Hemp Is The Most Important Most Desirable Industrial...

Hemp is one of the most desirable industrial plants on the planet. The plant is also one of the most versatile plants known to man and can be used for the purposes of feed, clothing, paint, paper, and plastic, but cultivation is still illegal. More importantly, hemp is one of the most eco-friendly and sustainable resources that can improve people’s lives with minimal environmental impact. Hemp is more commonly referred to as Cannabis, which is the entire genus. Cannabis sativa is what is grown for industrial/commercial use. Mainly the cannabis stalk and seed is used for products such as textiles, food, fuel, building materials, personal hygiene, paper, and biodegradable plastics. Hemp is different from marijuana, specifically in the THC†¦show more content†¦More importantly, hemp has some of the most useful sustainable material nature has to offer. It is evident that humanity is living in an unsustainable fashion; the earth’s resources are being depleted at a rate at which it cannot be replenished. Still, some of these products (paper, plastic, fuel, building material, etc.) are essential for modern day living and, therefore, practices and processes continue as they are. That is why it is so crucial to explore alternative products to promote a more sustainable world. Hemp has the ability to maintain ecological processes, functions, and biodiversity in the future, which current processes cannot manage. One of the major benefits of hemp farming is that the hemp plant grows in a short period of time. A plant can mature in 70-90 days, producing a very large bulk of plant material. The plant is highly resistant to most insects and diseases, which largely eliminates the need for pesticides and herbicides. The plant is a natural weed suppressor. By producing its own shade the plant shades out weeds, leaving the fields weed-free at harvest. The tall stalks drop its leaves creating a self-mulching eco-system (Hemp Facts, n.d). In contrast, logging is a major cause of global deforestation. Additional consequences of deforestation include killing of animals and plants, wiping out species, and polluting the environment. Although the timber industry is recognized as being essential to creatingShow MoreRelatedHemp Is The Most Desirable, Industrial Plants On The Planet1263 Words   |  6 PagesHemp is one of the most desirable, industrial plants on the planet. The plant is also one of the mos t versatile plants known to man, and can be used for the purposes of feed, clothing, paint, paper and plastic, but cultivation is still illegal. More importantly, hemp is one of the most eco-friendly and sustainable resource that can improve people’s lives with minimal environmental impact. Hemp is more commonly referred to as Cannabis, which is the entire genus. Cannabis sativa is what is grown forRead MoreHemp Is The Most Desirable, Industrial Plants On The Planet1264 Words   |  6 PagesIndustrial Hemp Hemp is one of the most desirable, industrial plants on the planet. The plant is also one of the most versatile plants known to man and can be used for the purposes of feed, clothing, paint, paper, and plastic, but cultivation is still illegal. More importantly, hemp is one of the most eco-friendly and sustainable resources that can improve people’s lives with minimal environmental impact. Hemp is more commonly referred to as Cannabis, which is the entire genus. Cannabis sativaRead MoreAgriculture and Technology6502 Words   |  27 Pageshuman civilization, with the husbandry of domesticated animals and plants (i.e. crops) creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more densely populated and stratified societies. The study of agriculture is known as agricultural science. Agriculture is also observed in certain species of ant and termite. Agriculture encompasses a wide variety of specialties and techniques, including ways to expand the lands suitable for plant raising, by digging water-channels and other forms of irrigationRead MoreEuropes Second Logistic5530 Words   |  23 Pagesin eastern Europe exclusive of Russia, and only about 1.5 or 2 in Russia and the Scandinavian countries. These figures clearly show that population density was closely related to the productivity of agriculture. For example, Wurttemberg, one of the most advanced agricultural re gions of Germany, had a density of 44. Southern England was far more densely populated than Wales or the north country, and northern France and the Mediterranean coastal regions of Provence and Languedoc more than the mountainousRead MoreSustainable Building Material...24522 Words   |  99 Pagesmaterials and methods found in the guide, visit our area planning departments and browse the informational kiosks on display there. This project was made possible through generous contributions of funding, time and materials from many organizations, most importantly the County of Santa Cruz Departments of Public Works and Planning, City of Santa Cruz Departments of Public Works and Planning Community Development, and Ecology Action. Many thanks to Ana Maria Rebelo, Dick Stubendorff, Mary Arman, andRead MoreHbr When Your Core Business Is Dying74686 Words   |  299 PagesYour Next Core Business Chris Zook It may be hidden right under your nose. Here’s how to evaluate your current core and where to look for a new one. 78 Promise-Based Management: The Essence of Execution Donald N. Sull and Charles Spinosa The most vexing leadership challenges stem from broken or poorly crafted commitments between employees and colleagues, customers, or other stakeholders. To overcome such problems and foster a productive, reliable workforce, managers must cultivate and coordinate

Sociological Insight The Coming Apart of a Dorm Society

Edward Peselman writes about social structure, social status, and social power in the essay The Coming Apart of a Dorm Society. The essay begins with the commencement of freshman year at college, when the narrator moves into his dormitory along with five other young men from different walks of life. Not only are the six freshmen from different backgrounds, but they also demonstrate unique personalities. Dozer and Reggie are the narrators two roommates. Eric, Mark, and Benjamin lived across the hall. Because they occupy the same geographic space, the six men develop a sort of pecking order. They create an artificial power structure in which some of the men, namely Erik and Mark, attempt to dominate the others. Ultimately, Benjamin buckles under the pressure and leaves the dorm: an act that the narrator lauds as being righteously subversive. Peselman constructs a logical argument in The Coming Apart of a Dorm Society. The author substantiates his claims with ample scholarly references, which are cited properly. He first defines his terms, enabling the logical structure of the essay. For example, Peselman cites Randall Collins, who is a sociologist at the University of California, Riverside, to define the exercise of power as the attempt to make something happen in society, (p. 1). The author repeatedly weaves quotes from Collins throughout the essay, rather than using an emotional appeal or relying on his personal credibility. Peselman also describes the scenario inShow MoreRelatedThe Coming Apart of a Dorm Society: An Analysis1462 Words   |  6 PagesThe Coming Apart of a Dorm Society by Edward Peselman offers insight into the environment that college students are subjected to if they choose to or are required to live in assigned dormitories on their school campuses. Peselmans analysis of the college dormitory environ ment is approached from a sociological perspective and provides scientific credibility into the points that he makes throughout his essay. In the essay, Peselman explores the power dynamics that are made present through habitationRead MoreMarketing Mistakes and Successes175322 Words   |  702 Pagesor for worse, and these we have captured to add to learning insights. After so many years of investigating mistakes, and more recently successes also, it might seem a challenge to keep these new editions fresh and interesting. The joy of the chase has made this an intriguing endeavor through the decades. Still, it is always difficult to abandon interesting cases that have stimulated student discussions and provoked useful insights, but newer case possibilities are ever contesting for inclusionRead MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 PagesFOCUS ⠝  Luthans, Rosenkrantz, and Hennessey (1985) †¢ 52 managers in 3 organizations †¢ Participant observation of skills demonstrated by most effective versus least effective managers ⠝  Curtis, Winsor, and Stephens (1989) †¢ 428 members of the American Society of Personnel Administrators in the United States †¢ (1) Skills needed to obtain employment †¢ (2) Skills important for successful job performance †¢ (3) Skills needed to move up in the organization Employment Verbal communication Listening EnthusiasmRead MoreManagement Course: Mba−10 General Management215330 Words   |  862 Pagesconcluded that increasing the level of job specialization—the process by which a division of labor occurs as different workers specialize in speciï ¬ c tasks over time—increases efï ¬ ciency and leads to higher organizational performance.5 Armed with the insights gained from Adam Smith’s observations, other managers and researchers began to investigate how to improve job specialization to increase performance. Management practitioners and theorists focused on how managers should organize and control the workRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesSkills 19 †¢ Stimulating Innovation and Change 20 †¢ Coping with â€Å"Temporariness† 20 †¢ Working in Networked Organizations 20 †¢ Helping Emp loyees Balance Work–Life Conflicts 21 †¢ Creating a Positive Work Environment 22 †¢ Improving Ethical Behavior 22 Coming Attractions: Developing an OB Model 23 An Overview 23 †¢ Inputs 24 †¢ Processes 25 †¢ Outcomes 25 Summary and Implications for Managers 30 S A L Self-Assessment Library How Much Do I Know About Organizational Behavior? 4 Myth or Science? â€Å"Most

Type of Decision Making Enviroment Free Essays

string(257) " to decide this question by weighing the reasons pro and con \(what are the benefits and drawbacks of getting married\) and then to move to the next part of the process, the identification of criteria \(supportive, easy going, competent, affectionate, etc\." .:VirtualSalt Introduction to Decision Making, Part 1 Robert Harris Version Date: June 9, 2012 Previous versions: December 2, 2009, October 17, 2008; July 2, 1998 We all make decisions of varying importance every day, so the idea that decision making can be a rather sophisticated art may at first seem strange. However, studies have shown that most people are much poorer at decision making than they think. We will write a custom essay sample on Type of Decision Making Enviroment or any similar topic only for you Order Now An understanding of what decision making involves, together with a few effective techniques, will help you make better decisions. What is Decision Making? Some Definitions A good place to start is with some standard definitions of decision making. 1. Decision making is the study of identifying and choosing alternatives based on the values and preferences of the decision maker. Making a decision implies that there are alternative choices to be considered, and in such a case we want not only to identify as many of these alternatives as possible but to choose the one that (1) has the highest probability of success or effectiveness and (2) best fits with our goals, desires, lifestyle, values, and so on. The two important ideas here are that first, there must be some genuine alternatives to choose from among. Note that â€Å"Do it† or â€Å"Don’t do it† does not qualify as a set of alternatives. Only â€Å"Do this† or â€Å"Do something else† really qualfies. Second, every decision must be made in the light of some standard of judgment. This standard usually gets expressed in the form of criteria, which reflect the values and preferences of the decision maker. These values and preferences are often influenced by corporate rules or culture, law, best practices, and so forth. 2. Decision making is the process of sufficiently reducing uncertainty and doubt about alternatives to allow a reasonable choice to be made from among them. This definition stresses the information-gathering function of decision making. It should be noted here that uncertainty is reduced rather than eliminated. Very few decisions are made with absolute certainty because complete knowledge about all the alternatives is seldom possible. Thus, every decision involves a certain amount of risk. If there is no uncertainty, you do not have a decision; you have an algorithm–a set of steps or a recipe that is followed to bring about a fixed result. Kinds of Decisions There are several basic kinds of decisions. 1. Decisions whether. This is the yes/no, either/or decision that must be made before we proceed with the selection of an alternative. Should I buy a new TV? Should I travel this summer? Decisions whether are made by weighing reasons pro and con. A simple worksheet with two columns (one for Pro–reasons for, and one with Con–reasons against) can be useful for this kind of decision. It is important to be aware of having made a decision whether, since too often we assume that decision making begins with the identification of alternatives, assuming that the decision to choose one has already been made. . Decisions which. These decisions involve a choice of one or more alternatives from among a set of possibilities, the choice being based on how well each alternative measures up to a set of predefined criteria. 3. Contingent decisions. These are decisions that have been made but put on hold until some condition is met. For example, I have decided to buy that car if I can get it for the right pric e; I have decided to write that article if I can work the necessary time for it into my schedule. OR even, We’ll take the route through the valley if we can control the ridge and if we detect no enemy activity to the north. Most people carry around a set of already made, contingent decisions, just waiting for the right conditions or opportunity to arise. Time, energy, price, availability, opportunity, encouragement–all these factors can figure into the necessary conditions that need to be met before we can act on our decision. Some contingent decisions are unstated or even exist below the awareness of the decision maker. These are the type that occur when we seize opportunity. We don’t walk around thinking, â€Å"If I see a new laser printer for $38, I’ll buy it,† but if we happen upon a deal like that and we have been contemplating getting a new printer, the decision is made quickly. Decisions made in sports and warfare are like this. The best contingent and opportunistic decisions are made by the prepared mind–one that has thought about criteria and alternatives in the past. 4 . Contingent alternatives. Similar to contingent decisions, contingent alternatives involve two or more choices of action, one of which will be taken when the appropriate trigger occurs. Often this trigger is an event or more information. For example, If tomorrow is cloudy or rainy, we will mount a ground attack through the pass, but if the day is clear, we will launch an air strike to the north. OR, if, after this patch attempt, the leak is under 50 gallons per minute, we will sail to the home port for a repair. But if the leak is over 50 gpm, we will stay here and order a replacement pump. Decision Making is a Recursive Process A critical factor that decision theorists sometimes neglect to emphasize is that in spite of the way the process is presented on paper, decision making is a nonlinear, recursive process. That is, most decisions are made by moving back and forth between the choice of criteria (the characteristics we want our choice to meet) and the identification of alternatives (the possibilities we can choose from among). The alternatives available influence the criteria we apply to them, and similarly the criteria we establish influence the alternatives we will consider. Let’s look at an example to clarify this. Suppose someone wants to decide, Should I get married? Notice that this is a decision whether. A linear approach to decision making would be to decide this question by weighing the reasons pro and con (what are the benefits and drawbacks of getting married) and then to move to the next part of the process, the identification of criteria (supportive, easy going, competent, affectionate, etc. You read "Type of Decision Making Enviroment" in category "Essay examples" ). Next, we would identify alternatives likely to have these criteria (Kathy, Jennifer, Michelle, Julie, etc. ). Finally we would evaluate each alternative according to the criteria and choose the one that best meets the criteria. We would thus have a scheme like this: decision whether †¦ select criteria †¦ identify alternatives †¦ atch criteria to alternatives †¦ make choice However, the fact is that our decision whether to get married may really be a contingent decision. â€Å"I’ll get married if I can find the right person. † It will thus be influenced by the identification of alt ernatives, which we usually think of as a later step in the process. Similarly, suppose we have arrived at the â€Å"identify alternatives† stage of the process when we discover that Jennifer (one of the girls identified as an alternative) has a wonderful personality characteristic that we had not even thought of before, but that we now really want to have in a wife. We immediately add that characteristic to our criteria. Thus, the decision making process continues to move back and forth, around and around as it progresses in what will eventually be a linear direction but which in its actual workings is highly recursive. Key point, then, is that the characteristics of the alternatives we discover will often revise the criteria we have previously identified. The Components of Decision Making The Decision Environment Every decision is made within a decision environment, which is defined as the collection of information, alternatives, values, and preferences available at the time of the decision. An ideal decision environment would include all possible information, all of it accurate, and every possible alternative. However, both information and alternatives are constrained because the time and effort to gain information or identify alternatives are limited. The time constraint simply means that a decision must be made by a certain time. The effort constraint reflects the limits of manpower, money, and priorities. (You wouldn’t want to spend three hours and half a tank of gas trying to find the very best parking place at the mall. Since decisions must be made within this constrained environment, we can say that the major challenge of decision making is uncertainty, and a major goal of decision analysis is to reduce uncertainty. We can almost never have all information needed to make a decision with certainty, so most decisions involve an undeniable amount of risk. The fact that decisions must be made within a limiting decision environment suggests two things. First, it explains why hindsight is so much more accurate and better at making decisions that foresight. As time passes, the decision environment continues to grow and expand. New information and new alternatives appear–even after the decision must be made. Armed with new information after the fact, the hindsighters can many times look back and make a much better decision than the original maker, because the decision environment has continued to expand. The second thing suggested by the decision-within-an-environment idea follows from the above point. Since the decision environment continues to expand as time passes, it is often advisable to put off making a decision until close to the deadline. Information and alternatives continue to grow as time passes, so to have access to the most information and to the best alternatives, do not make the decision too soon. Now, since we are dealing with real life, it is obvious that some alternatives might no longer be available if too much time passes; that is a tension we have to work with, a tension that helps to shape the cutoff date for the decision. Delaying a decision as long as reasonably possible, then, provides three benefits: 1. The decision environment will be larger, providing more information. There is also time for more thoughtful and extended analysis. 2. New alternatives might be recognized or created. Version 2. 0 might be released. 3. The decision maker’s preferences might change. With further thought, wisdom, and maturity, you may decide not to buy car X and instead to buy car Y. And delaying a decision involves several risks: 1. As the decision environment continues to grow, the decision maker might become overwhelmed with too much information and either make a poorer decision or else face decision paralysis. 2. Some alternatives might become unavailable because of events occurring during the delay. In a few cases, where the decision was between two alternatives (attack the pass or circle around behind the large rock), both alternatives might become unavailable, leaving the decision maker with nothing. And we have all had the experience of seeing some amazing bargain only to hesitate and find that when we go back to buy the item, it is sold out. 3. In a competitive environment, a faster rival might make the decision and gain advantage. Another manufacturer might bring a similar product to market before you (because that company didn’t delay the decision) or the opposing army might have seized the pass while the other army was â€Å"letting the decision environment grow. † The Effects of Quantity on Decision Making Many decision makers have a tendency to seek more information than required to make a good decision. When too much information is sought and obtained, one or more of several problems can arise. (1) A delay in the decision occurs because of the time required to obtain and process the extra information. This delay could impair the effectiveness of the decision or solution. (2) Information overload will occur. In this state, so much information is available that decision-making ability actually declines because the information in its entirety can no longer be managed or assessed appropriately. A major problem caused by information overload is forgetfulness. When too much information is taken into memory, especially in a short period of time, some of the information (often that received early on) will be pushed out. The example is sometimes given of the man who spent the day at an information-heavy seminar. At the end of the day, he was not only unable to remember the first half of the seminar but he had also forgotten where he parked his car that morning. (3) Selective use of the information will occur. That is, the decision maker will choose from among all the information available only those facts which support a preconceived solution or position. (4) Mental fatigue occurs, which results in slower work or poor quality work. (5) Decision fatigue occurs where the decision maker tires of making decisions. Often the result is fast, careless decisions or even decision paralysis–no decisions are made at all. The quantity of information that can be processed by the human mind is limited. Unless information is consciously selected, processing will be biased toward the first part of the information received. After that, the mind tires and begins to ignore subsequent information or forget earlier information. (Have you ever gone shopping for something where you looked at many alternatives–cars, knives, phones, TVs–only to decide that you liked the first one best? Decision Streams A common misconception about decision making is that decisions are made in isolation from each other: you gather information, explore alternatives, and make a choice, without regard to anything that has gone before. The fact is, decisions are made in a context of other decisions. The typical metaphor used to explain this is that of a stream. There is a stream of decisions surrounding a given dec ision, many decisions made earlier have led up to this decision and made it both possible and limited. Many other decisions will follow from it. Another way to describe this situation is to say that most decisions involve a choice from a group of preselected alternatives, made available to us from the universe of alternatives by the previous decisions we have made. Previous decisions have â€Å"activated† or â€Å"made operable† certain alternatives and â€Å"deactivated† or â€Å"made inoperable† others. For example, when you decide to go to the park, your decision has been enabled by many previous decisions. You had to decide to live near the park; you had to decide to buy a car or learn about bus routes, and so on. And your previous decisions have constrained your subsequent ones: you can’t decide to go to a park this afternoon if it is three states away. By deciding to live where you do, you have both enabled and disabled a whole series of other decisions. As another example, when you enter a store to buy a DVD player or TV, you are faced with the preselected alternatives stocked by the store. There may be 200 models available in the universe of models, but you will be choosing from, say, only a dozen. In this case, your decision has been constrained by the decisions made by others about which models to carry. We might say, then, that every decision (1) follows from previous decisions, (2) enables many future decisions, and (3) prevents other future decisions. People who have trouble making decisions are sometimes trapped by the constraining nature of decision making. Every decision you make precludes other decisions, and therefore might be said to cause a loss of freedom. If you decide to marry Terry, you no longer can decide to marry Shawn. However, just as making a decision causes a loss of freedom, it also creates new freedom, new choices and new possibilities. So making a decision is liberating as well as constraining. And a decision left unmade will often result in a decision by default or a decision being made for you. It is important to realize that every decision you make affects the decision stream and the collections of alternatives available to you both immediately and in the future. In other words, decisions have far reaching consequences. Go to Introduction to Decision Making, Part 2 Introduction to Decision Making, Part 3 Other Tools for Creative Thinking and Problem Solving Critical Thinking Course Homepage Introduction to Creative Thinking Creative Thinking Techniques Criteria for Evaluating a Creative Solution Introduction to Problem Solving Human-Factor Phenomena in Problem Solving Problem Solving Techniques Biases Affecting Information Processing Decision Making Techniques Decision Simplification Techniques Difficulties Created by the Videographic Presentation of Information Why Are We So Busy? Truths of the Information Age VirtualSalt Home Copyright 1998, 2009, 2012 by Robert Harris | How to cite this page w w w . v i r t u a l s a l t . c o m About the author: Robert Harris is a writer and educator with more than 25 years of teaching experience at the college and university level. RHarris at virtualsalt. com How to cite Type of Decision Making Enviroment, Essay examples

Human Rights vs. Sovereignty Essay Example For Students

Human Rights vs. Sovereignty Essay By Gerard Chretien The massive, protracted bombing of Serbia was the first offensive action for NATO, and the first time that Allied armed forces were unleashed against a sovereign nation with which the United States was not formally at war or without express authorization by the United Nations Security Council, observes Stephen Presser, professor of law at Northwestern University. What we were doing in the Balkans is part of the post-Vietnam creation of a new set of doctrines of international law. These doctrines lack clearly defined limits, he warns. We may be witnessing the opening moves in the forging of a New Global order that fundamentally impairs national sovereignty and allows possessors of superior military force to dictate the basic terms of domestic life to other nations without even the formalities of conquest. In the current issue of Orbis, a quarterly publication of the Foreign Policy Research Institute (fpri. org), Presser argues that the real reason for NATOs bombing of a sovereign nation appears to have been to compel Belgrade to cede autonomy, if not territory, to a minority ethnic group. What is there, then, in the United Nations charter or in international law that would authorize our action in the Balkans, he asks, and what, if any, are the reach and the limits of our new doctrine of Humanitarian Intervention? The UN Charter seeks to secure both the protection of fundamental human rights and the equal rights of nations large and small,' Presser notes. The Charter clearly undertakes to protect the territorial integrity and the sovereignty of individual nations, and seems to preclude interference in a nations domestic affairs unless the Security Council declares a situation a threat to international peace and security and expressly authorizes intervention. While the UN and its agencies expressed official concern about what went on in the Balkans, he affirms, the Security Council did n ot authorize intervention in Kosovo by UN or NATO forces. Presser points out that a series of international law doctrines wholly outside the UN Charter authorize interference by one state in anothers affairs. These have included military actions to protect ones own citizens who are within anothers borders, and there have been several armed interventions by individual or groups of nations purportedly to protect the rights of minorities in particular or human rights in general, whether or not the individuals to be protected were citizens of the intervening nations. A third type of intervention has occurred, usually through UN auspices, in the cases of failed states incapable of protecting human rights. There is even some scholarly and UN support for a fourth type of intervention to prevent human rights violations that have not yet occurred. For these theorists, Presser laments, national sovereignty counts for very little, if anything. He worries that the U.S. and its western allies are sailing into uncharted waters, and nothing less than the Anglo- American tradition of the rule of law is at stake. Words / Pages : 487 / 24 .