Companys Csr Sustainability Program - 1485 Words

IV. Company’s CSR-Sustainability Program A. History The rising need for protection of intellectual property rights and improvement of public health lead the pharmaceutical industry to establish an agreement in 2001 with the World Trade Organization. In Sanofi’s earliest archived sustainability effort, Environmental Progress Report 2001, it states that Sanofi has taken initiatives to promote sustainable development as a reaction to the rise of wider and on going responsibilities. They have pursued these defensive efforts through promoting safety in the workplace, industrial hygiene, respecting the environment, training investment, and many more. Sanofi is shelling out great investments for their sustainability programs. In 2001 alone, Sanofi allocated 11.2 Million Euros for a program to limit its operations’ impact on the environment. By 2008, Sanofi showed efforts of compliance with the United Nation’s Agenda 21 Blueprint for sustainability by establishing the four pillars (i.e. Patient, Ethics, Planet, and Peo ple) that serves as the foundation of their sustainability efforts . In the following year, Sanofi began its transformation to a diversified global health care company. With this, a Corporate Social Responsibility Direction was created which changed their sustainability report to an encompassing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) report. These efforts lead Sanofi to embed their ethical responsibilities and discretionary responsibilities into the company’sShow MoreRelatedCsr Programs And Corporate Social Responsibility1728 Words   |  7 Pagestheir money, the company also puts a lot of effort into helping the communities by executing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). It is undeniable that the company has successfully addressed many critical problems in the environmental, social and economic arenas, as it continually receives awards and recognitions for its CSR efforts. One of the highlights of the CSR programs is a $50 billion commitment to address climate change by changing its internal policies. However, there were some critics onRead MoreCoca Col Transparency, The Formation Of Sustainability Indices1350 Words   |  6 PagesCoca-Cola CSR Accountability Due to the vastly growing demand for organizational transparency, the formation of sustainability indices has assisted prospective investors by serving as educational tools and allowing them to confidently engage with companies who create a positive social and environmental impact. These indices, such as the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI), evaluate and measure some of the world’s most profitable companies’ based on criteria such as economic, social, and environmentalRead MoreSwot Analysis. Based On The Information On The Dow Chemical765 Words   |  4 Pagesinformation on the Dow Chemical Canada website, it would appear that Dow has an impressive sustainability program. The website talked about Dow’s dedication to sustainability and highlighted their many accomplishments (Dow, n.d.). However, Dow still feels that more can be done to strengthen their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program. Thus, their focus is to find ways to mandate a company-wide ‘engage of impact’ program from their 2025 goals that would help them achieve their desired social responsibilityRead MoreCorporate Social Responsibility ( Csr ) Encompasses Business Practices Involving Actions988 Words   |  4 PagesCorporate Social Responsibility Corporate social responsibility (CSR) encompasses business practices involving actions that benefit the organization and the stakeholders, which comprises of the society (Schermerhorn, 2012). â€Å"CSR is becoming more mainstream because pioneer companies are embedding sustainability into the core of their business operations to create shared values collectively for business and society.† - Liz Maw Understanding Microsoft’s Corporate Social Responsibilities MicrosoftRead MoreWalmart s More Recent Activity1083 Words   |  5 PagesSecond, Walmart’s more recent activity also points to effective CSR practices. These efforts have included a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions along its entire supply chain, ceasing business with factories that violated labor laws, as well as â€Å"financial contributions in kind, such as investments in education, health, commitments to fight hunger, support for local farmers and access to healthier and affordable food† (Torres, Garcia-French, Hordijk, Nguyen 2012, p. 25). Furthermore, Walmart hasRead MoreAnalysis of Staples CSR Programs950 Words   |  4 Pagesmost advanced Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs in the retailing industry today. The Soul Program at Staples is based on a foundation of four pillars which include Community, Diversity, Ethics and Environment. Staples has taken these four foundational elements and successfully integrated them into the culture of their corporation, transforming them into a long-term competitive advantage (Field, 2009). The idealized state of CSR Programs is to provide an agile, intelligent framework forRead MoreStarbuckss Corporate Social Responsibility1576 Words   |  7 PagesBefore understanding that the SC is a company that participates in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), one must first know where the company was founded and what led to the events of the SC becoming a CSR. Also, an understanding of what CSR is, will be beneficial. Aft er knowing the background information and the definition of CSR, then one will be able to address issues of the SC obtaining CSR. According to Lemus, von Feigenblatt, Orta, and Rivero (2015), the SC was founded in 1971, inRead MoreA Business Plan For The Long Run With Csr Strategies1737 Words   |  7 Pagesprofitable one. However, can a business succeed in the long run with CSR strategies derived from the need to be sustainable? In this effort to create a sustainable and profitable organization, it is possible that corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies are developed and employed by the organization without CSR itself being the original motivator. In other words, sustainability can be the main motivator for organizations to establish CSR strategies. In doing this, it is possible that they are actuallyRead MoreWhat is Reverse Logistics? Essay examples1259 Words   |  6 Pageseconomist and Nobel laureate Milton Friedman referred to corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs as â€Å"hypocritical window-dressing,† and commented that business leaders inclined toward such programs â€Å"reveal a suicidal impulse.† At that time his views were echoed by most of the people around the world but today the scenario has changed. A decade ago only few of fortune 500 companies has issues their sustainability report. But now almost every one of them does that. Around 8,000 businesses across t heRead MoreWhole Foods And The Corporate Social Responsibility1137 Words   |  5 Pagesexplore is Whole Foods and the corporate social responsibility (CSR) they adhere to. Corporate social responsibility, also known as CSR, means â€Å"a corporation’s initiatives to assess and take responsibility for the company’s effects on environmental and social well-being†, according to, Investopedia, (R., 2015). Whole foods are dedicated to contributing back to its people, community, and the environment while profiting as a company. CSR is just as important as their ethical practices including â€Å"green

Deus and Kleos The Paradox of Glory in Homers The Iliad...

The Iliad is the story of hundreds of Ancient Greek heroes and kings seeking to take the fabled city of Troy. They embody the values that the Ancient Greeks valued. The charismatic Odysseus, the mighty Achilles, the wise Nestor, the royal Agamemnon all take part in the Iliad. The heroes pursue personal glory on the battlefield. Glory to them, is more valuable than their families, their lives, and form the very basis for their existence. The invincible Achilles, mightiest of the Achaeans, chooses to withdraw from the fight due to a loss of glory. Glory, the intangible, almost untouchable thing that even the mightiest of heroes sought. The idea of glory is the temptation of man, it leads them in an endless cycle of conflict and struggle,†¦show more content†¦When Achilles withdraws from the battlefield he pleads with his immortal mother, Thetis, to plead with Zeus to â€Å"grant the Trojans victory after victory till the Achaean armies pay my dear son back.† (Book I, li ne 607-608). Achilles forsakes the bonds of camaraderie due to the loss of glory and honor inflicted upon him by Agamemnon. Yet he lets his faithful companion, Patroclus, march in his armor. Achilles while pursuing glory and honor, lets a lesser man wield his armor, which often is used to symbolize glory. Soldiers often took the armor of the enemies they have killed as trophies. Achilles, while steadfast in his pursuit of honor and glory, willingly gives glory to his comrades. While Achilles is willing to let his comrades fall in battle because of an insult to his glory. He is also willing to part with his armor, a physical manifestation of his glory, to his dearest companion Patroclus. While Achilles is steadfast in his pursuit of glory, the bonds of camaraderie still bind him. Glory, Achilles’ greatest desire, still takes the second spot to his friend Patroclus. Patroclus is slain, and Hector, mightiest of the Trojans, seizes Achilles’ armor, a symbol of his glory. By honoring his comrade, Achilles provides himself with a reason to return to battle, where he earns more glory than before. While Achilles does lose glory from the loss of his gleaming armor, he regains it by slaying Hector

Meeting Learning Needs Case Study Free Essays

Meeting Learning Needs: Case Study In this rationale I intend to discuss â€Å"Why we do what we do† when it comes to Inclusion and Special Educational Needs (SEN). This will be a case study of a pupil with SEN attending the school in which I work. It will first outline the nature of the pupils Special Educational Needs and then critically examine how these needs are being met. We will write a custom essay sample on Meeting Learning Needs Case Study or any similar topic only for you Order Now The role of multi-agency approaches in providing support to the pupil and parental involvement will also be analysed. All children, wherever they are educated, need to be able to learn, play and develop alongside each other within their local community of schools† (Dfes 2004 p5), going further to state that â€Å"inclusion is about much more than the type of school that children attend: it is about the quality of their experience; how they are helped to learn, achieve and participate fully in the life of the school† (p25). http://sen. ttrb. ac. uk/ViewArticle2. aspx? ContentId=15915 (Accessed on 20/01/11) The case study I carried out was on Billy who is 9 years old, Billy was diagnosed with Autism at the aged 4 shortly after he started mainstream school in reception. Autism is a type of disability. There are many people with autism in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. 1 out of every 100 people has autism. You cannot always tell that someone has autism just by looking at them. Autism lasts for all of a person’s life. But they can still do a lot of things and learn a lot of skills. The three main areas of difficulty which all people with autism share are sometimes known as the ‘triad of impairments’ which are Social Communication, Social Interaction and Social Imagination. The triad of impairments is the term that describes the difficulties that people with autism experience in differing degrees. Because all people are different, the way autism affects them is also different. To enable the setting to remove Billy’s barriers to learning we firstly arranged a meeting at his home with him and his parents and the Special Needs Coordinator (SENCo). At the meeting we discussed Billy’s learning and personal needs, at first we concentrated on Billy’s routine at home enabling us to see how he dealt with everyday issues. It is vital that we alleviate confusion and give Billy a sense of security. This will be done by preparing Billy whenever possible if his routine is going to be broken, someone will talk him through what is going to happen. We also intend to invite Billy into the setting to meet his new teacher, and will be providing him with photographs of the settings and his support workers to facilitate him in familiarise himself with his new setting. We have taken photographs to allow us to personalise the learning spaces with pictorial sequences, rule reminders, schedules and labels. A space in the classroom will be made available for Billy to work with his one-to-one support and peers where possible. By using these strategies Billy’s learning can be structured to support his need for routine. ‘Being clear and consistent is supportive to all learners in the classroom but will be essential for the child with an autistic spectrum disorder’ G, Knowles, Supporting Inclusive Practice (p. 16) I feel that it is very important that all children have the right to be included in mainstream school and where possible they should be able to meet there learning needs and the targets set in the National Curriculum. One of the fundamental principles of the Special Education Needs Code of Practice is ‘the needs of children and young people with Special Educational Needs are identified and assessed quickly and matched by appropriate provision’ (Department for Education and Skills, 2001 p. 9). I believe that it should be a collaboration between the teachers, the parents of the child and the child themselves who decides whether they would benefit from being in mainstream school or not. Extensive research studies have been undertaken to determine the effectiveness of integrating and including students with severe disabilities. Tornillo (1994) feels that, ‘teachers are required to direct inordinate attention to a few, thereby decreasing the amount of time and energy directed toward the rest of the class. Indeed, the range of abilities is just too great for one teacher to adequately teach. Consequently, the mandates for greater academic accountability and achievement are unable to be met’. http://www. sedl. org/change/issues/issues43/concerns. html (accessed on 30/01/11) During my research into Inclusion in mainstream school I found that, some parents of students with more severe disabilities are concerned about the opportunities their children will have to develop basic life skills in a regular classroom setting. They are also cautious about inclusion because of fears that their children will be ridiculed by other students. Its at this point I feel it necessary to state that Inclusion is not about making sure all children are taught the curriculum in the classroom, it is making sure that all individuals be they disabled or non disabled have access to the curriculum, and that learning is facilitated to suit their learning needs. The next step to facilitate Billy’s learning needs is to draw up an Individual Education Plan (IEP). An IEP describes the educational program that has been designed to meet that child’s unique needs. ‘An Individual Education Plan is an assessment, planning, teaching and reviewing tool which records specific learning goals, teaching requirements and review arrangements to help a pupil with SEN which are ‘additional to and different from’ those of most pupils, to make progress in key areas of learning’ (Dovestone, Cullingford-Agnew, 2006, p. 23). Each child who receives special education and related services must have an IEP. Each IEP must be designed for one student and must be a truly individualized document. The IEP creates an opportunity for teachers, parents, school administrators, related services personnel, and students (when age appropriate) to work together to improve educational results for children with disabilities. The IEP is the cornerstone of a quality education for each child with a disability. As stated in the SEN Code of Practise (2001) where possible, children and young people with SEN should participate in all the decision-making processes that occur in education including the setting of learning targets and contributing to IEPs, discussions about choice of schools, contributing to the assessment of their needs and to the annual review and transition processes. Following the initial meeting we arranged for Billy and his parents to visit the setting for a day allowing them the opportunity to assess the setting. All areas of the school were made accessible to them so they could see how Inclusion of all students is important too us as a setting. It is essential that Billy’s parents are involved in every stage of Billy’s integration into the setting as stated in the SEN Code of Practice(2001) ‘It is vitally important that schools welcome and encourage parents to participate from the outset and throughout their child’s educational career at the school’. In my setting we encourage parents to come to us with any questions or concerns they may have about there child/children and we persevere to accommodate their needs. It is vitally important for parents to be involved with every stage of their child’s education as Parents are the most important people after the child. ‘They know there child best and know what they want out of the staff and the school. ’ (As stated in my settings Inclusion Policy) It is our responsibility as a setting to ensure that parents are aware of the Partnership with Parents (PwP). PwP aims to ensure that parents are able to play an informed part in any decisions about the educational provision made to meet their child SEN and to build partnerships between parents, the Local Education Authority (LEA) and schools. WORD COUNT 1343 Reference List and Bibliography Department for Education and Skills. (2001). Special Educational Needs Code of Practice. London: DfES. Dovestone, M, Cullingford-Agnew, S. (2006) Becoming a Primary Higher Level Teaching Assistant: Primary Special Educational Needs. Exeter: Learning Matters Ltd. http://www. sedl. org/change/issues/issues43/concerns. html (accessed on 30/01/11) http://sen. ttrb. ac. uk/ViewArticle2. aspx? ContentId=15915 (accessed on 20/01/11) Knowles, G. (2006) Supporting Inclusive Practise. David Fulton Publishers Ltd. London How to cite Meeting Learning Needs Case Study, Free Case study samples

Leonardo da Vinci Renaissance Man Essay Example For Students

Leonardo da Vinci: Renaissance Man Essay Leonardo dad Vinci: Renaissance Man During the Renaissance, the ultimate goal of a person was to excel in all aspects of life. Leonardo dad Vinci is dubbed the Renaissance Man because he dabbled and succeeded in many different areas. Leonardo is most famous for his paintings, which captured shadow and depth unlike any other artist of his time. He also made remarkable discoveries in Science and anatomy, two subjects that had advanced very little during the Middle Ages. Evidence of Leonardo innovative mind is left in his any notebooks full of inventions that were not actually constructed until modern times. Leonardo dad Vinci is the Renaissance man because he excelled in art, science, and engineering. Art was Leonardo earliest passion, and it is his most famous talent. At only 15 years old, dad Vinci was discovered in Florence by Andrea del Veronica and was offered an apprenticeship. He quickly surpassed his teacher and began his own career. Working under various dukes and kings, Leonardo produced some of the most famous paintings of all time. His works include the paintings Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, ND Adoration of Magi. Leonardo dad Vinci is still considered to be one of the greatest artists of all time. Although Leonardo was a very talented artist, it was his inquiring mind and scientific discoveries that set him apart from others of his time. Humanism sparked a new interest in the human body and anatomy studies. Dad Vinci was a pioneer in this field of study, and his interest delved way beyond the surface. In fact, Leonardo is known to have obtained corpses from local hospitals and dissecting them to better understand anatomy. By doing this, dad Vinci understood the human body better than anyone of his time. Leonardo dad Vinci was a great scientist who made great advances in the study of the human body. Not only did Leonardo dad Vinci question the workings of the human body, but also the mechanics of machinery. Dad Vinci invented many different machines, many of which never passed the blue print stage due to lack of resources and power. None the less, today many of Leonardo sketches have been built and proven to work. One of his flying machine ideas is actually very similar to todays modern helicopter. Leonardo eventually wrote the first systematic explanations of how machines work and how the elements of machines can be combined. Leonardo had an innovative mind that he put to use inventing anything from under ground traffic systems to flying machines. Leonardo dad Vinci excelled not only in the arts, but also in science and engineering. He painted some of the worlds most treasured paintings and made great strides in science. Also, he designed and engineered many inventions that were not actually achievement, making him the ultimate Renaissance man.

How to Set Up WordPress Heatmaps for Free - Track Clicks and More

Analytics is one of the most powerful tools  you have to make sense of your users behavior. However, staring at numbers day after day can get tiring, and figuring out what metrics to keep an eye on isnt always easy. Thats where WordPress heatmaps come in.Heatmaps offer you a simple way to track and analyze whats happening on your site. They do this by providing a visual overview of which areas of your website get more attention from users. With that information in hand, you can identify and fix problem areas quickly.In this article, well dig into what WordPress heatmaps are and what makes them so useful. Then well teach you how to set them up using the  heatmap for WordPress plugin.  Lets get started! A heatmap is a visual representation of data that uses colors to represent specific values. If you use a heatmap  to analyze a page of your website, for example, it will show you which areas are receiving the most user interactions (such as clicks).   The warmer the color, the more engagement a section gets:Red sections are the areas that get the most user attention on your site.Heatmaps can be powerful tools for  spotting issues (in design or otherwise), which  means you get the chance to fix problem areas on your site swiftly. Here are a couple of examples of how you might use a heatmap to improve your site:You can determine if your Calls to Action (CTAs) are getting enough attention compared to other elements on your pages. If they arent, you can always take steps to make your CTAs more compelling.Under normal circumstances, your navigation menu should always be a hot area. If that isnt the case, you should probably look into improving your navigation.As you can see, the real value of heatmaps lies in their ability to reveal  specific issues with your design or navigation.Before we move on, its worth noting there are two main types of heatmaps: those that track clicks, and those that analyze scrolling behavior. The first type is the most popular , since it provides you with more precise information  about what your users are interested in clicking on. Scrolling heatmaps, on the other hand, are useful if you want a birds eye view of your sites performance. They show you what areas are catching your readers eyes as they scroll down each page.In the steps below, well be focusing on a click heatmap tool for WordPress. However, you can always opt for an alternative such as CrazyEgg if youre looking for a scrolling map.How to set up WordPress heatmaps (in two easy steps)For this tutorial, were going to use the heatmap for WordPress plugin. Its one of the simplest heatmap tools available, and it comes with plenty of features. heatmap for WordPress Realtime analytics Author(s): HeatMap, IncCurrent Version: 0.5.2Last Updated: February 21, 2019heatmap-for-wp.0.5.2.zip 82%Ratings 79,593Downloads WP 3.1+Requires Heatmap for WordPress enables you to monitor activity on your site as it occurs and see how it changes between mob ile and desktop users. Its simple to set up, and you can get a free plan that supports up to five pages on a single site and an almost unlimited number of interactions. If youre looking to use  the plugin on multiple sites, there are also  premium plans available.Before you can configure the plugin, youll need to install and activate it. Then proceed to  the first step.Step #1: Sign up for a heatmap account and activate the pluginAfter youve installed the plugin, visit  the new heatmap tab on your dashboard. Youll see that it requires you to sign up for an account on heatmap.me before you can access its full features. Go ahead and do that now:The only caveat is that youll need either a Google or a Facebook account to sign up. Dont worry though –  once youre done setting up your account, youll be able to track your WordPress heatmaps from inside your WordPress dashboard.After completing the initial signup process, heatmap.me will ask you for your WordPress sites URL. Make sure you enter it correctly:Fill out the necessary fields and save your changes. Then, go back to WordPress and click on the heatmap tab again. Select  the Check now button, and the plugin should be ready to go.Step #2: Track your user activity with your new heatmap toolYou dont need to worry  about your WordPress heatmaps being difficult to use – heatmap for WordPress makes accessing them  remarkably simple. All you have to do is find the page you want to track and make sure youre logged into WordPress. If you are, youll see a new heatmap icon on your admin bar:Simply  click on that icon, and youll see colors popping up all over your content. Of course, if you just recently set up the plugin, youll need to wait for a while until visitors have  had time to interact with your site. For now, just sit back and let the plugin work its magic!ConclusionHeatmaps have been around for a while, but they arent the kind of tool you see talked about often. Thats a shame be cause they offer a very simple way to analyze whats  happening on your site. Using a heatmap will help you discover  which areas users like and which arent getting enough traction. That information is worth its weight in gold.All you have to do is install the heatmap for WordPress plugin, sign up for a heatmap account  and connect it to your site, and youll be able to access your new tool.

Should we discuss cyber communities as real communities Essay Example

Should we discuss cyber communities as real communities Essay Example Should we discuss cyber communities as real communities Paper Should we discuss cyber communities as real communities Paper The internet has become an everyday part of life for the majority of the contemporary society who have the technology and knowledge to access it, and as such new groups known as cyber or virtual communities have developed, living and growing on the world wide web, expanding simultaneously as is evident with real physical societies found in our everyday lives. Is it ok then to discuss these in the same context as each other, or are they entirely different incarnations of human interaction that should be separated and therefore discussed at different ends of the equation that is community? I want first to take a brief look at the history of the Internet, and how it offers the chance for cyber communities to develop. I will hopefully identify a framework for these cyber communities, which I will use to compare them against real life communities and then discuss the similarities and differences and so be able to draw a conclusion as to whether the two types of communities are able to be discussed in the same context. The Internets first appearance was in 1969 with the ARPANET computer network, run by the US Defense Department. The US Government was interested in creating a network that could withstand a nuclear attack. This system was the primary component of the super network that would eventually become the Internet. The first event of the Internet that we know today was in 1974, when Vint Cerf and Bob Khan defined the transmission control protocol (TCP) and Internet protocol (IP) by which information could be packaged addressed and sent to various destinations along a computer network. In 1983 this TCP/IP based Internet was launched across the USA, and has since developed to todays standards, of a global network of 43 million interconnected computers (Gauntlett 2000). Presently, Internet technology enables several forms of interactive networking among users, including traditional activities suggestive of geographic communities, such as town meetings, exchanging information, discussing problems, and informal chatting. Forms of these communities include; Email, Multi-user Dimensions (MUDs), Chat channels (rooms) Conferencing systems/ Bulletin Board Systems (BBS)/ Information Services. These are just a handful of the most popular communication techniques widely available on the Internet. Access to the Internet and these services is provided through commercial Internet Service Providers (ISPs) such as America Online (AOL) that offer a range of member services in addition to Internet access. The WELL provides a vivid example of the capability of online groups to facilitate sustained and meaningful interaction among members. ( harvardlawreview. org/issues/112/7_1586. htm#fn35 Accessed 23/04/03) The WELL is a large conferencing system, centered in the San Francisco Bay area; it was established in 1985 and has grown to become a vibrant online community where many topics and aspects of everyday life are discussed (Gauntlett 2000). Howard Rheingold has been actively interested in the topic of virtual (cyber) communities since the early days of the Internet and especially the topic of the WELL, I will use examples taken from his book The Virtual Community and other scholars of the subject to help analyze the idea of the cyber community and its links to real communities. At this point I would like to clarify exactly what I mean when talking about community, and what the definition of a community is in the context of this essay. I will use a simple definition, often accustomed to the debate about virtual communities. Aaron Davidson states When Internet critics speak of community, they refer to the definition of community as a group of people who live together in close physical proximity, I will refer to this type of community as a Classic Community. The more general essence of community is a group of people, which share a common interest. This more flexible definition encompasses both physical communities as well as more intangible communities such as special interest clubs and online communities (http://spaz. ca/aaron/school/online. html Accessed 20/04/03). This definition of community translates that a classical real life community is a group of people who are geographically local to each other and so form bonds due to location and not necessarily interests, such as street parties, or communal bonfires and firework shows. The non-classical internet community is when people group together in a non-physical text based platform due to a common interest on a certain subject, such as a military vehicle web ring or music group discussions. Taylor (1982) states the core attributes that are (or should be) possessed by all communities to some extent are, common beliefs and values, direct and many-sided relationships between members, and reciprocity and communication. While shared values and beliefs generally promote communication, the presence of communication does not necessarily result in shared values. This has a key implication for the creation of cyber communities as unlike real life communities people accessing them do so for the topic, such as health, music or films and through this shared affinity for the subject communication is initiated, while some might access purely for communication and not information, they are going to try and generate conversation within the topic range they are interested in (Rheingold 2000). I will now try to categorize a framework of characteristics that would be associated with a cyber community, and how these differ from their real life counterparts. I located several definitions from different writers on the characteristics, which an online community has, but they all seem to be able to be grouped together under five headings. The first is that they are spatial, in that they are not restrained by geography, the community is able to be built and developed not only on a national scale but more on an international scale now, and not just within the close geographical proximities experienced by real world communities. They are developed around an understanding or appreciation of a topic, which brings people together, which may or may not have known each other prior to the discussion, while real life communities are often forced together either through the location of residence or through working ties. Virtual communities such as the WELL for example grew within a region of America (San Francisco Bay) but to become a member you dont have to live in San Francisco to participate in the community and the building of bonds within it (Rheingold 2000). The second is that virtual communities are asynchronous, in that communication doesnt have to take place in real time, unless the community is built within a chat room environment, but even in this environment they often facilitate the use of a message board for users to access. Messages and information can be posted and replies received days later (Castells 2001). For sustained communication to take place in the real world at least two people are needed at the same time, even if not at the same location via telephone. Third due to the lack of data able to be sent the communities are predominantly text based. For decades, online communities were built with nothing more than unformatted text. Web-based media bring inline graphics, animations, video, sounds, formatted text, and links into the conversation, creating a more dynamic ability to communicate with other users, and therefore enhancing the community being developed (Jones 1997). Real life communities are able to be built not just on text (speech) but also through the use of paralinguistic features, these non verbal gestures help to add meaning, and the impact of a face to face discussion is amplified due to facial features which are not evident in the computer world, but can be expressed as text (Jones 1997). The Fourth characteristic is that they are astigmatic, in those physical attributes such as race, gender, and physical impairments, which would often locate an individual in certain social standings in real life, are not present on the c yber communities. Religion is also not an important issue in virtual communities. These aspects not only shape our social standing but can inhibit our involvement in social gatherings and communal events simply because we are not aesthetically matched, but in the virtual world these impairments, and characteristics do not affect our acceptance and do not need to be made public unless the individual chooses to do so. People whose physical handicaps make it difficult to form new friendships find that virtual communities treat them as they always wanted to be treated as thinkers and transmitters of ideas and feeling beings, not carnal vessels with a certain appearance and way of walking and talking (or not walking and not talking) ( eff. org/Net_culture/Virtual_community/slice_of_life. article Accessed 22/04/03). The fifth key feature of a virtual community is that the members of a virtual community are anonymous from each other, unless they choose to meet in person. Unlike in real life where face to face interaction leads to people being able to recognize outside of the community environment, while community members on the virtual plain would not recognize each other if passing in the street. This ability to remain anonymous from other users offers virtual citizens the ability to create their own virtual identity and mold their appearance as they see fit, playing out fantasies online (Castells 2001). This can be seen with a quote from the blockbuster movie The Matrix where Neo and Morpheus are discussing the Matrix and how it offers Neo and the users the chance to portray their residual self image, the mental projection of your digital self as Morpheus quotes to Neo. This is the same in a virtual community where members are able to portray themselves as they wish others to see them; whether truthful or false the anonymity provided by the virtual community allows freedom from physical flaws present in their real life personas (Jones 1997). That was the five key characteristics identified by many people as to what makes a virtual community different from a real life example. Another characteristic that is evident with online communication is the fact that it can be conducted on a many to many basis. This is different from the format of few to many associated with a broadcast, or one to one such as telephone conversation. Virtual communities offer groups of people the ability to communicate with many others simultaneously. A brief over view of the characteristics of a virtual community shows as that they are not bound by geography, but are bonded together by interests and bonds formed through these interests. Communication doesnt have to be undertaken in real time, and is predominantly text based. No physical or religious pre conceived prejudices are experienced as members are able to remain anonymous from each other in the real world and so any physical attributes or religious beliefs are made public to fellow members through the free choice of the individual. Finally communication can be carried out on a many to many interaction with lots of people contributing to the discussion if and when they feel they should. The difference between real life and cyber (virtual) communities are evident then, but is this the end of the discussion as to whether they should or shouldnt be classed as real? Possibly the most significant aspect of these more mainstream uses of the Internet is not their status as alternative communities, but the opportunities they offer for individuals to supplement their lives in real world communities ( arvardlawreview. org/issues/112/7_1586. htm#fn35 Accessed 20/04/03). Cyber communities are often seen and categorized in this way as an extension of our communal lives and that they extend our real life communities to new levels. Ray Oldenburg (1991) states that there are three essential places in every persons life, the place they live, the place they work, and the place they gather for conviviality. Virtual communities can fulfill the role of the third place re-matting the fabric of community spirit, which has been lost in the modern real world where community bonds are being eroded. The ability to network, gain knowledge, or find communion within cyberspace is, according to Rheingold (2000), the social glue that binds formerly isolated individuals into a community ( well. com/user/hlr/texts/VCcivil. html Accessed 22/04/03). I tend to agree with this finding that cyber communities do not stand-alone but are interwoven with our real life communal experiences, and so I feel to a certain extent they should be discussed as real communities, but with an air of caution when doing so. The key difference between the cyber and real community is the context of the plain they are built on, whether it being physical or virtual. They both exist together with real world topics being the basis for many of the interactions experienced within there cyber counterparts, further leads me to the view that they presently only fulfill the role of enhancing or communal lives in real life. The key similarity between the two community environments is the constant communication, forming links and bonds, however the initiation process in cyber communities is also different. In traditional kinds of communities, we are accustomed to meeting people, then getting to know them; in virtual communities, you can get to know people and then choose to meet them. In some cases, you can get to know people who you might never meet on the physical plain (Rheingold 2000). The point that cyber communities can exist as asynchronous is contested by Jones (1997), saying that synchronicity when users interact at the same time such as in a chat room, the occupants are less interested in the topic but more so in the individual doing the talking, less interested in text than in community. This offers the argument that not all communication on the internet is communal, and only the real time chat room environments when people discuss and form real time bonds with one another in quick fire conversations does the feeling of community really exist. From my experiences on the Internet and especially in chat rooms I would have to agree with this. When I post a message on a guest book or message board, I dont get a feeling interaction with others, but within the environment of a chat room I am able to build bonds, and return to them at later dates with a sense, if only small at first of knowing the other users of the room. Jones (1997) also accounts for this and the issue of free riding, where he quotes Ostrom (1990) identified free riding as the key threat to community formation and well-being, free riders being surfers of the Internet who do not participate in the community but simply use it for its resources. I have outlined here some of the theories and thoughts offered on the subject of cyber communities and I want to know draw them all together and conclude this writing. For cyber communities to be discussed in the same context as real world examples there is the point that they offer the user a sense of belonging, albeit a different one from the real world. They also incorporate a large amount of people, all communicating and sharing experiences with each other, which is the same as in the traditional physical communities. Cyber communities are built around a shared value or interests, you are able to choose to join the community or not, you are not forced into it through work or residence. This point offers the question of how strong the bonds are between the people, simply because they have a shared interest in a certain topic, the commitment to one another in the cyber realm compared to the real world is a lot weaker, as Jones (1997) states, in the book, Virtual culture. People who communicate via words on a screen dont necessarily share the same level of commitment to each other in real life as more traditional communities. Communities can emerge from and exist within computer-linked groups, but that technical linkage of electronic personae is not sufficient to create a community (Jones 1997). Howard Rheingold states brilliantly one of the key advantages of partaking in a virtual community, life will be happier for the on-line individual because the people with whom one interacts most strongly will be selected more by commonality of interests and goals than by accidents of proximity(Rheingold 2000). For the feeling of community to exist the key attribute identified through my study is the need for sustained communication between the members. I will use the following quote from The Electronic Frontier Foundation website to sum up the conclusion of this study. When a group of people remains in communication with one another for extended periods of time, the question of whether it is a community arises. Virtual communities might be real communities, they might be pseudocommunities, or they might be something entirely new in the realm of social contracts, but they are in part a response to the hunger for community that has followed the disintegration of traditional communities around the world ( ff. org/Net_culture/Virtual_community/slice_of_life. article Accessed 20/04/03). Therefore cyber communities are real communities, they are very similar, where links and bonds are formed in a non-physical environment, and that these cyber communities should be discussed in the same context as real life examples but not separately but as an extension of our physical communal lives.

Case Study Assignment.....Metals in the Environment, my topic is lead

Assignment.....Metals in the Environment, my topic is lead - Case Study Example d in the 1960’s concluded that the amount of lead introduced into the environment via human means was 100 times more than that the amount added naturally (Wright A. & Welbourn, 2002). This research proved that lead contamination was one of the hazards brought by industrialization. The form of lead that is most responsible for lead transmission is tetraethyl lead. Tetraethyl lead is a lead derivative that is used as an additive in gasoline. Other sources of inorganic lead are lead containing sweeteners, lead salts in paints and anticorrosion coats, in batteries, in protective glass that are used against radioactive substances and in insecticide. Lead is also used in water distribution networks and is also used in containers that hold food and drinks. The usage of lead in these sensitive areas can cause mobilization of lead if the liquid medium is soft, acidic or poorly buffered. This translates into lead contamination in drinking water and food and drink vessels. As mentioned afore, paints and anticorrosive agents contain high concentrations of lead. As anticorrosive coats or paints wear off they mobilize particles of lead dust into the air. Lead dust is a direct means of contact with lead particles, and it can also settle in soils or aquatic mediums. Most for ms of lead are insoluble. This means that even though practice of using lead derivative compounds in products has ceased, lead and its derivatives are still in the environment. The dispersal of lead is through three major mediums; the atmosphere, the water and the soil. The dispersal of inorganic lead through the atmosphere is dependent on the particle size of lead. Lead particles having larger size, greater than 2Â µm in diameter; tend to fall close to their source of origin. They continue to contaminate and pollute the water and soil around the source. Particles which are smaller in size, less than 2Â µm in diameter; are capable of travelling larger distances. Transference through atmosphere not only