Struggles of College Students - 2039 Words

Alexa Ferris English 102 Ms. Jones April 10, 2012 Struggles of College Students A college student taking their first few steps onto a college campus is the day when they can finally feel the independence they were longing for. College is a place where students can find themselves. It can be a place for success as well as a place for partying. Attending college comes with many struggles. College tests every individual by staying above the influence, becoming a more organized student, and even making them step out of their comfort zone. When a student enters the college world, they are faced with the struggle of peer pressure. This pressure may include alcohol and drug abuse. Staying above the influence is hard to do when pressured into†¦show more content†¦Waking up on time for class goes along with getting enough sleep. Students should time when they need to wake up for class and set an accurate alarm to wake them up. Staying organized also involves avoiding clutter. Many students will stack all of their papers together keeping them unorganized. This can cause many problems when studying for the final exam. To keep organized while studying, a student should have a quiet place to study. It would make it easier if a student had folders separating homework and notes for each of their classes. Having one’s notes organized makes study time a lot smoother and less stressful. â€Å"†¦You also have to study 26 hours a week, according to professors. Or else you’ll flunk out† (Silver). Stu dying is very important in college. College is a whole new world compared to high school,† Alana Gardner from Indiana University confessed, â€Å"I used to study half an hour for test in high school. Omigosh I’m literally insane, you have to study at least two hours for a test in college!† (Silver). When a student enters the college world, it makes him/her nervous and excited for what is about to come into their lives. When going to college, many students go to a college a few hours away from their hometown. This can be hard to break away from one who had lived with their parents through high school, but can also be a great opportunity for independence. Many students who go to a college that isShow MoreRelatedCollege Is A Place For Success1222 Words   |  5 PagesWhen college students taking their first steps onto a college campus, they can finally feel the independence that they were looking for. College can be a place for success as well as a place for partying. However, attending college will comes with many struggles. It is right that college is one of the most important parts in people’s life, but it is not easy for everyone. Most of students feel stressed in college because they have to face different varieties of of struggles. For example, some studentsRead MoreC ollege For The Masses By David Leonhardt933 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"College for the Masses† by David Leonhardt is a great article that displays the many benefits among lower-income students attending a four year college. â€Å"Why Poor Students Struggle† by Vicki Madden displays many examples from hers and her colleagues experiences while providing statistics of the lower-income joining a four year college. The two articles both display the benefits of attending a four year college and that the education pays off. David’s article talked about the different educationRead MoreChallenges College Students Face1042 Words   |  5 Pages(2012 speech). College may be the stepping stone to real life but there are too many challenges against the students. If we want them to succeed why is the system so complicated and expensive? Many college students end up in financial trouble due to being unprepared. Students often don’t have the right study skills going in to college and that can hurt them. Some student is often not emotionally ready for college and struggle with the transition. Whether we are ready or not college is  what we must  investRead MoreChristian College Freshmen Should Make Time For A Daily Bible908 Words   |  4 PagesCollege can be a very difficult adjustment for freshman to make, especially for freshmen that are believers in Christ. While the struggles and evils of the world bare down on them, students need a source of fulfillment and safety. That can be found within a daily study of the bible. Christian college freshmen should make time for a daily bible study so that they may grow closer with the Lord, get help and guidance for life, and reach a deeper understanding of what the bible says so they can defendRead MoreThe Stress Creating Challenges For College Students Essay1453 Words   |  6 Pagesmany students nowadays find themselves needing to complete some form of higher education at college to ensure their s uccess in the workplace and their future career goals. Although freshmen students often enter college with high expectations and ambitions, many eventually drop out of college. Why does this happen? In a demanding and ever-changing environment, the expectations for college students now soar to unprecedented heights, creating stressful and unpleasant experiences for many students as theyRead MoreStress And Stress Essay1178 Words   |  5 PagesSchool, Stress, Sleep, and Repeat. Where most graduating students go, no one really knows for sure. Since many high school students are near graduation, some students have already planned their future while others are more indecisive. Eventually, high school has given options for students to prepare for the future, but it is still not enough for them to decide on where to go. Even at a very young age, students were always asked the same questions throughout their school years like, Who do they wantRead MoreCareer Goals Hurt Academic Performance1515 Words   |  7 PagesOne major and frightening problem students face is not developing defined career goals. Students Who enter college right after graduating high school tend to have no idea of what exact career path that they want to pursue. A majority of these students struggle to figure out their career goals and end up taking a variety of different courses, most of which are unnecessary. Some of the classes they enroll in may not have any relevance to the major that the student eventually decides to pursue. WhenRead MorePeople Talk About Change All Of The Time And More Often1622 Words   |  7 PagesSupporting the changes needed to raise students in a successful environment need to be addressed by the school board and the surrounding community. By the time college approaches, students realize that they are not prepared for college. These students then scramble to get acclimated to a higher standard of education. They soon learn that if they do not adapt fast enough they will not make it once they enter into college. On the other side of things, many students do not desire a higher education andRead MoreThe Pros And Cons Of College Writing1004 Words   |  5 PagesWhy do some college freshmen find it harder to write an essay in college than in high school?† College freshmen usually struggle with the transition from high school writing to college writing. They do not know that the writing in college has a lot of differences. They also do not know that college writing has different rules. These students get confused with these rules. There are many other reasons cause these struggles. There are different styles in writing, for example: In college writing in collegeRead MoreFailure Is The Key To Success Essay1361 Words   |  6 Pagesis the Key to Success Nobody is surprised when a students who struggled to pass classes in high school and miraculous gets accepted to college, ends up dropping out or failing out after their first few semesters, but when accomplished honors students and high school valedictorians are failing out of college it raises a eyebrows. For some of these students all they’ve known there entire academic career is success. They are gifted enough as students to turn in a paper or take a test and know they got

Affordable Care Act And Small Business - 1662 Words

Affordable Care Act and Small Business Many people have a lot of questions when it comes to the new healthcare reform law. First off Obamacare is formally called the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is the healthcare reform law that was signed in 2010 and now many states have opened their health insurance marketplace exchanges as of October 1, 2013. This new healthcare reform law aims to increase the number of Americans that are covered by health insurance and also to decrease the cost of health care. Under this new law everyone in America will have to get health insurance of some form. Insurance companies can no longer deny people coverage because of a preexisting condition nor†¦show more content†¦For those who cannot afford to pay the health insurance premium could be eligible to use federal tax credits and subsidies to help save up to 60% of the current cost of health insurance premiums. This will make health insurance coverage affordable for up to 23 million Americans (Obamacare, 2013). Under the new health care reform law over 47 million women will have access to women’s services with no out of pocket costs for preventative and wellness services (Obamacare, 2013). The low-income individuals will have the opportunity of getting health insurance coverage through the state exchange, Medicare, or Medicaid; however some states have opted out of the Medicaid expansion in which some low-income individuals will not be eligible. Seniors and other individuals eligible for Medicare will see expanding benefits and coverage options; however there will be decreases in home health payments and hospital coverage as well. Obamacare will require businesses with over 50 full-time employees to provide affordable health insurance coverage to its employees however small businesses with 25 employees or less will receive federal tax credits to help offset the costs that a small business will face to encourage these businesses to provide health coverage toShow MoreRelatedAffordable Care Act and the Effect on the Economy Essay1165 Words   |  5 PagesAffordable Care Act and the effect on the economy The Affordable Care Act, also called Obama Care, was signed into law by president Barrack Obama, on March 23, 2010 (Erickson, Scott 1). What exactly is the Affordable Care Act? It was a legislation that addressed the idea that all Americans should have access to affordable health care. 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The Affordable Care Act attempts to reform the healthcare system by providing Americans with affordable health insurance. It helps put individuals, businesses, and families in control of their own healthcare. By the sound of it, it really looks like this is something that will positively impact the lives of Americans, and make it easier for individuals to obtain health insurance. Unfortunately, whatRead MoreThe Affordable Care Act783 Words   |  3 Pages The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) is a healthcare program created by president Obama’s administration. The goal of the Affordable Care Act is to make sure every United States citizen has health insurance. The Affordable Care Act provides â€Å"affordable† health insurance plans to citizen s that do not have any and make about $15,000 a year. While the idea of providing health insurance to the millions of American’s that cannot afford it is great, everything comes at a cost. According to Emily MillerRead MoreThe Landmark New Plan A Good Idea?1539 Words   |  7 PagesI. Introduction In this article, â€Å"Health Care Reform; Is the landmark new plan a good idea?†, written by Marcia Clemmitt, makes an appeal about the Health Care Reform Act, also known as the Affordable Care Act. She includes opinions from the critics, as well as supporters to help establish and give facts from both views to help citizens decide on the new act. Most of these critics and supporters decisions are politically based and not formed on personal issues (hopefully). The genre of this articleRead MoreObamacare : The Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act ( Ppaca )1237 Words   |  5 Pagesknown as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) but sometimes also referred to as the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for short, reforms the health insurance industry and the American health care system as a whole. The law brings forth many changes for the American families that make healthcare more affordable and accessible. The law focuses on four aspects of improvements in healt hcare for Americans: affordable insurance for individuals and small business owners, ends insurance company abusesRead MoreThe Affordable Care Act And The Role Of Role Essay1294 Words   |  6 PagesAEDE 3106 Kel Schultz The Affordable Care Act and the Role is plays in Human Resources Before discussing the role of Patient Protection and the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare, and the role it plays in how businesses are adapting this new medical system, we must look at medical subparts in human resources itself. Human Resource Management is defined as â€Å"the policies, practices, and systems that influence employees’ behavior, attitudes, and performance† (Noe 3). 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The baby boomer in the midst of the economic crisis Free Essays

Most of the baby boomer generation were imbibed with the stereotype perception on the facets of work, employment and success. In a typical scenario, that â€Å"best† schedule would connote that a baby boomer would go to work on a regular schedule, 8-5, working from Monday to Friday schedule. Most of the time would be spent in the office, taking a daily commute to and from the office, with some time being taken by overtime, some work to be done on the weekends, and some other tasks to be accomplished at home. We will write a custom essay sample on The baby boomer in the midst of the economic crisis or any similar topic only for you Order Now Success was also easily defined, with the person attaining the highest position in the corporate ladder becoming the epitome of that standard of success (Brad Harrington, Douglas Hall 98). Many of the people, baby boomer and others, believe that the current recession is about to end and that more prosperous times are about to return are, what observers state, is sadly suffering from a near sighted view of the present economic crisis. In reality, since the peaking of the 2005 United States housing crisis, the continuing barrage of the sub-prime financial crisis in 2007,and the resulting economic slowdown in the American economy in December of the same year, its has been observed that the United States economy, and to a certain degree the global market, has entered into an era of prolonged adjustments, with expected periods of growth, but the severe economic restructuring currently being put in place is believed to continue for the next years. What is believed to be the main driver of these developments is the baby boomer generation. It is assumed that the previously mentioned financial crisis is also contributory to the current financial morass, but the imperative reasons is that what is considered as the largest demographic in the history of mankind, the baby boomer generation born after the Second World War, has overreached its spending power (Professor Rodrigue Tremblay). What is seen to be the immediate effect of this development is that there must be a realization that the exhaustion of the spending power of the baby boomer generation is irreversible. In this regard, the solutions cannot be found overnight; the remedy will be decades of readjusting of corporate spending, reduced spending and increased savings, and liquidating massive mountains of debt. The ramifications of this development will be seen to reverberate through the entire economic structure, as seen in the downturn of the automobile industry, and the increases in the health care sector, as the baby boomer continue to age (Tremblay). What is considered as a significant public policy issue is the potential load that a society that is reaching its twilight years will place on the nation’s health provider system and the government expenditures. The â€Å"2030† issue is about addressing the challenge that by that time, there will be adequate and an efficacious system will be in place in three decades time, when the elderly sector in society will be double the present population. By the year 2030, it is expected that many of the baby boomer generation will be between the ages of 66 to 84 years, and they will comprise 61 million individuals. Apart from these, the number of the older baby boomers, will be more than 9 million by 2030 (James Knickman, Emily Snell). The present structure of the long term care sector is constructed around the provision of the service by private providers, which can be categorized as non-profit and some for profit outfits. When the available resources increase, the development of new services can accelerate at a faster pace. Inversely, when available resources decrease, it is also expected that the capacity of the sector will diminish. Taking the example of home health care as a point of reference, the growth in the yearly expenditure rate increase went from ten percent in the period of the 1980’s reaching into the 1990’s, plummeting to a negative three percent in just two years, from 1998 to 1999 (Knickman, Snell). The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), in a 1999 report, calculates that expenditures related to long term care needs was approximately $120 billion in 2000, more than half (59 percent) addressed by the private sector. The balance of the expenditures were covered by individual expenses, with the private long term sector just covering one percent of the long term health care expenditures. In the conservative estimation of the CBO, the total amount for long term health care will rise an average of 2. 6 percent above inflationary levels annually over a span of three decades, totaling more than $150 billion in 2010, close to $200 billion in 2020, and a colossal $ 230 billion by the year 2030 (Knickman, Snell). In the composition of the Federal budgetary outlay, three government dominate the bulk of Federal spending; Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security. Federal outlays for these programs in 2004 reached more than $960 billion, exclusive of receipt offsetting of Medicare premiums. In total, these three programs totaled more than 40 percent of the entire Federal budget. It is be noted that the Federal government is contemplating on implementing sweeping changes in the mechanism of the Social Security system. The changes in the Social Security structure is inclusive of proposals to divert a portion of their tax payments to private investment tools (United States Congressional Budget Office 9). One piece of advice that the boomers might give serious contemplation to is the fact that there exists now a need to increase levels of savings rather than increased spending. All the events the last few years have sent a clear signal to the aging sector to turn to savings and restrain spending binges; but these acts of saving on the part of the boomers would mean a decrease in the levels of consumption and reduced spending, so that they can liquidate their liabilities, and that will increase the personal net income of the boomers. But what does that spell for the economy, if the largest spending sector considers more saving and reducing their consumption? It will translate to a comprehensive deceleration in economic growth and some excruciating adjustments in broad sectors in the economy (Tremblay) . In this light, it is expected that the effects of the current financial crisis hounding the global economies will be magnified and increase in its intensity, and the magnified effects of the crisis will continue to be felt in the decades to come. The economic doldrums will not be continuous, as there will be some short lived gains and increases, but will quickly return to the state of economic stagnation. To cite an example, in the last decade, Japan suffered a period of stagnation induced by the elderly demographic buffeted the nation’s economy for the entire nineties. Even to this day, Japan is still trying to finds its way out of the economic morass it suffered during that time (Tremblay). Many of the countries whose population practices a very high standard of savings patterns will be able to export much of that capital to other countries. During the baseline year for model simulations, 1997, it was seen that many industrial states were exporting more than $60 billion in net investments to some low and middle level nations, amounting to 1. 1 percent of the gross domestic product of the nations that receive these outflows of capital. In that year, only nations in East Asia region were seen to be net exporters of capital. But in the year 2015, the recipients of the outflows of the industrial nations will be the ones exporting capital, and the industrial nations currently exporting the capital will be the ones importing the capital (World Bank 40). In the years not covered by the data released by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the continued aging of the baby boomers, compounded with increasing costs related to health care, will create a significant shift in the financial situation of the Unite States. It is expected that in the next three decades, the population of Americans at or over the age of 65 will jump 100 percent, while the number of people that are under the age of 65 will only increase by 15 percent. What is more alarming is the rate for the increase for health care expenditures is expected to outstrip the pace of economic growth during the same period. If the costs continue at a pace of 2. 5 percent, the Federal government will increase its budgetary allocations for Medicare and Medicaid, from 4. 2 percent at present more than 11 percent by the year 2030 (Congressional 10). Budgetary allocations for Social Security is expected to increase in the next thirty years by an average of 40 percent under the operation of the present laws. The share of the allocations for Social Security will rise from the 4. 2 figure at present to at least 6 percent in 2030. By comparison, the revenue projections for Social Security is expected to be static during the period, hovering at around 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). All combined, these pressures will exert significant amounts of stress on the budget that growth in the economy is unlikely to fully satiate (Congressional 11). Works Cited Harrington, Brad, Hall, Douglas T. Career Management and work life integration: using self assessment to navigate contemporary careers. Los Angeles, USA: Sage Publications 2007. Knickman, James R. , Snell, Emily K. â€Å"The 2030 Problem: Caring for Aging Baby Boomers†. Health Research and Education Trust 2002 August, 37(4), pp. 849-884 http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pmc/articles/PMC1464018/ Tremblay, Rodrigue. â€Å"The Great Baby-Boomers Economic Stagnation of 2007-2017†. http://www. globalresearch. ca/index. php? context=vaaid=14268 United States Congressional Budget Office. The US Budget and Economic Outlook 2006- 2015. P. O. Box 416, Old Chelsea Station New York NY: Cosimo, Inc. 2005 World Bank. Global economic prospects and the Developing countries, Volume 13. 1818 H Street, NW, Washington, DC: World Bank Publications 2003. How to cite The baby boomer in the midst of the economic crisis, Papers

Thing Fall Apart Essay Research Paper Things free essay sample

Thing Fall Apart Essay, Research Paper Thingss fall apart All the civilizations in a bigger or smaller class had ever been under the possibility of colonisation. Even today where there is a greater control and cognition about the districts we still see some powerful state seeking to colonise other. In the book by Chinua Achebe # 8220 ; Things Fall Apart # 8221 ; we see how the English people in the name of the Queen of England attempt to colonise little African small towns. We have been speaking about colonisation, but what is colonisation? We can specify colonisation as the appropriation of lands that belong to person else by force, and the debut of the foreign civilization to the one already bing at that place. In this book what Achebe wants to demo us is that is possible to alter a whole civilization merely by presenting a new one. If we analyze the book we see that the African small town had its ain construction and regulations. We will write a custom essay sample on Thing Fall Apart Essay Research Paper Things or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Everyone in the small town respected those regulations even the most powerful work forces in the small town. When Okonkwo shoots by chance the old # 8217 ; s dead adult male girl he has to go forth the small town, even thought he was one of the nine who run that small town. There were no alibis, nor corruptness, nor a manner to get away, if person did something wrong that person have to pay no affair whom he was. He tries to demo us how the original civilization of the small town was, how the adult females were treated and how work forces were in charge of everything. He shows us that the more you work and the stronger you were the more important you were. We can see this very clear in the analogy of Okonkwo’ s father and Okonkwo. His father hardly worked, he was not a strong man, and therefore he was not respected and owed lots of money to everyone in the village. On the other side Okonkwo was a warrior, hardworking man. Everyone in the village respected him and he was one of the wealthiest men also. This kind of culture and social life was very characteristic of African villages in colonization times. Achebe wants to show us how is that a culture can be changed from one day to another, and he really represents what happens. The first thing that is worth naming is when Okonkwo’ s son joins the missionaries. Even though Okonkwo prohibited his son to go there, his son couldn’t resist it, going against all the villages’ principles and mainly against his father. His father very mad disinherit him showing his son he disapproved completely what he did, and he also does this to show his other children what would happen to them if they go with the missionaries. The second thing that we can see that changes everything is the matter of religion. The missionaries try to convince the people from Umuofia that the gods that they where worshipping were not real, and that there was only one god. The people of Umuofia showed a great discontent since they couldn’t believe that someone that came from some other place was telling them that the gods they worshipped generation after generation did not exist.

Lemonade free essay sample

Hot summer days with the sun shining and the people sweating. Theyre thirsty for something cold with flavor. Whats better than fresh lemonade from a little girl at a simple lemonade stand? Nothing, is the answer. Everyone falls for the cute kids on the sidewalk with their stand. Personally, I was the prime lemonade seller in the neighborhood with my perfect corner location and my just-right prices. Many of my neighbor friends down the street didn’t get nearly as much attention as my stand. In fact, I probably had a lemonade stand at least twice a week. I had skills and tricks like no other to round up all the customers. Six years old with a broken arm, every mother who drove by felt bad and had to stop. They knew what I wanted and that was their money. Half the proceeds go to the Humane Society was my other way to get the neighbors. We will write a custom essay sample on Lemonade or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page They knew their money was going somewhere in need of donations and I kept my word. Either that day or the next Id make my drive to the shelter and drop off the money. I had rather good marketing techniques with my use of advertising. Signs all around the neighborhood and at my stand. I even made up songs to grab their attention. Get your lemonade today, if you buy it you wont regret it was just one, which made them really look around. Sometimes the lemonade would go to fast and I would need to bring in some extra reinforcements. Having multiple beverages at a lemonade stand really adds some diversity. One particular time I even sold popsicles, which other kids truly raved over. These various techniques that I developed at such a young age are how I will be successful in future business careers. As I grew older my skills developed and matures into better skills. Marketing and advertising is still something that I need in everyday life for either school or work. You could say that lemonade was where I had my start in the work force.

A Most Enviable Condition essays

A Most Enviable Condition essays Looking back on our worlds history, no event seemed more inevitable than the American Revolution. As Thomas Paine put it it was simply a matter of common sense that an island could not rule a continent. The American Revolution was started on the basis of republican principles, which included a hatred of monarchy and the suspicion of any centralized political power. The Articles of Confederation were created which reflected those republican principles by creating a weak central authority that had no real power to rule or discipline the citizenry. However, there was much debate on what kind of role the government should play in the United States. Two political parties were quickly formed the Federalists and the Republicans. The Federalists, led by George Washington, supported a strong central government with sufficient powers to enforce national laws while the Republicans, led by Thomas Jefferson, were against any central government for fear of any form of monarchy that would jeopard ize individual liberties. Soon a constitution was drafted that seemed to solve an impossible problem combine a government with sufficient powers to enforce national laws while staying true to the republican principles of 1776. Some saw the Constitution as a betrayal of the American Revolution. However advocates of the Constitution found its accommodation of liberty and power with realistic compromises in order to uphold the requirements of a national domain to be just. As illustrated in the stories within Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis, the founders of our country resolved this tension between individual liberty and effective central authority by balancing limited personal freedoms with a semi-potent government capable of upholding national laws. These founding brothers preserved this balance through its perilous infancy by a combination of personal decency and friendship. The Constitution granted personal freedo...

System Ergonomics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

System Ergonomics - Essay Example The goal in ergonomics is to identify aspects of the job that are hazardous and to redesign these aspects so that they are safer (Owen, 2000). This paper examines how ergonomics can be used to train workers to cope with a disastrous situation. Hillsborough disaster occurred on April 15, 1989, at Hillsborough football stadium in Sheffield, England. It has been the worst-ever sporting disaster, resulting in 96 deaths and 766 injuries during the FA Cup semi-final between Nottingham Forest and Liverpool (BBC News, 1989). The Hillsborough stadium was segregated between the opposing fans, with the Liverpool fans being assigned to the Leppings Lane End of the stadium with the capacity of 14,600 people, while the Forest fans were given the Spion End of the ground which held 21,000 (Mirron Football, 2010). Half an hour before the kickoff, the crowd started getting bigger outside the Leppings Lane because the turnstiles were not able to let enough fans in fast enough to ease the pressure (BBC News, 1989). The match was scheduled for 3.00 pm but by that time, more than 5000 fans were still outside the stadium. As the match began, orders were given to open the gates to stand, which did not have turnstiles, to ease the pressure of fans outside the ground to avoid deaths there (BBC News, 1989). This caused a rush of fans through the gate into the stadium, pushing the ones who were already there forward and crushing them against the high, wired-topped safety fences. The people who were entering were unaware of the pressure they were causing at the fences and there were no police or stewards standing at the entrance to direct these fans. An estimated 2,000 fans entered the ground through the exit gate and a large number of them went down the tunnel which led straight in to pens 3 and 4, in the centre of the terrace (Wade, 2010). Since there were no policemen or stewards present at the terrace, no one was able to direct the crowd to the side and the pressure started building up

Respiration and Photosynthesis Cycle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Respiration and Photosynthesis Cycle - Essay Example Aerobic respiration results to release of a lot of energy, approximately 38 molecules of ATP whereas anaerobic respiration leads to production of less energy (Jerome, 2008). In the process of respiration, ATP is always responsible in providing energy. During the process, ATP is broken down to release energy (Jones, 2007). This is the link that exists between ATP and respiration. Plants and animals are interdependent. Without plants, human beings would not be in existence and vice versa. This follows that the plants provide essential elements needed for human survival. Absence of such elements may lead to death of human beings. Plants use Carbon IV Oxide and release oxygen. Oxygen is used by the animals in respiration. Plants also provide food to animals, being the primary producers in the food chain (Haldane, 2007). They also provide shelter and building materials to living organisms. Plants are also responsible in driving the biogeochemical cycles (Haldane,

In defense of international sweatshops Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

In defense of international sweatshops - Essay Example b.â€Å"Living wage† standard – According to De George, the living wage allows the worker to live in dignity as a human being. This standard is â€Å"nice† to hear but may be very difficult to determine as it involves the abstract concept of dignity which would be debatable and may be variable among individuals.c.Donaldson’s test – This standard proposes a moral minimum that complies with the test, â€Å"The practice is permissible if and only if the members of the home country would, under conditions of economic development relevantly similar to those of the host country, regard the practice as permissible.† Again, interpretation of the moral minimum would vary from individual to individual according to the subjective perceptions of each. This therefore will make this standard difficult to use if not altogether useless.d.Classical liberal standard – This standard proposes that a wage or labor standard is ethically acceptable if it is freely chosen by informed workers. The standard is by far the most practical and logical among the four. It allows market and labor forces to dictate the appropriate wage and labor standards in a particular location. Maitland’s criticism of Donaldson’s test is persuasive and easy to agree to. As previously stated, the moral minimum proposed by Donaldson and complying with his test would vary from individual to individual and as Maitland said will confuse implementing managers in the international sweatshops.... usly stated, the moral minimum proposed by Donaldson and complying with his test would vary from individual to individual and as Maitland said will confuse implementing managers in the international sweatshops. Donaldson and De George believe the classical liberal standard is inapplicable to poor, developing countries because in these countries, some sort of market failure or the background conditions are lacking for market forces to work effectively. Such background conditions include the very high average level of unemployment of 40% in developing countries, and background institutions like enforceable minimum wage. These prevent the effective application of neoclassical economic principles wherein the classical liberal standard is based. I disagree with Donaldson and De George's arguments because I consider the very same background conditions that they say prevent market forces to work, as part of the market forces. 2. By American standards, wages in international sweatshops are very low and working conditions appear terrible. Does the fact that foreign workers are eager to take these jobs establish that those wages and conditions are morally acceptable In my opinion, the fact that foreign workers are eager to take sweatshop wages and conditions despite their disparities with American standards make this morally acceptable. Moral acceptability as defined by Kant (1998) connotes universalizability. The concept of universalizaibility states that the only morally acceptable maxims of actions are those that could rationally be willed to be universal law. I would extend the interpretation to apply to the eagerness of the foreign workers. Since all the foreign workers are agreeable to the wages and conditions, then they are morally acceptable. 3. Maitland appears to

Advertising And Social Networking Sites Media Essay

Advertising And Social Networking Sites Media Essay Advertising is broadly defined as the non-personal communication of information usually paid for and usually persuasive in nature about products, services or ideas by identified sponsors through the various media.(Bovee, 1992) Upon dissection of this definition for clarity, it can be seen that the process and the industry of advertising is a one way flow of communication from a party that pays for the communication to the target audience, who are intended to be prompted by this mode of communication into becoming consumers. Social networking sites (SNS) are an emerging and almost increasingly indispensable trend in the present decade. The current trend of increasing use of cyber space has resulted in large number of people all over the world using e-mail SNS; this is not only because of the entertainment and connectivity that it allows, but also because of the ease of access and sharing of several types of data that is possible through these sites. The sharing might be updates regarding home, family, work, health, or of pictures, audio, and even links to other interesting websites on the Internet. The users of SNS are not restricted to youth alone; its popularity and advantages have resulted in several adult and older adult populations becoming as users of SNS as well. The popularity of SNS makes it an excellent and a natural choice as a platform for advertising to transcend to, simply because it has the attention of potential customer while they are relatively vulnerable to advertising methods. The users of SNS are there for entertainment and advertising in this arena is possibly not something they are expecting. It could be a boon and a bane for advertisers when the target audience are unaware of their presence being construed as potential customers for a product or service. The present study aims to demonstrate that social networking sites are increasingly being used as an advertising platform by users and advertisers, using a survey that analyzed the general populations opinions of the same. 1.2 Background information The form of online advertising that uses SNS as a platform has come to be known as social network advertising and the relationship between SNS as a platform for advertising and advertising as a concept have been investigated by few other researchers. These studies provide a comparative analysis of the success or failure of social network advertising to conventional media. There were studies that aimed at examining the relationship between the two variables of advertising and SNS, or establishing the validity of one over the other, or even analyzing the advantages of social network advertising for companies themselves. The relevance of this topic is vital as can be seen by the recently released B-to-B Marketing Leadership Study, which revealed that over two-thirds of B-to-B marketers intend to decrease spending on print advertising during the next two to three years. The study was conducted jointly by American Business Media, the Association of National Advertisers, and consulting firm Booz Co., The study also found that 67 percent of B-to-B marketers intend to increase spending on social media during the same period, and that 64 percent said that they planned to increase digital spending. The 2010 Social Media Marketing Industry Report on the use of social media to market the businesses revealed that companies with enough manpower for marketing or those that arent computer literate may not be interested in social media but many service providers like electrical contractors and electricians may find that an optimized website is adequate for marketing, while companies that are willing to spend time and advertising budget could benefit greatly from social media as it may offer a venue to address criticisms and correct misconceptions of customers regarding products or services. 1.3 Concept of Social Media Marketing Finding a universally accepted definition of social media marketing may not prove to be extremely hard, but the industry and the field have not progressed to such a degree that there is a popular accepted definition for social media marketing and advertising. However, several definitions for the same have been hazarded. It is simplistically the use of SNS in online advertising. There are three major classifications of SNS based advertising; however, these are not properly defined and broad: direct advertising that is based on your network of friends, direct advertising placed on your social networking site, and indirect advertising by creating groups or pages. There are no well-defined indicators to measure the success of social media marketing, but one factor has a lot of weight in deciding the fate of social media marketing and advertising: finance. With regard to finance, the concept of Return On Investment (ROI) is an indicator that is commonly used to measure the financial successes of social media marketing and advertising in terms of cost reduction and consequent increases in margin. Ryan Deutsch defines ROI as one of several commonly used tools to evaluate the the financial consequences of business investments, decisions, or actions. Most forms of ROI analysis compare investment returns and costs by constructing a ratio, or percentage. There are few case studies on the monetization through SNS, which precludes the presence of studies on advertising in SNS. To date, ROI is the most popular indicator along with Key Popular Indicators (KPI), and the Lead Generation Funnel. KPI has three components to track: expanded reach to new audiences, influencer sharing behaviour, and conversions and monetization. Nicole Kelly elaborates that exposure, influence, engagement, action/convert are the key items in the Lead Generation Funnel model. 1.4 The Relationship There is no doubt that social media and advertising are a power combo, combining entertainment with marketing, and convenience with advertising. This phenomenon extends to the larger picture of advertisement on the whole. SNS have gone the extra mile to monetize on their services through advertisers that they have sometimes compromised on the privacy of the users. These other negatives issues are being addressed but still in nascent stage Facebook Places was one such option in the SNS Facebook, which allowed organizations to track the whereabouts of users, therefore pitching the demographic- and ethnic-appropriate products and services. This is an example of a negative aspect of monetization of what was previously just entertainment. It is not correct to place blame entirely on the owners of SNS either, as their endeavours in providing an online socializing experience for users has to be monetarily sensible as well. These issues aside, the breaches in privacy and the consequent outcry only proves the magnitude of scope and potential available for monetization through SNS, and advertising is one of the primary paths to such a monetization. 1.5 The Relationship: Indianised A look at the present scenario of the literature available about the relationship does not reveal much. A global perspective of the same has limited literature on it as it is an emerging field for study and a budding opportunity for the market. The scope of advertising through SNS in India is perhaps not as effective as it might be abroad as the number of Internet users in comparison to the countrys population as a whole is still not very significant, but never the less growing at a rapid pace. However, there is a potential for huge financial stake is involved, in terms of cost reduction, increase in demand for product service to vast majority of potential customers to be tapped at a quicker pace the addition revenue generation and earning opportunity for many, especially when the Indian-based ads cater to the global market. This study has obtained the opinions of Indians on the subject of advertising as a prospect for them; however, it need not necessarily reflect the choice of Indians as a whole, or even for the city of Bangalore. It is however, a window into the ideas and desires of the modern urban youth with regard to advertising in SNS. If the attitudes of the youth from a country regarding advertising and marketing through SNS, that is only just shedding its Third World status is favourable, the attitudes and beliefs of the youth from developed countries with higher cash flow through the Internet will be predictably phenomenal. The purpose is to look at global prospects in advertising and marketing through SNS, even while taking into account the possibility of the same in the Indian context and demographic. 1.5.1 Hypothesis The existing literature suggests the need for a study based in India. In this regard, the following hypothesis is developed, analyzing the opinions and attitudes of persons in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. . This could be supplemented by similar studies in other urban centres, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmadabad Pune. The youth favour and endorse advertisements in social networking sites 1.5.2 Data Treatment Taking the case of 10 subjects from Bangalore, Karnataka, India, the opinions and attitudes toward advertising and marketing through SNS was analyzed. The data were administered through a Likert Scale type of survey, developed specifically for the present study. The study uses the tabulated and interpreted variant of this data to draw conclusions that support and disprove the aforementioned hypothesis. The scale measures four aspects of the respondents opinions: personal belief regarding marketing and advertising in SNS, use of SNS for another party/person, individual purchase as a result of ads in SNS, and belief in the impact of SNS. The data are separately and generally analyzed. 1.6 Justification for the study An indigenous and localised study is important to understand the nuances of a grass root level picture, even though in a cosmopolitan city like Bangalore, there could still be further sub groups in terms of ethnic back ground, culture, personal preferences. The data reveals the opinions of urban youth in Southern India. The field of social media marketing is burgeoning globally, though not at the same pace in the national context. It is therefore important to record the opinions and attitudes of Indians regarding the issue under consideration which might act as a window to the receptivity of the country to a globally popular concept Thus, it should be noted that components of study that are determined by various socio-cultural and economic and literacy patterns, determine the extent of development when they work in liaison. 1.7 Chapter Plan To explore and evaluate the beliefs and opinions of South Indians on the issue of advertising and marketing through SNS the study is divided in five chapters. Chapter one gives a brief insight about the study bringing forth the need for the study to be conducted while tracing evidences of background information. Chapter two elaborates on the previous studies and findings. Chapter three describes the methodology and the treatment given to the data collected and the statistical methods adopted for analysing the data collected. Chapter four gives a detailed account of the behaviour of the data by presenting the findings of the study and illustrates the relationship between the variables. The data, in this section, is treated with statistical analysis and the results are interpreted thereof. Chapter five summarises the key findings and draws theoretical and policy implications. This chapter also suggests avenues of further research in the area including privacy legal issues Patent, and intellectual property rights related issues. 1.8 Key Findings of the Study For the formulated hypothesis that the youth favour and endorse advertisements in SNS, the study findings and analysis of the data during the study validates the hypothesis with exceptions. 1.9 Conclusion The beliefs of youth and Internet users in general, with regard to the hypothesis that they encourage and believe in advertisements from SNS, as interpreted from this study that used the Likert Scale, with the sample size of 10, is valid.

My Career as a Nurse or Elementary School Teacher :: Career Essays

Throughout my young life, I have had multiple encounters with the medical field. In both ways, good and bad, which fuel and spark my interest into a nursing program. Growing up, I have always had a particular interest in becoming a nurse. From experiencing, my young cousins and nephew being brought into the world, to feeling and seeing cherished loved ill family members fading away. The love and pride the nurses brought to my family and I is indescribable. Knowing that they cared is among the most desired aspect, I feel that can accommodate me into this particular field. My mother is the inspiration soul behind my will and want in life. Her, being a single mother of two, I have been shown firsthand the struggles of just living above poverty. The extent where we weren’t allowed help, so struggling to make ends meet was the only answer. I want to overcome the dread of witnessing my mother a â€Å"9-5† job that drained the life right out of her. I push my studies with such a quote mentioned by many â€Å"you will never work a day in your life, if you love what you do.† Believing and achieving that status refreshes me into jumping headfirst into school. Having to deal with multiple family deaths, I am all too familiar with the hospital environment. In such ways that I have almost built a bond with a select few staff in the hospital. Some in which shared their background with me through their schooling experience. They all love their job and education they received. It all truly inspired me to pursue my education. Personally, I feel my loving and caring attitude is beyond the typical description. In particular, my devotion for infant and young kids. Knowing I can make a difference can ultimately drive me into being the best student and a good person. Anyone considering a job in the health care should take a personality test. Results of mine was â€Å"social†. Social people that enjoy and thrive off of helping others and promoting a learning environment. They like to teach, to give advice, or in other words provide service to people. In other words a person that is willing to go out of their way to determine the illness of another being. It all rolls out to be a major role of a nurse.

One Way You Can Lower the Cost of Produce Essay

One way you can lower the cost of produce and be sure of their origin is to grow your own. Even in urban centers people are doing so. Go on the internet and see how you can as well. Discuss and describe one way you can make this happen whether in a dining facility or at home. Produce cost will be lower if you grow them at your home because it will reduce many of the cost that is associated with if you have to buy them in the supermarket or the food/vegetable market. The cost of labor will be reduce, the cost of transportation; whether it’s by land or a combination of land, sea, and ship will also be reduced. These costs are trickle down to the consumers which at time cause the end product to be very expensive. For the people living in the urban areas there are several option which they can explore to cultivate their own produce. One of such is if they have a piece of land in their yard, they can plant different vegetables on the land. It doesn’t have to be in abundance, a root or two of the different vegetables. If the piece of land that is not dirt, if it is concrete they can build vegetable beds off the ground and plant their produce there. Another option is to use flower plots to plant your vegetables, this takes up a lot less space and give you the same results, your own produce. When you grow your own produce you have control over the type of fertilizer you used on your crops and you can allow them to grow within their own natural timing. Some of the produce one can grow are; carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, and sweet pepper. These are short crops that once control will not take up a lot of space. These produce sometimes cost a lost if you have to buy them, and since most people are becoming health conscience they are a part of their daily meals. You can imagine how much you can save and the peace of mind you can get not worrying about how they were grown when you grow your own produce. Growing your own produce is all good, I see no negative to it and it should be something we all practice so that we can have more disposable income, eat healthier, and contribute to the protection of the ozone layer.

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Victorian England Essay Example

Victorian England Essay Example Victorian England Essay Victorian England Essay Charles Dickens the author of Great Expectations was born in 1812 in Portsmouth; he was the second child of six. His father was a clerk in the Navy pay office; he was often in debt and ended up in Marshabea prison. Charles was lucky enough in such difficult circumstances to have a few years of schooling before he was sent to work in a friend of the family. Charles worked in this Factory for seven shillings a week. It seems that it was from this background that Dickens drew from for most of his writings. It is evident that real people he had met during his life inspired the plots and characters in his novels. As Charles family wealth increased he again went back to school after finishing school he started work as a solicitors clerk, he then progressed as a court reporter it was at this stage in his life that he started supplementing his income by writing. This essay will focus on the settings in which this novel takes place and how they are described and depicted, it will also look at how these settings relate to the characters in the plot and their personality traits. The settings will also be examined in terms of the life and times of Victorian England. Dickens is famous for his use of language to describe people, places and features of the landscapes in which his novels take place. In this essay I will examine two major points about Dickens use of language to create characters, firstly through characternym and secondly through using descriptive language and imagery to convey the mood of particular scenes. The opening scene of Great Expectations is set in a graveyard on the Kent marshes; the main character Pip is visiting his mothers grave. Pip, is an orphan and is being raised by his abusive sister and her husband, Joe Gargery the kindly village Blacksmith. Suddenly in the fist scene Pip is grabbed by an escaped convict, Magwitch who is hiding in the graveyard, who cried out Keep still, you little devil, or Ill cut your throat! , the convict is trying to force Pip to aid him he pesters Pip about where he lives, demanding food and a file to break his chains. Pip is terrified and informs the convict that his Mother is nearby; the convict reacts by suddenly starting to run away from Pip, then he stops and looks over his shoulder realising there is nobody there he continue his aggressive line of questioning. The language that Dickens uses to describe the scene of the graveyard creates a bleak and eerie atmosphere to the setting; it is very bleak and depressing the way things are depicted. The convicts appearance is described in great detail, his poor and rough demeanour are emphasised over and over again using different examples of the way he has been afflicted by nettles, stones flints etc. Also Dickens uses lots of descriptive words to really put across the state of the man and to invoke a strong sense of his appearance.

Islamic politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Islamic politics - Essay Example Through the discourse of IMAM Dr. Abdul Jalil Sajid via the written work â€Å"Islam and Ethics of War and Peace†, the political theory of Islam on justice, war, and peace is based on the core teaching of Qur’an stating â€Å"The aim of war according to the Qur’an is not to propagate or spread Islam, nor is it to expand the territory of the Islamic State or dominate, politically or militarily, non-Muslim regions.† In order to gain deeper insight on war and peace under the context of Islamic principles, it would be useful to investigate with the empirical findings of Jeff Haynes in view of religious fundamentalism, the article â€Å"Understanding Islam†, S.P. Huntington on the â€Å"clash of civilizations†, as well as the report made by Diane Sawyer. Besides the conventional notion that religious fundamentalism pertains to a religious movement whose militant characteristic is justified by stiff adherence to fundamental principles, Jeff Haynes modifies the basic definition by critiquing that contemporary religious fundamentalism emerges out of ‘the failed promise of modernity’ and necessarily refutes the negative impact of modernisation upon moral development. According to Haynes, the religious militancy in fundamentalism is chiefly brought about by the general ‘decline of the societal salience of religion’ due to rapid cultural and economic changes particularly since the World War II. Normally, religious authorities are ideally expected to intervene in state affairs when advancing political interests so that the goals set herein can be directed to coincide with the public good or applied to satisfy the needs and desires of the majority. This way, religion serves to oppose secularism and mediate between the government and the people in order to ensure that the concerns of the latter are met within the constitutional framework and may be understood the principal grounds behind the 9-11 incident of 2001. Muslims are typically found in the state of

Models of Integration and Architecture Research Paper

Models of Integration and Architecture - Research Paper Example Models Viability Enterprise modeling is one of the architectural modeling that is very important in an organization. It has the character of having the basic knowledge about the enterprise and previous models about the same type of enterprises together with new ideas. This helps the organization to have a high propelling factor and gives the management team the ability to understand their duties in order to run the enterprise effectively. This model is endowed with the knowledge of giving any organization the way through by ensuring there are enough of resources, information, goals and activities to perform in order to ensure continuity (Bubenko, 2009). This model can be mostly used in marketing an organization or can apply to organization which offers consultant services to other organization to ensure their success. The design of an enterprise is given by this important factor of enterprise modeling because it gives the explicit language that defines the enterprise. When the modeli ng design is introduced in an organization, it gives the organization the morale to perform its duty, because every one working in the organization will have a good understanding of his duties in the organization (Frank, 2009). It also helps the organization to gain a large market share and have a large profit margin. This improves the structural shape of the organization leading to its growth and expansion. Functional modeling is the other modeling design that will align the steps to be followed in product manufacture. This gives the guidelines on how raw materials are turned into finished goods. This is the backbone of every organization because it is the sector that generates goods sold to customers. This means that this part of production should be taken seriously so as to give quality products that will not be rejected by customers, because when they are rejected they bring a major loss to the organization. When such losses appear in an organization they might lead to the closu re of the organization. This is also the model that controls the finances of an organization. It is the body that is concerned with purchasing the raw materials, refining the raw materials to finished goods and marketing the goods to the customers. These organization departments are very important and if not well managed, they can cause a down fall of the organization. The departments arrange for the human resource and control every activity that is undertaken in the organization (Bubenko, 2009). The end of each department in an organization should ensure that he provides policies and procedures to govern daily operation. Barriers Leading to Lack of Adoption of the Models The major barriers in adopt such models in an organization include lack of finances, poor management strategies in an organization, lack of raw materials and lack of skilled personnel. Lack of finances is a major factor that can result to poor or failure to implement of these models in an organization, because they require a lot of cash to be fully implemented. Lack of management leads to poor utilization of organizational resources leading to lack of resources to run the organization, which can not only lead to lack of adoption of the models but also can lead to the closure of the organization like Cleveland clinic (Dietz, 2010). Resources that are required for production in an organization are very important for the growth of the organization (Frank, 2009). These are the raw materials which give the organization

AIDS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

AIDS - Essay Example This essay would further point out the issue of ethics for the research that took place. The children included in the study of AIDS should not have been taken as subjects because it was unjust for them. These children were under the care of foster parents and no real parents would have allowed the research to take place on them considering the side effects of the drugs. Their rights were violated by the medical institutes because they did not appoint an advocate for the whole process. In a research like this it is necessary that a neutral advocate is kept in between so that he can watch over the children and find out if anything wrong goes around. Foster children were chosen as the subjects of the research although these children are not mature enough to decide about their good and bad. Children should never be asked for permission in this matter and the state should have taken up the matter to not allow the research on these children. The family of the children was informed about th e process and side effects that the drug may have on the children. The medical institutes also provided a helpline number along with the possible problems that the child may have to face to the family.

Time Management Essay Example for Free

Time Management Essay Study: â€Å"Working to live: Why university students balance full-time study and employment According to Valerie Holmes, within this group 83 per cent of students worked at some point during term-time of their degree programmed. In total 58 per cent of those students who worked did so to either cover or contribute to basic costs of living. While the majority of students felt they could balance work and study, half of all students questioned felt that working could have a negative impact on their degree classification. Valerie Holmes, (2008) Working to live: Why university students balance full-time study and employment, Education + Training, Vol. 50 Iss: 4, pp.305 – 314 http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1728331 | The work–study relationship: experiences of full†time university students undertaking part†time employment Journal of Education and Work Volume 23, Issue 5, 2010 Ralph Halla* Pages 439-449 Publishing models and article dates explained Received: 21 Apr 2010 Accepted: 14 Jul 2010 Version of record first published: 29 Nov 2010 Abstract Work and study commitments of full†time undergraduate students at the University of New South Wales were investigated in four surveys conducted in 1994, 1999, 2006 and 2009. Respondents to the surveys reported the amount of time they spent during term time in paid employment, studying outside of formal class hours and in leisure activities (1999 and 2006 only). Fifty full†time students in 2006 and 37 in 2009 who were identified through the survey as working in excess of 10 hours per week were interviewed about their work and study relationships. Findings are consistent with UK studies showing an increase in part†time work by full†time students. In addition, a steady decrease was found in hours of study outside normal class time and in time spent in leisure activities. Reasons for working offered by interviewees were predominantly financial although many reported that gaining work experience, even in areas not related to their studies, was an important consideration. While some of the students interviewed felt that the government should provide more support for full†time students, the majority thought that the university should cater more for the needs of working students by providing more online facilities for assignment submission and communication and more flexible timetables and submission requirements. In the absence of any likely moves by governments to provide financial support to students, universities need to recognize the increasing demands placed on full†time students by part†time work and to implement procedures to assist working students. http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/cjew20 Literature: More students balance school with jobs By Jacob Serebrin | January 25th, 2012 | More than half of full-time university students in Quebec work while attending school and more than 40 per cent of all undergraduates work more than 20 hours weekly says a new study by the Fà ©dà ©ration à ©tudiante universitaire du Quà ©bec, a provincial lobby group that wants lower tuition. On top of that, more than twice as many full-time students aged 20 to 24 in the province work part-time jobs than students did in the 1970s. The workloads are hurting their educations: 43 per cent of full-time undergraduates say that their jobs have negatively affected their studies and 30 per cent say their jobs mean they’ll take longer to finish. It’s worst for PhD students—six in 10 say work forced them to prolong their studies. It’s not just students in Quebec who are putting in long hours between classes. According to the 2011 Canadian University Survey Consortium study 56 per cent of undergraduates in Canada work. The average number of hours is 18 per week. Nearly a fifth (18 per cent) work more than 30 hours weekly. One third of working students report â€Å"a negative impact on their academic performance.† The latest research also builds on a November 2010 report put out by FÉUQ that said employment income accounts for more than 50 per cent of the average full-time student’s income in Quebec. Predictably, FÉUQ is using the results of both studies to argue against a tuition increase that will take effect this fall. The hike will see tuition for in-province student’s rise by $325 a year to $3,793 in 2016. It’s easy to dismiss FÉUQ’s concerns–the province has the lowest fees in the country. But the fact that so many students are working so much suggests many are already at the breaking point. It also rebuts the claim by Quebec politicians that the increase would return tuition to 1968-9 levels, adjusted for inflation, which is what finance minister Raymond Backhand told the National Assembly. The claim that today’s students are paying less than past students has also been a favorite of the Conference of Rectors and Principals of Quebec Universities, which represents administrators. Perhaps tuition was indeed more expensive in the 1968-9s. But in the 1970s, students could afford to work less in coffee shops and clothing stores—and more on their studies—than students of today. http://oncampus.macleans.ca/education/2012/01/25/more-students-balancing-school-and-part-time-jobs/ Vol. 1, Issue 1 spring 2005 The Effects of College Student Employment on Academic Achievement By: Lauren E Watanabe Mentor: Jana Jasinski Review of Literature As money and resources become more scarce for college students, jobs become more of a necessity rather than an after school activity. Any changes to students routines will lead to changes in academics, whether they are positive or negative. Employment among college students has been increasing rapidly. Its effect on the academic performance of students has been questioned by many researchers (Green, 1987). Some of the issues raised in the literature concern matters such as the number of hours worked, whether or not the students jobs pertain to their majors, and the students workloads. As more students are employed, they face having to balance their academic requirements, extracurricular activities, and employment responsibilities to maintain their lifestyles (Furr Elling, 2000). The literature reviewed below examines how employment has affected academic achievement. Much of the research indicating that employment negatively affects students academic achievement stated that an increase in the amount of hours worked was the most influential factor. In one study, more hours worked decreased the likelihood of being an A student (Pritchard, 1996). According to Furr and Elling (2000), 29% of the students working 30-39 hours per week and 39% of those students working full time indicated that work had a negative and frequent impact on their academic progress. Those who take on part-time jobs are less engaged in school before they enter the labor force, and part-time employment, especially for more than 20 hours weekly, further exacerbates this problem (Steinberg et al., 1993, p. 175). Furr and Elling (2000) also found that upperclassmen worked more hours than freshmen, indicating that the older students would be more likely to suffer in their academics. Therefore, w orking full time has an even greater impact on academics because, often times, working 40 or more hours further decreases a students college grade point average (GPA) and is negatively related to completion of a bachelors degree (Astin, 1993). The act of balancing school work with the labor market may also lead students to put forth less effort into both because they are spreading themselves too thin (Astin, 1993). According to these researchers, it is not the job itself that causes the problems, but the overload on the amount of time worked because students who work more hours each week spend less time on homework, [and] pay attention in class less often (Steinberg Dornbusch, 1991, p. 307). Not all of the research has shown negative GPA effects from the amount of hours a student is employed. Some findings indicated that employment had either a positive effect or none at all. A number of researchers, for example, found that hard work built stronger academic character because it taught the students time management skills, gave them experience outside of the classroom, and provided them with more satisfaction in college (Pennington, Zvonkovic, Wilson, 1989). Dallam and Hoyt (1981) suggested that a good balance between stu dents credit hours and working hours forced students to be more organized and to have better time management. They also found that students who worked between 1 and 15 hours per week showed a slightly higher GPA than those whose workloads were heavier and those who were not working at all (Dallam Hoyt, 1981; Li-Chen Wooster, 1979). Not only were higher GPAs found in students that maintained jobs, but Green (2001) also stated that they had gained job skills, experience, knowledge of a variety of jobs, a sense of accomplishment, a feeling of responsibility, and money for personal and school expenses (p. 329). Other researchers, when comparing high and low academic performance and the amount of hours students worked, found that the amount of hours employed did not have an adverse effect on their academics (Pinto, Parente, Palmer, 2001). Similarly, Watts (2002) analysis of 19 students at the University of Brighton found that 4 of 12 working undergraduates said that working did not affect their academics and 5 said that it actually had a positive impact. Although some of the previously mentioned studies used samples of high school students rather than undergraduates, their results were consistent. The fact that some contained samples of less than 50 students, however, may have accounted for some of the differences between the positive and negative academic results. Not accounting for the amount of time actually put into the job, researchers have found that the type of employment a student holds has an impact on academics. Dead-end jobs such as a cashier or fast food worker tend to have a negative effect (Li-Chen Wooster, 1979), whereas high-quality, part-time jobs that seemed to develop career-related skills may in effect contribute to increased levels of career maturity, and these types of jobs are more likely to be flexible and work with students schedules (Healy, OShea, Crook, 1985). These types of jobs allow for hands-on experience that cannot be gained in the classroom alone. For example, of the 600 full-time students at Lamar University surveyed, 91 out of 215 students whose jobs related to their majors had a mean GPA of 2.98, while those whose jobs were career unrelated had a mean GPA of 2.66 (Li-Chen Wooster, 1979). Also, student comments suggested that employment related to a potential career provided additional experience. For example, 10 out of 23 comments of a 120 nursing student survey at a university indicated that they were gaining more practical experience . . . and that as all [their] employment is in care areas, [they felt] it [had] extended [their] experience (Lee, 1999, p. 448). As money and resources become more scarce for college students, jobs become more of a necessity rather than an after school activity. Any changes to students routines will lead to changes in academics, whether they are positive or negative. Though the research results were not always consistent, it was a common theme that the more hours worked led to decreased academic performance, but that working in general did not necessarily have a negative effect on grades. When it came to students jobs as they applied to their majors, the effects were positive in that they provided experience beyond the classroom (Lee, Mawdsley, Rangeley, 1999). The following study will look at these variables as well as class standing, the amount of credit hours taken, and flexibility of the work schedule in order to determine the positive or negative relationship of working and academics. Other variables, such as demographic factors, will also be examined. http://www.urj.ucf.edu/vol1issue1/watanabe/literature.php

The Case of Chilli Pepper Value Chain

The Case of Chilli Pepper Value Chain With the emergence of globalization and internationalization of trade, development agencies in development cooperation increasingly aim at a sustainable, growth-oriented integration of developing countries into the world economy. Value chain development has received more emphasis especially in development projects and programmes. Improvements in the productivity of subsistent farmers are pre-requisites to the achievement of full contributions of agriculture to overall growth and development. Recent global policies propose that farmers can get out of poverty by being better linked to markets. Markets in recent times are changing fast and competition is becoming increasingly fierce. If businesses aspire to stay in the market, they need to make sure that their products and services meet continuously changing market requirements and demand conditions (Matthias et al. 2009). millions of subsistent farmers and rural communities especially in Africa are working to improve their livelihoods in an environment with low or little government support for producers, processing companies and supermarkets within agricultural markets (Renà ©, 2006; Martin, 2006). While access to markets remains an important medium for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), there remain low levels of investment in agriculture, poor infrastructure, as well as limited access to technological innovation, Business Development Services (BDS), and market information and weak commodity value chains still inhibit smallholder farmers full access to markets (Aldonas, 2009). Ghana is currently running an agrarian economy and agriculture by no doubt the largest sector. The rate of the countrys economic growth seems to fall on the performance of the agricultural sector. The agriculture sector employs at least 50.6 percent of the working population, and most of them are small-scale farmers in developing countries. This rises to above 75 percent in the rural areas (Brempong 2003). More than 35 percent of Ghanas Gross Domestic Product (GDP) comes from agriculture (FASDEP 11, 2007). Market orientation among producers and processors still remains a stumbling block. For value chains and marketing systems in agriculture, there exist mutual benefits where farmers are hooked-up to the needs of consumers, working closely with suppliers and processors to produce the specific goods consumers demand (Roduner, 2007). Similarly, consumers are link-up to the needs of farmers via information flows. Development and promotion of value chains in agriculture is often about improving access to markets and ensuring a more efficient flow of products with the assurance that all actors in the chain benefit. Government and Non-governmental Organisation (NGO) promoting value chain development have made it a core responsibility to supporting farmers to sell their products via value chains. But the question which needs deeper investigation is: do emphases on value chain development bring about an improvement in market access and income to farmers? The development of the value chain concept does not automatically result in benefits for smallholder farmers. The value chain concept is yet to assume its full potential in its intervention strategy among the chilli pepper farmers in the Tolon Kumbungu District. Value chains development can only overcome the cycle of poverty if they are deliberately designed to improve farmer livelihoods, so they need to be pro-poor (Gertan, 2009: p 2). As a new concept among development practioners, there is the tendency of selection of inappropriate value chain instruments that is not responsive to the needs of the smallholder farmers. Market in this context refers to the total supply and demand for a particular product farm products in both locally and internationally markets. The process of marketing must be customer oriented and provide profit for farmers, transporters, traders and processors otherwise they will not be able to stay in business. Value chains in this context refer to all the steps that a product takes, from its point of origin farm to the consumer. A value chain represents a specific type of supply chain where the chain actors actively seek to support each other so they can increase their efficiency and competitiveness. The actors invest in money, effort and time and build relationships with one another to reach a common goal of meeting and satisfying the needs of consumers hence, they can maximize their profits. Value chain development in agribusiness treats production as a chain of activities, each of which adds value and cost to the final product. As the product makes it way via the value chains, the value of the product increases. Actors are the specific players involved in producing, processing, trading or consuming a particular agricultural product. They include direct actors producers, traders, retailers and consumers which are commercially involved in the chain and indirect actors which provide financial or non-financial support services, such as; business service providers; bankers, credit agencies, researchers and government. The German Technical Cooperation of the Market Oriented Agriculture Programme (GTZ/MOAP), International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) and Savanna Agriculture Research Institute (SARI) are currently focusing on employment-oriented private sector development and agriculture. The value chain development concept has been adopted by these organizations as part of their core development strategies especially in the chilli pepper industry in the Tolon-Kumbungu District of the Northern region of Ghana since the year 2005. Their main aim of the intervention in the chilli pepper business is to reduce poverty and to stimulate the growth of the local economy by fostering sustainable relationships among actors, thereby bringing about their competitiveness in domestic, regional and export markets (MOAP, 2005). While these seem laudable, the problem of market access still exists. As a tropical crop, chilli pepper can survived in both tropical and temperate climates. In 2005 the global production amounted to 27.5 million tons (AVRDC, 2005). Considering developing countries in particular, chilli pepper is considered the most popular vegetable crop, being grown on an area of 0.73 million hectares in sub-Saharan Africa in 2005 (AVRDC, 2005). Chilli pepper is a common agricultural product produced and consumed in Ghana. The crop is used in nearly all Ghanaian dishes. The annual demand for chilli pepper is estimated at Ghc 27,000 and accounts for about 9.6% of total food expenditure in Ghana (GLSS IV, 2000), while consumption is expected to rise with increasing population. The crop is ranked the fifth most important crop in the Northern Region of Ghana. Quite a number of households and individuals are involved in its production in the region. It is estimated that about 41.3% of households in the Northern region engaged in chilli pepper production, making the region second only to the Brong-Ahafo as the region producing significant quantities of chilli pepper in the Northern sector of the country (Nsiah-Gyabaah, K. 2002). Therefore, any poverty alleviation program that includes the promotion of the crop as part of its strategies could have high potential for achieving greater impact, as chilli pepper has become an important cash crop for the majority of the people cultivating and trading in it. However, due to the effects of globalization, liberalization and increasing competition in agriculture markets, it is apparent that strategies aiming at reducing rural poverty need to move beyond a focus on increasing productivity. 1.1 Problem Statement Millions of subsistent farmers in developing countries and for that matter Ghana are working to improve their livelihoods with limited government support for producers, processing companies and supermarkets within agricultural markets (Renà ©, 2006; Martin, 2006). While access to markets remains an important medium for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), there remain several factors including weak commodity value chains still hinders smallholder farmers to access markets (Aldonas, 2009). The main concern in development cooperation is how to reduce poverty. Many development organizations believe that agriculture value chain development is a strategic means of bringing about market access and income to farmers. Vibrant value chains are said to be more efficient in bringing products to all actors including small-scale producers and poor consumers should at least benefit from value chain development. Competitiveness in agribusiness in both local and international markets is noted to be one of the most commonly quoted objectives of value chain development. But this seems not to hit its full potential with the chilli pepper value chain in the Tolon-Kumbungu District. Chilli pepper farmers are still faced with an enormous marketing constraint of having to find credible buyers after harvest. They remain price takers and face the risk and uncertainties of fluctuating markets. The farmers feel highly vulnerable and unable to withstand the risks and achieve sufficient production to participate in value chain (Mitchell et al. 2009). Against this background, chilli pepper farmers in the study area still grapple with unassured markets for their raw materials and see themselves as price takers thinking that they have no control over prices and have to accept whatever is offered. Lack of economic equity among actors endangers the chilli pepper value chain intervention in the study district. Value chain development needs to priorities the constraints described above if they are to work for poorer farmers. As a contribution to understanding and solving these problems, an empirical research is needed to investigate into why chilli pepper farmers in the Tolon-Kumbungu district are not being paid sufficiently for their produce. 1.2 Research Questions 1.2.1 Main research question: What are the prospects and challenges of chilli pepper value chain development in the Tolon-Kumbungu District? . 1.2.2 Sub Questions 1. Does value chain development bring about an improvement in market access and income to farmers? 2 What are the entry barriers faced by farmers in the value chain marketing system? 3. What support do farmers need to function as active players of the value chain? 4. What strategies can be adopted to upgrade value chains in terms of product, process, and functions? 1.3 Research Objectives 1.3.1 Main Objective The general objective is to assess the prospects and challenges of the chilli pepper value chain development in the Tolon-Kumbungu District. 1.3.2 Sub Objectives 1. To find-out ways by which value chain development can lead to market access and income 2. To identify the entry barriers faced by farmers in the value chain marketing system. 3. To identify the requisite support required by farmers to function as active players of the value chain. 4. To identify strategies for upgrading of value chains in terms of product, process and functions. 1.4 Significance of the Study Pro-poor growth approach in recent times has become one of the key concerns of development organizations especially in developing countries. The matter with this approach lies in the promotion of economic potentials of the smallholder farmer and the disadvantaged (Altenburg, 2007). Nearly 35% of Ghanaians fall below the poverty line and a majority of these people reside in deprive communities where agriculture is the main source of livelihood. The introduction of the value chain as a development intervention tool is not only timely, but it is also appropriate. The value chain concept has gained more and more recognition in development projects and programmes with the primary aim of reduction in economic inequality by improvement in market access and income of all actors along the chain. Well functioning value chains should create a platform for efficient and mutual benefits of all actors including small scale producers and poor consumers, should benefit from value chain development. However, as a new concept among development practioners, it is likely to be engulfed with many critical operationalization problems. Hence, efforts should be stemmed up to facilitate the efficiency of the value chain development concept to aid in the attainment of the UN number one Millennium Development Goal eradication of extreme poverty and hunger. One surest way of doing this is to unearth the challenges and prospects of the value chain development concept as an intervention tool in agribusiness development among smallholder farmers, hence the study. The study is also expected to bring to bear the challenges and prospects of the chilli pepper value chain and how it can be improved to make it more pro-poor. The findings will also be useful to value chain practioners. Last but not the least, the result of the research could also serve as a basis for further research on the chilli pepper industry in the Northern Region of Ghana. 1.5 Scope of the Study The study will be organized into five chapters. Chapter one will cover the background of the study, problem statement, the research questions, the objectives of carrying out the study and significance of the study. Chapter two will explore the pertinent conceptual and empirical literature on the topic under consideration. Also, chapter three will consider the research methodology with regard to the study design, sampling method, data sources, study instruments and analytical tools and techniques. Chapter five will present the study results. Chapter five will present the discussions of the research findings while chapter six will offer the summary, the conclusion and recommendation thereof. Figure 1.1 Conceptual Frame Work Tolon-Kumbungu Chilli Pepper Value Chain Analysis 1. PRODUCERS Grow Harvest Dry 3. WHOLESALERS Fresh chilli pepper Dried chilli pepper Powdered Chilli pepper 4. TRADERS Fresh chilli pepper Dried chilli pepper Powder chilli pepper CHALLENGES PROSPECTS OF CHILLI PEPPER VALUE CHAIN IN THE TOLON-KUMBUNGU DISTRICT 2. INPUT PROVIDERS Availability of Equipment Seed Fertilizers Value chain Supporters: research extension, financial service providers, government, regulatory bodies, trust and power relations etc 6. CONSUMERS Fresh chilli pepper Dried chilli pepper Powdered pepper 5. PROCESSORS Fresh chilli pepper Dried chilli pepper 1.4.1 Conceptual Frame Work The conceptual framework portrays linkages of the main actors of the chilli pepper value chain in the Tolon-Kumbungu District that may influence the efficiency of the chain. The framework demonstrates that for chilli pepper value chain to maintain a functional level that will make it efficient and sustainable, input providers, producers, transporters, processors, wholesalers, retailers and consumers must work and coordinate effectively. Producers of chilli pepper are the most essential actors of the chain but face the most constraints and need preferential treatment though the entire actors involved in the chain must equally function well which among others include: input providers, transporters, processors, wholesalers, retailers and consumers. Value chain supporters service providers (research and extension, rural banks, regional etc), National, district, community administrations, regulatory bodies, legislations, infrastructure and Socio-cultural factors influencing business attitudes, trust and power relations all influence the efficiency and sustainability of the chain. CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction This chapter is essentially a review of past works that have been done in the field of value chain with special emphasis on value chains in agribusiness. To this extent, both published and unpublished literatures will be reviewed. Gaps in some theories and concepts will be identified, amendments done and acknowledgement made. Value addition processes Value addition consists of activities that tend to improve products with the intension to increase returns for operators in the value chain. Cramer and Jensen (1994) consider value addition in commodity marketing to consist of those efforts that affect transfer of ownership and create time, place and form utility to commodities. Time utility is created through storage, to make commodity available over time. Place satisfaction is through transportation services, making the commodity available to those wanting it. Finally, form utility is added to a commodity through the processing function. Will (2006) on the other hand identified two possibilities for Value addition: (1) Value Capturing and (2) Value Creation. Value capture is described as the process of improving current production, processing and trading structures/processes. Value creation is however seen as the process of innovation in a new product. To create value, it is necessary to identify the promising market opportunities and assess production and marketing risk. What these fails to capture is to whether smallholder farmers can position themselves to be able to meet consumer demands and be able to at least have assured markets. Value addition as preached by development organizations stresses the need for its application at every stage of the production line. No efforts is been made to find-out the possibility of participation by low income and disadvantage farmers to actual stand-up to the task. Also, development organizations operationalizing value chain intervention models need to be questioned on the successes and the way-forward regarding their methods of intervention especially among smallholder farmers. This study is geared towards addressing these gabs, and will propose strategies for value chain intervention in agribusiness among smallholder farmers. Five value addition processes have identified for horticulture especially chilli pepper (Figure 1.0 below). Chilli pepper traders, through marketing activities create, time, space and forming utilities, by buying, and/or sorting before selling fresh to capture value or create value by drying before sales (Schipmann, 2006). Indeed, the transformation processes that take places in the chilli pepper value chain include grinding of fresh pepper into a hot pepper paste, or drying to obtain a dried chilli pepper which is also the intermediary product for powdered chilli pepper when milled. The powdered chilli pepper is also used for producing Shito, a local pepper source, when cooked with other ingredients. All the transformational activities of the chilli pepper crop were rudimentarily carried-out before the introduction of the value chain intervention and even in recent times. Output from functional process by smallholders may probably not meet EuroGAP and GlobalGAP requirements hence, lacks the competitiveness for both local and international markets. Mainstreaming smallholder farmers in value chains implies the preparedness to play a facilitating and linkage roles by development organizations through the provision and maintenances of equipments for the low income farmers. Even though, the transformational change is mainly carry-out by traders and processors in and outside the district, helping the farmers to add value through minimal processing (functional upgrading) has the possibility of increasing their profit margins. What level of processing should be prescribed for producers to make them competitive and increase their profit margins? The study will unearth the possible avenues for increasing in the profit margins of the chilli pepper farmers. Figure 1.0: Value Addition Processes in the chilli pepper Chain. PRODUCTION PROCESSING PRODUCT Fresh Chilli pepper None/Sorting Fresh Chilli Pepper Chilli pepper paste Grinding Dried Chilli Pepper Drying Powdered Chilli pepper Milling Shitto Cooking Adapted from Schipmann, 2006 Smallholders all over the world are faced with increasing imperative to integrate themselves into the market to generate cash income in other to improve their livelihoods. The development of the chilli pepper value chain in the Tolon-Kumbungu district of the Northern region of Ghana is therefore seen as a means to improve the crops potential for improving the livelihoods of the population who depend on it for their livelihoods. Improving agricultural productivity through the promotion of market oriented agricultural development program is seen as a catalyst for growth and development in rural communities. For, the integration of rural population into the national and international markets is seen as one of the best options for successful poverty reduction (Stamm, 2004; OXFAM, 2002). Indeed, the development and realization of the value chain development strategy is expected to contribute to achieving a better competitiveness in the local, regional and international markets. By so doing smallholders will be empowered to be capable of managing and maintaining connections with diversified and growing markets. This, it is hoped, will also translate into increased income for all operators along the commodity chain, the creation of employment and consequently the improvement of the livelihood in rural and urban areas (Will, 2006). Although, recent economic growth in Ghana has had limited impact in reducing high poverty rates, particularly in rural areas, the emergence of value chain as a tool for development intervention in the chilli pepper sector will present a new prospects for promoting agriculture and rural development in Ghana, and expanding opportunities for inclusion of resource poor farmers in a dynamic and high value markets. The growth in chilli pepper production however poses new challenges for public policy, particularly if policy markers are concerned about integrating smallholder farmers into the export markets. Literature is currently being reviewed on the following thematic areas and would be incorporated in the final thesis document. They include but not limited to; Standardization in agribusiness in developing countries, Horticulture marketing in developing countries, FBO development, and contract farming. CHAPTER THREE METHODOLOGY 3.1 Introduction This chapter is devoted to the study design, methods and tools of the research. 3.2 Study Design This study will be descriptive and cross sectional in the sense that, data will be systematically collected at a particular point in time, analysed and presented to give a clear picture about the state of the value chain intervention strategy in the Tolon-Kumbungu District. 3.3 Profile of the study area: 3.3.1 Location and size The Tolon-Kumbungu District is one of the 45 districts created by the erstwhile Provisional National Defense Council (PNDC) Law 2007 in 1988 with Tolon as the capital. It lies between latitude 9 ° 16 and 9 ° 34 North and latitudes 0 ° 36 and 0 ° 57 West. It shares common boundaries with Savelugu/Nanton District to the North, Tamale Metropolis to the East and Central Gonja District to the South (Tolon-Kumbungu District Assembly profile, 2001). The district covers an area of about 2, 741 square kilometers with a population of 132,338 (female, 66,269, male, 66,069) (PHC, 2000). The current (2006) population is estimated as 145, 876 with the growth rate of 3%. Population density is approximately around 50 inhabitants per Kilometer Square. The District lies between latitude 10-20 north and longitude 10-50 west, shares border with West Mamprusi District in the west and south and the east with Savelugu/Nanton District and the Tamale Municipal Assembly (Tolon-Kumbungu District Assemb ly, 2001). . The major vegetable crops grown in the area are chilli pepper, tomatoes, onion, okra and garden eggs. Chilli pepper actors are among the few people to have received support services from development agencies operating in the district and outside the district (Tolon-Kumbungu District Assembly, 2001). Source: Encyclopedia of the Earth 3.2.2 Topography and Drainage The District is located 180 meters above sea level and the topography is generally undulating with shallow valley that serves as stream courses and isolated hills. This District is among the few Districts in the Northern region on which the White Volta tress passes. Other major natural water systems in the metropolis include; Dalun, Bontanga, Golinga, Jaagbo dam and Tolon dams. However, many smaller dams are also dotted around (Tolon-Kumbungu District Assembly profile, 2001). 3.2.3 Climate and Vegetation There is a unimodal rainfall pattern with a mean annual rainfall of 1100mm in the District between April/May to September/October. As a result staple crop farming is highly restricted by the short rainfall duration. The mean dry temperature range from 33 ° C to 39 ° C with mean night temperature ranging from 0 ° C to 22 ° C. The mean annual day sunshine is approximately 7.5 hours. The District exhibits both short and tall grass interspersed with drought resistant trees such as shea trees Neem, Dawadawa and Mahogany. During the rainy seasons the Distrct becomes green and making the vegetation more luxuriant. In the dry seasons, however water becomes scarce as a result of poor vegetation cover. The grasses dry up and the accompanying bushfires destroy the soil nutrients and expose the soils to serious erosion (Tolon-Kumbungu District Assembly profile, 2001). 3.2.4 Soil The types of soil that can be found in District include sandstone, mudstone and shale. These soil types are inadequately protected resulting in serious erosion during rain seasons. 3.2.5 Food security and environment The main crops cultivated per households are cereals 99.8 percent, legumes 88.3 percent, tubers 80.6 percent, vegetables 35.7 percent and 15.3 percent cultivates fruits. The major crops currently grown in the District are maize, groundnuts, yam, cassava, sorghum, rice, cowpea, millet, pegion pea, and soya-beans. Others are chilli pepper, tomatoes, onion, okra, and garden eggs. Industrial crops grown are cotton, tobacco (grown as cash crop but also for local consumption), groundnuts, cashew, sheanuts, and soya-beans (Tolon-Kumbungu District Assembly profile, 2001).. The main problem facing crop production is the hazardous environment for crop farming reflected in perennial flooding of farmlands. Unfavorable weather conditions (drought), erratic rainfall, perennial bush fires and declining soil fertility. Some of these problems are however due to poor environmental management relating to inefficient farming practices and hunting for fuel wood. 3.2.6 Agriculture potential in the District Despite the challenges facing agriculture production, the District is endowed with numerous potentials which when exploited will help transform agriculture in the district. Among these potentials are; Land potential resources which is readily available, Irrigation facilities-Bontanga and Golinga for all year cropping, Research Institutions SARI, ARI and UDS, Availability of farm labour, Research Extension Farmer Linkage- to create effective technology transfer and adoption. Others include; commercial production of legumes (soya-bean) and vegetables (chilli pepper), commercial production of roots and tubers (yam and cassava), small and large ruminant production and Industrial cash crop production. 3.2.5 Ethnicity and Cultural Values Apart from Nyankpala community in the District which is ethnic diversity, almost all people in the villages are Dagombas. Towns in the district are; Tolon, Kumbungu, Nyankpala, Dalun, Wantugu, Tali, Kasulyili, Yoggu, Gbulahagu, Kpendua, Tibung, Lungbunga, Gbullung, Grimani, Chirifoyilli, Zangbalung, Voggu, Yepeligu, Tingoli and Gundaa. 3.2.6 Religion According to the 2000 Population and Housing Census, Islam is the predominant religion in the District with 65% of the population affiliated to it. 3.2.7 Land Tenure System Land tenure systems in the District include free hold/inheritance and negotiations/temporary use. 3.2.9 Occupation The economy of the Tolon-District Assembly is dominated by agriculture, commerce and trade and services. Until the 1995s over 90% of all indigenous people in the District were farmers (PHC, 2000). 3. 4 Research Approach Research methodology is an important component of any study and provides the framework upon which the whole process is dependent (Brown, 1996). It is recommended that the methodology is conducted thoroughly to efficiently produce accurate and precise data in order to achieve the research goals and objectives. I intend to give an-in-depth explanation of the research approach and process, methods of data collection, sampling procedure, size and methods, background of study area and scope, and data analysis. The choice in using a particular research approach would depend on a number of factors: the purpose of the research, its sub-research objectives, practicability and validity, available financial resources, time, the skill of the researcher in data analysis and interpretation and social organization among others. 3.5 Sampling Method Two main sampling techniques prominently used in various research studies will be adopted and applied for the study. These are probability and non-probability sampling (Twumasi, 2001). Probability sampling gives every item in the universe an equal chance of inclusion in the sample. Under this method, the simple random sampling technique will be used to select respondents from the nine chilli pepper farmer groups in the study area. This is to make sure that each chilli pepper farmer within the nine farmer groups has an equal chance of being included. Non-probability sampling such as purposive sampling procedures will also be used (Bernard, 1998). According to Preston (2002), applying purposive sampling can yield insights and in-depth understanding rather than empirical generalizations In this sampling procedure, the researcher purposively choose the particular units of the universe to constitute the sample on the basis that the small mass that they so select out of a huge one will be typical of the whole (Yin, 1993). The judgment of the researcher plays an important part in this sampling technique. The importance of adopting this design is the relative advantage of time and money inherent in the sampling. In light of the above, the snowball or chain sampling strategy will be used, because I will be dealing with chilli pepper farmers who are beneficiaries of the value chain development concept and belong to the nine chilli pepper farmer groups and are in a best position to respond to questions. Group members will serve as linkages by recommending persons who are members of the group to be interviewed. Accordingly, it is useful for the researcher to use more than one method in data collection. The methods are selected to complement each other and to allow for triangulation. Triangulation r