Schools and Districts Support for Adolescent Literacy Essay Example

Schools and Districts Support for Adolescent Literacy Essay IntroductionThere are many students today faced with the challenge of reading their books or even understanding what they read. This makes the students experience difficulties in understanding most of their subjects in school like mathematics, science and others as they are also guided by the reading skills (Corporation, 2010). This is evident due to the low grade student’s score, and this puts the various institutions, like schools and districts in a bad state of affairs. This is because the various professionals taking care of students are not proud with what they do as the result of their work is never pleasing, and may attract criticism. Most affected students lack proficiency and their reading skills are unusually low requiring help from all quarters. The schools, therefore, must continue to encourage their students to be responsible and continue exercising how to read and write properly if they are to be successful in the various professions later in life. However, the s uccess of students cannot be left to schools only and should continue outside the facilities with everyone in the student’s life putting an effort to encourage and motivate them (Berman, 2009). Adolescents should, therefore, be encouraged to continue with their studies as the numbers of illiterates increasing as compared to other countries and poverty levels. Schools and districts should be in the frontline when such issues are to be dealt with, and better policies developed to cater for the various challenges faced. People may have different explanations of why more than a third of the American adolescent students rate poorly in their literacy levels. This paper will try to focus on what the different schools and districts can do if they are to improve the literacy level of adolescent in the different communities. We will write a custom essay sample on Schools and Districts Support for Adolescent Literacy specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Schools and Districts Support for Adolescent Literacy specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Schools and Districts Support for Adolescent Literacy specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Adolescent LiteracyAdolescence literacy is all about how well the adolescent can read instructions mainly in grades four to twelve. This is a very crucial stage and most district policy makers and institutions need to concentrate on how they can save their students. Most of the students in the lower grades have been taught how to read, but this is not encouraged in the higher grades as the students are taught how they can concentrate on the various subjects and pass their exams (Ehren, 2009). The switch from learning how to read to reading to learn is a challenge to many students as there is no much concentration in this area by the teachers. This is why most institutions should put more efforts in the adolescent students. Most students in the higher grades are said to be able to read, but comprehending or processing the information has been a problem. The schools are, therefore, mandated to change the way through which they teach so that the shift can be smooth (Marchand-Martella et al., 2013). You can easily at our website with professional writing guidelines from experts. The US is facing challenges in the area of literacy with other countries performing better like the Koreans, Greece, Brazilians and others. The level has increased since 1992 and in 2007, only thirty one percent of those assessed for proficiency levels in the eight-grade performed. Additionally, twenty four percent of those assessed in the twelfth grade in writing skills scored above proficiency. This shows that the issue has affected the US in a big way, and there must be stiff interventions to rescue the US adolescent students from the menace (Berman, 2009). Moreover, adolescent from the rich families have been found to perform well as compared to poor families and mostly the white perform better that the African American or other groups in the US. This is because these families are able to take their kids to better schools or hire coaches who are able to take personalized care to the students. On the other hand, there are students that are fast learners while others are slow, whic h makes it difficult for the switch. Another problem that has led to poor literacy of the adolescent is the preparedness of workers or the teachers (Marchand-Martella et al., 2013). Most of the workforce in schools is relaxed as they expect the students from lower grades to have received the required information thereby expecting the students to be educated. Some teachers always instruct according to what they understand or how they were taught thinking that they are doing the right thing. This is a problem because there are different changes that have taken place around them like technology, which requires better preparation if the students are to understand better. The problem of literacy continues to college levels, and some students are required to take some remedial courses because of their poor skills. These are some of the challenges that are hindering adolescents from gaining the required knowledge vital for their future development (Berman, 2009). Areas Where Adolescent Need To Be EducatedWord studyThis is a type of literacy where the students are required to develop skills that enable them identify some words and become proficient while reading the words (Corporation, 2010). They also learn some common words which make it easier to understand and read these words. Learning of the skill is important as it helps students’ memorize many words which is vital for their learning experience, and understanding the meaning of these words. Schools at this level should teach the students the various strategies of breaking some of the words into parts so that it becomes easier for the students (Marchand-Martella et al., 2013). Some of the strategies that may be adopted here are like breaking the words into syllable types that make it easier to read. The words become easier for students to decode and it is important to those in middle and high school levels. The schools must, therefore, concentrate on teaching their students this s kill as it makes it unproblematic to understand the meaning of the various words. FluencyMost students practice being fluent in their reading, which means that they must possess the ability to quickly, accurately and properly read the various contents availed to them. This skill is fundamental as when the students are able to read fluently; the issue of understanding the content is somehow eliminated (Ehren, 2009). This is because most of their time is not spent on decoding words or trying to read but understanding what words they read means. Teachers and the various institutions, like schools and district facilities, should concentrate on guiding the students through various techniques of becoming fluent in their reading, like repeated reading that make them decode words easily. Repeated reading means that students are encouraged to read the same material several times, but the vocabulary level should be in line with the level of study. In so doing, the students later learn new vocabularies and avoid struggling with becoming fluent, therefore, succeeding due to t he continuous reading. MotivationMost of the students struggling with learning the various skills lack motivation from teachers or those around them (Marchand-Martella et al., 2013). This is crucial as most students are encouraged and become skilled learners developing their various skills and strategies. On the other hand, those struggling with reading various vocabularies may become challenging if they are not encouraged as they may feel dumb or unwanted and may think that they will never make it. In this area, teachers should encourage the student to read some content or use some of the materials that are intriguing to the students like story books or short novels (Ehren, 2009). To add to this, teachers should interact with students directly or encourage them to enter the different social groups that are essential in encouraging them to continue reading or improve their reading. This is a soft way of encouraging students to continue their reading and thereby becoming literate as compared to other strate gies. It is also not left to teachers only and can be done by other people in the society as there are no vital skills required. This should also be used together with other strategies as motivation may never work alone (Pitcher et al., 2010). Improving Adolescence LiteracyThe daily running of educational institutions is left to those fully experienced in the systems, and the policy makers have a limited role in this process (Pitcher et al., 2010). However, this does not mean that they are never involved in the running process as they are concerned with policy making process that is vital in ensuring the correct practices are adopted. These policy makers ensure that they enact laws and that they are well implemented. This is mostly undertaken at the various districts levels because the authorities are also concerned with the illiterate levels of their adolescent students (Berman, 2009). One of the ways that literacy among adolescents can be improved is through the avoidance of inoculation strategy where reading is only taught to younger children (Corporation, 2010 and Alexandria, 2006). The departure from this strategy may help all the people from the different levels, like the slow learners, who can be helped to learn the skills of reading even during the later grade levels. Although the skills learnt up to the fourth grade are indispensable for the development of the student later, they are not enough and should continue as various things are changing in the environment (Weldon, 2010). This is because the various studies have shown that there must be a follow up if the adolescent students are to perform better around the world (Berman, 2009). Secondly, institutions should encourage other teachers from different departments to help the students in the various fields even if the subjects are out of their field (Pitcher et al., 2010). This is because those in fields like sciences, mathematics or others concentrate too much on what they are doing and some of them may have helped in improving the conditions of the students in becoming more literate. They might help in encouraging students to read whenever there is a reading to be done in their lessons, or motivate them to put more effort in reading different materials (Corporation, 2010). Many teachers may be resistance in diversifying their lessons to different fields, like literacy, due to the specific time they have. The various districts should encourage this strategy as it is vital for the growth of the kid as a whole. Some of the districts have adopted the strategy and policy makers should create laws that encourage this kind of behavior although they may face some resis tance. Some say that they have extremely limited time to cover the syllabus while others say that they are not qualified in any other area. In addition, the various policy makers should continue making laws and policies that are vital in developing the literacy skills of the adolescent students (Morrell, 2010). These are like training literacy coaches that would help the teachers in impacting the reading skills into the students (Ehren, 2009). This is because the teachers are always in a hurry to follow what is in the curriculum, and some coaches from outside may increase the level of material read by the students per year, which is an admirable thing in ensuring that the students are well prepared to join other levels of education where the skill is little taught but widely used. There are those who join the colleges, and after they are given a lot of work to read, they become shocked because they are not used to such large contents. It is, therefore, important that the coaches encourage the pupils to continue reading as this will improve their literacy and they will find learning easier at their later stages in school (Weldon, 2010). Moreover, there should be proper development of the teaching profession so that it becomes compulsive and hence maintain teachers in class. This is because there are many teachers leaving the profession and joining others that are less cumbersome and engaging (Corporation, 2010). There should be better pay to the teachers and encourage them to work overtime with best packages. On the other hand, teachers joining the different colleges should be well qualified so that the quality of trained teachers is high and competitive enough with other professions. This will ensure that the outcome in class is attractive, and people can be well taught to match or even be better than those in other countries (Alexandria, 2006). Finally, all the people in the districts must fully support the various programs as they are very essential for the growth of the adolescent. The support may be through monetary and other areas which make it possible for schools and other education institutions function smoothly. The other supports may be like development of various plans required in making the school function and there should be summits and meetings developed to create awareness to the different parties concerned (Corporation, 2010). This would make every party aware of the problems in details and how they can help to handle them at different levels and places. The community is also encouraged to motivate their adolescent student to read widely and join social groups, which would make them courageous to read and talk in public. These strategies may help the adolescent grow their literacy levels and become students who are able to read and learn and not those learning to read (Berman, 2009). Case studyHopkins West Junior HighOver the years, there has been a significant development experienced in this school due to its visionary leaders. There are many students in the school from the 7th grade to the 9th grade. There are about eighty three percent White students, eight percent Black students and the others occupying the nine percent. Over the years, there has been a wide gap experienced between the literacy performance of the students due to poverty or color. Most Blacks always dragged behind their white counterparts, and the administration had to look for solutions. This portrayed a poor image and the management looked for ways to change it quickly. In the first place, they were to involve all the kids indiscriminately and infuse it into their culture. This encouraged the teachers as they developed these skills benefiting the kids in a big way. This became one of the strategies adopted by the school and was able to harmonize the results by improving the condition of the Blacks and the poor kids Carnegie (Corporation, 2010). ConclusionIt is evident that schools and districts can play a major role in improving the literacy level of adolescents in the US and around the world in general. This is because there are many different areas requiring changes, and the US adolescent students need to move up and be leaders. This calls for the establishment of laws and policies in the various districts aimed at making it mandatory for the changes to take effect. The schools are one of the institutions that a big part of these policies to be adopted. This is because students here learn the various skills and are guided to be analytical and able to decode the various messages. It is, therefore, very important that the teachers adopt new strategies of dealing with the student and those teaching different lessons involved also. Reading is vital for the students as it shows how ready they are to move to the different levels of education as the higher levels may need the skills. This should continue at higher levels to make it easy for the student change to read to learn state which is highly required. The whole community must try and play their role in ensuring that all students are taught accordingly. Do you still need professional research paper writing help on this topic? 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Robber Barons Essays - Business, Telegraphy, Rockefeller Family

Robber Barons Essays - Business, Telegraphy, Rockefeller Family Robber Barons Robber Barons When the names Carnagie, Rockefeller, and Edison come to mind, most of us automatically think of what we saw or read in our history books: These men were kind and generous and through hard work and perseverance, any one of you could become a success story like them, right? Wrong. I am sick of these people being remembered for the two or three good deeds they have done. Publicity and media have exaggerated the generosity of these men, the Government has spoiled these names with false lies, and people have been blind to see that these men were ruthless, sly businessmen who were motivated by your money and their struggle for power. How many history books teach such in-depth details like these? A prime example of the acts of a robber baron can be seen through the actions of John D. Rockefeller. A picture I have recently seen shows a group of people watching an old Rockefeller crouch over to accept a flower from a little girl. The caption reads John D. Rockefeller, American industrialist and philanthropist, is caught doing one of his good deeds. No wonder that only a handful of people can't distinguish that this old man was a crock and deserves to rot in hell! With all this positive media attention, the public had been fed lies! In real life, this money hungry, greedy villain is the prime reason why the Sherman Antitrust Act was passed. Rockefeller's dream was to monopolize the oiling industry, and he so successfully did. Because of his great empire (the Standard Oil Co.) and the wealth it brought, when any other competitor tried even to step foot into the oiling industry, Rockefeller dropped his prices until the rookie industry was forced out. After he regained monopoly, he then jacked up the prices. Sure, the people were mad, but what could they do? Many other industries depended on the oil that Rockefeller provided and besides, the Sherman Antitrust Act couldn't be enforced with these big businesses growing larger and larger. Another Robber Baron donated over 2500 libraries worldwide, he helped establish the famous concert hall in New York, and he helped finance several colleges in the US. Can you guess who he is? Yes! Andrew Carnagie. Now how about this person: In the early 1900s, in order to maintain control of the steel industry, he bought out rival plants, he ran a self running holding company which bough stock in itself in order to buy control of the industry, and he also hired children (as young as 9 years old) to work twelve hours a day under harsh, dangerous conditions and paid them the lowest wages possible. Can you guess who he is now? As a matter of fact it is our American Hero Andrew Carnagie! Carnagie did, for a fact, hire children because they were cheaper; yet these same children were sometimes required to run swing shifts which meant occasional 24 hour work days. It all too much of a commonality that these robber barons all share some of the same traits: ruthlessness, mistreatment of their workers, greed for money and power, and a Machiavelian way of doing business. With these traits in mind, who can consider these men heroes? It's the government and the big businesses which want us to think that way. It can only be them who portray these wicked as saints. But I am educated, and through research and learning, I am thoroughly convinced that the people who our America looks up to and admires, are a bunch of villains. Although many of America's Heros's have turned out to be greedy Robber Barons, I disagree with anyone who considers Thomas Edison one of these. We have had many great inventors and Thomas Alva Edison is among them. The creator of many inventions including the electric lamp, stock printer, light bulb, phonograph, and literally hundreds of other useful inventions. He worked at a railroad station when he was only twelve years old. That is where he was lead to the invention of both the Stock printer and the telegraph transmitter, as well as many other patents dealing with telegraphs such as the Automatic Telegraph, Duplex Telegraphs, Quadruplex Telegraph Repeater, Telephonic Telegraphs,

Image-Making Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Image-Making - Essay Example Although once identified as simply the swoosh on the side of a Nike athletic shoe or the golden arches soaring over every McDonalds entrance, the term ‘branding’ has grown to encompass many aspects of a company or individual. â€Å"Brands are not simply products or services. Brands are the sum totals of all the images that people have in their heads about a particular company and a particular mark. Brands absorb everything around them† (Scott Bedbury, CEO of Brandstream, a Seattle-based marketing consultancy, quoted in Kalin, 2001). Indeed the term has come to refer to not only the images a company produces in order to call their product or services to mind, but also the products sold, the services rendered, the building in which the company is headquartered or even the country in which it originated as well as the methods used to project these ideas and images to the broader public. To remain competitive in the world today, just about anything can be identified w ith a brand if it is so chosen – companies, museums, hospitals, even individual people. In making his bid for the 2008 Presidential Election, candidate Barak Obama skillfully applied the elements of branding or image-making to himself, successfully presenting himself as the most viable candidate through his general appearance, the ways in which he is identified and the context of his message. Barak Obama seems keenly aware of the importance of appearance in making a good impression on the American public. From our earliest history, it has been through our outward appearances that we project who and what we are to other people. Studies conducted by Dr. John Gottman and Dr. Dacher Keltner have revealed that people most often make snap judgments about the people they meet without even thinking about it that can often prove to be quite accurate (Walker, 2006). Therefore, the physical appeal of an individual often plays a significant role in his (or her) acceptance by the

International Trade Law Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

International Trade Law - Assignment Example The terms were also accepted by the Surflife Company and they replied through an email with their expression of happiness with the terms. Although there was no exchange of any other terms, the two parties could be understood to be in terms of an agreement and involved in a contract. However, the problem had arisen in the delivery on part of the PJ Company owing to a mistake occurred by one of the employees of the company who was responsible for the supply of the goods to the customer. The employee, not following the instructions properly, got the wrong orders ready for shipment and supply. The number of jeans supplied was 12,000 instead of 15,000 and another set of orders were also supplied that the buyer company had never requested for. Moreover he proved to be careless in the packing of the goods that suffered damage later in the process. When the goods were finally delivered to the company, it was delayed and the majority of the goods were destroyed in rain and ill-treatments of t he suppliers. Thus after suffering a huge loss, the company was not willing to pay for the goods to the PJ Company. The question that arises here deals with the rights and obligations of the PJ Company and how the dissatisfaction of the Surflife Company could be addressed and resolved. ... It can be understood in this case that the Surflife Company had ordered the pairs of jeans but had not examined the goods before entering into the contract. The contract of the sale of goods in this context was thus a sale by description. The goods that were delivered to the Surflife Company did not match with the description of the goods stated in the contract by the PJ Company. Hence a violation in the contract could be seen to have occurred and Surflife Company in this scenario had the rights to sue the seller company. Being the seller company and one of the parties to the contract where the order was clearly stated along with the date of delivery and the size of the order, PJ Company had certain rights and obligations in regard to the delivery of goods to the customer. The seller had the rights to dispose of goods if all conditions are not fulfilled on the part of the buyer or owing to other circumstances (sec 25(1)). The seller company might consider the goods to have been deliv ered if the buyer expresses acceptance or if the goods are retained by the buyer company without giving any further notice (sec 24). Moreover, the seller had the rights to supply the goods only when the buyer demanded for it (sec 35) and such goods may also be supplied in installments (sec 39(1)). The seller may keep hold of the goods till the payment procedure is completed (sec 47(1)) and in the process the company might have hindered the process of shipment or transportation of the goods and regain it after payment is done (sec 49(2), sec 50). The goods might also be resold by the seller company depending on circumstances (sec 54). Also, the company could sue the buyer company if the later showed any breach

Data analysiis and literature review Assignment

Data analysiis and literature review - Assignment Example The research does not establish a relationship between the salaries of the executives and the years spent in the company (Curwin, 2002). The data obtained in the research clearly indicates a variance in the relationship between the salaries of the executives and the years spent in the company. In some cases, the executives have spent quite a long duration in the company but their salary falls under the average level. The time spent in the company can have use in the determination of the salaries of the executives in the case where the other economic factors about the company are kept constant. The time spent in the company is also utilized in determining a company’s executive salaries given that the executive has the relevant experience in the general operations of the company. In addition, the companies can pay their executives based on the duration spent in the company given that the company’s performance reflects on its returns (Morris, 2003). Company’s executive’s salaries are determined based on their performance as well as the company’s performance. An executive salary is determined by the performance of the company in terms of the returns and fulfillment of its objectives. For example, an executive who have spent many years in the company and has implemented several effective policies in the departments they have been working. The executive who has been performing exemplarily in the finance department for many years can be rewarded based on their performance. On the other hand, the executives’ salaries are determined by the performance of the company based on returns and ability to reward their executives (Wright, 2000, p.600). When an executive is imported from another company to boost the performance of failing company, they accept reduced the salary with the expectation of a salary review after the company’s performance improves. Moreover, an executive who has been working to enhance the company’s performance

Application Of Integrated Coastal Zone Management Principles Environmental Sciences Essay

Application Of Integrated Coastal Zone Management Principles Environmental Sciences Essay In most West African sub-region countries, Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) is a fairly new idea and has therefore not been approached and adopted as a management practice. Thus, the management of the coastal zones is seen to be a diffused activity being undertaken by many institutions with interests and stakes in the coastal zone. Nigeria being a country with coastline of approximately 853km facing the Atlantic Ocean, its coastline lies between latitude 4Â ° 10 to 6Â ° 20N and longitude 2Â ° 45 to 8Â ° 35 E (Badejo and Nwilo n.d). The coastal area is low lying with heights of not more than 3.0m above sea level (Dublin-Green et al. 1999). According to (Ibe 1998), the Nigerian coast is composed of four distinct geomorphological units namely the Barrier-Lagoon complex; the Mud coast; the Arcuate Niger delta; and the Strand coast. Nigeria has one of the largest coastal zones in West Africa; with soaring socio-economic, cultural, physical, and environmental importance. Thus, its coastal zones have undergone sequence of advanced environmental development programs through the Federal Ministry of Environment and its environmental stakeholders in the quest of incorporating conservation and sustainable use of its rich cultural and environmental importance. However, environmental programs introduced are seen to have been unproductive owing to the fact that it was not properly approached due to politics of significant players in the Nigerian coastal zone management. Hence, for Nigeria to achieve the aims of incorporating conservation and sustainable development of its coastal zones, the administrative and stakeholders on environmental management needs to implement an Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) in order to achieve its this sustainable growth. 1.2. AIM OF RESEARCH To assess the need and feasibility of applying Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) principles in the management of Nigerian coastal waters with a case study on Lagos State coastline. 1.3. OBJECTIVES OF RESEARCH In the context of this research, the following objectives shall be considered: Literature review of ICZM and its principles; The key coastal issues facing Nigeria coastal zone; Assessing the current management of Lagos State coastline against the principles of ICZM; Evaluate barriers to the implementation of ICZM on Lagos State coastline; Evaluate the potential benefits of an ICZM approach. 1.4. BACKGROUND REPORT OUTLINE The Nigerian coastal zone sprawls a total of nine (9) states, out of the thirty-six (36) states of the federation, namely: Akwa-Ibom State, Bayelsa State, Cross River State, Delta State, Edo State, Lagos State, Ogun State, Ondo State and Rivers State. These coastal states are estimated to account for 25% of the national population. Nigerian coastal zones stretch inland for a distance of about 15km in Lagos in the West to about 150km in the Niger Delta and about 25km east of the Niger Delta (anon. n.d). FIG.1 MAP OF NIGERIA COASTAL AREAS Fig. 1 above is the map showing the Nigeria coastal areas (Nwilo and Badejo n.d.) Nigeria with about 853 km stretch of coastline has been characterized with differing erosive activities; a result of combination of natural and anthropogenic forces. Consequently, the importance of the Nigerian coastal and marine environment as the main socio-economic nerve centre of the country; where over 70% of the national income is generated, and there is need for an understanding of the physical changes taking place which would have profound socio-economic implications on the area and the entire nation (Okude and Ademiluyi 2006). The main key environmental management and development problems on the Nigeria coastal zones that needs addressing; in particular as degradation of the coastal environment in many of its coastlines decline in the quality of life of its local populations are stated below; Coastal and marine resource degradation; overexploitation of fisheries, coastal drifts-(erosion and flooding), clearing of mangrove forest, physical modification and destruction of habitats, Coastal and marine pollution; oil spillage, dumping of heavy metals, explosives, sewage and garbage, climate change and sea level rise For some years, coastal and marine resource degradation has been a major problem on the Nigerian coastal zones. (Okude and Ademiluyi 2006), evidences from studies and experiments have shown that the rate of shoreline retreat in some section of the Nigerian coast is so rapid as to be alarming. Generally, coastal erosion and accretion occur concurrently worldwide, even though erosion would appear to have a greater magnitude (Oyegun 1988). More so, (Okude and Ademiluyi 2006) the inadequacy of information about the Nigerian coastal areas would explain for the inadequacy in the management of the coastal erosion problems. In addition, lack of sustainable development policies with inadequate resources to implement coastal zone management by Ministry regulating Nigerian coastal environmental have contributed to the degradation. Apart from the natural environmental problems, such as flat topography of the region, high intensity and long duration of rainfall, high water table and low soil permeability, etc., man-made environmental problems are caused by unplanned and uncoordinated development; poor highway and watercourse design and construction, inadequate waste disposal infrastructure and lack of adequate and proper maintenance programme, and so on (Santos 1999). Being one of the largest oil and gas suppliers in West Africa, Nigerian economy is dependent on the oil and gas sector, thus, incurs a high risk of disastrous oil spills on the coastal zone owing to increasing oil tanker operations which are being carried out without utmost compliance with MARPOL 73/78, an IMO convention which regulates and prevents marine pollution. 2.0. LITERATURE REVIEW Coastal zone are unique. Such as daily tides, mangrove forests, coral reefs, tidal flats, sea beaches, storm waves, and barrier islands are found only on the coast (Clark 1996). Furthermore, due to the uniqueness of coastal zone in many coastal countries, the region has been recognised as a distinctive region which requires unique attention. Nevertheless, (Post and Lundin 1996), the increasing population on the coastal zone has caused conflicts between challenging uses in its resources and thereby calls for the need to ascertain long-term supply of these resources, on both land and the sea. However, the (European Commission 1999) asserts that coastal zones will continue to be areas of rich potential for our modern society as its productivity such as tidal inlets, salt marshes, and estuaries has an important role to play in food production- through maintenance of fisheries and aquaculture- and in safeguarding nature and biodiversity. In no doubt, (Clark 1996) the coastal zones is seen to have undergone adverse environmental adaption and weakening through developed human activities such as; dredging, fishing, sand filling, and pollution. According to (Sorenson and McCreary 1990), coastal zone is defined as the interface or transition zone, specifically that part of the land affected by its proximity to the sea and that part of the ocean affected by its proximity to the land. an area which processes depending on the interaction between land and sea are most intense. (Doody 2001), to the marine biologist; coastal zone includes the sea and all those areas which are periodically covered by the tide. While to the coastal ecologist, the zone extends landward to the limits of tidal movement or the influence of salt spray on soils and vegetation. Meanwhile, the quality of coastal waters is a major cause for concern. The two most spectacular phenomena in recent years, oil slicks and algal blooms, are illustrations of the fact that coastal communities frequently suffer the consequences of events or developments occurring inland or offshore and therefore beyond their control (CEC 2000). Therefore, it is imperative to conserve c oastal zones in order to accomplish a sustainable growth. There must be a demonstration of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) to achieve sustainable growth of coastal zones. According to (CEC 2000) from 1996 to 1999, the Directorates General for Environment, Fisheries and Regional Policy in Europe operated a Demonstration Programme on ICZM which is designed to: Provide concrete technical information about the factors and mechanisms, which either encourage or discourage sustainable management of coastal zones. Stimulate a broad debate and exchange of information among the various actors involved in the planning, management or use of European coastal zones. This debate was intended to lead to a consensus regarding the appropriate measures necessary at the European and other levels of competence in order to stimulate ICZM in Europe. The demonstration programme has yielded a wealth of technical information about ICZM mechanisms and solutions to specific problems faced in the coastal zone (EC 1999 p.5). Furthermore, the demonstration projects have confirmed that there are serious inconsistencies between sectoral and territorial policies, programmes and plans whose impacts are felt on the coast. This fact is responsible for the failing of an application of an integrated approach to coastal planning and management (EC 1999). 2.1. THE THEORY AND PRINCIPLE OF ICZM Due to inefficiency of varieties of environmental resource management and development control programs adopted, many countries are now embarking on special integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) which strategizes compatible development and resource conservation management that are for the good of the nation as a whole (Clark 1996). (Shi et al. 2001) ICZM represents a dynamic and continuous process which administers the use, development, and protection of the coastal zones and its resources towards common objectives of national and local authorities and the aspiration of different resource user group. (Bower and Turner 1996) states; ICZM consists of a set of tasks, typically carried out by several or many public and private entities. On the other hand, (Morksness et al. 2009) ICZM can be defined as a decision-making and management process with which to achieve the sustainable use, development and protection of coastal and marine areas as well as of their resources. Thus, ICZM stands for an enviro-economic regulatory system for numerous competing interests (Eremina and Stetsko). Nevertheless, from the lessons of the European Demonstration Programme on ICZM (European Commission 1999), there are several dimensions to the word integration in coastal management: The horizontal integration of policies, management arrangements and development plans amongst different sectors, services and agencies at a given level of government (national, provincial, district and more local) as well as amongst interest groups with common interests in coastal areas and resources; The vertical integration of policies, management arrangements and development plans from national through to local levels of government, including community based approaches to coastal management; Geographical or territorial integration: which takes into account the interrelationships and interdependencies (physical, chemical, biological, ecology) between the terrestrial, estuarine littoral and offshore components of the coastal zone; Integration over time: the consistent integration of sustainable development objectives policies, plans and management strategies in the course of time. The process of ICZM starts with the awareness of issues of common concern, which facilitates a dialogue and exchange of views among interested and affected parties, and this is the basis for coordination of action, which in time fosters integration of management (EC 1999 p.15). With reference to the (European Council, 2002) integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) shall be based on series of principles as stated below: A broad overall perspective (thematic and geographic) which will take into account the interdependence and disparity of natural systems and human activities with an impact on coastal areas; A long-term perspective which will take into account the precautionary principle and the needs of present and future generations; Adaptive management during a gradual process which will facilitate adjustment as problems and knowledge develop. This implies the need for a sound scientific basis concerning the evolution of the coastal zone; Considering local specificity and the great diversity of European coastal zones, which will make it possible to respond to their practical needs with specific solutions and flexible measures; Working with natural processes and respecting the carrying capacity of ecosystems, which will make human activities more environmentally friendly, socially responsible and economically sound in the long run; Involving all the parties concerned(economic and social partners, the organisations representing coastal zone residents, non-governmental organisations and the business sector) in the management process, for example by means of agreements and based on shared responsibility; Support and involvement of relevant administrative bodies at national, regional and local level between which appropriate links should be established or maintained with the aim of improved coordination of the various existing policies. Partnership with and between regional and local authorities should apply when appropriate; Using combination of instruments designed to facilitate coherence between sectoral policy objectives and coherence between planning and management. Clear evidence of research but needs greater emphasis on assessing the quality of the published literature. 3.0 METHODOLOGY As the aim of this research is an assessment of the application of ICZM principles in the management of Nigerian coastal waters, case study: Lagos State coastline. The following listed methodology shall be applied to achieve the aims and objectives of the research; Data Collection; researching data comes in a wide variety of shapes and forms (i.e. primary versus secondary data). (Lancaster 2005) on one hand, a primary data will often be collected through techniques such as experimentation, asking questions, interviewing (one-on-one/telephone), observation and surveys. On the other hand, a secondary data is information which already exists in some form or other but which was not primarily collected, at least initially for the purpose of the consultancy exercise at hand. In most cases, a secondary will be the start point of this research as it consists of both external and internal data sources which encompassing internal company information such as databases, reports, government surveys, competitor information and increasingly, internet and web-based sources of information (Lancaster 2005). Qualitative Research Strategy; this type of research strategy shall be used for this research due to the fact that it can investigate how and why particular events and actions happen and how people feel about such activities. With reference to (Bryman, 2004 p.19-20). A qualitative research emphasizes words rather than quantification in the collection and analysis of data. Therefore, gathering a qualitative data for this research is imperative as the aim of the research is the understanding of believe and experience. Evaluation Research Strategy; this type of strategy will be used to discover whether the programme of ICZM intend to bring certain changes to coastal management of Lagos State coastline. (Thomas 2004) such studies are closely tied to concerns with accountability and are used to discover whether programmes and expenditures intended to bring about certain changes or to reach specified policy objectives have in fact achieved their goals. Study Design; this would be achieved through the use and study of relevant textbooks, online journals and articles to gather secondary data. Using the internet (e-mail) for primary research; the attraction of using a web-based survey are that it can potentially reach an enormous number of respondents anywhere in the world, the costs and time involved in distribution and collection of questionnaires are minimized, and analysis of data that are already in electronic format is made easy (Walliman 2005). Action Research; this is intended to improve understanding of and prospects for change in organisations by involving organisational members in collaborative relationships with specialist researchers who jointly design and carry out research studies (Thomas 2004). Collection of relevant document papers primarily from organisations, institution and authorities facilitate research. Sampling Design; this shall be based on costs, quality, time, and feasibility of the research studies. Ethical Research; throughout this study research, a good ethical research culture shall be maintained and abide by. (Greenfield 1996) ethics in its widest sense, as the principles of good human behaviour, is one of the issues for which philosophers have striven to provide guidance. Methodology for each objective should be based on the Research Onion (see page 132 of Saunders et.al), working from the outside inwards. It is essential to include justification for the chosen approach/method 4.0. LIMITATIONS OF STUDY Likely limitations towards the quality of this research study are listed below; Duration of research study; the time allocated to conduct this research is too short to conduct an assessment of the management of Lagos State coastline against the principle of ICZM, Online restrictions; some significant organisations while trying to access recent and quality online journal and articles on ICZM, restricts access and request payment by debit/credit card. Poor information database; unavailability of quality information database through the Nigerian Ministry of environment will be a barrier to this research due to lack of quality IT infrastructure, Finance; costs of communication/travelling to Nigeria to conduct a feasibility study on the management of Lagos State coastline will be a barrier due to Access inability; securing permission to some agencies/organisations while trying to carry out the study research will be a barrier owing to protocols. 5.0. CONCLUSION Although, the implementation of the practice of ICZM in Nigeria coastal zone has long been discussed by stakeholders in the Nigerian Ministry of Environment and it has been seen to a very difficult task and proved abortive. In view of some problems faced on how to balance the economic growth and conservation of coastal environment for sustainable development on the Lagos State coastline, the author of this research shall study critically and extensively on the application of ICZM and its principles and after that compare against the Lagos State coastal zone management practices, and in the end propose to the States Minister for Environments some viable ways of applying effectively the implementation of ICZM principles in order to achieve an integrated Lagos State coastline management and Nigerian coastal zones at large. 5.1. SCHEDULED IMPLEMENTATION Tasks Duration Start date Finish date Project topic selection 5days 26.04.2010 30.04.2010 Developing aims, objectives, and hypothesis 1day 30.04.2010 30.04.2010 Literature review 3days 30.04.2010 04.05.2010 Designing methodology 7days 30.04.2010 06.05.2010 Planning research programme 6days 01.05.2010 06.05.2010 Submitting project proposal 1day 07.05.2010 07.05.2010 Familiarising with research database 21days 09.05.2010 29.05.2010 Receive proposal feedback 5days 31.05.2010 01.06.2010 Reviewing proposal feedback 7days 31.05.2010 06.06.2010 Collecting research data 20days 12.06.2010 31.07.2010 Evaluating research information 32days 01.07.2010 03.08.2010 Drawing project conclusion 8days 09.08.201 16.08.2010 Publish project findings 9days 09.08.2010 17.08.2010 Findings appraisal 6days 10.08.2010 15.08.2010 Complete Project 16days 15.08.2010 31.08.2010 Submit project research 5days 30.08.2010 03.09.2010 REFERENCE LISTS ANON., n.d DRAFT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: [online] Available: http://www.unep.org/AbidjanConvention/docs/THE%20STATUS%20OF%20THE%20NIGERIAN%20COASTAL%20ZONES%20version%202.pdf [accessed 05 May 2010] BADEJO, O.T., and NWILO, P.C., n.d. Impacts and Management of Oil Pollution along the Nigerian Coastal Areas. [online] Available: http://www.fig.net/pub/figpub/pub36/chapters/chapter_8.pdf [accessed 05 May 2010] BOWER, B.T., and TURNER, R.K., 1996. Characterising and Analysing Benefits from Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM). [online] Available: CSERGE Working Paper GEC 97-12 http://www.uea.ac.uk/env/cserge/pub/wp/gec/gec_1997_12.pdf [accessed 06 May 2010] BRYMAN, A., 2004. Social Research Methods. 2nd ed. Oxford: University Press COMMISSION OF EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, 2000. Communication from the commission to the Council and the European Parliament on Integrated Coastal Zone Management: Strategy for Europe [online]. Available: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/iczm/overview.htm [accessed 06 May 2010] CLARK, J.R., 1996. Coastal Zone Management Handbook. New York: CRC Press DODDY, J.P., 2001. Coastal Conservation and Management: An Ecological Perspective. London: Kluwer DUBLIN-GREEN et al. 1999. Climate Variability Research Activities in Nigeria. Lagos: Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria. EUROPEAN COMMISSION, 1999. Towards a European Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM), General Principles and Policy Options. Italy: European Communities EUROPEAN COUNCIL, 2002. Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2002 concerning the implementation of Integrated Coastal Zone Management in Europe. Official journal of the European Communities. L148/25 p.2 Available: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2002:148:0024:0027:EN:PDF [accessed 05 May 2010] GREENFIELD, T., 1996. Research Methods, Guidance for Postgraduates. London: Arnold IBE, A.C., 1988. Coastline Erosion in Nigeria. Ibadan: University Press LANCASTER, G., 2005. Research Methods in Management, a concise introduction to research in management and business consultancy. Oxford: Elsevier MORKSNESS E., et al. 2009. Integrated Coastal Zone Management. Chichester: Blackwell OKUDE, A.S., and ADEMILUYI, I.A., 2006. Coastal Erosion Phenomenon in Nigeria: Causes, Control and Implications. [online], 1(1) pp.44-51. Available: http://idosi.org/wasj/wasj1%281%29/10.pdf [accessed 05 May 2010] OYEGUN, C.U., 1988 Process-Form Relationships Along Forcados Beach in Southern Nigeria Department of Geography. Ibadan: University of Ibadan POST, J.C., and LUNDIN, C.G., 1996. Guidelines for Integrated Coastal Zone Management. Environmentally Sustainable Development Studies and Monographs Series No.9 [online] p.1 Available: http://www.nacoma.org.na/Downloading/WBGuidelines_ICZM.pdf [accessed 04 May 2010] SANTOS, P.O., 1999. Director of Drainage, Lagos State Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning, Environmental consequences of uncontrolled development in Lagos State. IOC-SOA International Workshop on Coastal Megacities, Hangzhou, China, 27-30 September 1999 SORENSEN, J.C., and McCREARY, 1990. Institutional Arrangements for Managing Coastal Resources and Environments, Washington, D.C.: Coastal Management Publication SHI, C., et al. 2001. Towards a sustainable coast: an integrated coastal zone management framework for Shanghai, Peoples Republic of China. Ocean Coastal Management [online] 44(5-6) pp.411-427. Available: Elsevier/ARTICLES [accessed 06 May 2010] THOMAS A.B., 2004. Research skills for Management Studies. London: Routledge WALLIMAN, N., 2005. Your Research Project. 2nd ed. London: Sage WELLENS-MENSAH, J., 2000. UNESCO. IOC Workshop Reports series No. 165. Pan-African Conference on Sustainable Integrated Coastal Management; Proceedings of the Workshops: An integrated approach, (PACSICOM), Maputo, Mozambique, 18-25 July 1998. [online] p.7. Available: http://ioc.unesco.org/iocweb/iocpub/iocpdf/w165e.pdf [accessed 04 May 2010]

Snow Goose Overpopulation Essay -- essays research papers

The Overpopulation of the Snow Goose in North America Abstract The purpose of this paper is to explore available research on the overpopulation of the Snow Goose on the North American continent. The snow goose has been rising in population since the middle of the century and has been escalating so much it is destroying their natural habitat. Wildlife managers have just recently begun to implement strategies to combat this problem. Mainly through the use of hunters the managers are trying to curb the population growth. Introduction There are three main species of Snow Goose of primary concern. The Lesser Snow Goose (LSGO) is the must abundant and at the same time most troublesome. Ross’ Goose (ROGO) is very similar to the Lesser and can only be distinguished by close observation. Both the Lesser and the Ross nest in salt marshes along Hudson Bay and then migrate down to the gulf coast states such as Texas and Louisiana. Their populations number in the millions. The third sub species is the Greater Snow Goose. They nest in the same marshes as the others except they migrate down the Atlantic Coast into the Carolinas and that vicinity. All three species have exploded in numbers since the 1950’s. Researchers have done a lot of study on the numbers and the degradation but may need to do more studies on the impact to other species and look for other options to control the populations. Population Trends The numbers of all "light" colored geese has been on the rise since data was first collected. The Lesser Snow Goose (LSGO) has drastically increased in number since data was first taken. Numbers range from around 800,000 in 1969 to as many as 6 million in 1996 (CWS 1999). While the Greater Snow Goose (GSGO) has risen in numbers from a few thousand to almost 500,000 (CWS 1999). This brief article did not provide much insight into actual numbers. Abraham and Jeffries in their report dig deeper and provide more significant and detailed population counts. Their numbers add in the Mid-winter index, which is the number of geese counted during mid-winter and referred to as MWI. Their numbers also have a count for Ross’ Goose (ROGO) which primarily flies with the (LSGO) and is very hard to distinguish (Abraham and Jeffries 1998). They too suggest the LSGO population to be aro... ...s will need to kill over 900,000 geese a year for over a decade to make any kind of dent in the population (Hodge 1999). Some are skeptical that hunters can take that many birds to begin with, let alone the fact that to many that seems like a merciless slaughter of innocent animals. Conclusion It appears that one thing is very clear†¦ there is an overpopulation of Snow Geese on the North American Continent. The situation is almost out of hand and something needs to be done fast. Although there has enough research on the fact that there are simply to many geese there really has not been enough on the impacts to other species, and what is the best way to take care of the problem. Both the US and the Canadian government seem to be on the right path to controlling this problem that humans have created. But more needs to be done. There just simply isn’t enough hunters around to take the proper amount of birds in a sporting manner. Wildlife managers are going to have to step in and take more radical measure to control this before its too late and we have lost all the habitat for the geese and all other habitants of the salt marshes of the Hudson Bay area.