Black Female And Social Work - 1574 Words

NAME: Olga Ovchar CLASS: LEH 353 Second paper Black female and Social Work All my life my parents have taught me the value of helping others. Having different experiences and growing up in an atmosphere where the need of others were put before our own, led me to have a desire to be a social worker. Believing that being a social worker involves many special skills, as an example one of those that u need to interact with people from different cultures and principles than me. For as long as I remember I have had the desire to become a social worker inspiring people and developing people that will drive me to dedicate my excitement and dedication to do what is important in this dream job a reality. Looking at facts and opinions that I need†¦show more content†¦I can say that being a social worker was never in my plans. I started from Liberal Arts, because I wasn’t decided on my career choice. I took almost all courses, when I got an advice from one of my friends to try Health Information Technology. I gave it a chance and I didn’t realize how time flied by and I graduated. My dream always was to work with children. When I graduated and took my internship, that was the time, when I understood that I made the wrong choice. I needed to search for another career, because I understood, that it would not be what I meant. My father is physical therapist and he gave me and advice to think and to do some research about Social Worker. This time, I did the most research that I could, in order to not repeat my mistake again. I instantly knew, that this what I needed. All over the world, there is and will always be abuse. That’s the reality of it, but now Iâ₠¬â„¢m studying for Social Worker here at Lehman College, because I would like to be working toward changing a child’s reality one day, I am changing my knowledge every time I come to class, and changing my life one step at a time. I believe that it all starts with me, and while I may not be able to save the whole world, I will be able to save and help at least small part of it. I currently work in the family practice as a receptionist. My best days are those when I able to help people and provide them with all the information needed. Every day is different.

Research on Ginger in Meghalaya Free Essays

string(65) " and then properly dried and added with sugar to add as topping\." Report on the field study of Ginger and Turmeric in Meghalaya PREFACE Meghalaya is a state which is rich in natural resources, be it from flora to fauna to the mineral resources, the state has it in abundance. Agriculture, including crop and animal husbandry, fisheries, forestry and agro processing constitutes the very basis of socio economic lives of India. One of the major activities in the state is cultivation of horticulture crops which includes that of Ginger and Turmeric. We will write a custom essay sample on Research on Ginger in Meghalaya or any similar topic only for you Order Now Ginger is being predominantly grown in Ri Bhoi District while almost the whole belt of Jaintia Hills, the best quality of Turmeric found in the whole country with the reported cucurmin content up to 7. 6%. However amidst plenty of what we have, there are too many missing links in between for the state to realize the full potential in terms of commercial activities in revenues and most importantly to address the issues of the farmers to increase the income for better livelihoods in the villages. Therefore the market access team from MBDA along with the staffs of Appropriate Technology India (ATI) made a visit to some of the important cultivation belt of ginger and turmeric of Ri Bhoi District and West Jaintia Hills District for assessment of production which includes cultivation practices as well as understanding the organic practices for the potential of organic certification for premium pricing of the products, post harvesting and processing aspects as well as marketing aspects for improving livelihood security in the state. The visit was spanned in six days and within these six days; the program was conducted in the following order: 12th February 2013 On this day the team comprising of three interns from MBDA and five ATI workforce under the supervision of Mr Iai Majaw, the Horticulture Officer with the Government of Meghalaya, left Shillong at around 10 AM and visited the Ginger belt of Ri Bhoi District. Firstly we visited the farm house which is located next to the Highway to Guwahati at Umsning. There we met and interacted with around twenty five ginger cultivators in and around Umsning. These villages are located within the distance of 1 to 3 kilometers from Umsning. The farmers start sowing ginger from the last week of April throughout the month of May. We came to know that they inherited the ginger cultivation practices from their fore fathers seeing that the climate is conducive for the crop to thrive and that there is a market for all of their produce from year to year. The main area of concern for them is that, the plant is frequently getting infected with root and stem rotting, thus spoiling their effort in time and money. Stem rot is more frequent than root rot and occurs in between the months of June to September. They don’t have any solution to tackle these kind of infections, the only activity that they do is to uproot the whole crop and throw it as far as possible from the cultivation land and sometimes even burning that particular crop but it seldom help the cause as the infection will start to spread to the whole row and even at times the whole field. They practiced Jhum cultivation with the belief that it softens the soil and helps in the ploughing activity. They also have a fair idea of the reason behind crop rotation and practiced it once in 3 years. They do give manure to the crop once in a while in the form of poultry, pig and cow droppings. They said that they have received training from the horticulture officers but most of the time they apply those methods being taught to them in the beginning phase but revert back to their traditional method of cultivation. They stored the seed in a proper way and have no problem with the occurrence of seed spoilage before the cultivation period. The nearest market for them is the Umsning market which is being held once a week. At the weekly market, traders which are middle men come to purchase their crop at rates of 1,100 – 1,200 rupees per 40 kgs which is a standard unit of weight being applied in terms of ginger and turmeric in the whole area. However, when they feel that a better price is available at Iewduh market in Shillong or when there is a need to go Shillong for personal work, they carry along the ginger which fetched them a price of around 1,500 – 1,600 per 40 kgs. From there the team moved to Sohpdok village which is approximately 5 kms from Umsning. Here we interacted with the headman of the village and around 15 farmers in the processing unit which is next to the SSA school premises and found out that the ginger cultivation was enlarge by the intervention and help of RRTC, Umran. There are 3 driers, 2 slicers and 1 pulveriser at the processing unit which is not yet functional as they have just received the machines from North Eastern Hill University. The problems and practices regarding the cultivation practices are the same as the ones which have been described above. However, the people said that they rate of ginger that they sell at the village when traders come to collect from the village is around 900 – 1,000 rupees per 40 kgs. The last visit for the day was at Regional Resource Training Centre (RRTC) Umran, which is run by the Catholic Church and presently headed by Father James. The center spans around 400 acres campus and facilitates in imparting training to various livelihood and entrepreneurship program and one of the main activities is the food processing centre which includes turmeric and ginger processing. The ginger after undergoing a series of treatment which includes peeling, trimming, weighing, washing, and processing by boiling with citric acid is then mildly dried and mixed with fine sugar in specific proportions and then properly dried and added with sugar to add as topping. You read "Research on Ginger in Meghalaya" in category "Essay examples" It is then packed and labeled as Ginger Candy. The ginger candy is retailed at an MRP of 35 rupees for 100gms. When asked about the costing, the staff who is taking care of the processing unit said that the whole cost of labour and various activities from start to finish is around 120 – 150 rupees/kg, while the retail cost is 350 rupees/kg thus making a profit of 200 rupees/kg. The ginger is also converted into powder form firstly dipping the dried ginger in Sodium Carbonate solution to increase the shelf life of the product and then grind to powder and packed. The same goes for turmeric which is simply grind into powder form and retailed at the stores. Their main area of concern is marketing, which they say they have a limited penetration to the market through their retail outlet next to the national highway and some retail shops in and around Shillong. 13th February 2013 The team left for Nongpoh and along with the existing ERPs of MBDA went to Umkon village which is 23 kms away from it. Here we interacted with just around 5 farmers as there is a funeral in the village. Almost each and every ousehold practice ginger cultivation in large scale and turmeric cultivation for their own consumption on a lower scale. Almost all of the households exceed 500 kgs of ginger production in a year with some of them going up to 3 or 4 tonnes. The main market is at Umden in which the price of the ginger is around 1,000 rupees/40 kgs while the seed is being sold at 35 rupees/kg. The seed is being sold among the farmers from nearby areas and new farmers wh ile the raw ginger is being bought by middlemen and commission agents who then supply either to Guwahati or Kolkata directly. The main areas of concern for the farmers is again the same issue of their inability and lack of knowledge how to tackle diseases such as stem and root rot. However, they shared their success story of how ginger cultivation has improved the general living conditions in and around the area. There is no value added activity for the ginger being produced in the area. Then at around 4 pm we left for Byrnihat to visit the North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation Ltd (NERAMAC). There is a processing plant to extract ginger oil from fresh or raw ginger. The plant capacity is around 3 to 5 tonnes per day, yielding 1. 5 liters of oil which retails at 7000 – 9000 rupees/liter. The major problem that they are facing is the availability of raw ginger as most of the ginger which is produced within the region is being sold to middlemen at a higher rate. 14th February 2013 The team left Shillong at around 8 AM for the turmeric belt of West Jaintia Hills District. We stationed at CTC hotel and then under the supervision of Mr Lyngdoh, a horticulture officer with the Govt. of Meghalaya, proceeded to Wahiajer village where we interacted with 2 farmers, one farmer just started the ginger cultivation activity since he saw that there is a market and the soil is very good for ginger to grow, so keeping in mind of the above factors he started cultivating ginger and after harvesting the produce, decided not to sell any of it but to keep it as seed for the next year. When we arrived there we interacted with him and asked him to show us the place where the seed is being store and when he dug up some of the seed, even though the ginger quality and size is good, it was found that the whole ginger is moist and wet and infected with fungus, budding has also begun to take place. He said that he has received no training on how to cultivate, harvest and store the ginger so he is not aware of what procedures and process to follow. Then we told him to take out the whole lot of ginger stored there and to dry it in the shade and treat it with organic chemicals which might be available at the horticulture office in the block. Being a starter in the activity he is unaware of the whole system, except the price that he might get if he is to sell the product at the local market. He also practices slash and burn cultivation like the rest of the farmers are doing in the whole area. We then met with another farmer who has been practicing the ginger cultivation activity for quite some years but he confessed that he is quite disheartened with the activity as there is no help from the government side in monetary terms nor in training facilities, so he is contemplating of shifting his cultivation activity from ginger to that of tomato as there is a better market currently prevailing in the whole area. The horticulture department is also neglecting the ginger farmers in the area while promoting that of the tomato. We then proceed to Laskein grinding and processing centre which has a Federation comprising of 9 clusters, 30 villages and around 100 SHGs. The Unit was set up in 2007 with the objective of improving livelihood and income within the area. The processing unit was set up with the help of MRDS which also helps in the training of man power as well as marketing activities. The unit is well equipped with Dryers, Slicers, Pulverisers and for the first time this year an Oil extractor machine is being set up which will be functional from this year onwards, the staffs also are yet to get training how to utilize the machine. The steps in the processing of ginger in the unit here are as follows: WASHING BOILING SLICING DRYING GRINDING PACKAGING The production of turmeric powder last year was around 3 tonnes and this year they aimed at a higher quantity. Each and every cluster of villages which falls under the association have a commitment to bring the produce of raw turmeric to the processing centre and the Federation buys it at a rate of 30 rupees/kg, when the turmeric is being sold in powder form at 250 rupees/kg as of last year, 230 rupees is being given back to the farmer and 20 rupees is being kept by the federation. The packaging is done in quantities of 1/4th kg, ? kg and 1 kg for the local market while it is packed in gunny bags of 40 kgs each for the lot which is supposed to be transported to Guwahati. 15th February 2013 The team accompanied by Mr Remi from MRDS went to Umsalait village which falls under Iakitlang cluster, comprising of two villages, Umsalait and Umsaroo which has 245 and 70 households respectively. There are 6 SHGs in the cluster, out of which 5 groups consist of women and 1 group that of men. The team interacted with around 30 farmers and learnt that they have been practicing the cultivation of turmeric from generation which they inherited from their forefathers but increased the activity to a larger scale as soon as they see that there is a market and it contributes to the generation of income activity. The problems faced by the farmers are almost the same throughout the state in which the major issues are that of diseases and not knowing how to tackle them. They are quite grateful to MRDS which helped them in imparting knowledge and funds even if it’s in small mount, the intervention has helped them to increase their income for a better living conditions. 16th February 2013 The team visited Mr W. Nongspung processing centre situated at Laitkor which is roughly 12 kms from Shillong. Mr Nongspung took advantage of the PMEGP scheme from DIC, Shillong and set up his processing centre there. However, fewer spices products are being processed at his unit since he only supply dry turmeric to a company in Guwahati known as Amalgamated Plantations, located at Christian Basti on a commission basis. His commission stands at 20 rupees/kg. He supplies around 30 tonnes of dry turmeric in a year and the company financed the money entirely in advance. Owing to this, he processed dry turmeric at a very less amount. He then started processing fruit juices such as star fruit, cherry as well as pickling of ginger, radish, chillies and bamboo shoots. His products have Organic tags along with them, while there is no proof of paper work that his products are organic certified. He sources the packaging materials from Industrial estate in Guwahati and get the label locally printed in Shillong. According to him, the major difficulty he is facing is that he doesn’t know how to market his products in a big way and he has no idea about branding at all OBSERVATIONS Below are the few parameters of observation prevailing in the production areas where the team has visited a) AREA AND PRODUCTION Most of the households in the villages which fall under the area that we have visited do not have a fair idea of the size of their respective plot under ginger and turmeric cultivation. From the conversation that we had we could make out that the minimum area of cultivation per family is around 1 acre up to 4 to 5 hectares. As far as production is concerned, the quantity that each household produces ranges from 750 kg to 5 tonnes. b) LAND USE The land that is used is normally rotational and at times shifting and bun cultivation is a normal practice which is traditional in nature. The area to be cultivated is first covered with the soil on top of the leaves and then slowly burned and often left overnight so as to soften the soil in the ploughing process thus easing the tilling process. This practice also helps in sterilization of the soil. The agricultural land is mostly owned and controlled by individual farmers and some of them have been leased by people who are not engaged in agricultural activities who are mostly traders or government servants or who have migrated from the village on a nominal fee or in exchange for the products the cultivate. ) LAND PREPARATION Ginger and turmeric is normally cultivated in slopes and terrains under the shade of some trees. The land is normally not ploughed but just holed and dug up to 6 to 7 inches for the seed to be buried inside. Very few farmers added manure of animal dung to the crop while the rest just leave it as it is. There are no proper irrigation facilities to retain the water content during the rainy season, th us leaving the crop to absorb as much water as ossible during the rainy season and dried throughout the rest of the months. d) SELECTION OF SEED After the harvest is done, rhizomes which are large, healthy, free from any injury spots and more buds are selected to be stored as seed. The seeds in the case of turmeric are simply stored under the shade above the ground and normally very few infections would occur on turmeric seed, whereas in the case of ginger it is more complicated as the seed is normally infected with fungus and budding usually takes place before the sowing season. The method of storage is traditional in practice as the seed is stored under a pit dug below the ground and simply covered with a thin layer of soil thus attracting moisture and fungus to infect the seed. There are many cases in which farmers have complained that the seed gets spoiled before the sowing season starts. e) PLANTING Planting is usually done in the month of April to May just at the start of the rain. The rhizomes are planted in about 6 inches apart from each other and 6 to 8 inches deep and then covered with soil. During plantation the rhizomes are broken and make sure that they at least have 4 to 6 budding sprouts. The turmeric and ginger is normally cultivated along some other vegetables in the field such as beans, maize and pumpkin. f) HARVEST The harvest is done in when the crop attains maturity, the sign given by the death of the stem and leaves. It usually starts from early November and goes till the end of January. The seed is normally left till end of February to attain maximum maturity. Farmers also sometimes look at the market demand and when they know that there is a demand for the product in the market, they normally harvest the crop as and when required. ) MARKETING The marketing of ginger and turmeric usually happens in weekly local markets which are near to the villages and sometimes at Iewduh, in Shillong. Commission agents, middle men and traders purchase the products at a wholesale rate from local markets and then sort out and grade the lot according to the quality and packed them in gunny bags to be transported outside the state. In case of turmeric, trade happens mostly as a dry material in the form of slices or in powder, whereas in case of ginger trade happens at the raw or fresh ginger state. Thus we can see that the middlemen control the market of ginger and turmeric in the whole state. h) COSTING 1) Cultivation-(umsalait) For 1 hectare land, they need around 10 people for 60 days and labour cost is Rs 200/day. (a) Labour 10 x 60 = 600 (b) Labour Cost 600 x 200 = Rs 1,20,000 (c) Seed Cost Rs 30 x 2000kg = Rs Rs 60,000 ————————————————————————– DIRECT TOTAL COST = Rs 1, 80,000 The production from 2000kg seed is around 5 tonnes. And the cost of raw turmeric is Rs 30/kg PRODUCTION OUTPUT= 30 x 5000 = Rs 1, 50,000 Therefore we can see that the expenditure exceeds sale, thus instead of benefitting from the agricultural activity, the farmers are suffering losses, which they cannot understand as there is no costing method being followed. 2) Processing-(laskein) Cost of raw turmeric is Rs 30/kg. if 100kg is taken for processing, then cost of procuring raw turmeric will be Rs 3000. kg of raw turmeric when dried will produce only 1kg. Therefore 100kg will produce 17kg of dried turmeric. a) Cost of dried turmeric = 3000 / 17kg = Rs 176/kg b) Other Indirect Cost = Rs 100/kg (sorting, washing, drying, slicing, grinding, packaging, transportation, electricity bills and other miscellaneous fee) ___________________________________________________________ TOTAL COST PER KG = Rs 276 SELLING PRICE OF 1kg POWDERED TURMERIC = Rs 250 Thus over here we can also see expenditure exceeds sale which results in a loss for the farmers. From the above analysis, it can be concluded that there is a need to reduce the DIRECT COST and to increase the Seed to Production Output in order to generate higher revenue. Interventions like introduction of power tillers, is not feasible because the cultivated areas are located in far away terrain and slopes, which are not motorable. ORGANIC PRACTICES AND SCOPE OF CERTIFICATION As the method of cultivation in the whole state is mostly organic in nature and with the awareness on importance of organic certification that organic products fetches a premium price in the market, there is a need to promote and to create awareness among the farmers to opt for organic certification so as to increase their income from selling their products. While discussing with various farmers, it is found out that organic farming, although practiced, is mostly done using traditional methods which consist mainly of slash and burn and composting. However, the â€Å"slash and burn† method is not considered as organic method because it kills the microbes which fertilize the field. Also, they have no access or awareness about organic pesticides like Trichogramma which is available from the State Biological Control Laboratory in Shillong. And Trichoderma which is use mainly for Ginger and Turmeric is still in the testing stage and will be available shortly. Some of the reasons that the farmers have not under gone organic certifications are mentioned below- 1) No awareness about organic certifications and its potential. ) The farmers have not received any training methods regarding organic farming. 3) They are also not aware of the market and its demand for organic products. 4) The certification process is quite long which takes up to three years. On top of that, the certificate has to be renewed every year. 5) It is also quite expensive. PROBLEMS FACED BY THE FARMERS/ PRODUCERS AT PRODUCTION LEVEL 1) Low yield of the horti cultural crops in which the ratio is 1:2. ) Prevalence of bacterial and fungal infections which affect both stem rot as well as root rot 3) Unsuitable farming practices with poor drainage system to retain water 4) Very seldom crop rotation to replenish soil nutrients 5) Jhum cultivation in which the soil microorganisms died in the process 6) No organic manure is being given to the crops 7) There is no treatment of the seed before sowing 8) There is no capacity building measures being taken to tackle infections and other diseases. POST HARVESTING AND PROCESSING ASPECTS 1) 99% of the farmers sell ginger as a raw produce while turmeric is often converted to dry slices or at times into powder form but at a lower scale. 2) The market is being dominated by the middle men 3) There is no system of grading the ginger based on size and quality 4) The seed to be stored is not harvested at the right time so as it is mature enough to resist spoilage and not properly dried to resist fungal infection 5) Lack of knowledge and training how to store the seed ) Lack of knowledge regarding value addition activities which will fetch a premium price 7) Lack of appropriate technology and infrastructure in many aspects of modern storage. SUGGESTIONS FOR TRAINING/MBDA INTERVENTION CULTIVATION LEVEL 1) Treatment of the seed with organic chemicals such as Trichoderma, one day before sowing to control any seed infection later on. 2) Use of organic compost manure to increase the yield and productivity 3) Proper inter-culture activities f rom month to month ) Digging of horizontal drain-like pit of about ? ft depth perpendicular to the cultivation rows in terrain areas for water and manure retention. 5) Training in capacity building measures to tackle infections and diseases of both root and stem. 6) Practicing rotation cultivation of turmeric and ginger with leguminous plants on a yearly basis to replenish the nitrogen content of the soil 7) The seed which has to be stored needs to be harvested when it has matured. POST HARVESTING ) Grading and segregating the harvest if needed 2) Proper drying of the seed for a week under the shade to avoid moisture content in order to prevent fungus infection during storage. 3) Modern method of storage to maintain the health and freshness of the seed, by digging a hole up to 1 ? ft deep inside the ground and covered with lumps of soil up to 1 ft height and then plaster with a thin layer of wet mud to prevent entry of moisture. 4) Costing method should be taught. 5) Record keeping and internal assessment. ) Awareness of the importance of value addition process post harvesting. 7) Exposure visit. 8) The officers at various levels in District headquarters should play a pro-active role in imparting training and looking at various aspects where there could be an intervention. CONCLUSION In both cases of Turmeric and Ginger, there is hardly any value addition that is being done in the State. Middlemen control the market and influenced the fluctuation in price of both these items. In the case of Ginger alone, except for a meager percentage which gets converted into Ginger Candy at Regional Resource Training Centre (RRTC), Umran and North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation Ltd (NERAMAC), Byrnihat, there is no other value addition activity being practiced in the State. The whole amount of raw ginger is being packed into sacks of gunny bags of 40kgs and transported directly to Guwahati and Kolkata, thus we are deprived of the real value of what ginger could have fetched if proper knowledge, skills and machineries are being set up for value addition activities within the state. Whereas in terms of Turmeric, people are more aware of the better price which powder turmeric fetches in the market. Beside few turmeric processing units at the village level which were set up by Self Help Groups (SHG) at the cluster or village level, such as one at Laskein Block in West Jaintia Hills and smaller individual Grinding units at Shangpung and Laitkor, there are many small entrepreneurs who take their produce of dry turmeric to grind at any of these grinding units and sell at local markets as well as in the main market, Iewduh in Shillong. Of what we observed, most of the farmers involved in cultivation of turmeric and ginger, are women which comprises of around 70 percent workforce, the men are usually involve during ploughing activity which is more related to strength but as soon as the sowing season started they shifted to other kinds of works or migrated to other villages in search of work. Thus there is a lot desired and to be done in order to improve livelihood security through integration in growth value chains and market linkages in Meghalaya. ______________________________________________________________________ How to cite Research on Ginger in Meghalaya, Essays

Implementation of IT in the Architecture Free Sample for Students

Question: Discuss about the Importance of Information Technology for Business Survival. Answer: Introduction Information Technology (IT) is an integral part of the businesses in the present scenario. IT has expanded itself to a large scale and is being adapted in every sector. One of such sectors that have transformed itself with the implementation of IT is the tourism industry. The business activities that are carried out in the tourism industry have benefitted a lot with the implementation of IT in the architecture (Jadhav, 2011). The document covers the impact of IT and its associated details on the tourism industry. Need of IT IT has become a necessity in every business sector and it is required in tourism industry as well. Trip Advisor is an organization that has set up a travel web site for the users that includes the reviews of the travel related entities such as hotels, restaurants, places to visit and likewise. All the information along with the business operations that are carried out at Trip Advisor are all based upon IT. The organization has also developed its mobile application to attract more number of customers and to also allow them with the ease of usability and availability (Law, 2010). The organization will not be able to function correctly without the aid of IT as the entire functioning depends upon the IT tools and processes. The need of IT in tourism industry in organizations such as Trip Advisor is huge and cannot be ruled out. Importance of IT for Business Survival IT has turned into a need in each business division and it is required in tourism industry also. Trip Advisor is an association that has set up a travel site for the clients that incorporates the audits of the travel related elements, for example, eateries, spots to visit and moreover. All the data alongside the business operations that are completed at Trip Advisor are altogether in light of IT. The association has likewise built up its versatile application to draw in more number of clients and to likewise permit them without any complexities. The association won't have the capacity to work effectively without the guide of IT as the whole working relies on the IT apparatuses and forms. Tourism industry in the present scenario is therefore necessary for the survival of business (Balandin, 2014) Components of IT to be applied in Trip Advisor There are various components of IT that are required in the functioning of tourism industry and in the organizations such as Trip Advisor. There are several information systems that are automated in nature that are being used in Trip Advisor and are very essential for its functioning. Sales management systems are one of the information systems that play a significant role in the functioning of the business organizations to keep a track of the sales processes in an automated manner. There are also order processing and transaction processing systems that play an important role to keep a track of all the transactions associated with the booking of orders, posting of reviews and likewise (Kounavis, 2012). Trip Advisor has its web site and mobile application that acts as an interface between the users and the business side of the organization. The design and development of these portals has been done with the aid of IT tools and processes. The mobile application of Trip Advisor is synced with the social media accounts that allow the users to connect with their respective accounts with just a click of a button. There is a lot of data and information that is exchanged between the entities through the web site and mobile application that involves end users, third parties, agents and many more. This information is captured and analyzed with the use of IT tools to understand the patterns and statistics that are associated with the organization. IT tools also enable the organization to gain a competitive edge in the market by designing the strategies and methodologies as per the results that are provided after the analysis of the information (main, 2015). Planning and estimation of cost, time and effort has become a necessity in every business organization. The case is the same with Trip Advisor as well. It is extremely essential to carry out detailed planning along with the correct estimation of cost and budget in order to make sure that the risks that are associated with the budget and schedule overrun are avoided. There are also many third parties that are associated with Trip Advisor such as hotels, transport agencies, end users and many more. It is essential to design the requirements and specifications serving the needs of all the third parties (Borensik, 2010). Use of IT Trip Advisor makes use of IT in all of its business activities and operations. For the external entities such as the customers and the suppliers, the organization has made available its web site and mobile application to allow the users to involve with the organization and carry out several activities. The organization also has a strong social media presence which allows the users to connect with the other entities with much ease. Social media integration has been enabled with the aid of IT (Mills and Douglas, 2016). The application of IT has been immense internally in the organization as well. Trip Advisor makes use of IT in several areas such as technical, operational and managerial activities. There is a number of automated information systems that the organization makes use of in order to make sure that the entire functioning is carried out easily. Benefits and Advantages of IT There are numerous benefits and advantages that IT has brought to Trip Advisor along with similar organizations in the tourism industry. The sales and revenues have improved as IT allows the organization to provide non-stop and high quality services to the customers. Also, there are innovative offerings provided to the clients at regular intervals (Allen, 2013). Customer engagement along with customer trust and satisfaction has improved with the aid of IT as there is a transparency maintained between the end users and the business systems. Management of data and information that is associated with the organization is made easy and convenient in order to store it safely. Employee satisfaction has also improved as IT allows the employees to carry out only the functions and activities that are absolutely necessary (Fazlollahtabar, 2008). Risks due to IT There have been a number of risks that have emerged because of the use and implementation of IT at Trip Advisor. Some of these risks have been summarized below. All the business activities at Trip Advisor are carried out with the aid of web based and cloud computing services. These operations and activities are exposed to numerous malware attacks that may cause varying degree of impact. There are a lot many network attacks that can be executed by the malevolent entities to hamper the security and privacy of information. Some of these network security attacks include man in the middle attack, IP spoofing and many more. There are also impersonations and phishing attacks that are executed that not only impact the confidentiality and privacy of the information but also cause great damage to the users that are impacted. A number of availability attacks such as denial and distributed denial of service attacks are executed on the information and activities that are associated with Trip Advisor. Maintenance and Monitoring of IT It is necessary for Trip Advisor to understand and estimate the need of IT in its business activities and operations. The extent of IT and its level of implementation need to be understood in order to find out the applicable set of IT tools and processes in the organization. There are a number of evaluation methods and processes that can be carried out for monitoring IT in the organization. It would be necessary for the management to `carry out evaluation methods and processes to make sure that the application of IT is relevant (Yukalov and Sornette, 2015). There shall also be reviews and audits that shall be carried out in the organization to understand the behavior of IT in the organization along with the benefits and damage that it may cause. Conclusion The business activities that are carried out in the tourism industry have benefitted a lot with the implementation of IT in the architecture. Trip Advisor is an organization that has set up a travel web site for the users that includes the reviews of the travel related entities such as hotels, restaurants, places to visit and likewise. All the information along with the business operations that are carried out at Trip Advisor are all based upon IT. The organization has also developed its mobile application to attract more number of customers and to also allow them with the ease of usability and availability. There are several information systems that are automated in nature that are being used in Trip Advisor and are very essential for its functioning such as Sales Management Systems, Order Processing Systems, Transaction Management Systems and many more. References Allen, D. (2013). Information technology for management: improving quality and productivity. International Journal of Information Management, 17(3), pp.235-236. Balandin, S. (2014). The Role of ICT in Tourism Industry. [online] Available at: https://fruct.org/publications/abstract13/files/Bal.pdf [Accessed 25 May 2017]. Borsenik, F. (2010). Hospitality Technology in the 21 St Century. Journal of Hospitality Tourism Research, 17(1), pp.259-269. Fazlollahtabar, H. (2008). Applying Multiple-Criteria Decision Making methods for developing Information Technology industry. International Journal of Information and Decision Sciences, 1(1), p.115. Jadhav, V. (2011). Information technology in Tourism. [online] Available at: https://ijcsit.com/docs/Volume%202/vol2issue6/ijcsit2011020666.pdf [Accessed 25 May 2017]. Kounavis, C. (2012). Enhancing the Tourism Experience through Mobile Augmented Reality: Challenges and Prospects.. [online] Available at: https://cdn.intechopen.com/pdfs/38051/InTechEnhancing_the_tourism_experience_through_mobile_augmented_reality_challenges_and_prospects.pdf [Accessed 25 May 2017]. Law, R. (2010). Information Technology Applications in Hospitality and Tourism: A Review of Publications from 2005 to 2007. [online] Available at: https://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/12149/2/1Rob_Law,_1Rosanna_Leung,_and_2Dimitrios_Buhalis_Publications_from_2005_to_2007_paper_JTTM.pdf [Accessed 25 May 2017]. Main, H. (2015). The Expansion of Technology in Small and Medium Hospitality Enterprises With a Focus on Net Technology. Information Technology Tourism, 4(3), pp.167-174. Mills, J. and Douglas, A. (2016). Ten Information Technology Trends Driving the Course of Hospitality and Tourism Higher Education. Journal of Hospitality Tourism Education, 16(4), pp.21-33. Yukalov, V. and Sornette, D. (2015). Role of Information in Decision Making of Social Agents. International Journal of Information Technology Decision Making, 14(05), pp.1129-1166.

House On Mango Street Essays (994 words) - Chicano Literature

House On Mango Street As a young girl, Esperanza is a young girl who looks at life from experience of living in poverty, where many do not question their experience. She is a shy, but very bright girl. She dreams of the perfect home, with beautiful flowers and a room for everyone. When she moves to the house of Mango Street, reality is so different than the dream. In this story, hope (Esperanza) sustains tragedy. The house she dreamed of was another on. It was one of her own. One where she did not have to share a bedroom with everyone. That included her mother, father and two siblings. The run down tiny house has "bricks crumbling in places". The one she dreamed of had a great big yard, trees and 'grass growing without a fence'. She did not want to abandon where she came from, but she knew she wanted to be free of everything that life on Mango Street brought. "They will not know I have gone away to come back. For the ones I have left behind". She is committed to her roots on Mango Street. We witness Esperanza blossoming from a innocent, shy girl to one who witnesses much, but all of this makes her strong and clear about her desires for her life. What she sees is the male domination (machismo), violence and rape. The violence in the home was ordinary to those that lived there and Esperanza knew this. It didn't make Sally stronger. Sally is abused by her father "He never hit me hard", as her mom tends to her wounds. Sally eventually leaves home and gets married at a young age. She ends being abused, instead by the fist, by mind control. Her new husband treats her like a prisoner in her home. "She sits at become afraid to go outside". The leave home, she would need permission. She evolves from a victim of child abuse to a slave-like wife. Esperanza sees this despair throughout her story. In "My Name, "She looked out the window her whole life, they way so many women sit, with their sadness on an elbow". Abuse to Rafaela, again subtle because she does not go out, in fear of husband. Poverty on Loomis, Keeler and Paulina; poverty is a way of life. The impact is for all generations, the parents who cannot get out, the children that see it and the little ones who cannot know any better. The opportunities are limited in the barrio. Esperanza was embarrassed when she pointed to her house "there". "There?", as if there was no place for a girl to live. But survival is instinctive and there is a certain amount of barrio pride "Those who don't know any better come into our neighborhood scared. They think we are dangerous. They think we will attack them with shiny knives. They are stupid people who are lost and got here by mistake." The victim of being called a "rice sandwich". Hurt by the sister superior as she points to a row of ugly houses reminding Esperanza of the sin of being poor. Machismo is something seen in the domestic situations throughout Hispanic people. The violence, the subservience that is expected and the men believe the women are second and are second class citizens. There role is to be domestic housekeepers and to birth children. Alicia makes tortillas for her father. When Esperanza is raped, she is again taught of the power of (some) men. But throughout her growth Esperanza gets very clear that she will not live as those around she sees. She wants independence. She knew getting out would help her achieve her dreams. She was motivated but everything she experiences. She learns about trust when Sally told her the circus would be fun, only to be raped. Her shyness (eating alone in the company lunchroom), and about being gullible. In Cathy Queen of hearts, Cathy says, "father will have to fly France and find her cousin and inherit the house." She believes that everything will be good. But she feels incredibly stupid for not for not knowing better. But she does learn. When she learns that the box, is a music box. She is ashamed for not knowing. Despite all this, she knows enough to know that a better life is the live she will create. She sees herself as scrawny and unattractive. "Skinny necks and pointed elbows like mine... don't belong here, but are here". But the metaphor for the tress, she will grow despite

Shia-Sunni Paper Essays

Shia-Sunni Paper Essays Shia-Sunni Paper Essay Shia-Sunni Paper Essay Shi’a-Sunni relations during and after the reign of Saddam Hussein SOC 300-Sociology of Developing Countries April 24, 2011 Discuss the effects of Saddam Hussein’s government on Shi’a-Sunni relations in Iraq. The Sunni, Shi’a conflict in Iraq (and other parts of the Muslim world) started long before the reign of Saddam Hussein in Iraq, but when Saddam became Prime Minister of the country the conflict between the two religious sects was taken to a new level. As soon as Hussein gained full power, under his control, began years and years of persecution of the Shi’a Muslims in the country. With Saddams newly gained power, he had the full support of the Sunni’s, supporting his long standing hatred of the Shi’a. He then set out to show the nation who was ultimately in control and to rid the nation of any opposition. Shi’ites were persecuted under the Ba’ath party rule. Many Shi’a religious traditions were banned throughout the country, such as the Shi’a Ashoura religious festival, stating â€Å"the last thing he wanted was that many Shi’as together† (www. associatedcontent. com). It is said that every Shia clerical family of note in Iraq had tales of torture and murder to recount. (www. wikipedia. rg) from the years 1979- 1983. Under Saddam’s regime, 48 Shi’a clerics were executed, in Iraq. During his reign, Saddam mercilessly persecuted, tortured and executed several Shi’a leaders and followers alike (www. associatedcontent. com). After the United States beat Iraq in the Gulf War (1990-1991) th e persecution intensified (Handleman, 2011). Saddam believed that the United States under George W. Bush called the Iraqi people to overthrow Hussein and that the United States would support any uprising of the people to overthrow him. This primarily meant the Shi’a in the southern part of the country and the Kurds in the northern part. When U. S. assistance failed to materialize, Shi’a towns all throughout the south were leveled and thousands of Shi’a people massacred. What effect did Saddam’s fall from power have on relations between these two religious communities? After the relentless persecution and torture of the Shi’ites under Saddam’s rule, the Shi’a reveled in his fall from power in 2003. America took down Saddam’s ever ruling Ba’ath party and at the time had the support of the Shi’ites. They favored a peaceful negotiation with the occupying authorities, meanwhile anticipating the new country they would eventually rule. Within a year after Saddam’s fall from power, the Sunni’s were almost waging a full scale war against the Shi’ites. They were using primarily roadside bombs and suicide bombings, directed at major sites throughout crowded Shi’a neighborhoods. This was the start of the Sunni insurgency, 2003. As it stands, this is some of the worst Shi’a-Sunni strife that has ever occurred, since the U. S. invasion of Iraq, it has built up steadily since then and to present, this Sunni-Shi’a revenge cycle, where suicide bombings are often used by the Sunni, the Shi’a favors death squads. On the Shi’a side the militia dominated government death squads were reportedly torturing to death, or executing â€Å"hundreds of Sunni’s† every month in Baghdad alone (www. wikipedia. org). According the BBC, from 2005 to present, the commandos of the Ministry of Interior are controlled by the Badr Organization, the military wing of The Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC) and are almost exclusively Shi’a Muslims and have been implicated in killing thousands of Sunni citizens (www. wikipedia. org). What do you feel is likely to happen to Shi’a-Sunni relations after the U. S. and allied troops withdrew from Iraq? When the U. S. completely withdraws from Iraq the Shi’a-Sunni relations, as they stand currently, will continue to deteriorate. The U. S. supported Shi’ites are in place, politically now, but once the U. S. withdraws more civil unrest will rage between the two sects and although the Shi’ite Muslims (around 65% of the population) outnumber the Sunni Muslims (around 32% of the population), I believe it will be a war of who has the strongest backers (for arms, supplies,etc), being other Muslim nations, Al Qaeda, etc. The country will continue to grow more and more unstable and the unrest will continue to escalate. Ultimately who ends up in control, is anyone’s guess. The nation of Iraq could ultimately end up with another leader like Saddam Hussein, or worse. The current Prime Minister al-Maliki is trying to create a stable government based on sectarian aspirations but his level of success as a ruler will ultimately determine whether Iraq is even capable of having a peaceful future (Handleman 2011). References Handleman, Howard (2011). The Challenge of Third World Development (pp. 109-113). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Saddam_hussein http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Shi%27a%E2%80%93Sunni_relations reference. com/browse/sunni newstatesman. com/world-affairs/2007/02/sunni-shia-iraq-iran-arab associatedcontent. com/article/2543561/the_shiasunni_conflict_in_iraq_pg1html? cat=37

Pose conflict situation at work place and how to resolve Essay

Pose conflict situation at work place and how to resolve - Essay Example As a function of protecting the rights of all patients involved, it is necessary to alert them as to the fact that their information may have been compromised. This is a difficult ethical position to take for any firm or group as it opens them up to a large array of legal issues with relation to the fact that the shareholders whose information has been compromised may seek legal action against the entity for not safeguarding their health records to a more adequate and appropriate degree (Polito, 2012). However, it is nonetheless the only rational and ethical approach that can be taken to ensure that the shareholders are made aware of the release of information and that the firm or group is working to the best of it’s abilities to remedy to the situation and provide all resources to the investigation entities as a means of bringing the culprits to justice. In order to maximize a type of win-win situation, the group/firm/or entity can regularly follow up with the shareholders to show them that they have taken their privacy seriously and have not merely forgotten about the issue. This will instill a further level of trust that has doubtless been lost as a result of the privacy

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