Marketing Objectives Essay Example for Free

Marketing Objectives Essay Executive Summary Ceylon Tea came into being nearly a century and half back when the then existing coffee plantations, struck by a deadly disease – which virtually proved the death knell of coffee in Ceylon as it was then called, were converted to tea plantations. Nearly all the coffee plantations were very soon converted to tea plantations. As Ceylon Tea made its mark in the world and was being widely traded in the markets, measures were instituted to facilitate and monitor the process of manufacture and sale of tea to be shipped to foreign countries. On 30th July 1883 the first public sale of tea took place. The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce brought under its purview the conduct of these auctions. In 1894 the Ceylon Tea Traders Association was established. Today almost all tea produced in Sri Lanka is sold in auctions conducted by these two organizations. Introduction This assignment is mainly about a FMCG product which the organisation depends only on Tea. I have sectioned this assignment in to different sections, to make the reader easy and understandable. I have also given a brief idea about marketing orientation, key steps to follow to be marketing oriented and also difficulties of implementing marketing orientation. Then I have spoke about the marketing environment with micro and macro environment and also how these environments impact to the organisation. At last I worked with marketing mix and how the marketing mix elements are blended together in an organisation. I hope this assignment will be something different and interesting task for you. Thank you. Methodology Mainly concentrated on preliminary data questionnaire and the study also contains secondary data from www.zaidtea.com Got reference from articles and books are revealed by tables and diagrams. Also discussed and got ideas from people who are in the high position in the tea industry. Body of Assignment Task 1 1. Zaid Tea Company 1.1 About Zaid Tea The Company incorporated in 2008 was formed in the year 1998 by a person with multifaceted experience gained in the tea industry and inherited from his forefathers of two previous generations. Naushad Jamaluddin the Managing Director/CEO of ZAID TEA CO. (PVT) LTD and a scion of an icon in the tea industry was nurtured in it from an early age during the tenure of his school days whilst assisting his father and grandfather in their tea business and plantations. He was trained in the delicate art of tea tasting by some of the best experts in the industry. He has blossomed to be an expert, having an exquisite flair in tasting and blending teas to meet the most exacting requirements of his buyers. Zaid Tea with its well experienced, diligently trained resource personal and cutting edge knowhow is eminently suited to seamlessly source and deliver the most exacting tea blends to its diverse worldwide clientele. Selecting for them the choicest of teas produced in factories located in the tea plantations of the central highlands of Sri Lanka and sold at the Colombo Tea Auctions, each having their distinct and subtly varying aroma, flavor and liquor Zaid Tea Co (Pvt.) Ltd is incorporated as a limited liability company under the Companies Act of Sri Lanka. It is registered as an exporter of Ceylon Tea with the Sri Lanka Tea Board – the regulatory body of the Government of Sri Lanka entrusted with the task of ensuring the maintenance of the quality and image of Ceylon Tea exported from the country The Co. is also registered with the Sri Lanka Export Development Board as an exporter of Ceylon Tea. This is another regulatory body of the Government of Sri Lanka promoting exports in general from the country 1.2 Products and Main Brands Zaid Tea Company has their own brand – the â€Å"Maskeliya Kahata† range of black teas comes in aluminum pouches and tea bags with their distinct aroma, flavor and liquor. The teas come from plants grown in the cool crispy air of the mountain ranges of the Hatton – Maskeliya tea plantations famed for its teas with its distinctly fine aroma and flavor Further they have their own brand of blended teas and green teas Black Tea a) Maskeliya Kahata in aluminum pouches b) Maskeliya Kahata in tea bags a) Kingswood Tea in loose packaging b) Kingswood Tea in tea bags flavored and unflavored Green Tea a) Kingswood Green Tea in loose packaging * Kingswood Green Tea in tea bags flavored and unflavored 1.3 Services a) BLACK TEA Bulk Teas – They source and deliver unblended or specified blends worldwide packed in paper sacks, plywood chests and corrugated cartons with inner lining of either aluminium foil or suitable polythene to retain the freshness and aroma Branded Teas – They also source as per customer specifications and blend, package in printed cartons or other packaging as per their own brands and deliver worldwide Flavored Teas – Here too we can supply either in bulk or as per customers branded or un branded packaging – cinnamon, vanilla, ginger etc b) GREEN TEA Zaid Tea are in a position to supply you Green Tea plucked and processed from the finest tea gardens located in of the high mountainous terrain found in the central highlands of Sri Lanka where the air is fresh, pure, cool and crispy. It is manufactured to the highest international standards. Like black tea we can supply in bulk or customized brand, packaging and flavoring – unflavored, jasmine, mint etc Task 02 1. What Is Marketing Orientation A business which begins work on, or philosophy that focuses on identifying and meeting customer’s needs and wants satisfyingly. -Himaz Ahamed 2. Key steps that Zaid Tea should implement in order to be marketing oriented 2.1 Customer Focused An organizational orientation toward satisfying the needs of potential and actual customers. Customer focus is considered to be one of the keys to business success. Achieving customer focus involves ensuring that the whole organization, and not just frontline service staff, puts its customers first. All activities, from the planning of a new product to its production, marketing, and after-sales care, should be built around the customer. Every department and every employee should share the same customer-focused vision. This can be aided by practicing good customer relationship management and maintaining a customer relations program. In order to achieve this, the organization must: a) Define its market, effectively segment and target the right customer and listen to customers. b) An extensive programme of employee education and communication may be necessary to introduce customer focus in order to create the environment that encourages to think customers. c) Implement an effective marketing information system that will track customer needs on a continuous basis. 2.2 Competitor Focused In terms of competitors, in marketing and strategic management is an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of current and potential competitors. This analysis provides both an offensive and defensive strategic context to identify opportunities and threats. Profiling coalesces all of the relevant sources of competitor analysis into one framework in the support of efficient and effective strategy formulation, implementation, monitoring and adjustment. Competitor focused concept is more preferable in markets which are growing very fast. Tea also one of the fastest growing market in Sri Lanka. So Zaid Tea also can invest in gathering more data about competitors which will enable them to develop innovations at lower costs. 2.3 Strategic Vision Develop a long-term, market-oriented strategic vision by viewing marketing as more than a series of promotional tools and techniques. Strong leadership from the top with high level executives building a customer philosophy into their business plans and define the future in terms of creating long-term value for stakeholders. Figure-01 Market vs Operations oriented structure 3. Difficulties in Implementing Marketing Orientation Concept to Zaid Tea Even though Zaid Tea might feels that the marketing orientation is the only correct path to be successful, in practice there are likely to be barriers in developing such an orientation. They are as follows: 3.1 Lack of Effective Customer Service The job of the customer-service staff involves more than just answering questions and providing solutions to problems that arise. For market orientation to prove successful, it must also include customer-service representatives who take the time to get to know each customers needs and preferences. Zaid Tea Company also can gather records of the feedback it receives and analyze them for use in developing market-orientation plans. Without such customer-service efforts, company loses key opportunities to obtain information. 3.2 Lack of Marketing Knowledge Lack of marketing knowledge, skill and experience are among the challenges of developing market-orientation plans. Many company employees understand basic marketing concepts, but lack the in-depth knowledge needed to develop marketing-orientation strategies that work. Some companies deal with this by seeking additional education for key employees or by hiring experienced, skilled marketers. Skilled marketers can help develop solid plans and give direction to key employees and departments. For example, an experienced marketer might help customer service, sales and technical-support departments learn how to incorporate a companys overall market orientation plan. 3.3 Conflict between marketing and other functions The power struggle between different departments within an organization can hinder the process. Task 03 1. Marketing Environment Framework A company’s marketing environment consists of the actors and forces outside marketing that affect marketing management’s ability to build and maintain successful relationships with target customers. (Philip Kotler – 12th Edition) Figure-02 the marketing environment 2. Micro Environment 2.1 Definition Factors or elements in an organizations immediate area of operations that affect its performance and decision-making freedom. These factors include competitors, customers, distribution channels, suppliers, and the general public. Micro Environment| Description| Factors that impact to Zaid Tea| Suppliers| A party that supplies goods or services. A supplier may be distinguished from a contractor or subcontractor, who commonly adds specialized input to deliverables. | A suppliers behavior will directly impact the business it supplies. If a supplier provides a poor service Zaid Tea this could increase timescales or product quality. An increase in raw material prices will affect an organization’s Marketing Mix strategy and may even force price increases. Close supplier relationships are an effective way to remain competitive and secure quality products. | Intermediaries| Firm or person (such as a broker or consultant) who acts as a mediator on a link between parties to a business deal, investment decision, negotiation, etc. Intermediaries usually specialize in specific areas, and serve as a conduit for market and other types of information. Also called a middleman. | Zaid Tea must partner effectively with marketing intermediaries to optimize the performance of the total system.| Competition| The marketing concept states that to be successful, an organization must provide greater customer value and satisfaction than its competitors.| Competi tor analysis and monitoring is crucial if an organisation is to maintain or improve its position within the market. If a business is unaware of its competitors activities they will find it very difficult to â€Å"beat† their competitors. The market can move very quickly. As a business it is important to examine competitors responses to these changes so that you can maximise the impact of your response.| Customers| A person, company, or other entity which buys goods and services produced by another person, company, or other entity.| Zaid Tea Companys marketing plan should aim to attract and retain customers through products that meets their wants and needs and excellent customer service.| Publics| A public is any group that has an actual or potential impact on an organization’s ability to achieve its objectives. | According to Zaid Tea there are number of publics that will impact. They are:Financial Public, Local Public, Media Public, Government Public, General PublicZa id Tea should keep a good relationship with these publics in order to run successful business. | 3. Macro Environment 3.1 Definition The major external and uncontrollable factors that influence an organizations decision making, and affect its performance and strategies. These factors include the economic factors; demographics; legal, political, and social conditions; technological changes; and natural forces. Macro environment is also known as uncontrollable environment. Figure-03 Macro environment forces The main forces in the macro environment are commonly denoted by the mnemonic PESTEEL forces. a) Political Environment b) Economical Environment c) Social and cultural Environment d) Technological Environment e) Ecological Environment f) Ethical Environment g) Legal Environment 3.2 Political Environment The first element of a PESTEEl analysis is a study of political factors. Political factors influence Zaid Tea Company in many ways. Political factors can create advantages and opportunities for Zaid Tea. Conversely they can place obligations and duties on company. Political factors include the following types of instrument: Legislation such as the minimum wage or anti discrimination laws. Voluntary codes and practices Market regulations Trade agreements, tariffs or restrictions Tax levies and tax breaks Type of government regime Non conformance with legislative obligations can lead to sanctions such as fines, adverse publicity and imprisonment. Ineffective voluntary codes and practices will often lead to governments introducing legislation to regulate the activities covered by the codes and practices. 3.3 Economical Environment The second element of a PESTEEl analysis involves a study of economic factors. Zaid Tea Company also affected by national and global economic factors. National and global interest rate and fiscal policy will be set around economic conditions. The climate of the economy dictates how consumers, suppliers and other organisational stakeholders such as suppliers and creditors behave within society. An economy undergoing recession will have high unemployment, low spending power and low stakeholder confidence. Conversely a â€Å"booming† or growing economy will have low unemployment, high spending power and high stakeholder confidence. A successful organisation will respond to economic conditions and stakeholder behaviour. Furthermore Zaid Tea will need to review the impact economic conditions are having on their competitors and respond accordingly. Task 04 1. Traditional Marketing Mix 1.1 What Is Marketing Mix Marketing mix is the set of controllable tactical marketing tool that firm blends to produce the response it wants in the target market. The marketing mix consists of everything the firm can do to influence the demand for its product. Thus in performing their key tasks marketing managers have at their disposal marketing programs to create customer satisfaction and ultimately profit for the organisation. These tools are often referred as the â€Å"4P s† on how to use these ingredients require marketing research and information. Marketing mix variables are as follow: Figure-04 Traditional Marketing Mix 2. How The Marketing Mix Elements Are Blended Together In Zaid Tea Company Sri Lanka is one of the oldest tea producing countries in the world commercial Production was started in 1867 by the British planter James Taylor in Loolecondera Estate in Kandy. The tea produced in this country, popularly known as â€Å"Ceylon Tea†, ranks among the best available teas in international trade. In 2007, Sri Lanka was the third-largest tea-producing country globally, with a 9% share of global production, producing 30.6 million kilograms of tea. The total extent of land under tea cultivation has been estimated at approximately 187,309 hectares. Sri Lanka produces tea throughout the year, and the growing areas are mainly concentrated in the central highlands and southern inland areas of the island. They are broadly grouped under these headings according to their elevations, with high growns ranging from 1200 m upwards, medium growns covering between 600 m to 1200 m. and low growns from sea level up to 600 m. High grown teas from Sri Lanka are renowned for their taste and aroma. The two types of seasonal tea produced in these areas, Dimbula and Nuwara Eliya, are much sought-after by blenders in teaimporting countries. Uva teas from the Eastern Highlands contain unique seasonal characteristics and are widely used in many quality blends, particularly in Germany and Japan. The medium grown teas provide a thick colour variety which is popular in Australia, Europe, Japan and North America. The teas produced in low grown areas are mainly popular in Western Asia, Middle Eastern countries and CIS countries. Most factories in these areas produce what is known as a leafy grade of tea, the tea leaves of which are highly twisted and can grade into long particles. 2.1 Product Tea is produced from the Camellia Sinensis plant. The tea plant, which is evergreen, isn’t a shrub as popularly believed but a tree that is grown like a shrub to facilitate the process of tea plucking and production. It is native to Southeast Asia and is grown in a wide range of climatic conditions across the world. Tea is mainly produced in India (the world’s largest producer), Sri Lanka (till recently the world’s largest exporter), China, Kenya, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia. The differing climatic conditions in the world’s various tea growing areas influence the quality and taste of the various teas. Zaid Tea Company has their own brand – the â€Å"Maskeliya Kahata† range of black teas comes in aluminium pouches and tea bags with their distinct aroma, flavor and liquor. The teas come from plants grown in the cool crispy air of the mountain ranges of the Hatton – Maskeliya tea plantations famed for its teas with its distinctly fine aroma and flavor Further they have their own brand of blended teas and green teas Black Tea c) Maskeliya Kahata in aluminium pouches d) Maskeliya Kahata in tea bags c) Kingswood Tea in loose packaging d) Kingswood Tea in tea bags flavored and unflavored Green Tea b) Kingswood Green Tea in loose packaging * Kingswood Green Tea in tea bags flavored and unflavored 2.2 Price Table 02- Price List Effective from 1st January 2013 of Maskeliya Kahata ZAID TEA CO (PVT) LTD| Price List Effective from 1st January 2013| Product| MRP| WSP| QDP| Maskeliya Kahata 20g| 20.00 | 18.00 | 17.10 | Maskeliya Kahata 50g| 42.00 | 36.96 | 35.11 | Maskeliya Kahata 100g| 84.00 | 73.92 | 70.22 | Maskeliya Kahata 250g| 195.00 | 171.60 | 163.02 | Maskeliya Kahata 500g| 385.00 | 338.80 | 321.86 | Maskeliya Kahata 1Kg| 755.00 | 615.00 | 584.25 | Maskeliya Kahata 2Kg| 1,495.00 | 1,215.00 | 1,154.25 | Maskeliya Kahata100 Tea Bags| 250.00 | 220.00 | 209.00 | | | | | | | | | | MRP Maximum (Marked) Retail Price| | WSP Wholesale Price Price to Retail Trader| | QDP Quantity Discounted Price| | The above table shows the effective price list of Maskeliya Kahata from 1st January 2013. 2.3 Place The role of this element basically describing availability, which is â€Å"right place† and the â€Å"right time†. Zaid’s Maskeliya Kahata is also available in every retailer shops. A channel of place is a set of interdependent organisation, which helps to make a product available in market for use of consumer. Zaid Tea also uses this concept of channels in order to provide Maskeliya Kahata available in the market. The below diagram denotes how Zaid Tea uses the distribution channels. Figure-05 Distribution channels of Zaid Tea * Note- There is also another Distribution channel method: PRODUCER AGENT WHOLESALER RETAILER CONSUMER Conclusion In a fast growing market day by day everything is fluctuating faster than we expect. Products and services are also same. The purpose of the project is to exhibit organisation to be marketing oriented and to aware about the marketing environment with micro and macro environment , how these environments impact to the organisation. Recommendations Plantation companies a) Explore the possibilities of upgrading plantation jobs, by providing upward movement, to attract more workers to work in the estate. b) There should not be any effort from the plantation companies to dilute the existing labour laws which protect the workers in the tea industry, on the grounds of declining returns. c) The big companies could also tie up with the ILO and other civil society organisations to help small growers achieve minimum labour and environmental standards. Adherence to such standards will give an additional product value to the tea being sold at the retail level. In return, the companies could provide incentives in terms of better prices to the small growers. These practices could work to the advantage of both. The government a) Provide technical and marketing assistance to the small and marginalized Farmers b) Provide credit schemes and debt management services to the plantations c) Strengthen the relationships between small tea growers and private processing factories. Develop a strategic intervention in order to help each actor aware of their rights and responsibilities within the value chain. International tea buyers a) Take responsibility for conditions in their entire tea value chains, particularly where they have more influence. b) Provide support to the small tea growers through technical and marketing assistance c) Pay a higher price for tea produced in a sustainable process d) Do not lobby to dilute the social protections available to tea estate workers e) Conduct multi-stakeholder monitoring and verification of the social and environmental standards on the tea estates from which tea is procured Annexure References * PCM Text Book * Kotler P. â€Å"Marketing Management† 9th Edition, Prentice hall of India, 1997, pp 128-150 * www.zaidtea.com

Hamlet :: essays research papers

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a play full of sorrow and excitement, its full of gore and incest. The play has a large amount of betrayal and the person supplying most of that is Claudius, the king and Hamlets uncle. Claudius is cold-hearted, full of hate, and a coward. He is the king but, the ironic thing about that is he should not be and as Hamlet is the prince, the death of his father should put him at the throne.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The play starts off with a tense setting, as the guards have seen a ghost that looks like the old king or Hamlets father who they believed had died of a snake bite. This is the showing of the first cruel deed Claudius has done, the reader does not know yet but Claudius is the reason that King Hamlet dies. The reader knows that it is Claudius when Hamlet encounters the ghost and the ghost tells Hamlet, “Thus I was sleeping, by a brothers hand, of life, at crown, of queen, at once dispatch’d.';(1) The meaning of the ghost’s quote is that he is telling Hamlet that Claudius killed him when he was asleep and that he took his crown and his queen. This is the first time the reader really knows that Claudius is cold-hearted and ruthless.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After Hamlet heard this, he held a play where the murder of his father is reacted in a scene, that Hamlet himself designed. The purpose of this was to see Claudius’s reaction to the scene to prove if Claudius is the real murderer or not. After Claudius sees the play he storms out of the stage scared and surprised. Claudius then prays to heaven for forgiveness of his sins since he knows that Hamlet has figured out what he has done, he does this so he will not get sent to hell. Claudius says, “My words fly up, my thoughts remain below: Words without thoughts never to heaven go.';(2) He is praying for forgiveness but he is not sorry, he just doesn’t want to get sent to hell and that is what the quote is saying, since he is not sorry his words remain below, or on Earth. This further proves how cold-hearted Claudius is, he has killed his brother, taken his crown, taken his wife, has been discovered, and he still does not feel guilty at all about what he has done.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Claudius now knows that Hamlet has figured him out and what he has done, so Claudius plans to send Hamlet away to England with a note for the king of England to have Hamlet killed.

Environmental Protection Program

The collective action of humans – developing and paving over the landscape, clear-cutting forests, polluting rivers and streams, altering the atmosphere's protective ozone layer, and populating nearly every place imaginable – are bringing an end to the lives of creatures across the Earth. Extinction of biological species is not necessarily a phenomenon initiated by human activity, some argue. Although the specific role of extinction in the process of evolution is still being researched and debated, it is generally accepted that the demise of any biological species is inevitable. Opponents of special efforts to protect endangered species invariably point this out. They also suggest that the role of homo sapiens in causing extinction should not be distinguished from that of any other species. This position, most often espoused by individuals whose other views are curiously much more anthropocentric, is contrary to some well established facts. Unlike other creatures that have inhabited the Earth, human beings are the first to possess the technological ability to cause wholesale extermination of species, genera or even entire families of living creatures. This process is accelerating. Wildlife management efforts initiated during this century have been unsuccessful in stemming the tide. Most public attention given to endangered species has focused on mammals, birds, and a few varieties of trees. Ecologists recognize a far greater threat to the much larger number of species of reptiles, fish, invertebrates, and plants that are being wiped out by human activity. In the past few decades, vast areas in several regions of the world have been cleared to make room for urban development or for food production. Modern agriculture techniques and industries' need for raw material have contributed to the epidemic of extinction. During the last few centuries, growth in the human population and intensification of our use of resources has greatly increased the rate of species extinction. Today, this rate is at least 1,000 times higher than it was when the genus Homo made its appearance about 2 million years ago. According to the best estimates, an average of 200 species vanishes from the Earth every day. By the year 2025, an estimated 20 percent of Earth's species may have been pushed to extinction – a loss of species unmatched since the end of the Mesozoic 65 million years ago. For human beings, the consequences of this extensive wave of extinction's will be severe, whether they are viewed from a moral, aesthetic, scientific, or economic perspective. Scientists fear that the vitality of our ecology may be seriously threatened by the reduction of biological diversity resulting from the lost genetic resource contained in the extinct species. They note that the ability of species to evolve and adapt to environmental change depends on the existence of a vast pool of genetic material. This problem joins the issue of endangered species with that of wilderness preservation. Unfortunately, the need to set aside vast undeveloped areas to prevent wholesale extinction is more acute in the poorer, more crowded regions of the world where people are pressured by both their own basic needs and the demand of the industrialized world for their resources. The concept of biodiversity helps capture the magnitude of the problem. Biodiversity is the variety of, and interaction among, living organisms and the ecological complexes that they occur in, from the smallest habitat to the Earth as a whole. The concept also includes the genetic variability within these species, the raw material of both evolutionary adaptation and selective breeding by humans. In terms of biodiversity, extinction is more than the loss of individual species, it is the degradation of the ecological complexes that support all life on this planet. The set of plant, animal, fungus and microorganism species that occur together at a particular place make possible the functioning of an ecosystem at that place. Undisturbed ecosystems, with their natural level of biodiversity – regulate the flow of energy and the cycling of nutrients, which all life depends on. The ongoing elimination of a sizable portion of the Earth's biota is probably the clearest sign that the manner in which we use the natural environment is not sustainable. The intensity of our exploitation of natural resources is simply too great. In the past 40 years, human beings have wasted over a fifth of the Earth's topsoil, destroyed more than half of its forests, polluted most fresh and onshore marine waters, and profoundly changed the characteristics of the atmosphere. It is easy to put much of the blame on population growth. The human population has more than doubled over the past 40 years to reach the present level of more than 5. 5 billion. Each new person puts an added burden on the natural environment. Yet if we are to understand the roots of the problem and work towards real solutions, we need to look at other factors besides population growth. As living organisms, we must utilize the natural environment to satisfy our basic needs. The manner in which we do this, however, is as variable as human culture. The problem is that present social, economic, and political structures encourage us to maximize our use of natural resources rather than use them wisely. In today's world, economic resources are highly concentrated in industrialized countries, where most of the world's goods are consumed by a minority of the global population. Seventy-seven percent of the people in the world – most of whom live in less-developed nations – have only about 15 percent of the world's wealth, consume only 10 to 15 percent of the world's natural resources, and generate about 10 to 15 percent of the world's pollution. This global inequality is one of the major factors contributing to overuse of resources and destruction of natural habitats. At present, our ignorance of biodiversity is telling: scientists believe that the total number of species on Earth may be about 10 million, although only 1. million have been named and classified. Such knowledge is of great importance in itself, and of fundamental importance to achieving sustainable productivity. But it is only one of many prerequisites; another is a stable human population. Unfortunately – and only if we sustain our attention to family planning around the world – two to three times the current number of people may be alive when the human population levels out. At that point, the intelligent use of organisms and other natural resources will be absolutely essential for future stability. A stable human population, however, will not in itself allow us to attain a stable world. We must also address much more effectively the problems of poverty and lack of social justice throughout the world. This must include pursuing sustainable agricultural development in a way that guarantees more people access to the land they must have to meet their own needs. The role of women must also be enhanced throughout the world, in relation to health and family planning, literacy and school involvement, and participation in the work force. Another problem to confront is overconsumption of the world's resources by people in industrialized countries. Plans to preserve biodiversity and utilize it sustainably will fail as long as the global community continues to promote growth and consumption rather than reduce them. In addition, it is important to augment the number of educators, scientists, and engineers who live in developing countries, only about one in twenty of the world's scientists and engineers live there. Without technical knowledge and expertise, the chances for most less-developed nations to achieve sustainable productivity are poor. All nations must be given the opportunity to explore multiple paths, consistent with their own social values, for making biodiverisity an indispensable ingredient of socioeconomic, cultural, and scientific development. Without the achievement of a stable global population and the implementation of social justice, it simply will not be possible to learn about, manage, preserve, and benefit from what is left of the world's biodiversity. Understanding the connections between biodiversity, human institutions, and our long-term survival is the first step in learning to manage the biological resources of the planet Earth, our common home, for our mutual benefit. The sixth extinction is not inevitable. If humans are the cause, they can also be the solution. Conservation law in this country has taken a new turn, and in many ways California is leading the charge. The next decade will be an exciting and critical time for this state and the nation. The future of our natural resources and of our quality of life may well depend upon the choices and commitments we make over the next few years. If you travel the length or breadth of the state of California, you experience its diversity as a progression of distinct environments, each with characteristic plant species and climatic conditions. To highlight such contrasts, scientists have divided the state into large bioregions, each of which encompasses environments with broadly similar characteristics. A bioregion is itself a mosaic of unique aquatic and terrestrial environments-marshes, grasslands, woodlands, forests. California is composed of 11 major biogeographic areas, or bioregions. The great diversity of habitats within the state has allowed California to serve as a final refuge for species once dispersed throughout the West. The isolation provided by restricted habitats has allowed them to act not only as refuges, but also as centers of evolution for new species. Hence, California has a remarkably high degree of endemism – of species found nowhere else – in much the same way that an island often has endemic species. The two most important arbiters of California's natural landscapes are its Mediterranean climate and its varied topography. These factors are interconnected: landforms modify the climate, producing local variations in temperature and precipitation, and climate determines the nature and rate of erosion and soil deposition. Over eons, these and other factors have interacted to produce an amazing diversity of both landscapes and species. More than a third of the plants native to California are endemic, either evolving here in response to the continual opening up of new ecological niches, or finding refuge here after geologic change had altered their homelands. In California, population growth is obviously a direct cause of spreading urbanization. New housing developments and freeways overwhelm woods, meadows, and chaparral, destroying unique habitats full of evolutionary novelties, placing many native plant and wildlife species in imminent danger of extinction. It is tempting to blame our problems on overpopulation. The California that once supported 300,000 native Americans is now teeming with about 31. 5 million inhaitants-and their automobiles. It may be that the state's environment cannot support this many people, but we also should remember that incredible environmental damage had already been done when the state's human population numbered 1 million or fewer. It may be more appropriate to look at the nature of our economic system, a system oriented toward and dependent upon continuous growth, and one that operates on the fixed assumptions that there are potentially unlimited resources at one end of our economic pipeline and, at the other, a bottomless sink for disposal of wastes. Of course, there is neither. The first inhabitants of California lived for centuries within the limits of their environment, and the Spanish and Mexican economy was oriented more toward stability than growth. Unfortunately, the â€Å"get-rich-quick† mentality of the Gold Rush pioneers who followed them continues to play a role in California even now. The view of the natural world as a place to live, and therefore to care for, has not held its own against the view of nature as something to exploit. We have reached our present dilemma: Now we must balance the need to protect and maintain what is left of California's once renowned biodiversity against the need to care for the well-being of its human population. Yet protecting nature is no longer merely an option; the survival of humanity depends on the survival of our cohabitants on Earth.

The Inheritance Of Loss East Vs. West - 1819 Words

Kiani-Maile Casillas World Civilization August 6, 2014 The Inheritance of Loss; East vs. West We have always known the world as four separate geographic regions, the North, South, East and West. The West has been significant in the ideas of America and Western Europe. All characterized by common clothes, language, culture, race, ethnicity and economics. But as time passes, the idea of â€Å"the West† begins to dissolve amongst other cultures and regions of the non-western world. Blending of cultures begins into the east creating multiculturalism and western influences. In Kirans Desai’s The Inheritance of Loss the experiences of the characters in the novel disintegrates the idea of â€Å"the West† into the East and we can no longer distinguish one†¦show more content†¦Jemubhai a character is influenced by racism and discrimination that leaves a permanent effect and realizes that those who are being colonized by Western cultures will not me accepted into the Western lifestyle or world. Although the west is and east are separated by race and ethnic ity, the idea of â€Å"the West† is spread out into the East. Benjamin Barber wrote â€Å"Jihad vs. McWorld† which discusses the future of nation-states to be split amongst two ideas. A split of traditional culture, versus evolving economics of the world, which are continuously clashing. These ideas are seen in The Inheritance of Loss. Culture of India is being drained away by Western ideas of advancing economics. Those who keep to the Indian culture are seen as inferior to the Westernization or European culture. Barber believed that each the Jihad, the traditional culture and the McWorld, the advanced world, had very specific qualities characterizing them. For example, the Jihad is deemed as culture against culture. Jihad goes against interdependence and social communities. While this occurs, the McWorld is constantly changing economically, ecologically and supports a unity of communities. Jihad remains traditional while McWorld constantly revolves around fast food, fast music and technology. India is seen as the Jihad and the McWorld is the Western culture. â€Å"The judge was thinking of his hate† (165). A character known as Judge or Jemubhai is