Global Organizations and Nation States Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Global Organizations and Nation States - Essay Example This essay explores the main part of the neoliberal economic ideology, which forces these countries to follow free-market policies, reduce government intervention, privatization and decreasing the size of the public sector, liberalization, reducing trade barriers, elimination of subsidies, reduced protection of the domestic industries, currency devaluation, and others. Despite the fact that these policies have appeared to be working for many developed countries, evidence shows that it has been disastrous for the poor and third world countries, which actually seek a loan from IMF and World Bank. Critics of these international organizations believe that these organizations are actually Washington controlled and headed by the developed countries of the world. Important here to note is that the United States and other European countries ran out of their resources decades ago. Furthermore, their domestic markets are past the point of saturation and low population growth rates mean that th eir dream for aggressive growth cannot be fulfilled. The only possible way in which they could sustain or even continue their growth is by trying to exploit the resources of the third world countries, which are rich in natural resources but do not have the tools and the expertise to make use of them. International organizations such as International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and World Trade Organization was the clear answer. These organizations, headed and controlled by a few developed countries, allow them to force the third world and underdeveloped countries of the world to open their markets, deprotect their industries, and reduce the government intervention. Important here to note is that in case of a majority of the African and South Asian countries, these policies have never worked.

Solid Waste Management Techniques For Jalgaon City Environmental Sciences Essay

Solid Waste Management Techniques For Jalgaon City Environmental Sciences Essay Solid waste management in India has become a major environmental issue of study increasing environmental concerns and interest in material and energy conservation have lead to increasing advancement in management of solid waste over the past two decades. This paper attempts to put together available information and analyze the problem of solid waste. Proper management of solid municipal waste can play an important role in generation of social, economic and environmental benefits. This paper revolves around the urban solid waste also outlines a solid waste management in Jalgaon city. This paper discusses various future projections for estimating the growth of MSW and the impact of such growth. This paper concludes about collection, transportation and disposal of solid waste for Jalgaon city. The conclusion and recommendation will helpful in disposing of solid waste in scientific manner for Jalgaon City. Keywords: Solid waste management, Environmental issues, future projections. INTRODUCTION In last few years in Jalgaon city the increase in solid waste management plays significant role. This is because of rapid economic development and rapid increase in population in Jalgaon city. This trend is due to change in the living standards of Indian peoples, changing lifestyle and food habits. The municipal council in Jalgaon city therefore, facing the problem of reinforcing their available manpower, equipments and machineries for excellent municipal solid waste management. Solid waste management is undoubtedly an increasingly important element in terms of efficiency and profitability for any municipality, particularly in Jalgaon City. Its especially complex dimension is a result not only of the direct relationship with a number of factors that originate the living standard of a society, but also of our continuously rising consuming lifestyle which analogically enhances the existing operational difficulties. Waste collection transportation is one of the major parts of the process of solid waste management which consists of generation, collection, transportation, treatment and final disposal [3]. It is statistically proved that a major proportion of the total cost for solid waste management is spent into municipal solid waste collection transportation and disposal. Having pinpointed the economic significance of waste collection transportation and disposal, it is equally important to underline that it is also one of the most difficult operational probl ems faced by local authorities in Jalgaon city. The sheer enormity of the project dictates that well organized, well managed teams perform the necessary duties on a daily basis, in order to sustain the demanding hygienic standards that are expected by the Jalgaon citys residents. URBAN SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT Due to rapid industrialization in urban areas huge quantity of municipal solid waste and e-waste is generated. During the mid seventies the per capita solid waste generated lies in between 100 to 350 gm/day for Indian cities whereas in late eighties, it ranges in between 300 to 530 gm/day. Presently the per capita solid waste and e-waste generated daily in developing country like India ranges about 150 gm in small villages to 550 gm in large town [1]. The urban population is currently about one quarter of total population. The collection of waste is tedious problem as house hold waste are thrown outside in the streets and also due to narrow lanes, the smaller vehicles to collect the waste can reach only to the selected accessible points. Hence, unskilled labours are used to sweep the narrow streets and collect the waste and garbage. Though unskilled labours rates are relatively less due to large scale manpower it is estimated that India spends five times as much on sweeping as on refuse collection[2]. Poor motivation of workers, inadequacy of supervisory and management skills at local government levels are leading causes of low productivity. The problem needs to pay attention at proper levels. The three Rs of waste management namely Reduce, Recycle and Recover. The recycling is achieved through kabaries (peoples handling waste) who goes to door to door and collect bottles, broken plastics, metals, waste papers, etc. this material is recycled for manufacturing the secondary product. 2.1 Land filling Like other cities in Jalgaon city most of the waste is used for land filling. The methods followed are not in keeping with modern practices for sanitary land filling. The municipal solid waste is directly dumped on land filling area. This dumping is normally done in depressions which are prone to flooding. Due to this surface water contamination causes due to flooding of such low laying areas and also the ground water pollution causes due to dumping of such waste. Diversion of land for waste disposal is impossible since areas with the largest concentration of solid waste would also be the areas with serious scarcity of vacant lands. This causes ill-effect on the health on the community residing nearby, causes bad odor and the community nearby liable to fear of explosion of methane gas that can accumulated at land fill sites[3], which significantly contributes to global warming. 2.2 Composting The excellent option for solid waste management is composting for urban solid waste in India [4]. The composting may be by aerobic or anaerobic decomposition. In urban solid waste in India a huge quantity of organic content and moisture is present. Conceptually, the idea of composting is appealing as it helps to recycle the nutrients back to the land. Composting process requires segregation of material which is achieved by recycling by kabadies. The composting however still remains strong option for small and medium towns. Semi-mechanized aerobic composting is suitable to reduce the waste volume in the towns. 2.3 Incineration Incineration is the most important treatment method for destruction of all high calorific and highly toxic solid waste. High temperature incineration at 12000C mineralizes all kinds of organic material in solid waste [4]. Nearly 99.99% of various compounds are destructed. Incineration serves dual purpose of reduction of toxicity and the volume of the waste which is an important consideration when the disposal of waste is finally destined for landfills. The technology for incineration is not available indigenously and import options are highly capital intensive. 2.4 Anaerobic digestion [4] For high moisture and organic content of Indian Wastes, the anaerobic digestion is another suitable option. However, there are no ready technologies for processing heterogeneous material such as urban solid waste. The existing methods are suitable to homogeneous materials. The cost of cleaning and separating mixed heterogeneous wastes are likely to be high. A good way to avoid these problems is to intercept suitable wastes at the point of generation before it is mixed with other wastes. Kitchen and vegetable market wastes are largely suited for this purpose. These wastes can be collected and treated at source, if space permits. The resulting bio-gas can be used for captive energy use such as lighting and cooking etc. few bio-gas systems are currently available to treat wastes of fruit and vegetable origin. Though currently unfeasible as a large scale option, bio-gas systems can effectively handle localized and specific wastes and contribute to environment friendly disposal of wastes. THE CASE OF JALGAON CITY The Jalgaon Municipal limit covers an area of 68.24sqkm, out of which 11.45sqkm is the old municipal limit and 56.79sqkm is the extended additional area. This indicates that the Municipal territorial jurisdiction has increased more than four times i.e. from 11.45sqkm to 68.24sqkm. The overall population density of Jalgaon city, according to 2001 census5 is 53.94 inhabitant/hectares. The population of Jalgaon city will grow from 3, 68,000 in 2001 to 8,55,821 in 2033 as per the table 1 shown below. The population of Jalgaon city will increase nearly 43% till 2033. The municipal solid waste generated in the city is 226 tons/day as shown in Table (3). TABLE (1) Population Projection [6] Method Population Projection Geometric rate of increase 2001 2006 2011 2021 2033 368000 430903 530607 693214 855821 With rapid urbanization, industrialization and population growth the municipal solid waste (MSW) which has been a problem in past has become a serious threat in recent years and the situation is going to be worst in coming years if appropriate measures are not taken immediately, keeping in view the seriousness of the issue and its linkages with the economic growth, environmental degradation and health hazards. Dumping the waste as a waste has two fold negative implications. On the other hand, it pollutes the air, water and land resulting in diseases and destruction of human habitat. Garbage collection and disposal, as SWM was known earlier, constituted an obligatory function of the municipalities and continues to be so. As per the guidelines of Honorable Supreme Court of March 1999 and Municipal Solid Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, September 2000, solid waste management system has been recognized. However, comprehensive rules at the national level came to be framed only after the Supreme Court passed orders in the public interest. The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) notified the Municipal Solid Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules in September 2000 and they are applicable to every municipal body in the country. It was mandatory for the city of Jalgaon also to revamp its SWM services, since there is a need to make substantial improvement in the SWM practices prevailing in the city to meet the standards. It was necessary to address this problem systematically by going into all aspects of the Solid Waste Management (SWM) and devise a simple but cost effective system which must ensure desired level of collection, transportation and disposal. The civic services in the city of Jalgaon are managed by Jalgaon City Municipal Corporation. Managing solid waste generated in the city collection, transportation and its safe disposal is one of the most priority area of attention for improvement of the Municipal Solid Waste Management in light of the MSW Rules 2000. Like most of the cities towns in India, this service falls short of the desired level in Jalgaon as the present systems adopted are outdated and inefficient to meet the standards (MSW Rules 2000). Lot of factors contribute to this present status, the main being lack of knowledge and improper choice of technology coupled with a lack of long term planning. Jalgaon City Municipal Corporation has initiated the process of taking correctiv e measures by implementing a new collection and transportation system along with processing and disposal system comparable to those of modern era. Figure. 1. Solid Waste Disposal Sites [5] 3.1 Existing Status of Collection and Disposal The Jalgaon City Municipal Corporation is responsible for collection, disposal and management of MSW within the city. Due to rapid urbanization and increase in population waste collection and its transportation and disposal is a challenging task to the urban local bodies. No specific land was reserved for compost depot in the sanctioned development plan of the old city limits. The waste generated is disposed in an unscientific manner. The manpower and transport system is inadequate for the waste management of the city. The solid waste generated in the city mainly consists of domestic refuse (including slum area), waste from commercial areas, vegetable and fruit markets, slaughter houses, bio-medical wastes, wastes from hotels and restaurants and industrial solid wastes [7]. The waste generation is large in the high-income groups followed by middle and low-income group. TABLE (2) Physical composition of solid waste in Jalgaon city[5] Sr. No. Physical Composition Income Groups (%) LIG MIG HIG 1 Compostable 45.0 72.2 68.0 2 Paper 4.5 4.25 5.5 3 Plastic 3.5 2.9 3.6 4 Glass 0.9 0.0 09.0 5 Metal 0.5 0.0 0.5 6 Rag 5.4 0.13 1.7 7 Earthen matter 40.0 20.3 11.4 8 Leather 0.2 0.22 0.3 The average collection efficiency for MSW in Indian Cities is about 72.5% and around 70% of the cities lack adequate waste transport capacities (TERI 1998). Open dumping of garbage facilitates the breeding for disease vectors such flies, mosquitoes, cockroaches, rats and other pests (CPCB 2000) FUTURE SCENARIO Waste generation and its impacts in India, the amount of waste generated per capita is estimated to increase at a rate of 1% 1.33% annually [8]. The calculated value of per capita waste generation in 1997 is 0.468 kg. It is estimated that the total waste quantity generated in 2047 would be approximately above 260 million tones more than five times the present level. Generation of waste in Jalgaon City The Jalgaon Municipal area is subdivided in 16 health units for collection and transportation of waste. The average per capita waste generation is 0.491kg/capita/day [12]. The amount of waste generated is about 226 tons per day as shown in Table (3). Proposed Technological Inventions Jalgaon city has lagged behind in terms of adopting technologies for solid waste management. In particular, collection, treatment and disposal of waste require urgent consideration. Collection of waste The preferred option would be to revamp the existing collection service structure to provide community with waste bins, conveniently placed for the people to deposit domestic waste, and door to door collection of waste [9]. Solid waste treatment and disposal techniques Disposal is a no alternative option because it is the last functional element in the solid waste management system and ultimate fate of all waste that are of no further value. Proper segregation of waste would lead to better options and opportunities for its scientific disposal [10]. Recyclable for example, could be straightway transported to recycling units, which, in turn, would pay the corporation for it, thereby increasing their income. Finally, the inert material that will be required to be sent to landfill would be of much lower quantity compared to un-segregated waste, consequently increasing the life of our existing disposal facilities. Segregation should be done into following ways for Jalgaon city, Wet organic matter Composting Dry organic matter Fuel bricks Plastic items Recycling Construction waste Paving blocks Scrap materials Recycling Inert other materials Land filling Strategic Planning (Flow Diagram) For SWM For Jalgaon City Dry Organic Matter Plastic Items Construction Waste Scrap Materials Inert and other Building Materials Wet Organic Matter Composting Fuel Bricks Recycling Paving Blocks Recycling Land filling Segregation Waste Disposal Site TS- 1 TS- 1 TS- 1 TS- 1 HU-2 HU-12 HU-13 HU-14 HU-1 HU-3 HU-4 HU-16 HU-5 HU-6 HU-7 HU-8 HU-9 HU-10 HU-11 HU-15 Figure 2. Strategic Planning (Flow Diagram) For SWM For Jalgaon City Solid Waste Collection, Transportation Model for Jalgaon City Collection Home to Home Collection Mechanical Road Swiping Manual Road Swiping Bulk Generator Litter Bins Transfer Station (Compactor) Transportation Processing and Disposal Processing Unit Segregation Wet Organic Matter Wet Organic Matter Dry Organic Matter Plastic Items Construction Waste Scrap Material Inert and other Building Material Fuel Bricks Recycling Paving Blocks Recycling Land filling Figure 3. Solid Waste Collection, Transportation Model for Jalgaon City Composting Composting is one system which transforms the biodegradable organic material into biologically stable material and in the process reduce the organic volume of waste; to destroy pathogens, insects eggs and other unwanted organisms and weed seed that may be present in municipal solid waste and to retain the maximum nutrient (NPK) content and to produce a product that can be used to support plant growth and as soil amendment [11]. The solid waste from Jalgaon city has been found to contain on an average range of 30 to 40% biodegradable matter. Apart from it, the CN ratio of waste (i.e. 20) on average is within range required for composting i.e. 20 to 25% [11] It was estimated that depending on locality and climate 450 to 500kg of compost can be produced from 1 tons of waste. Based on above discussion it is recommended that composting can be considered as safe, economic disposal method of municipal solid waste generated from Jalgaon city. Dry organic matter may be used for preparation of fuel bricks as energy source. After segregation of solid waste recyclable items are separated out and resource can be utilized for paving blocks. Land filling Solid waste management may be used to improve natural features by raising the level of low lying land to enable it to be used for cultivation or industrial development. The percentage of inert, inorganic and non-biodegradable organic matter is present in adequate quantity in solid waste of Jalgaon city and as for as this quantity is concerned the use of sanitary land filling seems alternative to use as means of disposal land filling method is cheapest method of refuse disposal. TABLE (3) Total Waste Generation for Jalgaon City [5] Health Unit Nature of Generators And Expected Quantity in Kilograms 0.491 / Capita / Day Residents Families Commercial Property Hotels Road Sweeping Debris Nos Quantity of Waste Generated in Kg Nos Quantity of Waste Generated in Kg Nos Quantity of Waste Generated in Kg Length of the Road in Km Quantity of Waste Generated in Kg 1 7555 14221 22 5.87 4 72.28 21.37 1942.11 2 7020 10377 265 70.76 10 180.7 39.49 3588.85 3 5821 10474 2704 721.97 44 795.08 24.26 2204.75 4 5012 9019 4569 1219.92 45 813.15 15.6 1417.73 5 4456 8020 163 43.52 1 18.07 9.06 823.37 6 5714 10286 589 157.26 40 722.8 31.52 2864.54 7 3766 6639 1490 397.83 75 1355.25 16.81 1527.69 8 6166 11096 747 199.45 30 542.1 27.12 2464.67 9 3905 8604 379 101.19 5 90.35 22.07 2005.72 10 11565 20277 1354 361.52 18 325.26 30.62 2782.75 11 6633 11939 209 55.8 11 198.77 28.81 2618.25 12 8374 14653 372 99.32 40 722.8 34.67 3150.81 13 3430 6173 766 204.52 27 487.89 23.05 2094.78 14 10726 19307 383 102.26 9 162.63 29.23 2656.42 15 2375 3816 823 219.74 14 252.98 27.76 2522.83 16 6070 12066 144 38.45 9 162.63 38.12 3464.35 98588 176967 14979 3999.39 382 6902.74 419.56 38129.61 Total Waste Generation in Tones: 226 CONCLUSION Based on physical composition and characteristics of solid waste in Jalgaon city composting can effectively handle solid waste containing wet organic matter in Jalgaon city. For collection of solid waste door to door collection system will be effective one, vehicle. For that purpose Jalgaon city must be divided into 16 health units four transfer stations are recommended. After segregation of solid waste wet organic matter must be used for composting dry organic material to be used for for fuel bricks, plastic items, iron items, scrap material to be used for recycling pupose. Inert and other building material should be used for land filling. ACKNOWLEDGMENT The literature reviewed in this paper is the part of ongoing thesis work named Solid waste management techniques for Jalgaon city at SGB University, Amravati under the guidance of Prof. M. Iqbal. The author thanks the Principal, J. T. M. C. O. E. Faizpur, Dist- Jalgaon for extending all facilities for conducting the research work.

Ronald Reagan, Reagan by Lou Cannon Essay -- essays research papers

Cannon, Lou. Reagan. New York: Putnam, 1982. Lou Cannon has covered Ronald Reagan for thirty-six years, first as a reporter for the San Jose Mercury News, later as the White House correspondent for the Washington Post. He began with covering Reagan's first campaign for governor of California in 1966 and continued until Reagan's recent death in 2004. His other books on Reagan include Ronnie and Jesse: A Political Odyssey, Ronald Reagan: The Presidential Portfolio, President Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime, Governor Reagan: His Rise to Power, and several others. After following and working closely with Reagan, Cannon forms an obvious relationship and opinion of him. Cannon admits that he "like(s) and respect(s) Ronald Reagan while remaining skeptical that his actions will achieve the results he intends," (Cannon, 1981, 15). Cannon writes that he was at first skeptical of Reagan's abilities to perform as president; specifically with foreign policy and his economic theories. However, Cannon argues that Reagan's presidency may mirror his governorship, "he started ineptly but soon evolved into a competent governor who was willing to sacrifice ideology for political achievement," (Cannon, 1981, 15). Because this book was written during Regan's first year as president, Cannon is unable to record complete evidence to support his own theory, although he accomplishes this in his following books about President Reagan. Cannon, an obvious conservative supporter of Reagan, includes criticisms and shortcomings of Reagan as well a s praise. Cannon does not let his personal relationship skew his writings and has thus become known as Reagan's definitive biographer. Cannon's mission to provide an in depth biography of the nation's fortieth president and his ability to lead, begins by tracing Reagan's origins, his hopes and dreams, fears, achievements and failures. Cannon provides the reader with insight to Reagan's childhood and adolescent years and attempts to explain the beginnings of Reagan's motivations, optimism and determination. Cannon argues that much of Reagan's optimism, determination and political motivation spur from living through the Depression. Reagan sees the Depression as a national tragedy, not a personal one, and forever becomes enthralled with Presi... ...f Reagan's life including those listed previously. Reagan offers an insight into the former president's life and presidency prior to 1982. It is well written, providing colorful anecdotes which keep the reader's interest. The personal stories give vivid insight into Reagan's childhood, young adult life and early political career. Although intended to support the idea that Reagan was prepared and qualified for the presidency, Reagan is comprised of over four hundred pages describing Reagan as ill-equipped for the job. Cannon's overcompensation for detachment contradicts his argument that," He (Reagan) belonged in the White House. He had every right to dream heroic dreams," (Cannon, 1981, 411). Though the book is well researched and organized its evidence overwhelms its conclusion. Reference: Cannon, Lou. Reagan. New York: Putnam, 1982. Cooke, Allistair, "Reagan." Review of Reagan, by Lou Cannon. New Yorker, March 14, 1983, 148. Wilkie, Curtis, "Reagan," Review of Reagan, by Lou Cannon. New York Times Book Review, October 3, 1982.

Gap Model

Gaps Model of Service Quality Table of Contents Executive Summary3 Customer Gap4 Example of Customer Gap4 Listening Gap5 Example of Listening Gap6 Standard Design And Standard Gap7 Example of Design and Standard Gap8 Service Performance Gap9 Example of Service Performance Gap10 Communication Gap11 Example of Communication Gap12 Closing Gap12 Diagram of Gap Model of Service Quality 13 Bibliography14 Customers realize that the current system is not flawless. Companies see that providing better service quality will create and obtain the customers loyalty, continuation of business and enhance the quality of the organization.Service quality is suppose to be consistent, reliable and accountable for any business, however gaps in service quality can lead to unsatisfied customers and loss of business. The Gaps Model of Service Quality is used to fix the gaps of the service that is being provided. They include: †¢ The Customer Gap- The difference between customer’s expectations and perceptions. †¢ Gap 1 (Listening Gap) –The difference between the customers expectations of service and the companies understanding of those expectations. Gap 2 (Service Design and Standard Gap) – The difference between the company or firm understanding the customer expectation and development of customer-driven service designs and standards. †¢ Gap 3 (Service Performance Gap) – Represents the development of customer-driven service standards and the actual performance by the companies employees. †¢ Gap 4 (Communication Gap) -The difference between the service delivery and the service providers external communications. †¢ Closing Gap- Closing gaps 1-4 and keeping them closed.Real life experiences are a way to illustrate how gaps in service quality can be addressed and predetermined in every day life. Possessing too many gaps in a service that are left unnoticed or unfixed can lead to a decline in the company and the overall reputation of the business. Learning how to close the Gaps is a way to reflect the type of foundation and service quality that the business will demonstrate through services. Customer Gap The Customer Gap is critical in delivering quality service as it is the backbone of the model. The Customer Gap is the difference between customer expectations and perceptions in service quality.Customer expectations deals with what a customer believes should or will happen in the service. In order to deliver quality service the firms need to close the gap between what the customer expects and what they perceive will happen (Services, 32). Managers can find this hard to do because in some cases they are not in direct contact with the customers; rather it is their employees that are. This can be a problem because it is important to get a clear understanding of the customer’s wants and or needs to fulfill the customer’s expectations (Bianca, 1).The customer’s behavior does have an effect on the qu ality of service that they feel they are provided with as well. Example of Customer Gap An example of this would be my last trip to Applebee’s. I was not too fond of going to Applebee’s because the last time I went I expected my food to be a certain way but it did not come out that way. The staff and even the managers seemed to give me a problem because my food was not cooked to my liking. A new store opened up in Yonkers so I decided to try out the new restaurant with my family.Already having a chip on my shoulder about going was enough to make me not hungry. However their service was amazing from the minute we walked into the door to when we walked out. Everyone had a kind smile and was very attentive to my families’ special needs. They also payed close attention to my nephew who loved the attention. The food came out fast and tasted amazing and was every bit to my liking. One meal came out wrong, or not to my father’s expectation and they kindly took i t back and fixed what he wanted.Applebee was fulfilling their mission to have every customer leave happy, and the next thing we knew the manager came over with another drink as my father waited for the meal and then he brought it to the table himself and apologized. They had great deals that did not break our pockets and they did not rush us. Overall the experience was exceptional and we now make it our weekly dinner stop. Applebee’s staff changed my feelings about their restaurant. The manager devoted their time to us, and proved that the company understands the customer’s expectations as well as their perceptions of service quality.Listening Gap Gap 1 also known as the Listening Gap is the difference between the customers expectations of service and the companies understanding of the customers expectations. As stated in the customer gap another cause for this gap is because a firm is not meeting the expectations of the customers or the firm is faulted for not knowing what these unique expectations are. This again can be because the managers lack direct communication with the customer or even because they are not prepared to address the situations at hand.This is a problem because upper management or whomever is in charge can start a bad pattern of bad decision making which initially will provide bad quality service to the customers. There are four key factors that are responsible for the gap in provider gap one which includes inadequate marketing research orientation, lack of upward communication, insufficient relationship focus and inadequate service recovery. Inadequate marketing research can cause a large gap because the firm has insufficient marketing research which means that the firm does not acquire adequate information from the customers.Firms should use customer interviews or surveys to get feedback to see if they are reaching the customers expectations in order to stay closer to the customer. Lack of communication between management a nd the customers is a reoccurring problem in some firms because there is little direct communication if any on behalf of management (Service, 1). There can also be a lack of communication between the employees and management which creates havoc in the company because employees do not understand what management knows or is expecting. Firms also show lack a of relationship focus which is crucial (Services, 34-36).Keeping communication with current customers should be top priority rather then focusing only on new customers. This happens when firms worry more about new transactions then they do about the relationship with existing customers. The gap continues to widen with insufficient service recovery which is critical in provider gap 1. This happens when the firm does not take the time to listen to the customer’s complaints or when they do not make amends when something has gone wrong. Service recovery strategies are used on behalf of the firm to guarantee ways to fix the probl em or their unfulfilled promise.This is a huge problem because if the situation is not properly fixed then the gap continues to widen. Example of Listening Gap I currently have Sprint as my cell phone provider and I absolutely hate calling if there is something wrong with my bill, and I’ve only had to do it three times. When I call I get connected to the customer service department and give them all my information. From there they transfer me over to the billing department. At the billing department I have to explain myself again and then I get put on hold.Most of the time its not long but then I have to get switched to another department, then I have to explain myself all over again and the more it happens the more frustrated I get. I immediately get upset and wonder, â€Å"If I pay my service on time every month then why they can’t they provide me with the exceptional customer service that they promised? † I am a paying customer and I except not to be transfer red around and for you to solve the problem for me. It’s just that simple. Miss communication is a big problem with Sprint but if you are paying for something you want it to work right.This is a good example of Gap 1 because there are many people listening to my problem but no one can seem to help me. This does hurt my relationship with the company because if problems like this continue to happen because of miss communication it will lead me in the direction of a new cell phone service. Standard Design and Standard Gap Provider Gap 2 also known as the Service design and Standard Gap is the difference between the company or firm understanding the customer expectation and development of customer-driven service designs and standards.Most companies have a problem with this because they experience difficulty when they are translating customer expectations into quality necessities that employees would be able to understand and then be able to perform. The service design and standar ds gap include poor service design, absence of customer-driven standards and inappropriate physical evidence and servicescape. In any firm an important component of the business is to have a solid marketing strategy that everyone in the firm understands as well as maintain and presents their understand to each customer.All people involved with the company need to be on the same page working with the same concepts which are usually the customer needs and expectations or else there will be a large gap (Brown, 2). Having the same vision creates an understanding of a new service or an existing one. In order to avoid this gap it is important for the company to design a service that is developed and or improved as carefully as possible avoiding oversimplification and incompleteness.Not understanding the customer’s standards creates a situation in which the standards do not reflect the customer’s expectation then the quality of service to the customer is going to suffer. When the standards do reflect the customer’s expectations then the company will most likely do extremely well and will have a positive impact on the company. The servicescape is the way the service is delivered such as reports, signage, or equipment (Services,36-38). By effectively understanding the customer driven standard, physical evidence, and servicescape the firm will be able to close both the customer gap and Gap 2.Example of Standard Design and Standard Gap For this example of Service Design and Standard Gap the instance that I recall that affected me was a cruise that I took in the Caribbean. I had gotten sick and was sent to the ship infirmary. They had two nurses that took care of me. The only problem was an hour later a new shift of nurses came in. The two new nurses were very different then the first two and did everything completely different. The first two nurses new that I was sick with my Diabetes but they said that they were going to take care of me and re hydra te me.The second shift thought that I was too sick and wanted to send me off the ship to a hospital. The only problem with this situation was they were not thinking in the best interest of me. They were thinking of the easiest way to get me off the ship for liability purposes. The second shift ladies kept fighting with the first shift ladies right in front me like I was not there. It made me feel very uncomfortable and scared on top of being sick. As they were fighting back and forth and from what I could hear they both had two very different ideas and different topics during their fight.It seemed to me that their vision and understanding of the rules and regulations were two very different missions. To me it seemed like their entire strategic plan was different. The worse part was they were showing this through their argument. They were all very unprofessional but the second shift didn’t seem to keep my best interest up front. My expectations were to feel comfortable and be taken care of in a quality manor. This was not done therefore to me there was a large gap in service design and the standard gap. Service Performance Gap The Service Performance Gap is the third gap in which the firm is doing well.However like any company they are going to make sure that everything is in place from systems to the people and make sure the service is being delivered to its highest. This model represents the development of customer-driven service standards and the actual performance by the company employees. The gap will widen if the service delivery falls short or the standards are not backed up by support (Service, 1). Therefore employees should get paid according to how well they are doing their job and exceed the customer’s expectations . There are many reasons why a gap could widen, and most involve the human resource department.This is by the company not hiring the right person for the job. As in they do not have good teamwork, they lack empowerment, there ’s inappropriate compensation or even inadequate technology. The customer is another factor in the service performance gap. The customer needs to play their positive role as well. Customers can negatively influence their quality of service by simply using too much of the providers time or becoming disruptive to other customers. The gap can also be because the capacity of inventory is underutilized or over utilized.For example when the company’s capacity is inadequate to handle the company will loses sales. Operating strategies such as cross training would be a way to manage the supply of the company. It is important to motivate and control the mediators to meet the company’s goals (Services, 38-39). Example of Service Performance Gap The example I have for the service performance gap is my most recent trip to A & P to get some last minute groceries. There were many factors that have influenced my decision to go to A & P rather then Stop and Shop or another marke t. The most important influence to my decision was my past experience at A & P.The last time I was there I talked to a man in the Seafood department and he took the time to talk to me about how to cook certain Seafood in a way that would be new to me. He gave me advice and also gave me recipe cards to make it easier when I got home. He took the time with me to help and explain to me the best type of fish or crab legs and really showed how well he knew his job. It was a very pleasant experience. Other factors influencing my decision were the great deals that they had, amazing actually for this week, and word of mouth from my neighbor was having a seafood night like I was.There was also explicit service that was nonpersonal and personal. For example I saw and add in the paper for this week with the sale and a few days ago the seafood worker told me about the deal and to wait. This is a great example of how gap 3 can be narrowed down with the employees being properly educated and excee ding customer service quality. Communication Gap Provider gap 4 also known as the Communication Gap is the difference between the service delivery and the service providers external communications. A large part of Gap 4 is the difference between the actual and promised service.Broken promises, over promising, and false advertisement are example of what can widen the gap. Failing to communicate with the customer and using exaggerated promises is what employees do to try and serve them to their expectations. A way to narrow the gap would be to properly communicate with the customer and educate them to be able to use the service properly(Services, 42-43). With communication come service transactions and the relationship that you build with the customer which is important in the communication gap because as an employee you are in direct communication with the customer.Pricing products at a reasonable price is also important, as well as strategizing how to keep customer expectations high by improving service delivery. Overall communicating properly with the customer and understanding their expectations should and will improve their perception. Example of Communication Gap An instance that still gets me upset to this day in which explicit service promises were exaggerated to the point where I was disappointed was for an oil change by Goodyear.I was extremely upset because when I asked how long it was going to take they told me only a half hour to 45 minutes. I waited 2 hours and they then told me that they did not have the correct funnel for the job and had to wait to get one. I was extremely pissed off because they did not have the decency to tell me what was going on. This was horrible service because it was like they kept lying to me when they said only a few more minutes. Goodyear then told me that they were sorry and then did not make me pay, however it still took up a lot of time, without any communication.I then learned that I would not go back to Goodyear be cause even though I made the appointment days earlier they did not have the supplies needed or the decency to communicate with me. Closing Gap The last gap is the closing gap where everything is put together. In order to close the customer gap all of the gaps 1-4 need to be closed and they also need to stay that way(Services, 43). It is very important to make sure that the customer is pleased with the customer service they were provided. By making sure they are satisfied with their service is a way to keep the customer coming back to continue to do business with the company. pic] Works Cited Bianca, Audra. Organizational Gap Analysis. E How. 22, November 2010. http://www. ehow. com/about_5304768_organizational-gap-analysis. html Brown, Gene, Plenert, Gerhard. Gap Analysis. Reference for Business. 21, November 2010. http://www. referenceforbusiness. com/management/Ex-Gov/Gap-Analysis. html. Service Gap Analysis. Project Tools. 21, November 2010. http://projecttools. co. uk/ProjectToo ls/Gap. htm Services Marketing, 5th Edition, by Bitner, Mary Joe and Valerie A. Zeithaml, published by McGraw Hill, 2009.

The difference between school and life

Often times, the really tools that we provide kids with, in order to heighten their educational experience, turn out to be barriers that they must suppress foremost. American writer Tom Bodett one time said, â€Å" the difference between school and life? In school, you ‘re learning a lesson and so given a trial. In life, you ‘re given a trial that teaches you a lesson. † This is the attack we must utilize when analyzing the effeteness of computing machines of computing machines on our pupils. Modern society faces the hard undertaking of supplying the following coevals with all of the technological tools necessary to derive a comprehensive instruction, even while it struggles to get the hang the implements provided. As modern society sees a displacement into digital age, schools were non left unaffected. Get downing in the early computing machines and related engineering were topographic point into school scenes. The major statement was that computing machines would supply kids with research possibilities that extended beyond the walls of a library or schoolroom. The cause of presenting engineering into the schoolroom was spear-headed by, Massachusetts Institute of Technology mathematician, Seymour Papert. Papert sought, at first, to alter the job work outing method kids used by leting them to be to the full submerged in the experience. His thoughts warranted a trail, and led 100s of schoolrooms, across the state to have computing machines. As with all enterprises, if non implemented, supported, nurtured, and tested with the uttermost attention, it will fall far short of outlooks ; this is exactly the scenario that played out in these 100s of schoolrooms across the state. Old ages after the first personal computing machines were introduced to these oasiss of cognition, bookmans set out to mensurate the betterments that were promised. their findings were less than satisfactory. Yet it was a clear defect in their execution that led computing machines to be such a dearly-won failure. With bookmans and instructors left disgruntled ; it is of import to detect why this failure happened and how to forestall it from go oning once more. A expression into the background and inspiration for presenting such engineering to schools will supply at least, a basic hypothesis for why the computing machines failed to make its expected betterment consequences. In the 1960ss Seymour Papert was laughed at when he talked about kids being able to utilize computing machines as learning instruments and sweetening of their creativeness. So who is this adult male, Professor Seymour Papert who said that utilizing computing machines could assist kids larn and socialise more amongst each other. Born February 29, 1928 in Pretoria, South Africa, Professor Seymour Papert is an MIT mathematician, computing machine scientist, and pedagogue. He is besides considered one of the innovators of unreal intelligence, every bit good as being an discoverer of the Logo scheduling linguistic communication. Papert worked as a research worker at St. John ‘s College, Cambridge, the Henri Poincare Institute at the University of Paris, the University of Geneva and the National Physical Laboratory in London before he became a research associate at MIT in 1963 where he held this place until 1967, when he so became a professor of applied math and the manager of the MI T Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, until 1981 ; he besides served as Cecil & A ; Ida Green professor of instruction at MIT from 1974-1981. [ 1 ] In 1964 Papert was asked to fall in the module at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he helped to establish the Artificial Intelligence Lab with Marvin Minsky. He so besides developed the construct for computing machine linguistic communication, LOGO, and several new thoughts for computing machines and instruction with the aid of major grants from the National Science Foundation. The LOGO linguistic communication is adopted global and has been adapted for the usage of new engineerings in Africa, Latin America, Europe and the USA. Along with Alan Kay, Papert pioneered early thoughts in the usage of computing machines by kids that would take to the development of the first construct for a laptop computing machine. In the past few old ages Papert concentrated to a great extent on working with pedagogues in Iowa, where he has sh own how to accommodate the educational usage of robotic building for immature kids and across gender lines. He became the primary influence in converting Maine Governor Angus King to boldly set up the province of Maine as the first province in the universe to encompass the one-to-one computer science with the arrangement of laptops in all 7th and eight class schoolrooms in 2002-2003. [ 2 ] With the support of President Clinton, the â€Å" Lunch Box to Laptops † provided a great chance to put Maine and its immature citizens in the place of national leading. Some believe that it is an indispensable constituent of Maine ‘s ongoing attempts to construct on a hi-tech economic system whilst others argued that the benefits of increased technological influence will non merely make kids but besides their parents. In the early 1990 ‘s President Bill Clinton had proposed a $ 2 billion plan to assist increase the entree to computing machines and the Internet in low-income vicinities and schools.2 With that being said, the President ‘s Panel on Educational engineering had argued that the federal authorities should pass at least between $ 6 billion and $ 28 billion each twelvemonth on an ambitious plan of computing machine substructure development ( for both hardware and package ) , teacher preparation, and research.5 A research was performed on pupils who used the computing machines in the schoolroom one time a hebdomad and were so given a trial by the National Assessment of Educational Progress ( NAEP ) to find if the usage of computing machines in the schoolroom had both a positive and direct accomplishment on faculty members. Now the analysis provided that the pupils did non accomplish a higher mark on the NAEP reading trial versus those pupils who did non utilize the computing mac hines in schoolrooms at all. Now one major consideration was that instructors were non decently trained nor prepared to utilize the computing machines, since those pupils of instructors who are non adequately trained to utilize them in reading direction may non execute every bit good on the NAEP reading trial as pupils whose instructors are adequately trained. Now such disbursement would assist to supplement the $ 1.25 billion in federal money that was already spent between two financial old ages ( FY ) 1997 and FY 2000 on the engineering Literacy Challenge Fund,6 which helps to supply support for new computing machines, package, and teacher preparation. Although it seemed that politicians were speedy to name for the authorities subsidies to increase the figure of computing machines in schoolrooms, there was old research on the effectivity of computing machines in bettering a kid ‘s academic accomplishment which resulted to be inconclusive at best.7 In other words, it was non clear that passing more and more revenue enhancement dollars on computing machines would hike trial tonss. The usage of computing machines in schoolrooms may non play a large adequate function in explicating reading ability. Therefore, giving big sums of federal revenue enhancement dollars to the purchases of computing machine hardware, package plans, and infinite hours of preparation for instructors, it could herd out other worthwhile educational outgos, for illustration, new text editions, the humanistic disciplines and music plans, and vocational instruction. There have been no studies that do non propose that there is no topographic point for computing machines in the schoolrooms. It does, nevertheless, demonstrate that computing machines may non hold the consequence on academic accomplishment in reading that some might anticipate, even when they are used by well-trained teachers. So was n't Papert ‘s nonsubjective carried out to the fullest? Why was the proving non relevant to computing machine? It is non surprising that people are rooted in a school ‘s construct of how learning should take topographic point resist such restructuring. What is surprising though is the logical deformation they resort to in order to carry themselves, every bit good as others, that there are more powerful nonsubjective grounds that make the transmutation about impossible. There are three major issues that were brought by, surprisingly by the schools themselves. What was stated was that the computing machine was intensive and far excessively dearly-won to give every kid in a schoolroom, when in world schools place computing machines on a little based budget, for illustration authorship utensils. In world the existent cost of buying computing machines for each kid would be between $ 200 and $ 500 and they would transcend their estimated life-time of five old ages. Secon d, it was stated that instructors would non be capable of supplying the proper cognition when it is needed to the pupils. Now if you allow pupils, of all ages, to work together so it would demo them a beginning of cognition in which if free networked computing machines fundamentally provide limitless beginnings of cognition. Last, it was said that this sort of â€Å" work † is contrary to the credence that leting computing machine usage in school would be balked at by both instructors and parents. This is merely an premise that it would be imposed on everyone else the â€Å" right manner † and it continue to be a job unless one chooses to accept this new alteration. Papert ‘s aim is merely ill-conceived and certain groups of people feel it is a waste of clip and money when it should n't be looked that manner. The computing machines that will be the polar force for alteration, will be of those outside the control of schools and outside the schools ‘ inclinat ion as to change over new thoughts into old ways. We are already hearing narratives about the influence in schoolrooms of kids whose entree to at-home computing machines and to a place acquisition civilization has given them a high degree of non merely computing machine expertness but besides of seeking cognition and criterions in what constitutes a serious rational undertaking. The figure of these kids are expected and will turn exponentially in the following few old ages. A countrywide study of instructors in classs 4 through 12 who are experienced and accomplished at incorporating computing machines into their instruction. Of 1200 instructors who were sent the 16-page questionnaire, merely 608 returned the completed studies. Now the intent of analyzing these instructors was to seek and detect the ways in which they can utilize computing machines in their schoolrooms, and how they believe their instruction has changed as a consequence of the usage of computing machines, and the sorts of barriers and inducements that are of import to them. Major findings show that these instructors: ( 1 ) are comfy with computing machine engineering, give their ain clip to larn how to utilize computing machines, and have local support for utilizing them ; ( 2 ) work in schools averaging more than twice the figure of computing machines than other schools ; ( 3 ) usage computing machines for many intents including showing an thought, direction, word processing, and advan cing student-generated merchandises ; and ( 4 ) expect more from their pupils, are able to show more complex stuffs to their pupils, and foster more independency in the schoolroom. You can merely reason that similar achievements on a wider graduated table can be achieved if ample engineering, support, and clip for instructors to larn and be trained in the engineering is provided to them, and if an academic and cultural construction exists to promote instructors to take an experimental attack to their work. Harmonizing to the federal No Child Left Behind Act, pupils should be engineering literate by the clip they complete 8th class. However non every kid has equal entree to engineering. Often, schools in flush vicinities offer pupils a richer and better engineering experience than schools in poorer territories. Furthermore, there is a engineering spread that does be and some say it merely continues to turn, chiefly between America ‘s center and lower categories. Many perceivers and research workers believe that engineering can assist better larning but merely if it is right deployed and exhaustively understood. â€Å" Technology in schoolrooms has to be distinguished from engineering in schools, † said Howie Schaffer, public outreach manager at the Public Education Network, an organisation working to reform public schools in low-income communities. For Papert ‘s aim to go effectual, engineering in schools must travel beyond holding a computing machine lab that pupils merely visit a few times hebdomadally for 20 or 30 proceedingss. A successful, technology-rich school must incorporate engineering into their course of study, and instructors should be trained to utilize the engineering to maximise its possible. In 2004 the mean American public school instructor merely had a lurid sum of eight hours of development on things that were determined classified engineering. In order for engineering to do any difference in the schoolrooms, is if the computing machines equipment is working decently, the instructors are good trained and it is integrated into the schools or instructors curriculum. Computer engineering is used in math, scientific discipline, the humanistic disciplines and in natural philosophies. The construct is non lost on federal functionaries. Tim Magner, deputy manager for the Office of Educational Technology at the U.S. Department of Education, understands that a good designed engineering program can better academic public presentation. The impact of engineering in the schoolroom depends to a great extent on its execution, he said. â€Å" Technology, when thoughtfully applied in the context of an overall instructional plan, can hold some pretty important effects. † Now Microsoft Technologies has agreed to assist develop instructors at schools that are willing and ready to accept the usage of computing machines in the schoolroom course of study, which is a large success even though some may see it as a immense hazard but that is non the instance. Equally good as assisting pedagogues improve their cognition of engineering and their method of fixing pupils, engineering can prosecute kids in the course of study when they may otherwise be disinterested.