Monday, April 27, 2020

Mystery Shopper in JC Penny Stores in US

Executive Summary The following essay is about mystery shopping and ways of improving shopping experience in JC Penny stores in the United States. With increased competition among the retail service providers and the consumers scaling down their budgets to cope up with the hard economic period, it is imperative for the companies to ensure that they are well prepared in their stores for their greatly experienced customers.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Mystery Shopper in JC Penny Stores in US specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Many organisations are contracting mystery shoppers in order to provide feedback on their customer’s experience as well as enable them to identify ways of improving their service delivery. Mystery shopping is an imperative aspect not only for the retailer but also for the retail shopper who is able to identify ways through which the business may improve within the shortest time possi ble. The need for these services is on the rise in many retail stores all over the world as well as providers of other services such as banks, hotels and software providers. This report is from Zeng Management and Consultancy, a firm that deals with consultancy activities especially in evaluation of services and products offered by a given company. This report will describe its findings on investigations carried out on JC Penny retail stores. The report includes the methodology of conducting the investigations and the various aspects of the company investigated. The final part of this essay will look into how JC Penny stores can improve their customer experience by making shopping more interesting than their competitors do. The research will provide details of the areas that need improvement in provision of customer service. The need for the increased customer experience is important to the many companies that provide the service in the field of marketing to ensure that there is pro per way of carrying out the business all over the world through well-integrated customer experience. With increased technology and the fact that word of mouth spreads faster than any other advertising method it is imperative for the companies seeking to improve their service delivery to contract the services of mystery shoppers. This will enable the companies to identify the areas that need improvement as well as identify their key strengths and competitive advantages in service delivery. Service delivery is an important aspect for any business irrespective of the quality of service or product it offers as most consumers look for a good shopping experience. The analysis of the JC Penny customer experience had the following methodology and findings.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Methodology The methodology used in mystery shopping involved three mystery shoppers in the JC Penny stores in Missouri where the mystery shoppers posed as ordinary shoppers and purchased candy ice cream. To incorporate all the three time zones, the company contracted three mystery shoppers at different times and at different stores of JC Penny as the company has different stores in different places. The shoppers came in at different time zones to gauge the services at different times of the day. They were to shop on weekdays and on weekends in order to note whether there are different trends on weekdays from weekends. The shoppers were to identify the appearance of the stores, the queues in the stores, the complaints brought about by the consumers, the appearance and the manner in which the attendants treated the customers as well as the general appearance of the place (Young, 2005). Findings The first evaluation was on the hospitality of the staff concerning welcoming the customers to the store. Only one attendant was at the entrance welcoming the customers and this was com mendable. After entering the retail stores, there were signboards to welcome and instruct the customers on where different types of goods are placed making it easier for the customers to locate the goods they wanted easily. During shopping, the attendants only assisted in identifying goods but they did not offer suggestions on what a customer should buy or which product was better than the other. As a mystery shopper, one of the aspects to look at is cleanliness of the retail store and for the JC Penny retail stores cleanliness is up to standard making the place spectacular. The shelves are well organised making the displays attractive and easy to locate goods. Concerning the availability of the staff to assist customers around the shelves there was only one staff per stand. This was overwhelming for him especially in the evening when most customers were streaming into the shop and some were new to the store and could locate of some of the goods and services. The other factor observ ed during the mystery shopping is the speed of the service (Young, 2005). The speed of the service regards how long the attendant takes to serve the customers. It was notable that during normal hours of the day there were no queues but during rush hours the queues intensified and at times, this made some of the customers restless and impatient.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Mystery Shopper in JC Penny Stores in US specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Regarding the appearance of the staff, they were in their uniforms making it easy to identify them. They also wore their badges making it easy to identify them also with their names. The smiling attitude of the cashiers and attendants eased the atmosphere making the shopping experience exciting. However, in the clothing and electronic displays the attendants did not have the uniforms making it hard to identify them. The organisation of the clothing and electronic sto res was commendable. On the side of the furniture displays it was attractive and well arranged making the appearance spectacular (Young, 2005). As a mystery shopper, it is necessary to observe scenarios that a common shopper may not quickly identify. For instance, during the shopping experience a customer complained of having bought an expired product. The cashier discarded the product immediately and the customer received a refund of his money. The other notable scenario was that of complaints on the credit cards in that the company was delaying in deducting the payments making it appear as if the retail had given the products free of charge only to deduct the money afterwards. The attendant at the complaint desk said he would address the issue. The desk had only one attendant and during the rush hour there was a queue of customers in the customer care department with issues that demanded attention (Young, 2005). Other than this, the store did not have feedback forms for customers where they could evaluate the shopping experience and provide constructive criticism on the services provided by the retail store (Bradley, 2010). The retail store had a desk where they served the customers with after sales services such as packaging and transporting the goods to the car park in case they were bulky for the customer. They did not have a mechanism of collecting the data from the shoppers. On average the store serves over ten customers per minute as in every minute there were at least two customers getting into the store but during rush hour there were ten customers every minute streaming in. The loyalty department dealing with the issuance of loyalty cards was the most dormant part of the business with only one customer streaming in during the day and three customers registering at rush hour (Bradley, 2010).Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More On the differences experienced in different days depending on whether the day was a weekend or not, the customer’s trends were not much different with most of the customers coming in the evening or rush hours. However, on weekends the number of shoppers was lower in comparison with the number of shoppers on weekdays. On weekends however, most customers came to shop together with their families unlike on weekdays when most of the customers were individuals. Recommendations The following are some of the recommendations derived from the findings to ensure that services provided in JC Penny stores are the best for any customer. The customer service department is a major department in any industry dealing with provision of services as the service provided to the customer regards marketing opportunities for the company. The need to cut on advertising budgets especially in a time when there are decreased sales is imperative by having alternative and cost effective ways of retaining customers and bringing in new ones. The first recommendation is that the company must look for ways of dealing with the inflow of customers during rush hours resulting into long queues by providing an effective and faster service (McDonald, 2007). The number of staff serving the customers during rush hours should therefore be increased. In addition, the chain store needs to employ part time staff to assist the full time staff during rush hours to ensure faster service. The attendant at the door welcoming customers is usually overwhelmed and tired during rush hours and it is important to add other staff to greet and welcome the buyers to the store as this gesture is necessary in creating a personalized customer experience (Bradley, 2010). The customer care department handling the customer complaints needs reconstruction as it has only one attendant yet there is always a queue especially during the rush hour. The retail store must assess its service delivery capabilities to identify w hy there are so many customers coming in for enquiries and complaint in the department. The JC Penny retail store must address the issue of customer complaints with seriousness as failure to address the issues raised by customers would create a bad image about the store and eventual loss of customers. It is necessary to combine the services provided in the store together with technology by having a portal where customers may voice complains online. This would help the company to address many issues raised by the customers. It would also be a means of receiving constructive criticism. Concerning feedback, it is important that the organisation formulate methods of proper and well-organised feedback collection from the customers. This is possible by providing feedback forms at the exit. The company will have to employ an attendant to assist the customers in filling the feedback forms (Marder, 2007). The attendant would also assist the customers to obtain the loyalty cards as well as is suing the customers with coupons regarding new products in the store as well as new price discounts. Other than providing the feedback forms, establishing a call centre to handle the customers’ enquiries is a priority for each of the JC Penny stores. The personalized attention offered is imperative in retaining customers’ loyalty and commitment to the company (McDonald, 2007). The company must be strict with suppliers who supply expired or defective products that usually cast the retail store in bad light. Before accepting goods from suppliers, the management must ensure that the goods are in good condition and that expired products are removed from the shelves. This is because defective products indicate that the store is not concerned with the welfare of the customers and this would cause unnecessary complaints and eventual loss of customers (Bradley, 2010). The other recommendation is that the customer service and the marketing department must look for ways of publi shing and creating awareness about their loyalty card program and the benefits accrued to signing up the program. The dormant and low turnout in the department indicates that even though the retail store has many customers, most of them are unaware of the loyalty program or they are not interested in it (McDonald, 2007). The attendants of the JC Penny stores need a continuous customer service-training program. This is crucial to the staff as it makes them knowledgeable on how to handle the customers. An in house training is of importance because it brings together the employees creating a bond between them. The training usually focuses on the customer service depending on the mission of the company towards their customers. The training is imperative in preparing the employees on how to provide a great customer experience to the shoppers (McDonald, 2007). In instances where the retail store is in the wrong such as when there are delays in the queue or a customer returns a defective p roduct the company’s management must be quick to apologise and refund the money to the customers concerned. This gesture creates trust and shows that the company is concerned with the customers’ welfare and that the management is trying to do all that it can to provide the best customer experience possible (Drucker, 1974). The appearance of the store is commendable in terms of organisation of the goods and packaging in a way that helps the customers to locate the goods faster. The uniforms worn by the attendants are an important branding strategy and that make it easier to spot the attendants and request their assistance (McDonald, 2004). As part of customer service program it is imperative for the company to find ways of appreciating the customers after shopping in the retail store. Providing the customers with gift cards would go a long way in ensuring that there is personalised attention to the customers. This would boost the loyalty of the customers. Appreciation g oes a long way in ensuring that the customers feel great and important in the store. It also makes them feel needed (Drucker, 1974). The other strategy in marketing which would improve the service delivery in JC Penny retail store is having a mailing list of the customers to enable them receive information about promotions. When creating the mail lists it is necessary to have the bio data of the clients such as their birthday and their social status as it helps in communicating with the customers by sending personalized messages to the clients thereby making them part of the store (Drucker, 1974). Implementing the loyalty programs where the loyal shoppers receive rewards via bonus shopping items or gifts would help in marketing the company to the potential clients as well as boosting customer loyalty (Drucker, 1974). Most companies do not have a marketing strategy dealing with the issue of customer service. They underscore the urgency and the role played by a good customer service m anagement especially in provision of retail services. It is therefore crucial for JC Penny to have a budget for their customer service department. The budget would ensure that the customer service activities are utilised to the maximum. The budget would also cater for training of staff, providing gift cards and hiring additional staff during the rush hours. The budget would ensure that provision of quality customer experience is a major marketing strategy to give the company an edge over its competitors (Drucker, 1974). As part of the budget, having a customer service strategic plan is imperative. It ensures that the data provided by the customers is relevant to the customers and that they are ready to succeed in the issues of the customer care management. The plan enables the company to set its priorities right in providing quality services by ensuring that the critical services have priority and they have the necessary funding to keep the company going. This is important in ensuri ng that there are proper mechanisms for the company to utilise its services and facilities as well as its management plan (Bradley, 2010). The management must continue to foster an attractive customer image to ensure that the employees are identifiable. Their adornment of the staff uniform is appealing and makes it easy for the shoppers to request for assistance. In the clothing and electronics malls, the same strategy has to be applied to ensure that the attendants are identifiable. The cleanliness of the retail store is commendable and it is imperative to ensure that proper mechanisms are implemented to keep the stall organised and in good appearance to appeal the customers (McDonald, 2007). Conclusion Competition for clients has intensified providing a great customer service. The modern customers are no longer concerned with the price alone but they also look for quality services, which offer value for their money through greater customer experience. The need to improve and harne ss those services makes it necessary for any company to provide quality services. The use of mystery shopper to assess the services offered by the company is a great strategy as it ensures that the assessment is not biased unlike in scenarios where managers are the one doing the assessment thus creating a tensed atmosphere between the employees. When good customer service mechanisms are in place, maintaining customer loyalty is manageable and attracting potential customers becomes easy without even advertising as the word of mouth spreads faster than the adverts. This makes customer service an integral part of marketing strategy for JC Penny store. As Zeng Consultancy company our objective is to ensure that the clients benefit from our study by assisting and conducting follow up mystery shopping to ensure that the clients of the company receive quality services from us and the service replicates in form of increased sales and customer satisfaction. References Bradley, N. (2010). Mar keting research. Tools and techniques. Oxford: Oxford University Press Drucker, P. (1974). Management: tasks, responsibilities, practices. New York: Harper Row. Marder, E. (2007). The laws of choice—predicting customer behaviour. Boston: The Free Press division of Simon and Schuster. McDonald, M. (2007). Marketing plans (6th ed.). Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann. Young, C. (2005). The mystery shopper handbook. New York: Sage. This report on Mystery Shopper in JC Penny Stores in US was written and submitted by user Trevor Frye to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Thursday, March 19, 2020

Free Essays on Beauty And The Beast

The Story as a Skeleton Ring around the rosies, a pocket full of posies, ashes, ashes, we all fall down. To modern society this seems like a nonsensical children’s rhyme, instead of a rhyme about the Black Death and horrors that it held for society at that time. Without knowledge of the origins of the rhyme, it is just that. The same goes for stories and fairy tales. Stories provide a glimpse of what is taking place in the society of the times. By comparing different versions of the same story over time one can make connections to society’s values and the evens of the time period. One can also compare stories within the same time period to achieve different viewpoints within the society itself. Looking at the story of beauty and the beast, one can use this example to lean much about the values that certain societies hold at certain times. The story of beauty and the beast has its origins in the early Roman myth of Cupid and Psyche, and since then has evolved into the modern versions that we have today such as the animated Disney film Beauty and the Beast and Barbara G. Walker’s Ugly and the Beast. Throughout time the fundamental ideas of the story remain the same. A selfless and devoted daughter willingly sacrifices herself for her father. Although the beauty character has sisters who are sad to see her go to an almost certain death in the clutches of the beast, the others will not even volunteer to go in place of her. The beauty character is then rewarded for her selflessness with her marriage to an important and wealthy husband who is much to her liking. Although the stories vary dramatically, these three elements are present in all of the versions. In Cupid and Ps yche, Psyche is the beauty character. Her father travels to an oracle to ask how to find a decent husband for Psyche. Much to his dismay the oracles reveals that Psyche is to go to a rocky summit to await her fearful husband in the form of a winged serpent. Psych... Free Essays on Beauty And The Beast Free Essays on Beauty And The Beast The Story as a Skeleton Ring around the rosies, a pocket full of posies, ashes, ashes, we all fall down. To modern society this seems like a nonsensical children’s rhyme, instead of a rhyme about the Black Death and horrors that it held for society at that time. Without knowledge of the origins of the rhyme, it is just that. The same goes for stories and fairy tales. Stories provide a glimpse of what is taking place in the society of the times. By comparing different versions of the same story over time one can make connections to society’s values and the evens of the time period. One can also compare stories within the same time period to achieve different viewpoints within the society itself. Looking at the story of beauty and the beast, one can use this example to lean much about the values that certain societies hold at certain times. The story of beauty and the beast has its origins in the early Roman myth of Cupid and Psyche, and since then has evolved into the modern versions that we have today such as the animated Disney film Beauty and the Beast and Barbara G. Walker’s Ugly and the Beast. Throughout time the fundamental ideas of the story remain the same. A selfless and devoted daughter willingly sacrifices herself for her father. Although the beauty character has sisters who are sad to see her go to an almost certain death in the clutches of the beast, the others will not even volunteer to go in place of her. The beauty character is then rewarded for her selflessness with her marriage to an important and wealthy husband who is much to her liking. Although the stories vary dramatically, these three elements are present in all of the versions. In Cupid and Ps yche, Psyche is the beauty character. Her father travels to an oracle to ask how to find a decent husband for Psyche. Much to his dismay the oracles reveals that Psyche is to go to a rocky summit to await her fearful husband in the form of a winged serpent. Psych...

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

Examples of Social Facts and Their Negative Impact

Examples of Social Facts and Their Negative Impact Social fact is a theory developed by sociologist Emile Durkheim to describe how values, culture, and norms control the actions and beliefs of individuals and society as a whole. Durkheim and Social Fact In his book, The Rules of Sociological Method,  Durkheim outlined social fact, and the book became one of the foundational texts of sociology.   He defined sociology as the study of social facts, which he said were the actions of society. Social facts are the reason why people within a society seem to choose to do the same basic things; e.g., where they live, what they eat, and how they interact. The society they belong to shapes them to do these things, continuing social facts.   Common Social Facts Durkheim used many examples to demonstrate his theory of social facts, including:   Marriage: Social groups tend to have the same ideas toward marriage, such as the appropriate age to get married and what a ceremony should look like. Attitudes that violate those social facts, such as bigamy or polygamy in the Western world, are regarded with disgust.  Language: People living in the same area tend to speak the same language. In fact, they can develop and pass on their own dialect and idioms. Years later, those norms can identify someone as being part of a particular region.  Religion: Social facts shape how we view religion. Different areas have different religious strongholds, with faith being a regular part of life, and other religions are considered foreign and strange.   Social Facts and Religion One of the areas Durkheim explored thoroughly was religion. He looked at the social facts of suicide rates in Protestant and Catholic communities. Catholic communities view suicide as one of the worst sins, and as such, have much lower suicide rates than Protestants. Durkheim believed the difference in suicide rates showed the influence of social facts and culture on actions.   Some of his research in the area has been questioned in recent years, but his suicide research was groundbreaking and shed light on how society affects our individual attitudes and actions.   Social Fact and Control Social fact is a technique of control. Societal norms shape our attitudes, beliefs, and actions. They inform what we do every day, from who we befriend to how we work. Its a complex and embedded construct that keeps us from stepping outside the norm.   Social fact is what makes us react strongly to people who deviate from social attitudes. For example, people in other countries who have no established home, and instead wander from place to place and take odd jobs. Western societies tend to view these people as odd and strange based on our social facts, when in their culture, what theyre doing is completely normal.   What is a social fact in one culture can be abhorrently strange in another; by keeping in mind how society influences your beliefs, you can temper your reactions to what is different.

Sunday, February 16, 2020

Russia Revolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Russia Revolution - Essay Example Nicholas II didn't have political will, didn't have emperor's charisma and was short-eyed politician. His surrounding was unqualified men too and neither they nor he had a clear idea about the situation in the country as they lived in the world of luxury. It's enough to remind that situation in 1917 in Russia was very uneasy: Russia barely survived revolution of 1905, working movement inspired by Marxist ideas was growing on the hand with nationalism in Poland, Finland, Ukraine, Baltic provinces and Caucasus. Imperial government policies were very ineffective and in many respects suppressed dynamic development of province. Domestic and foreign policy caused nation's anger and disrespect both in the eyes of own people and foreigners. As a result, Russian defeats and casualties on the WWI battlefields became a culminating point of Russian troubled times - the March Revolution began. Ultimately, Czar's rule was replaced and two main powers appeared: Provisional Government, which consist ed of wealthy elite, and local Soviets, which represented the majority of population. Power dualism in the society ruled only by chaos was not successful. Provisional government with progressive western ideas of future reforms saw Russia as a democratic state ruled by elective parliament and government. Provisional government was established as a government organ to rule the country before the constituent assembly was elected. Provisional government was a legitimate body as prince Mikhail gave it plenary powers after tsar Nicholas II abdicated in favor of his brother prince Mikhail. Provisional government was formed from the most influential political figures of Russian empire: aristocrats, politicians from Duma (including social democrats) and military men. Provisional government proclaimed that it would continue war with Germany until the victory and that constituent assembly would be elected after victory in the war. Besides Provisional government proclaimed the course directed on the spread of civil liberties and democratic freedoms. Provisionary government made attempts to establish monopoly over bread trade and over provisions trade in general in order to avoid speculation, growing social unrest and in order to prevent famine. But in Russia nearly everyone was sure that neither Provisional Government nor the Soviets could adequately solve a number of economical and political problems: only the constituent government would have such plenary functions. At the same time a number of democratic reforms proposed by Provisional government which got the favor of both progressive ruling classes and low classes (workers and peasants) were postponed until the elections to constituent assembly. Property reforms, working day length, economical reforms and political reforms remained to be projects until the end of the war as it was proposed by Kerenskiy (the head of the Provisional government). Provisional government had utopian illusion that victory in the war over Germany would solve economical and political problems, but by the 1917 tensions in soci ety caused by wartime hardships reached the top. Such policies led to the four issues of political crisis in the country. The first crisis started in April after Provisional government failed to find consensus in the issues of participation in the war as socialist members of Provisional gover

Sunday, February 2, 2020

See information below Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

See information below - Essay Example The frustration of being just two credits shy of graduation and newly married is touched on briefly, but is an important fact that helps clarify his frustration. As he takes us on his journey into the horrors of war, we begin to see a pattern of disorganization from those in authority, and vague answers to the young men's questions about their return home. One incident underscores this disorganization clearly. On a mission to a local Iraqi bank, two soldiers are left standing guard outside. While the rest of the group is inside the bank enjoying a precious few moments in air conditioning, insurgents fire upon the two men outside. One of the men is shot very seriously in the neck. Trying to get medevac to the scene proves to be the most difficult part of the incident. It seems commanding officers and their staff, do not leave the compound. Tracking the exact location of the bank and dispatching the appropriate help becomes a source of frustration for the men on the scene. What is tell ing in this scene is not that the two men were fired upon, but the slow and disorganized response from their commanding officers. The promise of going home is held in front of the men frequently throughout the story only to be withheld from them over and over again. They are told, 'just keep up the work a little longer. We'll be home soon.'(Crawford 19) The commanding officers seem unconcerned with the stress and fatigue that these men are facing, and only seem concerned with their own plans of glory and recognition.The imagery that Crawford uses gives us a land that is as bleak and unwelcoming as his first descriptions of the storm. We see a country decimated by war and it's citizens living in squalor. "The building was full of rotting feces. Piles of it, along with MRE toilet paper, littered the floor. The heat had turned the building into an oven, and the smell was overpowering."(Crawford 32) The gritty descriptions of crumbling buildings and human waste flowing in the streets fill the pages and lend to the feeling of a complete breakdown of a society.Interwoven through the stories of fear and exhaustion th ere are some moments of humor that remind the reader that these are ordinary men thrown into extraordinary circumstances. They are trying desperately to hang on to a sense of normalcy in an alien world. The story of Cum, a homeless Iraqi child, and his friendship with Crawford clearly display the overall feeling of desperation. While the story is told in a dispassionate way, the sense that the boy meant a great deal to Crawford is apparent based on his statement that they talked for hours without understanding each other's language. Without language to join them they manage to forge a friendship based on the child's innocent and eager nature. Eventually because of Iraqi attitudes toward Americans, something happens to the child. What that something is, is never made clear, but Crawford's guilt over the incident is palpable.The frequent mention of drugs seems to be another desperate attempt to escape the situation that he finds himself. One incident has a medic injecting Crawford wit h morphine just for the sleep the drug will allow him. Crawford spends a day in bed after the morphine

Saturday, January 25, 2020

Types And Uses Of Fertilizers

Types And Uses Of Fertilizers Fertilizers are substances that supply plant nutrients or amend soil fertility. They are the most effective means of increasing crop production and of improving the quality of food and fodder. Fertilizers are used in order to supplement the natural nutrient supply in the soil, especially to correct the (yield-limiting) minimum factor. Fertilizers are soil amendments applied to promote plant growth; the main nutrients present in fertilizer are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (the macronutrients) and other nutrients (micronutrients) are added in smaller amounts. Fertilizers are usually directly applied to soil, and also sprayed on leaves (foliar feeding). Organic fertilizers or and some mined inorganic fertilizers have been used for many centuries, whereas chemically synthesized inorganic fertilizers were only widely developed during the industrial revolution. Increased understanding and use of fertilizers were important parts of the pre-industrial British Agricultural Revolution and the industrial green revolution of the 20th century. Inorganic fertilizer use has also significantly supported global population growth it has been estimated that almost half the people on the Earth are currently fed as a result of artificial nitrogen fertilizer use. Fig 1 Fertilizers typically provide, in varying proportions: The three primary macronutrients: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). The three secondary macronutrients: calcium (Ca), sulfur (S), magnesium (Mg). and the micronutrients or trace minerals: boron (B), chlorine (Cl), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), molybdenum (Mo) and selenium (Se). The macronutrients are consumed in larger quantities and are present in plant tissue in quantities from 0.2% to 4.0% (on a dry matter weight basis). There are some examples of it:- Fig 2 Fig 3 Different Types of Fertilizers Fertilizers are chemical compounds applied to promote plentiful plant and fruit growth. Fertilizers are applied through soil for uptake by plant roots, or by applying liquid fertilizer directly to plant leaves. They typical fertilizer provides proportions of the three major plant nutrients; nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. The secondary plant nutrients such as calcium, sulfur, and magnesium are also contained in fertilizers. Fertilizers can be placed into categories of organic fertilizers and inorganic fertilizers. Organic Fertilizers Naturally occurring fertilizers include: Manure Worm castings Peat moss Seaweed Sewage Guano Organic fertilizers are used to enrich soil through nitrogen fixation from the atmosphere by bacterial nodules on plant roots, as well as phosphorus content of soils. Processed organic materials from natural sources include compost, blood meal powdered blood, and bone (crushed ground bones) meal from organic meat production facilities, and seaweed extracts. There is more diversity with organic fertilizers, so choosing the right one is not always easy. In general organic fertilizers cannot cause plant burns, get into ground water, affect surrounding growth, and do not need as strict of watering schedules. Organic fertilizer sources:- Animals Animals:- Sourced urea , are suitable for application organic agriculture, while pure synthetic forms of urea are not. The common thread that can be seen through these examples is that organic agriculture attempts to define itself through minimal processing (in contrast to the man-made Haber process), as well as being naturally occurring or via natural biological processes such as composting. Sewage sludge use in organic agricultural operations in the U.S. has been extremely limited and rare due to USDA prohibition of the practice (due to toxic metal accumulation, among other factors). The USDA now requires 3rd-party certification of high-nitrogen liquid organic fertilizers sold in the U.S. Plant:- Cover crops are also grown to enrich soil as a green manure through nitrogen fixation from the atmosphere; as well as phosphorus (through nutrient mobilization) content of soils. Mineral:- Naturally mined powdered limestone, mined rock phosphate and sodium nitrate, are inorganic (in a chemical sense), are energetically intensive to harvest, and yet are approved for usage in organic agriculture in minimal amounts. Benefits of Organic Material By nature organic fertilizers provide increased physical and biological storage mechanisms to soils, reducing risks of over fertilization. Organic fertilizers nutrient content, solubility, and nutrient release rates are typically much lower than inorganic fertilizers. Over fertilization of a vital nutrient can be as detrimental as under fertilization to a plant. Fertilizer burn can occur when too much fertilizer is applied resulting in the drying out of roots along with damage and even death to plants. All organic fertilizers are classified as slow release fertilizers. Studies have found that organic fertilizers: Release 25% to 60% of nitrogen as inorganic. Controlled release fertilizers had a relatively constant rate of release. Soluble fertilizer released most of its nitrogen content at the first leaching. Inorganic Fertilizers: Naturally occurring inorganic fertilizers include sodium nitrate, mined rock phosphate and lime stone which is used to raise pH and calcium sources. Macronutrients and Micronutrients Fertilizers can be divided into macronutrients and micronutrients based on their concentration levels in dry plant matter. There are six macronutrients; nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium (3 main primary elements), calcium, magnesium, and sulfur. Macronutrient Fertilizers:- Synthesized materials are also called artificial, and may also be called straight were a product contains the three primary elements of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Fertilizers are named according to the content of the three elements in the fertilizer. If the main ingredient in the fertilizer is nitrogen, then the fertilizer will be described as a nitrogen fertilizer. But regardless of the name of the fertilizer they are labeled according to the amounts of each of these primary elements, by their weight. The amount of nitrogen will encourage growth of stems and leaves by promoting protein and chlorophyll. More Flowers, bigger fruits, and healthier roots will result from added phosphorus, and it will also help plants resist certain diseases. Potassium thickens stems and leaves by fostering protein development, meaning the vegetables would prefer a different potassium ratio than flowers or fruit plants would. Benefits of inorganic fertilizers Synthetic fertilizers are commonly used to treat fields used for growing maize, followed by barley, sorghum, rapeseed, soy and sunflower. One study has shown that application of nitrogen fertilizer on off-season cover crops can increase the biomass (and subsequent green manure value) of these crops, while having a beneficial effect on soil nitrogen levels for the main crop planted during the summer season. Nutrients in soil develop in symbiosis, which can be thrown out of balance with high concentrations of fertilizers. The interconnectedness and complexity of this soil food web means any appraisal of soil function must necessarily take into account interactions with the living communities that exist within the soil. Stability of the system is reduced by the use of nitrogen-containing inorganic and organic fertilizers, which cause soil acidification. Problem with inorganic fertilizers Trace mineral depletion:- Many inorganic fertilizers may not replace trace mineral elements in the soil which become gradually depleted by crops. This depletion has been linked to studies which have shown a marked fall (up to 75%) in the quantities of such minerals present in fruit and vegetables. In Western Australia deficiencies of zinc, copper, manganese, iron and molybdenum were identified as limiting the growth of broad-acre crops and pastures in the 1940s and 1950s. Soils in Western Australia are very old, highly weathered and deficient in many of the major nutrients and trace elements. Since this time these trace elements are routinely added to inorganic fertilizers used in agriculture in this state. Over fertilization:- Over-fertilization of a vital nutrient can be as detrimental as under fertilization. Fertilizer burn can occur when too much fertilizer is applied, resulting in a drying out of the roots and damage or even death of the plant. Burning of plants High energy consumption:- The production of synthetic ammonia currently consumes about 5% of global natural gas consumption, which is somewhat fewer than 2% of world energy productions. Natural gas is overwhelmingly used for the production of ammonia, but other energy sources, together with a hydrogen source, can be used for the production of nitrogen compounds suitable for fertilizers. The cost of natural gas makes up about 90% of the cost of producing ammonia. The increase in price of natural gases over the past decade, along with other factors such as increasing demand, has contributed to an increase in fertilizer price. Long-Term Sustainability:- Inorganic fertilizers are now produced in ways which theoretically cannot be continued indefinitely. Potassium and phosphorus come from mines (or saline lakes such as the Dead Sea) and such resources are limited. More effective fertilizer utilization practices may, however, decrease present usage from mines. Improved knowledge of crop production practices can potentially decrease fertilizer usage of P and K without reducing the critical need to improve and increase crop yields. Atmospheric (unfixed) nitrogen is effectively unlimited (forming over 70% of the atmospheric gases), but this is not in a form useful to plants. To make nitrogen accessible to plants requires nitrogen fixation (conversion of atmospheric nitrogen to a plant-accessible form). Artificial nitrogen fertilizers are typically synthesized using fossil fuels such as natural gas and coal, which are limited resources. In lieu of converting natural gas to syngas for use in the Haber process, it is also possible to convert renewable biomass to syngas (or wood gas) to supply the necessary energy for the process, though the amount of land and resources (ironically often including fertilizer) necessary for such a project may be prohibitive (see Energy conservation in the United States). Applications of fertilizer There are so many fields where fertilizer is used in high proportion. Agriculture is the one of field among them. There is some region where fertilizer is used:- Broadcast:- Broadcasting consists of uniformly distributing dry or liquid materials over the soil surface, usually before sowing. The fertilizer maybe incorporated into the soil mechanically, or left on the surface to be washed in by rainfall or irrigation. Incorporation into the AP horizon can be by harrow (2-3 cm depth), a cultivator (4-6 cm depth) or by plough (incorporation to plough depth). Broadcasting is the simplest and cheapest method and is best suited for high-speed operations and heavy application rates, especially before planting. Side or top dressing:- Fertilizer is side or top-dressed when it is applied after the crop has emerged, and/or when the dose is split for two or more applications. Split applications can be beneficial in some cases, especially for annual crops with a long growing period. Split application of KCl is also recommended for crops growing on low CEC soils, where K can be lost by leaching K following high rainfall or excess irrigation. Soybean responded significantly up to 50 kg K ha-1 when applied half at planting and half at flower initiation, or applying one third at planting, one third at flower initiation and one third at pod development. Splitting the K application is also used in orchards and for other perennial crops, especially for alfalfa and grasses. In trials in a Commercial field of Lucerne, the largest yields, up to 3.15 t ha-1 in 26 days, were on plots treated with 948 kg K ha-1 as KCl in 3 applications. In areas of Cl deficient soils, top-dressed applications of KCl for autumn sown small grains ma y be more effective than preplant applications because of the potential for Cl leaching from the root zone due to rainfall. Foliar application: Foliar application involves the use of KCl in solution. It results in fast K absorption and utilization and has the advantage of quickly correcting deficiencies diagnosed by observation or foliar analysis. Other advantages are low application rates, and uniform distribution of fertilizer. However, foliar fertilization is supplementary to and cannot replace the basal fertilization. Foliar application should be done during periods of low temperature and relatively high humidity, such in the early morning or late evening. Otherwise the salts may cause leaf burning and necrosis especially when applied in concentrations above those recommended. Because of its osmotic action, KCl applied on leaves is not well tolerated by plants and so is not usually used for foliar application. Nevertheless, it can be beneficial in some cases. Rice:- A foliar application of 10 kg KCl m-3 to rice at panicle initiation, boot leaf and 50% flowering stages, both in the monsoon and winter seasons, significantly increased seed yield and improved quality (seed germination and 100-seed weight). Splitting a total of 95 kg ha-1 of KCl to rice, a third at sowing in soil, a third as a foliar spray at flag leaf stage and a third as foliar spray at grain development, gave larger yields than a soil application all at sowing .A foliar spray applying 3.9 kg K ha-1 (as 10 kg KCl m-3) three times at one week intervals from full head of rice cv. Environmental effects of fertilizer use Water Eutrophication:- The nitrogen-rich compounds found in fertilizer run-off is the primary cause of a serious depletion of oxygen in many parts of the ocean, especially in coastal zones; the resulting lack of dissolved oxygen is greatly reducing the ability of these areas to sustain oceanic fauna.Visually, water may become cloudy and discolored (green, yellow, brown, or red). About half of all the lakes in the United States are now eutrophic, while the number of oceanic dead zones near inhabited coastlines are increasing. As of 2006, the application of nitrogen fertilizer is being increasingly controlled in Britain and the United States. If Eutrophication can be reversed, it may take decades before the accumulated nitrates in groundwater can be broken down by natural processes. High application rates of inorganic nitrogen fertilizers in order to maximize crop yields, combined with the high solubilitys of these fertilizers leads to increased runoff into surface water as well as leaching into groundwater. The use of ammonium nitrate in inorganic fertilizers is particularly damaging, as plants absorb ammonium ions preferentially over nitrate ions, while excess nitrate ions which are not absorbed dissolve (by rain or irrigation) into runoff or groundwater. Fig 10 Soil acidification: Nitrogen-containing inorganic and organic fertilizers can cause soil acidification when added. This may lead to decreases in nutrient availability which may be offset by liming. Heavy metal accumulation:- The concentration of up to 100 mg/kg of cadmium in phosphate minerals (for example, minerals from Nauru and the Christmas islands)increases the contamination of soil with cadmium, for example in New Zealand. Uranium is another example of a contaminant often found in phosphate fertilizers (at levels from 7 to 100 pCi/g). Eventually these heavy metals can build up to unacceptable levels and build up in vegetable produce. (See cadmium poisoning) Average annual intake of uranium by adults is estimated to be about 0.5 mg (500 ÃŽÂ ¼g) from ingestion of food and water and 0.6 ÃŽÂ ¼g from breathing air. Steel industry wastes, recycled into fertilizers for their high levels of zinc (essential to plant growth), wastes can include the following toxic metals: lead arsenic, cadmium, chromium, and nickel. The most common toxic elements in this type of fertilizer are mercury, lead, and arsenic. Concerns have been raised concerning fish meal mercury content by at least one source in Spain. Also, highly radioactive Polonium-210 contained in phosphate fertilizers is absorbed by the roots of plants and stored in its tissues; tobacco derived from plants fertilized by rock phosphates contains Polonium-210 which emits alpha radiation estimated to cause about 11,700 lung cancer deaths each year worldwide. For these reasons, it is recommended that nutrient budgeting, through careful observation and monitoring of crops, take place to mitigate the effects of excess fertilizer application. Atmospheric effects:- Methane emissions from crop fields (notably rice paddy fields) are increased by the application of ammonium-based fertilizers; these emissions contribute greatly to global climate change as methane is a potent greenhouse gas. Through the increasing use of nitrogen fertilizer, which is added at a rate of 1 billion tons per year presently to the already existing amount of reactive nitrogen, nitrous oxide (N2O) has become the third most important greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide and methane. It has a global warming potential 296 times larger than an equal mass of carbon dioxide and it also contributes to stratospheric ozone depletion. Storage and application of some nitrogen fertilizers in some weather or soil conditions can cause emissions of the potent greenhouse gas-nitrous oxide. Ammonia gas (NH3) may be emitted following application of inorganic fertilizers and/or manures and slurries. The use of fertilizers on a global scale emits significant quantities of greenhouse gas into the atmosphere. Emissions come about through the use of: animal manures and urea, which release methane, nitrous oxide, ammonia, and carbon dioxide in varying quantities depending on their form (solid or liquid) and management (collection, storage, spreading) fertilizers that use nitric acid or ammonium bicarbonate, the production and application of which results in emissions of nitrogen oxides, nitrous oxide, ammonia and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. By changing processes and procedures, it is possible to mitigate some, but not all, of these effects on anthropogenic climate change.

Friday, January 17, 2020

Running Head: Reframing Non-informational Matters

Reframing Non-informational MattersOther than her immediate advisors or the cabinet members the governor should seek advice from a criminology expert, local administrators, prosecutors and law enforcement officers. Her task force should contain the following appointees; the head manager who will oversee all the activities of the task force is running smoothly and report to her. A Criminology specialist who will advise on crime reduction, prevention and stop. Government prosecutors, local administrators who will mobilize people and talk them out of crime during meeting and the law enforcement officers and the operational staff in general.The language and metaphor she should use in her presentation to the individuals she would ask to serve on the task force should vary with the level of service and education but the message at the end of the day should be one. The top individuals in the task force should be spoken to in the horizontal communication. They should look and see the governo r as their leader. They should work very hard to ensure that the plan becomes efficient and effective. The governor should however speak to the lower appointee in a polite manner and ask for their cooperation and support to curb crime in the community. This is because the lower force men are the ones that interact more often than not with the layman. One of the metaphors she would use is prevention is better than cure. Her request can be worded differently to each potential member but should bring out the same meaning to each of them so that during their next meeting they can all be signing the same song .with the same goals and objectives that is success.The governor should announce her plan to the public in a simple and clear manner. She should be convincing and should also support her plan so as to win the public into believing it will work. Asking of questions to the public and requesting them to cooperate and help enhance the plan to succesed.She should fluently elaborate to th e public the merits of the plan if it pulls through.Her briefing to the media should be short and exact to the point. She should give the media a general over view of the plan and during the rest of the briefing process she should be busy asking the media rhetoric questions as well as using metaphor to defend herself and the plan again from their accusions.Examples she would use; Don’t you think that this plan if successful it kill two birds with one stone. Do you need a crime free Utopia or not? Do you think this plan will work out? Some of the tough questions she will get include; why didn’t you pick another way of getting fund? Who advised you on that strategy madam governor? How much expenditure shall your appointed team use during planning  Ã‚   and implement action of the plan. How will other nations react to your opinion of reducing criminal sentences and wouldn’t the criminal level increase due to this factor.One of the barriers of communication accord ing to   (Stan S.,David .K., John .K, 2003 p85)   is denial of information. For example the message may conflict with our personal beliefs or values. This factor may affect the law enforcement officer who beliefs that the criminal must be punished but the idea of preventing crime is new it might be ignored by some causing the plan not to work as supported to. Another barrier is lack of motivation or interest in communicating and interest in the message. The manager for example is supposed to be given a feedback of the progress of the plan from the lower workers. These messages are in a memo form. If the memos become very many the manager may lose the interest to read them that way communication barrier is created.Non-credibility of the source. The police force in is known to be very corrupt in their day to day work. If the police bring information to other members of the force e.g. the criminology expert may not believe the message due to their lack of credibility. This barrier is created. Use of complex channels of communication is another barrier to effective communication among the workforce. Important information does not reach the lowly workers because the transmission process is slow.These barriers can be overcome through the following techniques. In the case of lack of motivation. The manager would choice another form of communication like the fax machine which would give audio messages. This would motivate and interest him to know what the people are saying. In the case of non-credibility of the source the appointed law enforcement officers should strive and shun corruption and the group should also put down law to stop the vices. The lack of communication skill should be avoided by the individuals lacking the skills going through an academic training, formal education should also be given as well as streetwise language taught. A less complex communication channel should be created to allow for all members access information quickly.The plan should first be written down on a piece of paper. It should then be drawn in a diagram to show how co-operation of and the personnel in implementing it. The plan should then be produced into hard copies and given to the operational staff.Get one of the eloquent speakers with good communication skills.The elaborate the operational personnel showing them the job and how you wish the job to be done. Speak clearly on the part to be played by each operational staff. Elaborate on the means through which feedback is to be given to the manager as each person works to achieve the goals and objectives of the plan.The general barriers to communication that will exist among task force members and level of policy makers, administrators, middle managers, down to the operational staff are: communication skill as they are of different educational level, complex communication channel leading to poor transmission of information. Poor organizational climate is another barrier that generally affects the memb er of levels bringing about gossip.References;Kreps,G.Organizational Communication.2nd ed. New York: Longman, 1990.Farace, R.,Monge,P.and Russell, H.Communicating and Organizing.New York;Random House, 1977.