nonprofit facility is better than a profit facility this is because the facility gets to be excluded from paying taxes by the government because it is based on a charitable cause and may not be able to meet the cost of the tax (Gustafson, 1997). This is better for the facility as itgets to save on that. For the consumer most of the prices are subsidized by other government and non-governmental agencies making the facility’s services to be cheaper than those of government and private hospitals. To the community, most of the nonprofit hospitals always give back to their immediate community. This can be done by sensitizing people on the best hygiene methods. Creating awareness on what people should do. To the community it is an investment that brings returns in terms of charitable events that are of benefit to the health of the people.

2.  “Hospitals and Long-Term Care”

The nonprofit hospitals dominate the hospital industry because a hospital requires so much equipments, inputs and even labor for it to run. The daily operational costs incurred are overwhelming and the nonprofit hospitals can be able to cut down on that. This is because from the government side they are exempt to income and property tax, which in this case caters for 33% of all the costs incurred in the hospitals (United States, General Accounting Office, 1995).

They are allowed to take donations from politicians, the state and even from other organizations without much legal constraints and mostly due to their charitable nature they are bound to receive more volunteers as nurses and other laborers and this still aids in reducing the operational costs as compared to the for profit hospitals. They are expected to pay all the government taxes and they hardly receive subsidized goods ad even services from the public.

A nursing home is easier to run. This is because it requires nurses checking on old people who are not necessarily sick. It is cheaper and requires minimal operational costs as the old people’s pension and their families cater for their expenses (Dicken, 2011). This means the amount of labor, equipment and initial input required to start and run a nursing home is less as compared to running a hospital. The decision is also influenced by the fact that old people are increasing in the society as compared to previous years. This is attributed to improved medical services.

B). Decrease in the number of children that people are allowed to have can greatly reduce the children who will be taking care of their parents. Increase in the job opportunities available will also decrease the informal care, this coupled with subsidized services from the nursing homes can significantly reduce the informal care (Dicken, 2011). This is because sometimes people prefer the informal care because they cannot afford the nursing home.

A policy that can increase the substitability will include the increase in the pension given to the old people. This will ensure that they are still financially viable in the society and the family member will accept them because they can still be able to contribute financially. There should be an age limit and health status for being before they are sent to the nursing homes. If one does not meet the criteria they will not be allowed to be in a nursing home.

References

Gustafson Ivan Charles, (1997), A Survey of a Public Relations Program in Non-Profit Hospitals, Oxford University Press, New York.

United States, General Accounting Office, (1995), Non-Profit Hospitals: For Profit ventures pose Access and Capacity, Government Press, Washington D.C

Dicken John, (2011), Nursing Homes: Complexity of Private Investment Purchases, Springer Publishers

Newbridge Leadership

Newbridge Leadership

Contents

TOC o “1-3” h z u Executive Summary PAGEREF _Toc376341566 h 1Introduction PAGEREF _Toc376341567 h 1Challenges, Problems and Issues in the Case PAGEREF _Toc376341568 h 2Assumption of Case Study PAGEREF _Toc376341569 h 2One Major Problem in the Case PAGEREF _Toc376341570 h 3Organizational Behavior Theory to Critically Evaluate the Problem PAGEREF _Toc376341571 h 3Support Argument with Academic Research Collected in Step 2 PAGEREF _Toc376341572 h 4Recommendations PAGEREF _Toc376341573 h 4Conclusion PAGEREF _Toc376341574 h 6

Executive SummaryWith increased levels to access to information, globalization and competition, team work has gained a lot of popularity among organizations as it brings about different sets of talents, skills, expertise and opinions together in the ultimate goal of enhanced performance levels through effective decision making and efficient problem solving techniques.

Introduction

The case study depicts Newbridge leadership as inclusive of all the team members – Link, Oliver, Georgia and Bob. Newbridge led the proton project which he had discovered. The team spirit was instilled by the project head Dr Goh. However, this changed with the introduction of Zaph, a brilliant individual able to think outside the box but who believed that team work is mediocre. Newbridge is not happy but opts to be quiet as Zaph seems to handle all the projects alone. Team meetings decrease and Newbridge as well as other team members apart from Link get concerned. When the day of the presenting the project to investors reached, Newbridge, requests Dr Goh to allow Zaph present it. However this does not stop Newbridge’s feeling that his value in the organization has been compromised. After the presentation he looks for another job and moves on. Dr Goh is surprised by this sudden change of heart because he had considered giving Zaph another project while Newbridge still leads the proton project.

Case Analysis

Challenges, Problems and Issues in the CaseCommunication is important because it facilitates the flow of information within the organization. It is the bloodline of any organization, this because it gives the organization a competitive advantage over other companies, (McGinnis 2005, pg. 50). In the case study we come to see the organization has some deep communication problems. With the introduction of Zaph, problems began emerging with most members feeling marginalized by his actions and predominance over the project. We can see despite all these misgivings no one addresses this issue and people are silent over the matter. Communication within a team is vital because it plays a crucial role in altering members’ attitudes. This is because a well-informed member of a team has a better attitude than one who is less informed, (Dyne & Botero 2003, pg. 14). This can be seen in the case where Zaph does all the work and only informs members about the project. He uses complicated words that some of the members do not comprehend. Thus, the members of the team did not really understand.

Leadership was also a problem in the proton lab. The failure of the project leader Dr Goh to read into the signs of discontent among the team was an indication that there was a leadership vacuum within the organizations’ leadership. Effective and efficient leadership involves the leaders of the organization to dig deeper when they make structural changes within its structures.

Assumption of Case StudyThe main assumption is that team work enhances better decisions because it involves discussions of divergent points of views, (Singh 2009, 30). The ultimate success depends on what every team member brings to the table. This can be seen in the case, where after Zaph hijacks the project, the team breaks down because the contribution of members to the project is not considered and this ultimately leads to Newbridge looking for another job. In case study it is reported that the proton lab team was hit hard by this lack of team work and this was despite the fact that the project was successful.

One Major Problem in the CaseThe main problem in this case study is self-efficacy. Self-efficacy was another problem that was evident in the case study. Self-efficacy refers to an individual’s belief in their ability to accomplish a particular task, and this has a powerful effect on the behavior of people and how they think or feel. Individuals that have high self-efficacy mainly focus on the assessment of a problem and the finding of solutions, (Thompson 2007, Pg. 188). Individuals do not have self-efficacy on all sectors and situations, and this is why teams are fundamental to the success of an organization, (Driscoll, 2004). In the case study we come to see that Zaph, as an individual who is very bright and has high self-efficacy on problem solving and the identification of weak areas. He has strong work ethic in that we see he works even late at night, as evidenced in the case where he made a very late call to Newbridge in the middle of the night, to inform him about how he found the solution to the weak sectors of the project.

Organizational Behavior Theory to Critically Evaluate the ProblemAccording to the systems theory of organizational behavior, nonlinear relationships exist between variables and small changes in on variable within the organization can have a huge counter effect on another variable. The system theory states that all components within an organizations structure are interrelated and the changing or reorganization of one variable might impact other variables. This theory assumes that the organization is always in a dynamic equilibrium in an attempt to adapt to changes within the environment that it operates. The introduction of Zaph into the organization fundamentally changed how the team worked and their performance. This led to a drastic change in how the members of the team perceived the project. The new addition to the team brought with him changes which significantly affected other members of the team, and this eventually led to the falling out of the team as the team leader Newbridge chose to resign his position as a result. The proton lab team had a rapport and a system on how they conducted themselves. This could be seen in the meetings where everyone was encouraged to share and discussions were carried out, making sure that every team member including the secretaries was up to speed with the developments of the project.

Support Argument with Academic Research Collected in Step 2Self-efficacy plays an important role in causal structure this is because it affects human functioning. This is not affects people directly but also through other different determinants. These determinants include incentives, perceived impediments, opportunities and goal aspirations. This affects self-motivation through the impact it has on the aspirations and goals that the organizations have. In the expectancy-value theory, it states that certain behavior yields certain outcomes and value is placed on the resultant outcomes, (Bandura 2000, pg. 2). In the case study, the introduction of Zaph into the team demoralized most group members. Organizational practices, such as supportive communication helps foster self-efficacy. This because it helps complement the efforts of all the team members involved the organizational process. If the project leader ensured that he used Zaph skills and combined them with Newbridge’s skills the project would have been a success and the team would have succeeded.

RecommendationsThe decision making process is often a difficult and time consuming task. The bringing together of different individuals who have different sets of values, norms and beliefs is a challenge that most organizations face, (Janssens & Brett, 2006, 150). In this case study the change of the structure in the organization with the introduction of Zaph had a negative impact on the team functioning. Highlighted are some of the recommendations on how such a situation can be prevented:

Controlling the team size

The incorporation of large teams can effectively hinder members of a team from making meaningful contributions. It is of paramount importance that the leadership of the organization or the team to manage self-efficacy and self-limiting behavior, (Gist, 1987, pg.472).

Pros

It helps the management of self-efficacy and avoids self-limiting behaviors

Cons

It limits the team’s ability to have wealth of resources in terms of skills, knowledge and expertise.

Leveling the playing field

High ranking or status members are usually the center of communication, for example in the case study, Zaph. This affects the other members’ efficacy regarding their contributions to the team. This is eliminated by eliminating the status symbols of team members during decisions making processes. This can be achieved by not referring to the team members’ titles, (Mulvey, Veiga & Elsass, 1996, p.7).Pros

This will help in improving the team’s efficacy levels and lead to better decisions

Cons

It erodes the leadership structure by not recognizing its importance in the decision making process, thus effectively minimizing the effect of the title.

Confirming the value of the team

This can be achieved by ensuring that decisions made are shared with the team so that their efforts are appreciated.

Pros

It increases the sense of value for individuals in the organization or the team.

Cons

Information that are sensitive or that may add the organizations competitive advantage over its competitors is not secure.

ConclusionThis report has looked into the case study on the proton lab. It has identified the challenges that were brought about by the introduction of Zaph into the team. It has also identified major problems and critically examined these problems based on academic research. The report has also made recommendations on how to improve these factors, giving the pros and cons of these recommendations. These recommendations were based on organizational behavior to support it.

Bibliography

Dyne, L.V., Soon, A.S., Botero, I.C. (2003) Conceptualizing Employee Silence and Employee Voice as Multidimensional Constructs. Journal of Management Studies.

Singh, S. K. G. (2009). A study on employee participation in decision making. Unitar E-Journal, 5(1), 20–38.

Janssens, M., & Brett, J (2006). Cultural Intelligence in Global Teams: A Fusion Model of Collaboration. Group & Organization Management, 31, 124-153.

Marilyn E. Gist, (1987) Self-Efficacy: Implications for Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management. The Academy of Management Review Vol. 12, No. 3 (Jul., 1987), pp. 472-485

Mulvey, P. W., Veiga, J. F., & Elsass, P. M. (2005). When teammates raise a white flag. The Academy of Management Executive (1993-2005), 10(1), 40-49.

McGinnis, K. Sheila, (2005). Organizational Behavior and Management Thinking. Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

Bandura, A. (2000). Cultivate self-efficacy for personal and organizational effectiveness. In E.A. Locke (Ed.), Handbook of principles of organization behavior. (pp. 120-136). Oxford,

UK: Blackwell.

Thompson, L. L. (2007). Making the team (3rd ed.). Prentice Hall.

Driscoll, M. P. (2004). Psychology of learning for instruction (3rd ed.). Allyn & Bacon.

New Zealand Waste Crisis

New Zealand Waste Crisis

The management of waste, especially plastic waste, is an international problem that is yet to have an umbrella solution because every country has its unique structure and response systems. In the developed world, New Zealand is one of the highest producers of household waste (Casinader, 2018), placing it at the center of attention regarding the implementation of proposals to address plastic waste crisis. As purchasing and product choice increase, it is becoming increasingly clear that not every waste can be recycled. Millions of tonnes of waste end up straying into the natural environment or in landfills. There is a problem in New Zealand regarding how to regulate the use of plastics in order to reduce their availability, and a problem of disposal, in ways that do not degrade the environment, with solutions presented including reduction of waste generating activities, reusing products, recycling waste, recovering useful material, treating waste to reduce environmental impact, and disposing waste safely where it applies.

The key issue in New Zealand waste management include the regulation of waste generating activities, with particular focus on plastic due to its nature and impact on the environment. According to New Zealand’s Ministry for the Environment (MFE) (1997), the average person uses and discards about 60 kilos of plastic every year, due to increased consumption and the advantages of using plastic as packaging material. Casinader (2018) adds that the system that New Zealand has for dealing with waste is severely broken, further worsened by the increased use of plastic. It is clear that a regulation problem exists as far as the New Zealand government is supposed to control the production and use of plastic vis-à-vis the impact on the environment. Another issue is the notable lack of a proper disposal structure as highlighted by Casinader (2018) and a lack of guidance from the local authorities on how to safely reuse, recycle, recover, treat, and reduce waste in the environment MFE (2020). Overall, these issues have made it difficult for New Zealand to solve its waste crisis in line with the global efforts to curb environmental degradation.

At the end of 2019, the New Zealand government kicked of a successful campaign of banning plastic shopping bags as a way of tackling the plastic waste problem. The Waste Minimisation Act 2008 (WMA) also gives mandate to the Auckland Council to enforce policies relating to waste reduction in the medium term and Zero Waste in the long term. According to the MFE (2020), the banning of plastics is part of a larger plan to achieve an economy where plastic does not contribute to pollution or becoming waste. To address the issue of regulation and the disposal of plastic waste, it is proposed that the Auckland Council enforces the WMA, the Local Government Act 2002 and the Auckland Transitional Provisions Act 2010 that will ensure use of less plastic through regulated and self-imposed campaigns and provide avenues for reusing, repurposing, and recycling any plastic that is retained (MFE, 2020). Casinader (2018) proposes the same formula to address the issues that plastics have continued to pose in New Zealand, suggesting turning to recycling of plastic as a solution that has other synergies such as creation of employment more revenues for local authorities. Overall, MFE’s (1997) showed trends that evidenced today, citing increased use of plastics and the overburdening of landfilled areas that would negatively impact the environment. Combined, MFE (2020), MFE (1997), Casinader (2018) and Canterbury (2016) agree on a need for the country to rethink its waste disposal structures and to come up with regulatory control for consumption relating to plastics, their use, and their disposal. Accordingly, a new approach to waste management is proposed, including levies on plastic products, particularly for the consumption and production stages, as a way of discouraging industries and households to produce ad consume plastics. However, this regulatory approach would not be effective on its own as noted by Casinader (2018), but requires other infrastructural reinforcement including the phasing out of hard-to-recycle plastics, taking severe action on the production and use of single-use plastic products (MFE, 2020), reduction of waste generating activities, reusing products, recycling waste, recovering useful material, treating waste to reduce environmental impact (MFE, 1997), and disposing waste safely where it applies. These possible solutions apply to the issue of lax regulations and a problem of disposal, especially for plastics that have become such a convenient part of New Zealanders consumption.

In conclusion, the problem of plastic waste in New Zealand is manageable through government’s and the Auckland Council’s joint efforts. However, it will require joint efforts from regulators, environmental conservation agencies, manufacturers, industries, and households as the main stakeholders in the processing and consumption of plastics. Regulators are tasked with a role of ensuring that New Zealanders have negative incentives to consume plastics, especially hard-to-recycle products. Households, industries, and manufacturers will have to adjust to use of plastics that can be reused, recycled, recovered, and properly disposed to reduce their impact on the environment. Efforts will need to be coordinated, in a way that the proposed bans, phasing out of certain plastics, and the introduction of heavy taxation on single use plastics all converge in a government-sponsored effort to solve the waste crisis in New Zealand.

Word Count: 870

Writing Plan

I began the paper by reading through all the articles listed below. The intention was to get a bearing of the waste crisis in New Zealand. It also allowed me to formulate a working thesis based on the two question regarding the issues and the possible solutions. After formulating the thesis, I introduced the topic and stated the problems carefully. I then focused on the problems in New Zealand and the extent of the waste crisis. I mentioned some fundamental data regarding how much plastic is used and disposed into the environment. Then, I moved on to the solution section, mentioning all of the solutions posited by various articles, with particular reference to the plastic problem. I then concluded the essay restating some of the key issues and findings.

References

Canterbury, (2016). High levels of microplastics found on NZ coast. Retrieved from

https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/news/2016/high-levels-of-microplastics-found-on-nz-coast.html

Casinader, J. (2018). New Zealand’s waste crisis: Five things you need to know. TVNZ1.

Retrieved from https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/new-zealands-waste-crisis-five-things-you-need-know

Ministry for the Environment. (2020). Reducing-impact-of-plastic-our-environment. Retrieved

from https://www.mfe.govt.nz/sites/default/files/media/Waste/Hard-to-recycle-plastics-summary-final.pdf

Ministry for the Environment. (1997). Waste generation and disposal in New Zealand. Retrieved

from https://www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/environmental-reporting/waste-generation-and-disposal-new-zealand

New Zealand Cement Factory Incident

New Zealand Cement Factory Incident

Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation

New Zealand Factory Incident

The main aim of this study is to determine whether organizational safety measures are exercised. The study was initiated after a series of major incidents around the country were reported. These ranged from minor to major injuries sustained at different work places. The will also seek to find out whether these accidents occur as a result of employees’ ignorance or no proper structures are not in place to deal with such situations. The study will give a bigger picture of workers’ safety in New Zealand. The study will use an incident that occurred as a case study.

Thesis statement

The incident used as a case study happened in one of the biggest manufacturers of cement in New Zealand. The outcome of this incident was very devastating. The victim suffered a broken a broken ankle on his left leg.

Incident analysis

The incident happened in an cement factory in New Zealand. The victim was hit on his left ankle by a bag of cement. The victims worked at the quality inspection unit, where the final checks on the bags were made. According to witnesses, the victim was at his work station when the accident happened. He was doing some paper work on the inspection table. Just behind his work table, finished bags of cement ready for inspection are stacked by means of a forklift. The forklift driver stacks the bags so that they are checked for any damages or improper packing. At the time of the accident, the victim was facing away from the stacked bags and, therefore, was caught unaware. The forklift driver pushed the bags too close to the victim, therefore, smashing his ankle on the table. According to the forklift driver, he was just trying to get the bags as close as possible to the victim for inspection. The driver also indicated that immediately called for help when he realized that he had knocked the victim down. According to him, the response was good. The victim was taken to the hospital and reports indicated that he suffered a broken ankle on the left leg. He could not work for the next three weeks and was given a sick leave. The company also compensated the victim and took care of the medical bills.

After this incident, the company launched investigations into the matter. Every witness was interrogated and they all gave their accounts. Mark, a colleague of the victim said that the forklift driver pushed the bags without first checking if someone was at the work table. On his side, the driver said that he didn’t see anybody at the table and that he was only getting the bags as close as possible to whoever would inspect them. The driver was also taken for a drug test to see if he was sober during the incident, but the results came out negative. The driver’s competency was not also in question as he had worked for the company for 15 years. Asked whether he had witnessed a similar incident before, he indicated that there had been a similar incident, but no victims were reported.

Discussion

The introduction of occupational safety and health (OSHA) at organizational was mainly to address incidents such as the above (Forastieri, 2001). It has positive impacts in reducing the occurrence of hazards. This document has been adopted by most governments around the world. This document has practical guidelines that define the safety of everybody in a factory setup. It should be adopted by all those who have the responsibilities of both occupational health and safety. It clearly outlines how the work place should be set up to ensure the safety of everyone (Kelloway & Cooper, 2011). In the above incident, it clear that there is no proper work place organization. The bags of cement are piled just close to where there is a workstation, putting whoever is at the inspection table at a high risk. The floor is not also marked appropriately to show virtual boundaries that the forklift driver could have used to avoid an accident.

Conclusion

Such incident like the one discussed above happen almost on a daily basis around the world. The OSHA document that clearly defines the safety management systems in a factory should be adopted by all companies and organizations industrial processes. The above incident reveals that there are still many companies in New Zealand that still don’t comply with guidelines in the Organizational health and safety document. The government should impose stiff penalties to those companies found in breach of OSHA guideline. The workers should also be constantly reminded of the organizational health and safety guidelines. This will make more responsible and, therefore, work in a safe environment. The health officials in every company also bear great responsibilities in enlightening other workers about safe working environments.

Future scope

To prevent the recurrence of such incidents, the government must work closely with health and safety officials to create awareness among the workers. Every single worker in a factory setup should also take it upon themselves to read about the safety in their workplaces. This can greatly reduce the number of reported accidents in the factories, in New Zealand and indeed the whole world.

References

Forastieri, V. (2001). Children at work: Health and safety risks. Geneva: International Labour Office.

Kelloway, E. K., & Cooper, C. L. (2011). Occupational Health and Safety for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Pub.

New Zealand Agri-Tech Industry Internationalization and De-Internationalization

New Zealand Agri-Tech Industry: Internationalization and De-Internationalization

The competition in the global Agri-tech market is fierce from foreign and domestic fronts. New Zealand companies in the Agri-tech market face stiff competition from the United States, Israel, and Ireland, reducing their market share in domestic and foreign markets. Therefore, Agri-giant should expand its global products market and adopt measures that reduce overall production costs to increase its competitiveness in the Agri-tech market. This report highlights existing global markets for Agri-tech products and evaluates how Agri-giant can adopt offshore manufacturing and innovation to improve its market share.

Global Market for Agri-tech Products

Agri-giant should also expand its exportation of Agri-tech products to Thailand. Thailand is amongst the largest importer of Agri-tech products globally; the country aims to increase crop yield, establish better farm management practices, and improve cold-climate vegetable production (Saunders, 2019). This provides an opportunity for Agri-giant to innovate its products to support precision agriculture and enhance harvesting and post-harvesting logistics. Thailand provides a broad market for Agri-tech products; thus, investing in this market will increase Agri-giant market share.

Secondly, Agri-giant should de-internationalize the exportation of Agri-tech products to Australia to increase its competitiveness and market share. Australia’s Agri-tech market is highly competitive from both domestic and foreign fronts. It is the largest market for New Zealand Agri-tech products and is physically closer to New Zealand, implying stiff domestic rivalry among competitors and leading to a reduction in the company’s market share and income.

In addition to Thailand, Agri -giant should expand its exportation of Agri-tech products to North America. Although there is a niche for differentiated New Zealand products in the North American market, the Agri-tech companies have not adequately explored the market. This provides an opportunity for expansion. According to Saunders (2019), North America has a large market that can absorb a high volume of Agri-tech products and create demand for the broad category of these products. Furthermore, North American markets pay a premium for quality products; this provides an opportunity for the company to charge higher prices on its products compared to prices in the other markets, increasing its revenue.

Additionally, Agri-giant should expand its exportation of Agri-tech products to South America. South America provides a suitable market for the exportation of Agri-tech products. The region is experiencing a rise in corporate farming and an increase in the number of agricultural firms adopting the best global Agri-tech products; this provides a market for Agri-giant products (Saunders, 2019). Additionally, New Zealand enjoys the advantage of being the first mover in the North American market, implying a broad and loyal customer base, an opportunity that Agri-giant can use to expand its market share.

Risks Mitigation

Exportation of Agri-tech products to physically distant countries such as China, Brazil, East Europe, and the Middle East and offshore manufacturing exposes the company to social, political, financial, and economic risks.

Financial and Economic Risks: Selling to physically distant countries and engaging in offshore manufacturing exposes the exporter to currency fluctuation, foreign exchange risks, incidences of economic downturn, broken contracts, and the failure of the business to pay (Brouthers et al., 2016). Although the risks mentioned above also exist domestically, the risks increase when companies sell or conduct business operations internationally. Businesses should buy credit insurance; this protects the business against non-payments, contract cancellation, and currency fluctuation risks to mitigate financial and economic risks (Hoke et al., 2019). Foreign exchange risks are prevalent in exportation; therefore, the business should understand and evaluate possible foreign exchange risks in these global countries where they operate and measure its exposure to minimize its impacts on profits.

Social Risks: International exportation exposes the business to direct and indirect activities that affect local and global communities. Social issues such as child labor and human rights issues, environmental degradation, involvement in terror financing and bribers, expose the business to social risks (Brouthers et al., 2016). These activities negatively impact business brand, reputation, credibility, and ultimately company’s sales. For instance, physically distant exportation and offshore manufacturing introduce business operation chain, linking the company to activities of the other companies in chain, this increases company exposure to indirect social risks. According to Hoke et al. (2019), to mitigate these risks, the company should ensure that its direct employers can spot any potential social issue in the domestic company and the other companies in the business chain and plan to deal with these risks.

Political Risks: Exportation exposes the business to different political risks such as political violence, outright expropriation, conversion and transfer risks, and repossession risks (Hoke et al., 2019). These events impact business negotiations for physically distant exportation and business operations for offshore manufacturing. Political risks are unpredictable. Thus, the most effective way of mitigating this risk is buying political risk assurance (Hoke et al., 2019). Additionally, the business can keep watch on the political happenings of all the countries it operates in and exports to ensure it takes swift actions to avoid any political challenge that can last longer.

Internationalization Activities to Improve Market Share

Offshore Manufacturing: The company can shift its manufacturing activities and operations to offshore countries with cheap and readily available factors of production such as labor and raw materials (Brouthers et al., 2016). This will reduce the cost of production, making the manufactured products more competitive abroad. For instance, an Agri-giant company can establish its manufacturing and production plant in India, Vietnam, China, or the Philippines, where the overall production cost is low.

Innovation: the Agri-giant company should upgrade its current products to meet the Agri-tech market’s ever-changing needs. Smart agriculture is rising, and demand for products that enhance crop management and rotation, indoor agriculture, post-harvest logistics, traceability services, and sensor and smart farm equipment continues to rise (Saunders, 2019). Therefore, the Agri-giant company should upgrade its harvesters’ products to include harvesting-related services, electric fences products to cater for crop management and rotation and develop products that enhance indoor agriculture. This will improve the company’s market share and competitiveness.

Economies of scale: The increasing scale of existing business will reduce the overall cost of production by spreading overheads and fixed costs and increase capacity utilization allowing the company to produce more products that ultimately lead to expansion in the product market (Brouthers et al., 2016). Additionally, a decrease in production costs allows the business to sell the products at low prices, enhancing its competitiveness in the global market.

Conclusion

New Zealand Agri-tech market experience stiff competition from domestic and foreign fronts. Activities such as offshore manufacturing, economies of scale, and innovation can help Agri-tech companies increase market share and remain competitive. New Zealand Agri-tech industries export to Thailand, North America, and South America; however, these businesses have not fully exploited these markets. There are tremendous opportunities that companies can use. Similarly, the Australian market is crowded and highly competitive companies. Thus, businesses should de internationalize their operations from the Australian agri-tech market. Nonetheless, exportation exposes the business to economic, financial, social, and political risks that companies should adopt measures to curb.

References

Brouthers, K. D., Geisser, K. D., & Rothlauf, F. (2016). Explaining the internationalization of business firms. Journal of International Business Studies, 47(5), 513-534.

Hoke, E., Marada, J., & Heinzová, R. (2019). International trade risks. In MATEC Web of Conferences (Vol. 292, p. 01047). EDP Sciences.

Saunders, C. (2019). Sustainable agriculture–life beyond subsidies: Lessons from New Zealand. Journal of Agricultural Economics, 70(3), 579-594.

New Village of Gourna and Vitruvius’s Three Architectural qualities

New Village of Gourna and Vitruvius’s Three Architectural qualities

From his book Architecture for the Poor, the village of Gourna is one of Fathy’s most renowned projects in the world as the book primarily focuses on the tragic history of the village. The village was partially built in the mid 1940s following the need for government to resettle a whole community of entrepreneurs living on pharaoh tombs from Luxur and help in solving the rural housing problem that affected the government’s operations in the country. Even though the village of Gourna is significant for for its tragic history, the architectural design of the village compounds its significance as one of the renowned architectural designs in the world.

As the father of sustainable architecture in the Middle East, Fathy’s Gourna village is his major representation of respect for traditional and sustainable architectural designs characteristic of the country’s poor population. He distasted western architectural techniques and materials used in construction such as steel and concrete because they were not suitable to the country’s climate and the limited skills of craftsmen at that time. Majority of his architectural designs resembled the Nubian’s vernacular architecture whose houses were popular for their vaulted and domed roofs of mud and brick. Moreover, mud bricks were also used in making walls and were considered suitable due to low costs and environmental conditions in the Upper regions of Egypt.

The Gourna Village is one of the most popular housing projects in Egypt and the world due to Fathy’s vision of the village contained in his book Architecture for the Poor. His designs relied on orientation, local materials, ventilation, traditional building methods, and energy preservation techniques that were inevitable to consider in a country like Egypt. He mentions in his book that the Gourna village though not seen to completion was not an experiment, but the establishment was a social construction based on the culture and tradition of Egyptians.

The Gourna village is an indication that attractive compositions and forms are determined by the nature of architecture used in the construction process. When discussing the nature of Architecture, Roth utilizes Roman architect Vitruvius three architectural qualities to use when determining the nature of an architectural design. According to Vitruvius, an architectural design must possess firmness, commodity, and delight qualities to sustain the high standards of architectural design. Vitrivius alleged that architecture was a replication of nature, and humans needed to construct their houses and buildings from natural materials and elements provided by the earth. This echoes Fathy’s arguments for basing the architectural design of Gourna village on indigenous vernacular architect, which utilized the natural elements provided by nature in designing the village.

Firstly, a good architectural design had to be firm. Firmness is related to the structural resilience of the architectural design. The design of a building or house must be durable and show signs of performance for the outlined purpose. Moreover Vitruvius insisted that the materials used in constructing a house or building must also be durable. Therefore the three qualities ensure that a building is firm to sustain its operations.

However, even though a building may portray firmness, it may fail to achieve its purpose if it does not offer utility to the people who inhabit it. Vitruvius insisted that an architectural design chosen for a building or a house had to match the functionality. Moreover, it had to consider the unique needs and desires of the population inhabiting it. For a building to achieve the quality of utility, it had to be useful to all the intended people or purposes and demonstrate its ability to satisfy their needs and desires.

Finally, the quality of beauty is insisted by Vitruvius as integral when considering the nature of an architectural design. It is beauty that separates architecture from engineering as the architectural design offers visual and sensory appeal, which Vitruvius referred to as architectural delight. Using the design principles of proportion, contrast, and harmony, beauty should change the utilitarian purpose of a building and make it pleasing to the eyes, ears, and mind. This will make it express pleasure and approval for its intended purpose. According to him, the difference between a good and great architectural design is the skill to craft a stylish solution to the delight of a user.

Through the prominence of his book Architecture for the Poor, many scholars in the world are astonished by the architectural vision that Fathy had for the new Village of Gourna, which he had perfectly designed to suit the needs of the population that was being resettled from Luxur. Many argue that even though the housing project was not completed due to lack of political will during emergence and spread of politics of modernity in Egypt, the village was a successful architectural design done by Hassan Fathy. The village and its various attributes are considered one of the most attractive architectural designs in Egypt and portray the three qualities of a successful design proposed by Vitruvius.

On the quality of utility, Fathy ensured that the houses making the village of new Gourna were designed according to the varying needs and desires of the community inhabiting old Gourna. As a result, he employed a social worker as his partner to interview and incorporate the opinions of villagers about their needs for a house design. It is through participatory planning and the need for resettlement structures by the government that influenced Fathy’s plan for new Gourna and the manner he designed each house. In order to ensure preservation of temperatures in the country, Fathy adopted the three Nubian vernacular architectural essentials of altering perceived temperatures. His houses were common for their courtyards that had breezy pierced walls, carved window screens that provided ventilation, and wind catch that were forgotten, but appropriate technologies in the modern industrial era. Even though many in the modern world attribute these technologies to poverty and traditional eras, they present the distinctive Arab and Egyptian architecture adopted from the desert that nationalism in the country ignored in favor of the industrial west.

The inner courtyard has been the most efficient form of air conditioning in conventional desert architecture. Its property of trapping cool air at night and releasing during the day to the other rooms in the claustra ensures that high temperatures of the day are controlled. Another air conditioning technique was in the mud bricks that were used in building the roofs and walls of traditional houses and the many shrubs, trees, and other plants, which assisted in cleaning the air to protect people from dusty winds.

Fathy’s architectural design of the Gourna village also satisfies Vitruvius quality of firmness making them one of the successful housing projects in Egypt and across the world. His choice of traditional building materials such as adobe in constructing houses in the village portrayed the firmness of the structures proposed in the village. Through the instruction of soil-mechanics specialists and structural engineers, he turned dried mud bricks and reinforced them with straw to make adobe that was used for constructing the walls and roofs of buildings. His passion for adobe was the ability of the building material to last for millennia, but also because of its thermal qualities, which would readily solve the problem of high temperatures in the country. Many of the structures in Egypt built using adobe are more than three thousand years old. Moreover, the building material was readily available and fitted the architecture of his buildings as adobe was not appropriate for houses with straight lines and right angles, which Fathy did not intend to built in the new village of Gourna.

The architectural design of the new village of Gourna is a representation of the Arab and Egyptian cultures, and their historical connection to the cultures and traditions of the desert people. As the country moved towards modernism, the Egyptians easily identified with the industrial west, which introduced modern western architectural techniques and building materials. This was witnessed in the lack of political will to implement the housing project. However, the beauty of the new village of Gourna is reflected in the unique Arab and Egyptian architectural designs, which characterizes various attributes of the village. Its beauty is boosted as Fathy designed it to serve as a tourist attraction town in the Lower Egypt valley as many tourists would arrive to seek its rich ancient Egyptian history.

New Trend Report

New Trend Report

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New Trending Report

The emergence of social media, autonomous internet access, and the increase of tablets and smartphones have changed the demands and anticipations of media users. The outcome is an astonishing variety of new digital products and services, which function and exist as new trends. As the emerging media introduce new features and change their algorithm, social media trends similarly undergo an evolution. This paper aims to educate, inform, and report on one of the lasted new trends hitting the industry in social media and emerging data. 

Virtual reality is one of the new trends hitting the industry and the emerging media. In overview, virtual reality signifies a computer-generated environment with objects and scenes that appear to be real, making the user feel they are immersed in their surroundings. A device known as a Virtual Reality headset is normally used to perceive this environment. Virtual reality happens to be the future of social media in a way that not only can individuals enrich existing friendships, but they can also make new friends through the ever-growing catalog of social Virtual Reality experiences (Anbarjafari et al., 2017). Virtual social media users can possibly create avatars and then put on headsets to walk around customized virtual worlds, play games, meet up with friends, explore other users’ published worlds, or build places they want to visit. For instance, perceiving Virtual Reality as the future of social media interaction, Facebook acquired Oculus back in 2014 with an idea to unite the globe in a more consequential way.

After the arrival of virtual reality headsets a few years ago, VR has drawn a lot of attention. The future of Virtual Reality appears limitless, and there is strong interest from individuals across industries and the media (Anbarjafari et al., 2017). The buzz about this new trend started with the introduction of the PC-connected Oculus Rift prototype in 2010. The trend progressed from PC-tethered headsets to console-tethered headsets and mobile-tethered headsets between 2014 and 2017. One common thing is that the buzz surrounding Virtual Reality during 2016 has been inevitable. During this year, the consumers’ headsets were launched, and the market started to shape up. With the release of the Oculus Rift in March 2016, the phase of virtual reality actually commenced (Kruzan & Won, 2019). This new trend has been generating buzz since 1990, but the Oculus Rift was the first high-end virtual reality system to reach the consumer market and delivered the kind of experience consumers had been longing for.

The Facebook brand got everyone’s attention about this new trend. Other virtual reality stocks that have got everyone’s attention about this new trend include Microsoft Corp., Alphabet Inc. (GOOG, GOOGL), Sony Group Corp. (SONY), and Apple Inc. The worldwide virtual reality market is now witnessing a rise in competitiveness among several corporations. The market comprises several major players, such as Google, Oculus, Samsung, Lenovo, and HTC. The use of virtual reality in the entertainment and sports industry played a big part in getting people’s attention about this new trend. Location-based entertainment, gaming, music, and theatres are expected to witness the benefits of virtual reality technology. People are paying attention to this new trend because it proliferates through different aspects of their lives (Kruzan & Won, 2019). As a result, individuals face very new different ways of communicating with each other in social media and other emerging data. People are also giving this new trend attention because some of the biggest names in smartphones, social media, and consumer electronics gave this trend a major boost in a series of announcements at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Another thing is that virtual reality is breaking investment records and is important to all major players. 

Virtual reality is much different from others in the industry. It is different from others in that it can create sensory experiences, including sound, virtual sight, and touch. Apart from being used in the gaming world, it is also being developed by unique Interactive to create virtual representations of architectural designs. It is unique in that it simulates a physical presence in the real world or an illusory world, allowing the user to interact with the world.   

 Virtual reality can be compared with Augmented Reality and also Mixed Reality. Augmented reality signifies an enhanced version of the physical world that is achieved through using digital visual elements, sound, and sensory stimuli delivered via technology. On the other hand, mixed reality signifies an amalgam of physical and digital worlds, unlocking natural and intuitive 3D human, computer, and environment interactions. The main difference between Virtual reality and augmented reality is that VR entirely takes over the senses and experiences of an individual, whereas AR just adds to real-world experiences. Another thing is that AR uses a real-world setting while VR is entirely virtual. The difference between virtual reality and mixed reality is that VR users have a completely virtual experience. In contrast, mixed reality users interact with virtual elements added to augmented reality users’ real-world experience.  

Virtual reality has both pros and cons. Among its pros is that it is innovative and enjoyable, provides realistic scenarios, improves retention and recall, simplifies complex problems or situations, and has little risk. Virtual reality allows users to connect and share on an entirely whole new level. It aids users to meet friends anywhere in the world and share experiences that would not be conceivable in the real world. When it comes to its cons, it is quite expensive, lacks flexibility, it has functionality issues, and it is often an isolating individual experience. It is also a fragmented market and is slow for demos.   

One of the examples of how this trend has been used or implemented in the campaign is in the New York Times newspaper. A couple of years ago, the New York Times delivered Google Cardboard glasses to all of their subscribers in order to watch virtual reality movies (Anbarjafari et al., 2017). The result is that the emotional greatness that that this campaign provided viewers reinforced brand loyalty for all three of the products: the New York Times, the glasses, and the featured movies. Some of the lessons learned from this are that virtual reality plays an important part in social media and technology. It plays a part in brand campaigns and marketing. Users are always ready to embrace new technology, and virtual reality develops creativity. Lee at al., (2021) assert that mass communication says virtual reality experiences feel real and appear unmediated. Lastly, constructivism is the underlying learning theory used to discuss this trend. It is a learning theory suggested as an instructional design and development model. 

Reference

Anbarjafari, G., Haamer, R. E., Lusi, I., Tikk, T., & Valgma, L. (2017). 3D face reconstruction with region based best fit blending using mobile phone for virtual reality based social media. arXiv preprint arXiv:1801.01089.

Kruzan, K. P., & Won, A. S. (2019). Embodied well-being through two media technologies: Virtual reality and social media. new media & society, 21(8), 1734-1749.

Lee, S. A., Lee, M., & Jeong, M. (2021). The role of virtual reality on information sharing and seeking behaviors. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 46, 215-223.

New Revelations of the Americas before Columbus

New Revelations of the Americas before Columbus

The main reason why Charles C. Mann wrote the book ‘New Revelations of the Americas before Columbus’, was to expose a chain of myths that surrounded the pre Columbian. The author writes that the history they were taught while in school about the pre Columbian America was wrong nearly in every aspect. The author writes that Indians were in Columbia much longer and were there in much greater number than earlier thought. The Indians were so successful at working on the landscape.

Mann tries to come up with three main points, synthesizing decades of academic work on the pre Columbian inhabitants, the effect of the aged world pathogens, animals and plants, migration of the Ice Age, the configuration and fall of complex societies in Mesoamerica, Northern and Southern parts of America and other related topics. The work of Mann is very wide in capacity ranging from space and time from the Ice Age of Beringia to the Amazonia’s 20th century and illustration on the minor literature in archaeology, anthropology and history.

Mann’s book was written to general audience and his conclusions were based on interviews, personal observations and also on academic literatures. Most of Mann’s findings are recognizable to educational historians. The most fascinating features of the Author’s book is how learning in the past twenty and over years had little effects on dispelling the pernicious and tenacious myths of what the Americans were like before the Europeans arrived.

The first asset of the book is its expert preference part, in direct and lucid writing style of the underpinnings of the outlook. The asset of this book also shows how the thoughtful Indians known as the Paleo hippies deprives the Europeans of the human agencies they are always thought of possessing. Mann clearly states that the great collapse of the population was due to disastrous decisions on the roles that were played by the leaders. The Indians begun to experience pathogens like drought immediately they sited accountability in the hands of the Europeans.

The other asset of the book to scholars who have the Atlantic belt is the balance it creates between the civilizations of Mesoamerican and the Northern and southern America. The Europeans reached in the landscape when their population had already gone down. The third asset is where Mann summarizes the tense and dense scholarly arguments that surround his various subjects and the implications these subjects have on the today’s political questions. For example, the author argues that the presence of the large Columbian population that was at the centre of the Amazon lead to the constant expansion of the area and has posed destructive effects to the region’s ecosystem. The Indians, Europeans and Americans were very wasteful.

The book is very important especially for undergraduate classes because it works as means of introducing scholars to the expansive implications and minutia and of educational debates. Mann makes interesting assertions on food and food production. The author claims that the first cities in America dating from 3000 years B.C were on the Peruvian coast and one of them was Norte Chico. Mann dismisses the connection between the complex, urbanization and Neolithic Revolution societies that are found in most of the world civilization books. Notre Chico was not interested in food crops because they fed on prolific fish that came from the Humboldt Current therefore cultivated only cotton.

The other food related point in the book is the cultivation of maize and the combinations of beans, squash and maize from both horticultural and nutritional perspective. This theme of this story is an assertion that the New and the Old world were equal in their accomplishment, population and civilization. In the author’s view, the unexplained and unexpected difficult progression whereby maize was hereditarily engineered from discouraging and ambiguous wild grass makes it an artistic accomplishment on same level with those of traditional and antique Eurasian civilizations.

The most striking and unfamiliar assertion in the book is the confirmation for numerous inhabitants centers that were found in Amazon. The author argues that the region had a large population because of the type of the soil found in there which is known as terra preta. The soil is enriched with charcoal therefore more durable and fertile as compared to the acidic soil found in the rain forest.

The author of the book has a marvelous eye for detail and imagery. The suggestion that the Europeans got into a world that was distorted by diseases attacking non local plants and animals is outdated. The evidence of an ecology that was thrown out of balance and the newest way to articulate the point are the images that were used by the Europeans to express the recompense of the American continent like, the boundless herds of bison and the enormous flocks of traveler pigeons.

Despite these virtues, there are boundaries in the attempt to cover so much in single volume. In his comparison of Eurasian and American civilizations, the author is very fast in seizing the dimension of cities and the probable populations so as to compare them. During his comparison, Mann is slow in stressing that London and Cahokia played very different roles.

The final section of the book is very disappointing. In the section, the author describes how the Europeans observation of and interaction with five or six nations stimulated the Americans morals of freedom and person autonomy. The author ropes his element by pointing out that the English settlers always ran off to reside with the Indians during the early time of settlement.

Mann incorrectly assumes that the white Indians were primarily drawn by entice of Iroquois traditions and those in Plymouth were likely to flee hunger. There were no Indians who ran away to unite with the Haudenosaunee: English who were in England were terrified by the Mohawks as they regarded them as the as fierce cannibals while those in Jamestown were far away. Some Indians were captured and Mann tries to explain why most of the captives were unwilling to return from the French families. Mann outlines another scholarly controversy which is known in other word as the Iroquois influence thesis.

The author outlines the scholarly controversy and for the first time, exclusive of naming it or acknowledging the fact that there are wiles on both the sides of the matter. In this section, the author abandons the important distinction between later reminiscences and the first hand accounts. The members of the Tea Party in Boston famed themselves as the Mohawks and not because they had affirmed themselves as rebels but because they wanted to depict themselves as Americans. The moment Indians stopped playing vital role in daily lives, source of food, esteemed allies and feared enemies, many writers came up who wanted to right about them concerning misinformed motivation.