The National Deaf Education Project - 982 Words

The National Deaf Education Project was founded in 1998 by Lawrence Siegel. Lawrence M. Siegel has been an advocate and attorney for special education cases beginning in 1979 (National Deaf Education Project). He received his B.A. and M.A. degrees from the University of California at Berkeley (National Deaf Education Project). He has strong beliefs regarding the Deaf community and culture and the Deaf’s rights and liberties as Americans. Specifically, he believes that communication and language is a right for human beings and should become a necessity for learning. He established the NDEP to become the model and articulate a plan for communication in the educational setting for deaf and hard of hearing students in the United States (National Deaf Education Project). The board of the NDEP consists of representatives of Gallaudet University and collaborators of the project of the American Society for Deaf Children, the Conference of Educational Administrators of Schools for the Deaf, the Convention of American Instructors of the Deaf, Gallaudet University, and the National Association of the Deaf (Gallaudet). This organization continues to aid in reforming the communication systems for the deaf and hard of hearing in public educational systems. Lawrence Siegel has succeeded in an abundance of fiets for deaf and hard of hearing educational rights. The National Deaf Education Project has been succeeding in cases and court by fighting for deaf educational rights since 1998 untilShow MoreRelatedHistorical Perspective of Sped1456 Words   |  6 PagesFoundation of Inclusive Education Based on the book of Teresita G. Inciong, Yolanda S. Quijano, Yolanda T. Capulong, Julieta A. Gregorio, and Adelaida C. Jines entitled Introduction To Special Education, it was during the year of 1902 and under the American regime that the Filipino children with disabilities were given the chance to be educated. Mr. Fred Atkinson, General Superintendent of Education, proposed to the Secretary of Public Instruction that the children whom he found deaf and blind should beRead MoreHearing Loss Association Of America1358 Words   |  6 Pagesnoise and aging. Buildup in the air, injury, ear infection, rupture eardrum are other causes as well. For children who suffer from hearing loss, most are born with it. Today, in the United States, every two-thirds of every one thousand children are deaf or hard of hearing (Hearing Loss Association of America). This causes their everyday lives to be shaped much differently than normal children. They may have cochlear implants to help them hear. In fact, â€Å"In the United States, more than 25,000 childrenRead MoreWhy I Decided to Enter the Teaching Profession1020 Words   |  4 Pagesam part-time instructor assistant for Deaf and Hard of Hearing program (DHH) at Vancouver Community College. I have worked with varied students – deaf, hard of hearing, deaf with disabilities. All of those adult students from full diversity of different sector and different religions in existing country. Not only that, some of students are fortunate enough to have already attended schools for the deaf in their home countries, and others may have had no education at all and arrive knowing gestures.Read MoreThe Career As A Medical Doctor And A Guerilla Fighter78 0 Words   |  4 Pageswar Howe was offered the opportunity to open a New England asylum for the Blind in Boston (Wittenstein, 2013), which later became the Perkins School for the Blind (Hatlen, 2000). With no background in education, Samuel G. Howe began his career as an educator of the blind, including people who were deaf/blind, in 1829 (Ajuwon Oyinlade, 2008; Kleege, 2002). Howe based his school, the Perkins School for the Blind, on the European models of schools for the Blind (Ajuwon Oyinlade, 2008; Hatlen, 2000)Read MoreLanguage And Society : How Social Factors Influence The Structure And Use Of Language1340 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"Sociolinguistics studies the relations between language and society: how social factors influence the structure and use of language.† (Victory30, 2014). Language is a living, breathing entity whether is it spoken or signed. For the purposes of this project I will be focusing on American Sign Language or ASL. One aspect of ASL is initialization which seems to be very subjective. There are many social and cultural factors that influence this aspect. I had the privilege of interviewing Paul Simmons, andRead MoreSpecial Education Laws And Regulations Project1468 Words   |  6 PagesDaniel Lardaro Special Education Laws and Regulations Project 9/28/14 Hearing impairments are defined by the federal government as, â€Å"an impairment in hearing, wether permanent or fluctuating that adversely affects a child’s performance but that is not included under the definition of deafness† (Friend, 2012). Children who are hearing impaired make up a small percentage of the students in the school system, and it is considered to be â€Å"low incidence† impairment. In fact, in 2009, around 1.3 percentRead More1.6 Justification Of The Study. The Exclusion Of Pwds By1223 Words   |  5 Pages1.6 JUSTIFICATION OF THE STUDY The exclusion of PWDs by design or default is no longer acceptable according to international and national legal standards. Architecture has a responsibility to create built environments that are sensitive to the needs of this category of people. Such designs can only be developed using scientific information on existing designs, how they are experienced by PWDs and therefore how they can be improved. Children with disability in Kenya are often consigned to â€Å"specialRead MoreCommunication of The Hearing Impaired Essay examples1310 Words   |  6 Pagesaccording to the â€Å"National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders† website, â€Å"about two to three children per 1,000 are born deaf or hard of hearing†(Quick Statistics [NIDCD Health Information]) . Moreover, an article by Karen Kalivoda points out that â€Å"depending on the age of onset and the severity of the hearing loss, an individuals spoken language development may be radically affected†. Babies learn to speak by parroting the sounds around them; however, a deaf child does not hearRead MoreThe Deaf And Hard Of Hearing1274 Words   |  6 Pages Introduction The Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHOH) are understudied population and disproportionately impacted by cardiovascular diseases (CVD) due communication barriers (Mckee, Mckee, Winters, Sutter, Pearson, 2014; McKee Paasche-Orlow, 2012; Strong Prinz, 1997). In considering the link between communication barriers and CVD attribute to insufficient English proficiency, inability to comprehend physicians’ spoken and written instructions, and inability to access community-based health outreachRead MoreThe Deaf Community and Its Culture1545 Words   |  7 Pagesminor, I was not sure what to expect. Through my brief introduction of Deaf culture during my first sign language courses, I knew some vague details about historical events. Gallaudet had been mentioned several times within not only my workbook, but also by my professor. I could have given you a short synopsis of the oral movement that threatened to wipe ASL out as a language. Though I knew these facts, and a few traits abou t Deaf culture that I had experienced firsthand, there was so much that I

Qualitative Research Study And Action Research Essay

Introduction Qualitative research plays an important role in evidenced-based practice. Qualitative research often lay down the platform for added official quantitative studies or a follow up to a broad quantitative study. Qualitative research is a subjective design that investigates exceptional life concepts in a naturalistic setting using narrative descriptions as the findings (Polit Beck, 2017). There are six general types of qualitative research designs, namely phenomenological, ethnographic, historical, grounded theory, case study and action research, each one of these research design studies distinct human experiences phenomena (Polit Beck, 2017). The phenomenological research design studies the human understanding or knowledge base through descriptions that are afforded from lived experiences while the ethnographic design comprises data collection and analysis related to cultural groups (Polit Beck, 2017). Qualitative research is opposite of quantitative research, quantitative research c ounts on numerical and measurable with scales, tools, and intervention, it focuses on tightly controlled variables in a structured setting to provide explanation of laws and qualitative design is more flexible with variables and wants to understand the participants’ behaviors (Polit Beck, 2017). Validity in Qualitative Research Designs Qualitative research validity relates to the dependability and trustworthiness of data, events, and activities as indicated from researchShow MoreRelatedQualitative Research Study And Action Research Essay1239 Words   |  5 Pages Qualitative research plays an important role in evidenced base practice. Qualitative research often lay down the platform for added official quantitative studies or a follow up to a broad quantitative study. Qualitative research is a subjective design that investigate exceptional life concepts in a naturalistic setting using narrative descriptions as the findings (Polit Beck, 2017). There are six general types of qualitative research designs namely phenomenological, ethnographic, historical,Read MoreQualitative Research Study And Action Research862 Words   |  4 PagesFor this qualitative study the researchers chose a retailer of prescription eyewear, and prescription sunglasses positioned in a busy area of Surprise. The main street was closed off due to heavy construction, however, the parking lot was full. The business was positioned in a small strip mall between a real estate office, fast food restaurant, and yogurt shop. There were many patrons of various cultures and ages. Th ey were entering and leaving the surrounding shops including the business settingRead MoreQualitative, Qualitative And Qualitative Research1272 Words   |  6 Pagesdescribe qualitative research. Qualitative inquiry is a systematic process of describing, analyzing and interpreting insights discovered in every day life. Similar to quantitative research, qualitative methods begin with [empirical] observation of a phenomenon and its characteristics. In qualitative studies, the logic of inference is one of directly observed comparison, resulting in new insights and reclassifications, rather than strict numerical comparison and classification. This form of research generatesRead MorePrimary Sources Of Primary Research1231 Words   |  5 Pages1. Primary research, or research using primary sources, is first hand data and / or resources. In other words researchers are collecting data themselves. Primary sources are also examples of primary research; for example, when writing an essay on the Roman Empire, a diary or painting of that time is a primary source (also called the original source or original evidence) it has not been altered and is the closest real source information to the topic. Secondary research on the other hand involvesRead MoreQuestions On Quantitative And Qualitative Research964 Words   |  4 PagesOther Approaches to Research In the 20th century researchers developed other research designs that draw on quantitative and qualitative elements. Mixed methods, action research, and program evaluation follow the research design process of quantitative and qualitative research. Action research and program evaluation however are not applied research designs. Mixed Methods As the name implies, mixed methods research combines both quantitative and qualitative components to add depth and breadthRead MoreThe Scientific And Disciplined Inquiry Approach757 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction to Research Methodologies According to Merriam -Webster (2015), research is the â€Å"investigation or experimentation aimed at the discovery and interpretation of facts, revision of accepted theories or laws in the light of new facts, or practical application of such new or revised theories or laws†. As stated by Ndunda (2004), â€Å"research helps to provide facts, reliable information or verifiable information instead of assumptions.† Research should be conducted in a structured, systematicRead More Research Methods1483 Words   |  6 PagesAnalyze of research in averagely can be accounted as an aim for understanding or a systematic study in search of information to shape or accept achievable facts. There are two mainly different ways of research. First, there is the basic research that appears not to go into the study field and the second, way is the applied research that studies given area into the aspect. It applies to resolve, understand and advance the methods and systems that are used in the search for human understanding of abnormalRead MoreResearch Methodology : Mixed And Action1095 Words   |  5 PagesMixed and Action MGMT605-1503B-01 Dolores Jackson Williams Colorado Technical University Online Action Research Action research methodology involves societal and psychosomatic research to help researchers to categorize social issues in a group or within the community, by using active participation in the research the group for the express exertion to solve the issues. Action research is in any environment where people will engage in a collective manner and are goal directed. Action research startsRead MoreIn Defense of Qualitative Research Methods1591 Words   |  7 PagesTOPIC: Qualitative research is often said to be without structure, process and rigor. Discuss. NAME: Jepter Lorde SUBJECT: Qualitative Research Methods ABSTRACT The continued academic tension between qualitative and quantitative inquiry has continued unabated. Scholarship since the 1980s, to redefine both paradigms, attempt to bring balance and importance of the respective contribution of both research processes. This has resulted in an interesting shift for â€Å"ensuring structure, process and rigor†Read MoreQualitative Design Chart Essay1097 Words   |  5 PagesQualitative Design Chart The type of data collection for a qualitative research study depends on the research design. The qualitative design itself originates out of the disciplines and flow throughout the process of research (Creswell, 2014). Creswell (2014) recommends narrative, phenomenology, ethnography, case study, and grounded theory as common qualitative research methods. These were recommended because of they are popular across the social and health and science research studies. Hays Qualitative Research Study And Action Research Essay Qualitative research plays an important role in evidenced base practice. Qualitative research often lay down the platform for added official quantitative studies or a follow up to a broad quantitative study. Qualitative research is a subjective design that investigate exceptional life concepts in a naturalistic setting using narrative descriptions as the findings (Polit Beck, 2017). There are six general types of qualitative research designs namely phenomenological, ethnographic, historical, grounded theory, case study and action research, each one of these research design studies distinct human experiences phenomena (Polit Beck, 2017). The phenomenological research design studies the human understanding or knowledge base through descriptions that are afforded from lived experiences while the ethnographic design comprise data collection and analysis related to cultural groups (Polit Beck, 2017). Qualitative research is opposite of quantitative research, quantitative research count s on numerical and measure with scales, tools and intervention, it focuses on tightly controlled variables in a structured setting to provide explanation of laws and qualitative design is more flexible with variables and wants to understand the participants behaviors (Polit Beck, 2017). Validity in Qualitative Research Designs Qualitative research validity relates to the dependability and trustworthiness of data, events, and activities as indicated from research results analyzed.Show MoreRelatedQualitative Research Study And Action Research Essay1250 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction Qualitative research plays an important role in evidenced-based practice. Qualitative research often lay down the platform for added official quantitative studies or a follow up to a broad quantitative study. Qualitative research is a subjective design that investigates exceptional life concepts in a naturalistic setting using narrative descriptions as the findings (Polit Beck, 2017). There are six general types of qualitative research designs, namely phenomenological, ethnographicRead MoreQualitative Research Study And Action Research862 Words   |  4 PagesFor this qualitative study the researchers chose a retailer of prescription eyewear, and prescription sunglasses positioned in a busy area of Surprise. The main street was closed off due to heavy construction, however, the parking lot was full. The business was positioned in a small strip mall between a real estate office, fast food restaurant, and yogurt shop. There were many patrons of various cultures and ages. They were en tering and leaving the surrounding shops including the business settingRead MoreQualitative, Qualitative And Qualitative Research1272 Words   |  6 Pagesdescribe qualitative research. Qualitative inquiry is a systematic process of describing, analyzing and interpreting insights discovered in every day life. Similar to quantitative research, qualitative methods begin with [empirical] observation of a phenomenon and its characteristics. In qualitative studies, the logic of inference is one of directly observed comparison, resulting in new insights and reclassifications, rather than strict numerical comparison and classification. This form of research generatesRead MorePrimary Sources Of Primary Research1231 Words   |  5 Pages1. Primary research, or research using primary sources, is first hand data and / or resources. In other words researchers are collecting data themselves. Primary sources are also examples of primary research; for example, when writing an essay on the Roman Empire, a diary or painting of that time is a primary source (also called the original source or original evidence) it has not been altered and is the closest real source information to the topic. Secondary research on the other hand involvesRead MoreQuestions On Quantitative And Qualitative Research964 Words   |  4 PagesOther Approaches to Research In the 20th century researchers developed other research designs that draw on quantitative and qualitative elements. Mixed methods, action research, and program evaluation follow the research design process of quantitative and qualitative research. Action research and program evaluation however are not applied research designs. Mixed Methods As the name implies, mixed methods research combines both quantitative and qualitative components to add depth and breadthRead MoreThe Scientific And Disciplined Inquiry Approach757 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction to Research Methodologies According to Merriam -Webster (2015), research is the â€Å"investigation or experimentation aimed at the discovery and interpretation of facts, revision of accepted theories or laws in the light of new facts, or practical application of such new or revised theories or laws†. As stated by Ndunda (2004), â€Å"research helps to provide facts, reliable information or verifiable information instead of assumptions.† Research should be conducted in a structured, systematicRead More Research Methods1483 Words   |  6 PagesAnalyze of research in averagely can be accounted as an aim for understanding or a systematic study in search of information to shape or accept achievable facts. There are two mainly different ways of research. First, there is the basic research that appears not to go into the study field and the second, way is the applied research that studies given area into the aspect. It applies to resolve, understand and advance the methods and systems that are used in the search for human understanding of abnormalRead MoreResearch Methodology : Mixed And Action1095 Words   |  5 PagesMixed and Action MGMT605-1503B-01 Dolores Jackson Williams Colorado Technical University Online Action Research Action research methodology involves societal and psychosomatic research to help researchers to categorize social issues in a group or within the community, by using active participation in the research the group for the express exertion to solve the issues. Action research is in any environment where people will engage in a collective manner and are goal directed. Action research startsRead MoreIn Defense of Qualitative Research Methods1591 Words   |  7 PagesTOPIC: Qualitative research is often said to be without structure, process and rigor. Discuss. NAME: Jepter Lorde SUBJECT: Qualitative Research Methods ABSTRACT The continued academic tension between qualitative and quantitative inquiry has continued unabated. Scholarship since the 1980s, to redefine both paradigms, attempt to bring balance and importance of the respective contribution of both research processes. This has resulted in an interesting shift for â€Å"ensuring structure, process and rigor†Read MoreQualitative Design Chart Essay1097 Words   |  5 PagesQualitative Design Chart The type of data collection for a qualitative research study depends on the research design. The qualitative design itself originates out of the disciplines and flow throughout the process of research (Creswell, 2014). Creswell (2014) recommends narrative, phenomenology, ethnography, case study, and grounded theory as common qualitative research methods. These were recommended because of they are popular across the social and health and science research studies. Hays

Katniss Everdeen free essay sample

â€Å"How are women and girls represented in contemporary novels? † In Suzanne Collins contemporary novel, The Hunger Games, the author represents women and girls in a variety of ways. Suzanne Collins represents feminine qualities in women and girls in a negative way in her novel, The Hunger Game. Collins uses characterisation to depict feminine qualities as being a drawback. An example of this can be seen in her portrayal of Prim and her mother, who share similar traditional feminine qualities, â€Å"My little sister Prim, curled up on her side, cocooned in my mother’s body, their cheeks pressed together†. This description represents these characters as being passive, weak and helpless, which is in stark contrast to Katniss’s qualities, which keep the family alive through poverty. Thus we can see that Suzanne Collins represents feminine qualities in women and girls as being a disadvantage. In The Hunger Game, Suzanne Collins represents masculine characteristics in women and girls in a positive light. We will write a custom essay sample on Katniss Everdeen or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The writer uses descriptive adjectives to show the self-reliant in the main female character, Katniss Everdeen. A clearly example can be shown is when Katniss volunteers for her sister, â€Å"I don’t want to cry. When they televise the replay of the reaping tonight, everyone will make note of my tears, and I will be marked as an easy target. A weakling. I will give no one that satisfaction†. In this quote, Katniss doesn’t want to be seems as an easy to cry, soft young woman and people will look down on her and think that they can take her down without any difficulties.

Poverty In The United States Essays - , Term Papers

Poverty In The United States Poverty in the United States is getting worse each day and not enough is getting done about it. The readings from ?Babies and Benefits? by Sheila Holbrook-White, the article on poverty by Michael J. Paquette, and ?Keeping Women And Children Last? by Ruth Sidel made me view the issues of poverty in a different way. I never realised what kind of people were living in poverty, and the true reasons why they are there. What amazes me the most is how much these people need help, and how little the government is doing to help them. The government should set up work programs for these people to help them get better jobs and make enough money to survive. The politicians in Washington D.C. and all over the U.S. want nothing more than to cut back on government funding for the people in poverty. The government doesn't believe that most of the people actually need this money from AFDC. They can't get it because they don't meet the proper criteria set by the government. Either they're not poor enough, they're not poor in the right way ? or they need the money for the wrong reasons. The reading in the book Keeping Woman and Children Last, showed time and time again the shocking stories of how people fall into poverty after living a middle class life for decades. Reasons pertaining to illness, death, unemployment, divorce and accidents left these people with nothing and the government would refuse to help them. These people are called the ?New Poor?(Sidel, 1998, p.60). Their social security and pensions are not enough for them to live on so they must rely on these funds to help. ?With marriage being touted today as a central route out of poverty, few critics of the choices and behaviour of poor woman speak about marriage as a path into poverty.?(Sidel, 1998, p.60) I never thought that marriage could lead to poverty until I read this story from ?Keeping Women And Children Last?. A welfare worker married one of her clients and ended up on welfare because of her marriage. She married a man who had ? little education, a drug problem and an alcohol problem.?(Sidel, 1998, p.60) Their marriage fell apart because of his abuse to his wife and children and the woman was forced to go for help from the place where she used to work, a welfare office. They got back together eventually after he came out of a rehabilitation program. He then started with the drugs and alcohol again and she was force to leave him to apply for AFDC. ?Those who are stigmatising welfare recipients do not point to all those young mothers who are valiantly caring for their children on meager AFDC checks while struggling to complete their education.?(Sidel, 1998, p.63) Parent who receive AFDC checks that are going back to school to better qualify themselves for better jobs in order to better provide for their families. One woman came off the streets of New York City and went from begging at supermarkets to attending Columbia University through their Higher Education Opportunities Program (HEOP). ? She is constantly fearful that HEOP will be cut back and that ?welfare reform? will force her to quit school and go back to work full time.? (Sidel, 1998, p.64) These people need help while they are in school, but welfare reform is not the kind of help they need. These programs should receive more government funding to not just better the people and help the children but to better society. Some people are also saying that single mothers have more children to receive more money from the AFDC. This is where the term ?woman have babies for benefits?(Holbrook-white, 1998, p.1) comes from. Politicians like Bob James and Robert Rector believes that these women are cheating the system. Study's have shown that even though AFDC benefits have fallen across the nation 47% since 1970, single mother childbearing has nearly doubled. Statistics in Alabama show that more than half the babies born in Alabama are unplanned. I feel that these cutbacks on welfare reform are just excuses to spend less on the poor and more on the wealthy. The statistics on specific ethnic groups are ridiculous. 33%

Ways to Improve Public Transport in Malaysia free essay sample

Since it started operating in 1995, the KTM Komuter service has been horribly neglected. The fleet size has decreased by 50% while passenger demand has actually tripled. Poor planning and oversight has left KTMB unprepared for the expanded passenger demands. An open Parliamentary Committee would be able to review the plans of the operators and proposals and make the necessary investments to improve public transportation. 5) Only a few operators, please Competition is hurting public transportation in Malaysia. The only way that we can see real improvements is to reduce competition within the industry and focus on consolidation. The largest bus company, Konsortium Transnasional Berhad, is a good example of this consolidation. It offers express and intercity and urban bus services through its different branches and brands. Konsortium Bas Ekspres on the other hand, shows you what happens when there is consolidation without proper regulation. Konsortium Bas Ekspres has become notorious for bus crashes, underpaid and reckless drivers, and poor maintenance. We will write a custom essay sample on Ways to Improve Public Transport in Malaysia or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The government should encourage existing operators to form properly regulated conglomerates like KTB. Under the proposed system of regulated competition, the Local Authority can even (with proper justification) invite foreign transport companies like First and Veolia and ComfortDelGro to compete for bus routes tendered in their areas. 6) Proper information Malaysians are, ironically, being restricted by companies that are supposed to provide them mobility. Bus operators and even government operators like RapidKL, KL Monorail, and KTMB are doing everything in their power to keep assengers using their services-even at the expense of passenger convenience. Bus operators only provide basic route information and only on the bus itself. RapidKL has discouraged the sale of integrated public transport maps like BastrenKL at LRT stations and bus hubs. In addition, for RapidKL to provide route information at a bus stop or give updates on the radio, they are forced to pay advertising rates. Wit h little or no comprehensive information available to public transport users, their ability to use the services and maximize their ringgit is severly limited. When the local Public Transport Authorities are created they should be expected to provide information through signs on bus stops, the internet, news-spots on broadcasting and narrowcasting, free paper guides, downloadable route maps, and sms services. This will help information reach the customers. 7) More buses and train carriages Most people would think that this should be further up in the list but I disagree. We cannot build public transportation without realistic demands and proper data. Without these vital pieces of information, our planning is reduced to If we build it, they will come. There are enough buses in the Klang Valley (shared among the major and minor bus operators) to meet all of the needs to the DBKL. These buses need to be better organized so they do not only focus on the profitable routes and do not spend most of their time waiting for passengers. Only a local public transport authority which owns the routes and controls the buses would be able to implement a successful system. If we rely on the operators themselves to organize and improve services, nothing will happen. 8) Build better public transport from the bottom up Bus lanes are not a popular solution among drivers. But we have to realize that bus lanes and bus rapid transit system are a solution that will work for the Klang Valley and throughout Malaysia. Rather than spending all our funds in the Klang Valley alone, we should be thinking about improving public transportation throughout the country. To give you an understanding of this, consider the 120km of rail lines proposed in the KLCity2020 Draft Plan. Most of these lines will cost RM200-300 million per km. It will cost a total of RM 40 billion to build all of these lines, but the capacity will be the same as the existing KL Monorail and Kelana Jaya LRT. However, if the 120km of lines were built as a mix of Bus Rapid Transit and Rapid Tram lines, they could be built for RM40-75 million per km or approximately 7-10 billion, which would spare another RM30 billion for the rest of the country! 9) A complete mass-transit network Mass-transit networks are vital for urban and suburban areas. Each economic region of Malaysia should have a complete public transport network and the backbone of this network comes from rail services. Instead of focusing on building more lines and more extensions the goal should be completing the network as quickly and effectively as possible. Once effective, rapid networks are in place, we can plan and upgrade capacity on the various lines. One day we will need more LRT and KTM Komuter in the Klang Valley, Rapid Trams in Georgetown, and Johor, and KTM Komuter Udara, Selatan and Timur, and high speed rail networks in Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah and Sarawak. But until then, we have to focus on building realistic demand for public transportation services. 10) Affordable and reasonable fares I disagree with any proposal that says that bus fares and public transport fares must be subsidized. Most people would assume that the lower-income group comprise the majority of public transport users, and therefore subsidies would be necessary. However, this only perpetuates the image that public transport is for the lower-income group and the poor. The fact is that low fares have brought us into this situation of low-quality service. Effectively, we get what we pay for. So if we wish to see public transportation improve, we will have to invest more money into our services and that includes higher fares. At the same time, higher fares do not have to be a burden. Under the system of regulated competition, the local authority would be able to run the fare system and they would be the best choice to implement the subsidy for operators. The local authority can also provide support to the needy in the form of free bus passes or discounted bus passes. They can also encourage fare-saving promotions, fare discounts for using Touch N Go, and even income tax credits for those who purchase monthly and weekly passes.

Primarks Entry into the Brazilian Apparel Market

Primarks Entry into the Brazilian Apparel Market Executive Summary Since the establishment of Primark in 1969, the company has grown from a local outfit to a global entity. Over the past four decades, the company has expanded its operations from Ireland to over ten nations across Europe.Advertising We will write a custom coursework sample on Primark’s Entry into the Brazilian Apparel Market specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As a result, Primark has emerged as one of the most reputable retailers in the European apparel industry. Investing in offshore markets is proposed as one of the ways to further the growth and success of the entity. Italy and Brazil were the two suggested markets where the company wanted to invest. Following a thorough market analysis, Brazil was selected as the desired new market for Primark. The reason why Brazil was considered as the country of choice is that it is experiencing a rapid growth in its apparel industry. The cost of establishing presence in the country is considerably low. Licensing is the preferred market entry strategy. The approach is less risky and requires little capital and engagement compared to other approaches. Brief Synopsis of the Issue Primark should enter into the Brazilian market to remain competitive and to increase its revenues. Recommendations Primark is one of the most successful retailers in the European apparel industry. As a result, it can succeed in the Brazilian market Licensing is the preferred market entry strategy since it involves minimal risks and involvement. Brazil is the market of choice since it has a rapidly growing apparel industry. Following the licensing process, it is important to monitor the activities of the licensee to safeguard the company’s interests. Background Primark is a British clothing retailer based in Ireland (Jones, Temperley Lima 2009). Since its inception in 1969, the company has continued to expand its market by opening stores across Ireland and other part s of the world, such as Germany, Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France, Portugal, Austria, Hungary, Spain, and Belgium (Jones et al. 2009). The organisation made the decision to expand after the realisation that firms have to move from local to global by entering into new markets. Entry into new frontiers is often referred to as globalisation. However, the strategy is characterised by a number of challenges.Advertising Looking for coursework on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Competition is one of the major issues impeding expansion to new markets by a business. As a result, a firm wishing to expand its operations to a foreign country must carry out a market study to determine the opportunities available. The research also highlights the factors that promote business and the entry strategy to be used. Primark’s entry into the Brazilian market will be an important undertaking for the comp any. While there are great opportunities in the country, the apparel industry is also associated with stiff competition (Pinto Souza 2013). The country has a large population of over 190 million people that provides a wide market for the goods. Over the past few years, the country’s apparel industry has continually grown and is currently valued at $50 billion. Analysis of Market Opportunities in Brazil The Porter’s Five Forces driving competition framework is used to analyse the country. Some of the forces involve buyer and supplier power. Others are threat of new entrants, risk of substitute products, and degree of rivalry (Porter 1990). Brazil controls over 11.5 percent of the total retail industry value in America. The apparel industry is one of the best performing sectors in this market. The excellent performance owes to the fact that the industry is experiencing a high growth rate. As a result, competition is low. The situation decreases rivalry among key market players. Reduced rivalry encourages other companies to invest in the market since the industry is viewed as having more room to accommodate additional players. The country’s large population also encourages the entry of new players into Brazil’s apparel industry (MarketLine 2013). Today, the Brazilian fashion industry is controlled by a number of local and multinational companies (Utton 2006). As such, it is characterised by a large number of fashion retail stores. However, it is important to note that Brazilians do not have a lot of disposable income.Advertising We will write a custom coursework sample on Primark’s Entry into the Brazilian Apparel Market specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As such, a new entrant may opt to target the low end market. The presence of many retailers in the market is an indication that threats to entrants is significantly low compared to other countries. Reduced product differentiation is also of great importance in promoting the entry of new firms into the Brazilian market. Low product differentiation encourages companies to invest in the industry (Utton 2006). The lack of substitutes for apparel products makes it easy for a business to compete favourably with other firms in the sector. New players face few hurdles when investing in the Brazilian apparel industry. For instance, the capital requirement to establish a business in this sector is low compared to other industries, such as construction. There also exists a large number of wholesalers and manufacturers of fashion products. Brazil’s Attractiveness As stated earlier, the Brazilian apparel industry has been experiencing a sharp growth over the past few years. Currently, the growth rate is estimated to be at 6.5 percent annually (Nakanishi 2007). The development reveals that the current market players are strong and reap benefits from their participation in the sector. As a result, any new business wishing to invest in the Brazilian apparel industry must be prepared to face stiff competition and rivalry from existing companies. It is also important to observe that the industry is currently experiencing a rise in online sale of products. Such businesses have reduced the market for retail stores, such as Primark. As such, new entrants are likely to invest in a market that is shrinking. An increase in the demand for custom made goods is reducing the opportunities for retailers in Brazil. Most of these operators stock ready-made products. Companies venturing into the Brazilian fashion industry are likely to enjoy some benefits. Switching costs in the sector are generally low. The factor reduces the cost incurred by new firms intending to invest in the market. Product differentiation is also generally low. The situation allows new entrants to compete favourably with the existing firms.Advertising Looking for coursework on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More As such, companies venturing into the country stand to benefit from the opportunities available. The low differentiation in products owes to the fact that most retailers in the apparel industry obtain goods from global manufacturers and wholesalers (MarketLine 2012). New businesses are also required to observe few legal requirements. The most significant cost to be incurred by new entrants into the Brazilian apparel industry involves the acquisition of stock. Most of the retail stores operating in the country depend on wholesalers for the supply of products. Some retailers opt to obtain their merchandise direct from the manufacturers. As a result of the fragmented nature of the supply chain in the industry, suppliers have reduced power over the market (Babu 2012). Market liberalisation in the country also cushions the retail stores against exploitation by the suppliers. As already indicated in this paper, barriers to entry are limited. The reduction in barriers lowers the cost of do ing business in Brazil. The capital requirements for a new retail store in the apparel industry are also considerably low (Belussi Sammarra 2010). Company Situation Analysis The SWOT analysis framework is used for the purposes of reviewing Primark’s situation with regards to its intentions to enter into the Brazilian market. The analysis explores the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats associated with Primark (Porter 2004). It is important to examine the company in order to determine the factors that may affect its establishment in the new market. The analysis will highlight the improvements that need to be made to enhance Primark’s competitiveness. The external factors that may impede the success of the company are also identified (Bravo 2008). Primark’s strengths are likely to promote its success in the Brazilian market. The company has a strong brand name and a good reputation. As a result, the company stands a chance to succeed in the new mark et in spite of competition from a number of both local and multinational establishments (Porter 2004). The company is also well established, especially in the European market. It is expected that the business will record similar success in Brazil based on the fact that the country is experiencing sharp growth in the apparel industry, which is encouraging to new entrants. In addition, the company has a strong supply chain management system that is technologically advanced. Just like any other business, Primark has a number of weaknesses (Porter 2004). To begin with, the firm has been reported to earn low profits in some of the regions where it has previously launched its operations in the world. Such areas include France. Activities, such as online sale of products, have in the past eaten into the market previously controlled by retail stores in Brazil. The profitability of retailers in the country’s apparel industry is therefore expected to lower in the coming years. Customer power at Primark is high owing to the fact that most Brazilians purchase goods as individuals. For instance, the shift in the preference of some of the customers in the country from ready-made goods to custom made products has reduced the market previously controlled by retail stores. Primark can exploit a number of opportunities in the Brazilian market. To begin with, there are few barriers to entry (Bravo 2008). Businesses wishing to invest in the industry are not required to fulfil many legal requirements. Liberalisation of trade in the country has been achieved by removing barriers that would hinder investment from foreign firms. Technological advancement in Brazil also presents Primark with an opportunity to successfully enter into the new market (MarketLine 2013). Through technology, the company can be in a position to make improvements on their supply chains. The Brazilian apparel market is also experiencing a rapid growth. As a result, it is expected that there is a conside rably large number of Insatiable consumers customers. The Brazilian market also poses a number of threats to Primark and other similar firms. To begin with, environmental, global, and social regulations are on the rise (MarketLine 2013). Companies are now expected to exhibit corporate social responsibility. Compliance to such regulations increases the cost of doing business in the country. The global economic slowdown also exposes firms in the apparel industry to the risk of earning reduced profits. A decrease in the disposable income held by customers is also a threat to the entry of Primark into the Brazilian market. The development is likely to reduce the sales volume of company resulting to low profitability (Cattaneo 2010). The preference of the customers is also changing from ready to custom-made products. Readiness to go Overseas Primark is one of the leading retail stores dealing with the sales of clothes, shoes, accessories, and beauty products in Europe. Having started in Ireland in 1969, the company has over the past four decades widened its operations across Europe opening stores in over ten countries. The company has been successful in entering these European markets and has emerged as one of the most reputable brands in the apparel industry. To be able to remain competitive in the global market, Primark needs to extend its operations globally. As a result, they need to carry out market studies on potential countries in order to be able to come up with the most appropriate choice. Primark’s entry into the Brazilian apparel market is likely to be eventful. The country offers Primark a unique investment opportunity in that it is experiencing rapid growth in the apparel industry. Rivalry in the market is also considerably low, which offers an environment that is conducive for a young business to thrive (Petrou 2009). Reduced product differentiation is also likely to be beneficial to Primark since competitors will have no added advantage theref ore offering a level ground for all players in the industry. There are also limited barriers into entry. With the country being a liberal economy, the Brazilian government attempts as much as possible to encourage foreign investment. Although Brazil is associated with great opportunities for businesses in the apparel industry, a number of factors would deter Primark from entering the market. For example, there are several similar local and multinational stores in the country (Jones et al. 2009). As a result, the company will take a long time to out-do such well established businesses. Online sales also threaten the entry of Primark in the Brazilian apparel industry. Despite all these challenges facing Primark’s proposed entry into the Brazilian market, the opportunities that the investment presents outweigh the challenges. The company has also been successfully built its reputation in the global market by providing quality goods to their customers (Jones et al. 2009). For ove r three decades now, the company has successfully entered the major markets in Europe. As a result, the management is capable of overseeing the entry into the Brazilian market effectively. Global Sourcing and Production Global sourcing is the term used to describe the process of obtaining goods and services from foreign markets across political and geographical borders (Manuj 2013). The reason behind the practice is to promote efficiency in the delivery of goods and services. Many companies today use the practice to obtain low cost products from foreign countries. The motive behind this is to cut on the cost incurred when obtaining goods and services. Global production on the other hand refers to producing on a global scale. Such manufactures enjoy a wide range of economies of scale and are in a position to rationalise costs. The two concepts are important for persons wishing to understand international trade. Retail stores across the world source their products from global supplier s and manufactures (Jin 2005). Similarly, Primark has to carefully consider the preferred source for their products. Usually, the company buys its goods from manufactures and suppliers across the globe. The proposal for the firm to move into overseas markets will require that they look for the most efficient means of obtaining goods. It is obvious that Primark cannot continue relying on its previous sources of their products owing to the fact that they will be required to incur huge transportation costs. However, it is important to ensure that the source of the products selected does not affect the quality of the goods and services offered (Jin 2005). Market Entry Strategy The term market entry strategy refers to a carefully pre-planned means of delivering goods and services to a newly targeted market and their distribution. The process of developing an effective market entry strategy requires a firm to carry out a thorough search on potential customers and competitors (Ross Harrad ine 2010). One must also put into consideration possible trade barriers. The firm wishing to invest overseas must therefore have a clearly defined plan on the source of the goods. Proximity of the source of goods to the market is one of the key factors to consider. The cost of obtaining and having the goods delivered to the business should also be considered. Primark must be keen to ensure that the costs incurred in obtaining the goods and delivering them to the market does not exceed the expected gains following the sales of the products. There are a number of market entry strategies that can be used by Primark. The strategies include licensing, turnkey project exporting, joint venture, outsourcing, Greenfield project, Export Processing Zones (EPZs), franchising, alliances, as well as the use of wholly owned ventures (Collins, Kamel Miller 2006). Licensing is the recommended entry strategy for Primark. It requires little involvement and expenses. The strategy is almost similar to franchising. Primark will need to sign an agreement with another firm allowing them to operate under their brand name. However, Primark will be required to closely monitor the firm that they have licensed in order to ensure that the terms of the agreement are being adhered to, as well as to offer technical support to the new business. The strategy is associated with a number of advantages and disadvantages. Merits associated with the strategy include low risk to the parent firm. The licensee contributes capital and sells goods under the licensor’s brand name (Collins et al. 2006). Both parties are also involved in marketing. As a result, the sales volumes go up. Primark may encounter a number of challenges following its move to license another firm to carry out its foreign operations. It will only enjoy limited participation from the agreement. The company may lose control over its brand. Potential returns to Primark from marketing activities are lost to the licensee. There i s also fear that the licensee may develop know-how and become a competitor. Implementation of the Market Entry Strategy Before licensing, it is important that Primark thoroughly investigates the licensee. Having determined the trustworthiness of the licensee, Primark will enter into an agreement with the other firm allowing them to use their brand name for Brazilian operations. Primark will however be required to carefully monitor the activities of licensee in order to secure their own interests (Kilduff Chi 2006). Once the licensor is fully established, employees from Primark will be sent to offer assistance to the licensee. References Babu, V 2012, Industrial engineering in apparel production, Woodhead Pub. India Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi. Belussi, F Sammarra, A 2010, Business networks in clusters and industrial districts: the governance of the global value chain, Routledge, London. Bravo, L 2008, ‘The devil wears Primark’, British Journalism Review, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 63-68. Cattaneo, O 2010, Global value chains in a post-crisis world: a development perspective, World Bank, Washington, D.C. Collins, M, Kamel, M Miller, K 2006, ‘Beyond the core in retail’, Strategy and Leadership, vol. 34, no. 4, pp. 14-18. Jin, B 2005, ‘Global sourcing versus domestic sourcing: implementation of technology, competitive advantage, and performance’, Journal of the Textile Institute, vol. 96, no. 5, pp. 277-286. Jones, B, Temperley, J Lima, A 2009, ‘Corporate reputation in the era of Web 2.0: the case of Primark’, Journal of Marketing Management, vol. 25, no. 10, pp. 927-939. Kilduff, P Chi, T 2006, ‘Longitudinal patterns of comparative advantage in the textile complex’, Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 134-149. Manuj, I 2013, ‘Risk management in global sourcing: comparing the business world and the academic world’, Transportation Journal, vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 80-107. MarketLine 2012, MarketLine industry profile: apparel retail in Italy. Web. MarketLine 2013, MarketLine industry profile: apparel retail in Brazil. Web. Nakanishi, N 2007, ‘Free entry, market size, and the optimistic stability’, International Game Theory Review, vol. 9, no. 2, p. 243. Petrou, A 2009, ‘Foreign market entry strategies in retail banking: choosing an entry mode in a landscape of constraints’, Long Range Planning, vol. 42, no. 6, pp. 614-632. Pinto, M Souza, Y 2013, ‘From garment to fashion production: an analysis of the evolution of the apparel industry in Brazil’, BAR Brazilian Administration Review, vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 304-322. Porter, M 1990, The competitive advantage of nations, Harvard Business Review, London. Porter, M 2004, Global competitiveness report 2004-2005, Macmillan, Palgrave. Ross, J Harradine, R 2010, ‘Value brands: cheap or trendy?: an investigation into young consumers and supermarket clothing’, J ournal of Fashion Marketing and Management, vol. 14, no. 3, pp.350-366. Utton, M 2006, International competition policy maintaining open markets in the global economy, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham.

Magical Healthy Goodies Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Magical Healthy Goodies - Case Study Example This means, Magical Healthy Goodies wants to have a global outreach. The business of low calorie intake baked cookies, cakes, and pastries should attain international standards. Employees hired: Ms Alyaa Mohamed has been hired as personal assistant. Further, three chefs and three delivery boys are to be hired. The delivery boys would handle the local orders. A manager is to be hired to arrange for international delivery and shipping. An accountant is also to be hired. Ms Fatmah appoints herself as the CEO of the company. Business activities and products offered: Business activities include manufacture, customization, delivery, and shipping of the products. Products include low calorie intake baked cookies, cakes, and pastries. 1. The owner: â€Å"Effective executives do not make great many decisions. They concentrate on what is important. They try to make the few important decisions on the highest level of conceptual understanding.† (Drucker et al, 2001). Ms Fatmah has to function herself at the level of management accountancy. She must personally see the journal, ledger, and trial balance entries. Since this is the age of globalization and the company can aspire to develop international outreach with the laps of time, all financial records should be maintained in terms of US dollars. 2. The lender: Money should be borrowed from a bank that has international operations. The owner should check the previous annual reports of the bank. The stock value of the bank is also an important consideration. The lender, i.e., the bank must check Ms Fatmah’s ability to furnish collateral security. A reliable guarantor should be there. The capital reserves of the new company and the amount of cash in hand are important considerations of for the bank. 3. Competitors: In a competitive market, publicizing the financial records is generally avoidable. Ms Fatmah must keep an eye on her competitors, especially those who have launched public issue. Their

HRM Innovation and Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

HRM Innovation and Change - Essay Example strategic goals to maintain competitive advantage through reorganization and emphasizing on improved communication amongst the management and employees. He also ensured that new arenas were explored for innovation and new product development introduced for the pre-defined customers as per their changing requirements with competitive pricing. The given text has reaffirmed the need of managerial leadership that has become imperative to facilitate more accommodating approach to the changing dynamics of the organizational culture and management. The integrated approach promotes collective vision of the organization and provides the necessary impetus to the employees to strive towards it. The management needs to accept the challenge of creating a cohesive and encouraging atmosphere so that the workers could get effective learning environment. They are provided with a wider scope for professional growth in the area of core competencies. Indeed, with the global competition becoming increasingly stiff, the jobs specifications are becoming less rigid and changing the overall perspective of job criteria and employment. The compulsions of the present times require versatility in the working force. Individuals and firms must embrace the culture of multi skilled professionals that are able to meet the challenges with efficiency and unmatched proficiency. The fundamental HR strategy must become more flexible for managing successful organization workforce. In the contemporary business environment, effective communication is essential for inculcating shared responsibilities, common goals and collective decision making. It can thus, be concluded that human resource strategy has become the most critical factor that develops the highly indigenous team of human capital that helps to provide the organization with a competitive advantage that is unique. HR initiatives are vital ingredients of managing change. The workforce is the backbone of an organization and the HR strategy needs

OUR CLASSIFICATION AND DIVISION ESSAY Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

OUR CLASSIFICATION AND DIVISION - Essay Example Moreover I have watched churchgoers closely even from my childhood. â€Å"Division is the process of breaking a whole into parts; classification is the act of sorting individual items into categories† (Kirszner &Mandell) During the course of my school studies I forced to study in different schools which were distant from my home. So I stayed in school hostels and got lot of opportunities to interact with different types of people; Extrovert persons will always talk too much and will comment on any subjects even if they don’t have any idea of what they were talking about or the subject they were talking about. Extroverts always try to prove others that they were exceptionally smarter than others. They will quiet often jump into troubles because of their over smartness. On the other hand the introvert persons always talk little and they will never interfere in other’s personal matters. They will concentrate on what they were doing and will never make unnecessary comments on others. Moreover most of the introvert people I observed were intelligent people. â€Å"We readily accept labels like introvert and extrovert as immutable descriptions of ourselves† (You can change from introvert to extrovert - when you want to) Fat ones always eat too much and sleep too much. Most of them will never participate in physical activities like sports and games which needs physical hard work. They will mostly concentrate on passive games like video games, card games, chess, caroms etc. On the other hand thin ones always exhibit better stamina and enthusiasm in participating in sports activities. They will always go for active games like football, cricket, tennis, badminton etc. â€Å"Simply being thin does not automatically qualify us as fit. As a matter of fact, the world is full of skinny fat people.† (Skinny Fat People) I am a sport loving person and hence a close observer of

Main Body Causes of shyness

Main Body Causes of shyness Shyness is an emotional feeling that affects how a person behaves around others and how they feel about themselves. It can be identified as feeling uncomfortable nervousness, self conscious, timid, insecure or even bashful. It can range from feeling mild to moderate discomfort in one or more areas of a persons life. One might fear to meet new people, attend social gatherings, making cold calls at the work place or speaking in public. Intense shyness is described as social anxiety, panic disorder or social phobia (Gilbert 1). Those people who are shy often experience physical sensations such as feeling speechless, blushing, breathless or even shaky. They avoid doing things to avoid being noticed and usually feel unsure about themselves and the things they do. Most scientists in the field of psychology believe that shyness is a genetic inclination which is caused by the wiring in the brain. The implication is that if the parents are shy, the offspring are bound to be shy as well. Philip Zimbardo and Bernado Carducci argue that the number of shy people seems to be on the increase (McKay 1). They say that technological advances contribute to this phenomenon because it avails opportunities for people to make fewer interpersonal interactions especially through the internet and phones. Shyness in us Shyness may affect just one area of a persons life and hence it is likely that shy individuals may seem outgoing when viewed by another person from outside. We have heard of actors who are timid and shy in the real life circles but when they are on stage they give a brilliant performance. You should be aware that Albert Einstein, Orville Wright and Tom Hanks are among the public figures known to have been/are shy. The reason behind this is not hard to comprehend. When in the workplace we are often given a suitable role to play that legitimizes us in the eyes of other and in our own eyes. The calling of the shots is not necessarily for us but actually on behalf of the company. The rejection of such a call on our behalf is far more personal. If the call was on behalf of the company, its rejection means that the company will take part of the failure. In a study that was published in 1975 by Zimbardo, it showed that 40 percent of the 800 respondents to the survey that he conducted were shy (McKay 1). Twenty years down the line in 1995, Carducci published the results obtained from a similar study. The percentage of people who admitted that they considered themselves shy increased to 48 percent. Many of us consider ourselves shy. However, not all of us allow shyness to define us. Majority of those who experience feelings that might bring out shyness do not give room for shyness to interfere with the desire to pursue personal and professional objectives and targets. Dr Renee who is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist says that he is a recovering shy person as he has never been able to overcome his shyness. Something comes along to catch him off guard just when he thought he had vanquished the shyness. The familiar old feelings of wanting to run for cover, dive under the nearest table and hide come rushing back to him. However, he has learnt how deal with them and they no longer rule his life (Renee 1). As for me, you know those feelings where your temperature rise, the heart start to race and you feel like the stomach has dropped to the feet? They come rushing whenever I encounter shyness. However, these feelings are no longer strong. When they come calling, they are only a blurred memory and last for just a short time because Ive learnt how to deal with shyness. One only needs to know where to begin in countering shyness (Renee 1). Encountering New People and Situations Shyness can be brought out by unfamiliar and new situations such as meeting strangers, talking in front of a group of people for the first time or the first day in school. One is likely to feel shy especially because they are not sure how they should act. The fear of not knowing what will happen when all the eyes on the person and how others will react may bring about shyness. A person who knows what to expect is less likely to be shy. Shy people often take more time in order to get used to a change. They often prefer continuing with what is familiar (Lyness 1). Effects of Shyness on Career There are indications by researchers that shy people begin their careers late in life. Non-shy people start their careers significantly earlier. The shy people are prone to declined promotions. They often choose careers that do not require a lot of interpersonal relations. They are often undecided about the line of profession to pursue. Those people who are shy find it hard to create career identity at the workplace as successful and competent individuals in line with the career track (Macky 1). Self Esteem Shyness especially the extreme variety leads to one becoming very nervous and having difficulty when making a conversation. This is especially if the shy person has to meet strangers who necessitate congeniality. When this happens, the persons self esteem suffers badly. Everybody would want to feel comfortable in all situations, be talkative and be more outgoing. It is embarrassing to be awkward in the company of other people and one feels like they want to run and hide. When you relate talking out with pain and embarrassment, you will do all that is possible to avoid it. This is the driving force behind shy people going into solitude. Introverts are not forced in solitude by this force but they rather prefer it that way (Jonnes 1). Extreme shyness Extreme shyness can be as a result of nature or nurture. If one or both of the parents were shy, it would mean that the shyness is genetically passed from parents to children. If the individual was an outgoing and happy when they were a child, it reflects that the nurturing of the child was probably of abusive nature (Jonnes 1). For people who are naturally quiet, the fear of talking may arise from a few bad experiences especially at the early stages of childhood. When a parent, guardian or any other adults reaction to a childs attempting to express him/herself is dismissive and angry, it is natural for such a child to shy away from trying to express themselves in the future as they take the experience as personal. The fact that such an episode may have occurred once, the human nature is such that people tend to exaggerate such incidents until they become monsters naturally (Overcoming Shyness. 1). Overcoming Shyness Shy people would very much want to be like any other non-shy person in terms of lack of shyness. The origins of shyness are similar to those that cause social phobia only that social phobia is rather serious disorder. Dr Heimberg described social phobia as shyness gone wild (McKay 2). Shyness cuts those who have it from many things that life has to offer such as social interaction, family and love. He further observes that he has researched on treatments aimed at social phobia and shyness. He indicates that individuals who received a particular drug that is aimed at treating depression and cognitive-behavioral therapy showed noteworthy improvement. Those who received drug therapy relapsed but a small percentage of those who were given cognitive-behavioral therapy did. Understanding Oneself One of the key personal approaches to overcoming shyness by the person is recognizing the meaningless perceived sights as they do not help much in escaping from the realities of life. When another person reacts negatively to a shy person, the shy person should not take it personally instead he/she should try to imagine the perspective of the other person. Such perspectives might reflect the other persons attempt to cover their own inadequacies or may be they are in bad mood. Such consideration of the perspective may go a long way in putting the reaction in its proper context. The person should also strive to expose him/herself to social situations such as parties. They should also try to work in environments that expose them to interpersonal communication (Overcoming Shyness 1). It takes practice to overcome shyness. Shy people in most cases give themselves lesser chances to interact with others. It is not surprising as to why shy people are not as socially confident as those individ uals who are outgoing. The more a person practices social behavior, the easier the interaction becomes and the more natural they tend to be for a person. Gradual Progress Taking slow but steady step towards overcoming shyness is critical. When a shy person steps back from a situation that may trigger shyness often keep the shyness at a level which is hard to get past hence reinforcing shyness. One can develop confidence to interact by making one step towards eliminating shyness at a time. Most shy people feel awkward when a situation presents itself. They are afraid that they will feel uncomfortable and awkward (Lyness 2). This perception should not let a person keep away from doing or saying what they want. Feeling awkward in some situations is perfectly normal for any human being. For example, it feels awkward to ask for a first date as you are not sure what the response will be. Keeping away from asking implies that you will never get that much desired date. It is recommendable that shy people seek the advice of a professional psychologist. They should also learn how to manage their shyness. Forget Bad Experiences Fighting to forget bad experiences is fundamental if one is to shake-off shyness. Much more frightening feeling grows other than reality when one dwells on a bad experience. The more an individual thinks about a bad experience, the more powerful the feeling about it becomes. It is unnecessary to keep on blaming oneself about a bad experience. Being true to oneself is important as one cannot change the true inner self. If one has a shy style that is natural or the shyness holds one back, one might consider trying to develop a sense of ease around situations that make them nervous. Majority of shy people find that the more they practice these tactics, the easier socializing becomes. Practicing conversation, assertiveness, confident and friendly body language goes a long way in helping overcome shyness, achieve more enjoyment from daily experiences and build confidence (Lyness 3). Humans are not so Different Those who suffer from shyness should realize and internalize that other individuals are basically the same as themselves. All human beings are insecure and fear embarrassment. Those who are shy should know that other people may not be as smart as one would think. If one has doubts or a question, there are high chances that somebody else is also wondering about the same thing. Conclusion Shyness can range from feeling mild to moderate discomfort in one more areas of a persons life. Intense shyness is described as social anxiety, panic disorder or social phobia. Most scientists in the field of psychology believe that shyness is a genetic inclination which is caused by the wiring in the brain. Shyness can be brought out by unfamiliar and new situations such as meeting strangers, talking in front of a group of people for the first time. Majority of those who experience feelings that might bring out shyness do not give room for shyness to interfere with the desire to pursue personal and professional objectives and targets. One only needs to know where to begin in countering shyness. When a shy person steps back from a situation that may trigger shyness often keep the shyness at a level which is hard to get past hence reinforcing shyness. Everybody would want to feel comfortable in all situations, be talkative and be more outgoing. Letting go of bad experiences is fundame ntal if one is to shake-off shyness. All human beings are insecure and fear embarrassment. Those who suffer from shyness should realize and internalize that other individuals are basically the same as themselves.

Characteristics Of Major Agro Ecological Zones Environmental Sciences Essay

Africa is a really big continent with highly broad scope of dirts ( Bationo et al. , 2006 ) . The soils scope from shoal with meager vital capacities to deeply weather-beaten profiles that recycle and back up big biomass. In many parts of Africa, inappropriate land usage, hapless direction and deficiency of inputs have led to dirty eroding, salinization and loss of flora ensuing in a diminution of agricultural productiveness ( Bationo et al. , 2006 ) . In Africa and peculiarly Southern Africa, the most confining factor to agricultural productiveness is soil birthrate ( Ramaru et al. , 2000 ) . Soil birthrate is defined as a status of the dirt that enables it to supply foods in equal sums and in proper balance for the growing of specified workss when other growing factors, such as visible radiation, H2O, temperature, and physical, chemical and biological conditions of dirt, are favourable ( van der Watt and new wave Rooyen, 1995 ) . Large countries of sub-Saharan African ( SSA ) soils, in peculiar, are affected by assorted types of debasement, including birthrate diminution ( FAO, 2001 ) . Soil birthrate diminution is a impairment of chemical, physical and biological dirt belongingss. The chief contributing procedures, besides dirt eroding, are: diminution in organic affair and dirty biological activity ; debasement of dirt construction and loss of other dirt physical qualities ; decrease in handiness of major foods ( N, P, K ) and micro-nutrients ; and increase in toxicity, due to acidification or pollution ( FAO, 2001 ) . Soils in most of SSA have inherently low birthrate and do non have equal alimentary refilling ( FAO, 2001 ) . The SSA has the lowest mineral fertiliser ingestion, about 10 kilogram foods ( N, P2O5, K2O ) /ha per twelvemonth, compared to the universe norm of 90 kilograms, 60 kilogram in the Near East and 130 kg/ha per twelvemonth in Asia ( Stoorvogel and Smaling, 1990 ) . Agricultural growing in sub-Saharan African states somewhat increased over the past three decennaries, although non in line with the high population growing rate ( FAO, 2001 ) . Food production per capita in sub-Saharan Africa ( SSA ) has declined since the 1970s, in contrast with the addition in Asia and South America ( Figure 1.1 ) . Soil productiveness in SSA is besides constrained by fruitlessness ( low rainfall ) and sourness ( FAO, 2001 ) ( Table 1.1 ) . South Africa has to confront high population growing, poorness, accelerated dirt debasement and increasing force per unit area on land ( FAO, 1999b ) ( Table 1.1 ) . Depletion of dirt birthrate, along with the related jobs of weeds, plagues, and diseases, is a major biophysical cause of low per capita nutrient production in Africa. This is the consequence of the dislocation of traditional patterns and the low precedence given by authoritiess to the rural sector ( Sanchez, 1997 ) . The 1996 World Food Summit highlighted sub-Saharan Africa as the staying part in the universe with diminishing nutrient production per capita ( Figure 1.1 ) . The worst degrees of poorness and malnutrition in the universe exist in this part ( Sanchez et al. , 1997 ) . A squad of scientists has identified worsening dirt birthrate as the cardinal agronomic cause for worsening nutrient productiveness in Africa. A â€Å" Soil Fertility Initiative for Africa † has been created by a group of international organisations including the World Bank, Food and Agriculture Organization ( FAO ) , International Center for Research on Agroforestry ( ICRAF ) , International Fertil izer Development Center ( IFDC ) , International Fertilizer Association ( IFA ) , and International Food Policy Research Institute ( IFPRI ) . Table 1.1: Features of major agro-ecological zones in Africa ( FAO, 1986 ) Figure 1.1: Regional tendencies in nutrient production per capita ( FAO, Statistical Analysis Service, 2000 ) As the chief beginning of economic activity in SSA is agricultural production, worsening dirt productiveness means non merely that less nutrient can be grown but besides that production of hard currency harvests for export is endangered ( FAO, 1999a ) . It is hence indispensable that production and dirts be managed in a sustainable manner, so that the present coevals is fed and soil conditions are improved to back up future coevalss. The Republic of South Africa covers an country of 121, 9 million hour angle and has a entire population of about 46,6 million people ( NDA, 2007 ) . Approximately 83 % of agricultural land in South Africa is used for graze, while 17 % is cultivated for hard currency harvests. Forestry comprises less than 2 % of the land and about 12 % is reserved for preservation intents ( NDA, 2007, Land Type Survey Staff, 1972-2002 & A ; Land Type Survey Staff, 1972-2006 ) . Land used for agribusiness comprises 81 % of the state ‘s entire country, while natural countries account for approximately 9 % ( Abstract, 2005 ) . High-voltage cultivable land comprises merely 22 % of the entire cultivable land and merely approximately 13 % of South Africa ‘s surface country can be used for harvest production ( NDA, 2007 ) . Slightly more than 1,3 million hour angle of land is under irrigation. Rainfall is distributed unevenly across the state, with humid, semitropical conditions happening in the E and dry, desert conditions in the West ( NDA, 2007 ) . The most of import factor that limits agricultural production is the non-availability of H2O. About 50 % of South Africa ‘s H2O is used for agricultural intents. Areas of moderate to high cultivable possible occur chiefly in the eastern portion of the state, in Mpumalanga and Gauteng states ( Figure 1.2 ) . Scattered spots besides occur in KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and Limpopo states. Low to marginal possible countries occur in the eastern half of the state and in parts of the Western Cape. Map in Figure 1 shows big countries in the desiccant parts of South Africa ( e.g. south-western Free State ; western parts of the Eastern Cape and the North West Province ) that are being cultivated, but which are non classified as holding any possible for cultivable agribusiness. Repeated harvest failure and subsequent forsaking of these less than fringy lands can hold of import effects for dirt eroding and land debasement in general ( Hoffman, M.T. & A ; A. Ashwell, 2001 ) . Figure 1.2: The distribution of cultivable possible land in South Africa ( ARC – ISCW, 2002 ) . Soil birthrate challenges coupled with deficits of rainfall could ensue in a compounded job of nutrient deficit and dearth. For dirt birthrate to be sustained, extracted dirt foods must be replenished dirt foods, but in big countries of Africa and other parts of the universe, more dirt foods are extracted than replenished ( Ndala and Mabuza, 2006 ) . There is hence planetary concern of birthrate direction particularly with the recent additions in nutrient monetary values. Soil birthrate and its direction therefore have continued to play an of import function in farm productiveness. Farmers, their advisers, and any agriculturists need to be knowing of the dirt belongingss which have an influence on dirt birthrate, some of which include dirt texture, construction, organic affair, cation exchange capacity, base impregnation, bulk denseness and pH. These belongingss besides have an influence in finding land capableness for agribusiness as they are besides cardinal indexs for dirt quality . Although important advancement has been made in research in developing methodological analysiss and engineerings for battling dirt birthrate depletion, the low acceptance rate is a ground for the big difference between husbandmans ‘ outputs and possible outputs ( Bationo et al. , 2006 ) . This survey therefore aims to find the influence of dirt physico-chemistry and clay fraction mineralogy on the birthrate position of selected potency uncultivated cultivable dirts of University of Limpopo Experimental farm ( Syferkuil ) in Limpopo Province. This will promote enlargement of cultivable agribusiness in the country to better the supports in footings of relieving nutrient insecurity and poorness.PROBLEM STATEMENTWhen measuring land for agricultural capablenesss, properties such as incline, stoniness and thickness of the dirt stratum are taken into consideration. Soil physico-chemical and dirt clay mineralogical belongingss are frequently overlooked. Ekosse et Al. ( 2011 ) showed th at these dirt physico-chemical and clay mineralogical belongingss and their composings play a important function in suitableness of land for cultivable agribusiness. Information on the mineralogy and alimentary position of uncultivated dirts in Limpopo Province is missing, particularly of dirts found in the communal countries where smallholder agribusiness is practiced. Such information is important for any scheme that seeks to increase and better the productiveness of cropped or possible cultivable agricultural land. One of import requirement of nutrient security is entree to land, as more people need to bring forth their nutrient supplies and do a life from the land. Traditional land direction systems are dependent on the handiness of sufficient land to let long fallow periods to keep dirt birthrate. When there is no more entree to new land, the fallow land has to be used and soil birthrate falls. More intensive usage of the land besides implies that it becomes more prone to dirty eroding. To keep and raise its productiveness, new sustainable direction steps have to be introduced. As the chief beginning of economic activity in Limpopo Province besides excavation is the agricultural production, worsening dirt productiveness non merely means less harvests is grown but besides that, production of hard currency harvests and income are endangered. Huge bulk of South Africans, peculiarly Limpopo occupants, purchase their staple nutrient from commercial providers, instead than turning them themselves ( Statistics South Africa, 2009 ) . Rising nutrient monetary values, peculiarly of corn and wheat which are the staple diet of the hapless in South Africa, pose serious jobs for the urban and rural hapless as most are net purchasers instead than agriculturists of their basic nutrient. Recent information from the Food and Agricultural Organisation ( 2009 ) and Heady & A ; Fan ( 2008 ) suggest that nutrient monetary values will increase steadily over the following decennary even if there are some fluctuations and the occasional bead in monetary values ( Evans, 2009 ) . Thi s therefore poses the demand for more enlargement of cultivable land for agribusiness so as to better supports of the hapless families. Population force per unit area and urban enlargement seem to be doing the loss of high possible agricultural lands. Hence nutrient demand is lifting which leads to nutrient insecurity, therefore extension of cultivable agricultural lands would extremely be required. In a recent survey, Van Averbeke and Khosa ( 2007 ) reported that while income is the most of import determiner of family nutrient security in some countries around Limpopo Province, nutrient obtained from assorted types of dry-land agribusiness contributed significantly to household nutrition. They argue that without farming the nutrient security of these families would be reduced, particularly for the ultra-poor. The land is used beyond its capableness, the type of use would non be sustainable and the land debasement would ensue. Equally of import is the fact that if land is used below its true capableness so the full economic potency of the usage of the land would non be realized. Although small production addition has taken topographic point at the Experimental farm ( Syferkuil farm ) , which has been obtained by cultivation of hapless and fringy lands, the productiveness of most bing lands has been ignored. With population go oning to increase in the country and the state as a whole, the demand to take note of the fallow or abundant lands on the farm has become more of import. Bettering dirt birthrate could trip rural and national economic development, achieve long-run nutrient security and better husbandmans ‘ criterions of life, while extenuating environmental and rural migration. Therefore, rectifying land debasement and heightening productiveness through appropriate dirt directio n and preservation can play a major function in accomplishing farm family nutrient security and agricultural development in the country. This research will therefore contribute to the bing database on the physico-chemistry and mineralogy of agricultural dirts of Limpopo Province, peculiarly those at Syferkuil farm. It will besides help husbandmans and persons around the country with information and consciousness on the birthrate position and capableness of the dirts in their community, so they can originate agricultural activities on those lands which are left fallow or abundant.1.3. AIM OF THE STUDYThe purpose of this survey is to find the dirt physico-chemistry, clay mineralogy and birthrate position of selected uncultivated cultivable dirts within the University Of Limpopo Experimental Farm Of Capricorn District in Limpopo Province, with the position of placing extra potency cultivable lands for agribusiness in the part.1.4. Aim OF THE STUDYTo find physico-chemical belongingss of selected uncultivated and cultivated dirts on the farm and their influence on dirt birthrate. To find the clay mineralogical composing of the selected uncultivated and cultivated dirts on the farm and their influence on dirt birthrate. To find the chemical science of the selected uncultivated and cultivated dirts on the farm and their influence on dirt birthrate. To find the birthrate index of the selected uncultivated and cultivated dirts on farm and their influence on dirt birthrate. To bring out and understand the function of dirt physico-chemical and clay mineralogical belongingss act uponing the birthrate of the selected dirts on the farm.RESEARCH QUESTIONSThese inquiries will help in achieving the aims of the survey: What are the physico-chemical belongingss of the selected dirts? What is the clay mineralogical composing of the selected dirts? What is the chemical composing of the selected dirts? What is the birthrate index of the selected dirts? Make the dirt physico-chemical and clay mineralogical belongingss affect the birthrate position of the selected dirts on the farm for sustainable agribusiness?HypothesisThis research will be guided by the undermentioned hypotheses: Most possible uncultivated cultivable lands on the farm could be used to spread out and better agricultural outputs. Soil physico-chemical and clay mineralogical belongingss with their influence on dirt birthrate are cardinal indexs for sustainable agribusiness.1.7. Rationale OF THE STUDYSouth Africa has a broad scope of dirts of different physico-chemical and clay mineralogical composing. Limpopo Province entirely has a diverseness of dirts and climatic conditions allowing a assortment of different signifiers of agribusiness, ( White Paper on Agriculture, 1995 ) . In support of nutrient security and ego saving, it is now strategically of import for any country to hold available information on the comparative suitablenesss of their dirts for agribusiness, so that penchant may be given for the land more suited for agribusiness. In this procedure, it is of import to cognize the comparative quality of the land so that its usage can be regulated in conformity with the suitableness of the peculiar dirts. Local husbandmans have ever relied on the agricultural research end product and extension from Syferkuil experimental farm since their clime, and the dirts they farm on developed from the same parent stuff as the 1s at Syferkuil. The environing farm community and governments of the country, will therefore benefit from this survey by obtaining information on the physico-chemistry and clay mineralogy of their dirts every bit good as the dirts ‘ comparative suitableness for agribusiness. Economically, capableness categorization of the dirts in Mankweng country can help in promoting the governments toward induction of the assorted farming systems on the identified possible cultivable lands. In this manner single dirts could be best utilised for the types of agricultural production for which they are best and most economically suited.1.8. STUDY AREAThe location, topography, clime, flora, dirts, geology and hydrology of the country are briefly described below in the subsequent subdiv isions.1.8.1. Location of the survey countryLimpopo is South Africa ‘s northernmost state, lying within the great curve of the Limpopo River. The state borders the states of Botswana to the West, Zimbabwe to the North and Mozambique and Swaziland to the E as shown in Figure 1.3 ( DBSA, 1998 ) . Limpopo Province is divided into five Municipal territories ( Figure 1.3 ) : Capricorn, Mopani, Sekhukhune, Vhembe and Waterberg, which are further divided into 24 local Municipalities ( Limpopo Province Natural Resource Maps, 2003 ) . The Province occupies a entire surface country of 125A 755 km2, approximately 10.3 % of South Africa ‘s land country ( Limpopo Province Natural Resource Map, 2003 ) .The population is about 5 355A 172 which is 11.3 % of South African population ( Statistics SA, 2003 ) . Syferkuil is the experimental farm of the University of Limpopo ( 23o49 ‘ S ; 29o41 ‘ Tocopherol ) situated in the Mankweng country, in Capricorn territory municipality, South Africa. The farm is 1 650 hour angle in size ( Moshia et al. , 2008 ) . Syferkuil experimental farm, for about 39 old ages now ( Moshia et al. , 2008 ) has served as the chief Centre of University of Limpopo ‘s horticultural, agronomic, and carnal production researches, on which both undergraduate and alumnus pupil researches along with hands-on preparations are conducted. The farm is bordered by five populated rural agriculture communities which are Mamotintane, Ga-Makanye, Ga-Thoka, Solomondale and Mankweng. On this farm, approximately 25 hour angles are presently allocated for rain fed harvests, 80 hour angle for irrigated harvests, and 40 hour angle are used for rotary motion of winter and summer harvests. The 80 hour angle irrigated harvests are served by an machine-controlled additive mo ve irrigation system ( Moshia, 2008 ) . Figure 1.3: Locality Map of the survey country Figure 1.4: A scale aerial exposure map ( scaly 1: 10 000 ) of University of Limpopo ( Syferkuil ) ‘s experimental farm ( Moshia et al. , 2008 )1.8.2. Land-Use of the survey countryLimpopo Province constitute a sum of 12.3 million hectares land, out of which about 9.24 million hour angle. is utilised as farming area ( LDA, 2002 ) . This 9.24 million hectares of farming area about 0.93 million hour angle. of it is utilised as cultivable land, 6.68 million hour angle. as natural graze, 1.7 million hour angle. For nature preservation, 0.1 million hour angle for forestry and for other intents. Seventy six per centum of the cultivable Land is allocated to dry land ( 0.7 million hour angle ) cultivation and merely 0.223 million hour angle for irrigation systems.1.8.3. Geology of the survey countryThe geology of Limpopo is complex and diverse ; it varies from Palaeo-Archaean mafic, ultramafic and felsic extrusives to Mesozoic sedimentary stones and inundation basalts ( RSA Geological Map series, 1984 ) . The stone formations in the State can be considered in four chief divisions based on clip and general homogeneousness viz. : the Archaean, by and large known as the ‘Basal ‘ or ‘Fundamental ‘ Complex ; the Pre-Cambrian, or Algonquian Systems ; the Palaeozoic, pre-Karoo Formations ; the Mesozoic and the Karoo System. The topography of the part varies from comparatively level countries to cragged terrain ( Barker et al. , 2006 ) . Limpopo is rich in minerals with economic value ( White Paper on Agriculture, 1995 ) . Prevailing minerals in the eastern portion of Limpopo include Pt and its group metals, chrome, Cu, phosphate and andalusite. The Western side is characterised by Pt, granite, and coal minerals, while diamonds, coal, magnesite, and hints of granite dominate the Northern portion of the Province. Mineral resources that are presently being mined in the state are Andalusite, Antinomy, calcite, chrome, clay, coal, Cu, diamonds, emeralds, felspar, fluorite, gold, granite, limestone, magnesite, manganese, cosmetic stone-Slate, phosphate, Pt, salt, sand & A ; rock, silicon oxide and Zn ( Dramstad et al. , 1996 ) .1.8.4. Climate of the survey countryLimpopo falls in the summer rainfall part with the western portion of the Province being semi-arid, and the eastern portion mostly sub-tropical, ( Limpopo Province Natural Resource Maps, 2003 ) . The western and far northern parts of the Province experience frequ ent drouths. Winter throughout Limpopo is mild and largely frost-free. The mean one-year temperatures for the southern to cardinal plateau countries of the state is by and large below 20oC ; in the Lowveld and northern parts mean one-year temperatures are above 20oC. The state receives summer rainfall between October and March peaking in January. The average one-year precipitation ranges between 380mm in the North and merely over 700mm in parts of the Waterberg ( Koch, 2005 ) . The clime of the survey site is classified as semi-arid with the one-year precipitation of approximately A ±495 mm per annum. The average one-year temperature of 25A ±1oC ( soap ) and 10A ±1oC ( min ) was common during the old ages of survey. Annually, the farm averages 170 frost-free yearss widening from late October to mid April. Figure 1.5: Monthly norm rainfall as recorded in the Limpopo Province ( LDA, 2002 ) Rainfall informations ( figure 1.5 ) indicating that most rainfall occurs between November and March, runing between 80 millimeters and 130mm. It should, nevertheless, be noted that these figures indicate an mean rainfall and lower rainfall can be expected in most territories.1.8.5. Dirts of the survey countryThere are broad assortments of dirts that occur in the Province, be givening to be sandy in the West, but with more clay content toward the E, ( Limpopo Province Natural Resource Maps, 2003 ) . The dirts are differentiated based on deepness, the nature of diagnostic skylines and parent stuffs, ( FAO, 1999 ) . Those dirts are chiefly developed on basalt, sandstone and biotite gneiss and are by and large of low built-in dirt birthrate ( FAO, 1999 ) . Limpopo Province has diverse dirts, nevertheless, five major dirt associations have been identified, ( FAO, 1999 ) : of which Dystrophic, ruddy and xanthous, good drained clayed dirts are extremely leached, clay-like, acidic dirts found in the high rainfall countries of Drakensberg and Soutpansberg scope. They are bouldery, found on steep inclines and are of low birthrate. As such, they by and large have limited value as cultivable land but are suited for afforestation. Red, yellow and Grey dirts in caternary association are flaxen and loamy dirts in the 300-600 millimeter rainfall belt in the western and northwesterly portion of the Province. They are suited for cultivable agriculture, but by and large occur in the low rainfall countries west and north of Thabazimbi, Vaalwater, Lephalale and Polokwane. Black and ruddy clay dirts have with changing sums of stone and lithosol, found in a narrow strip analogue to the eastern boundary line, the Springbok Flats ( Settlers and Roedtan ) a nd the southwesterly boundary near Dwaalpooort and Derdepoort. Although extremely erodible, they are utilised extensively for dryland harvests such as cotton and winter cereals. Duplex and paraduplex dirts are characterized by surface soil that is distinguishable from sub-soil with respect to texture, construction and consistence. Major happenings are in Sekhukhune, south to southwest of Lephalale in Waterberg territory, between Louis Trichardt and Tshipise, and subdivisions of Vhembe District near the eastern boundary line. They are by and large non utilised as cultivable land due to high erodibility. Poorly developed dirts on stone consist of surface soil overlying stone or weathered stone. They are found to the E of the Drakensberg, including a big subdivision of Mopani District, and E and West of Musina. They tend to be bouldery, with shallow dirts and hence by and large unsuitable for cultivable agriculture. Black and ruddy, fertile clay dirts occur on the Springbok Flats, with ruddy brown sandy loam to the Northern and Western portion of the state, ( FAO, 1999 ) . The mountains have deeper, extremely leached ruddy dirts in wetting agent countries, with more open stone where it is besides dry. Red brown, gravelly dirts, which have a low birthrate, predominate on the Lowveld, the best agricultural dirts being alluvial dirts next to the rivers. The Province has a few high possible countries for dryland harvest production and many chances for extended ranching and irrigated fruit and harvest production, ( Limpopo Province Natural Resource Maps, 2003 ) .1.8.6. Vegetation of the survey countryThe geographical location, rainfall forms and varied physical and climatic conditions have given rise to diverse flora across the state. The flora found in the state have been classified into inland tropical wood ; tropical shrub and Savannah ; pure grassveld ; and false grassveld types ( Development Ban k of South Africa, 1998 ) . The inland tropical woods include the northeasterly mountain sourveld and Lowveld rancid Bushveld types. Tropical shrub and savannah comprise the Lowveld, waterless Lowveld, Springbok flats turf thornveld, other sod thornveld, waterless sweet bushveld, mopani veld, assorted bushveld, lemony assorted bushveld and rancid Bushveld types ( Limpopo Province Natural Resource Maps, 2003 ) . Pure grassveld types include the northeasterly flaxen Highveld types. The false grassveld types include the Polokwane tableland false grassveld.1.8.7. Topography of the survey countryLimpopo Province has diverse topographic characteristics. In the E is the level to gently undulating Lowveld field, at an height of 300 to 600 m, bounded in the West by the Northern Drakensberg escarpment and Soutpansberg, with steep inclines and peaks up to the 2000m ( LDA, 2002 ) . The about degree Springbok flats in the South prevarication at an height of 900 m, while the Waterberg and Blouber g to the North, with rippling to really steep terrain, reach 2 000 m. The North- Western zone is a level to rippling field, which slopes down to the North and West at 800 to 1 000 m.1.8.8. Hydrology/Water Resources of the survey countryThe Department of Water Affairs and Forestry ( DWAF ) classifies South Africa as a water-stressed state, prone to fickle and unpredictable extremes such as inundations and drouths that cut down land to a dry and waterless barren ( Water Research Commission, 2002 ) . Water resources in South Africa are limited doing them critically of import for the sustainable economic and societal development of the state ( Dennis and Nell, 2002 ) . This is one of the grounds why it is of import to protect the scarce H2O resources of the state. Rivers are the chief beginning of H2O for the state. In the Limpopo Province, there are Four Management Areas viz. : Limpopo ; Luvubu & A ; Letaba ; Krokodil Wee & A ; Merico and Olifants ( NDA, 2000 ) . Applied research on irrigation and fertiliser methods are practiced on the research secret plans on the farm. There are two 10-ha secret plans fitted with separate irrigation systems used by research workers and pupils for research on field harvests.1.8.9. Agricultural activities of the survey countryThe agricultural sector in the state is divided into three wide sub-sectors viz. commercial farms, emerging commercial farms and subsistence farms, ( Development Bank of South Africa, 1998 ) . The commercial farms fall in the larger farm size class, emerging commercial farms in the medium size and subsistence farms in the smallest size ( LDA, 2002 ) . The emerging and subsistence farms are jointly called small-scale farms which are largely located in the former fatherlands. The varied climes of Limpopo Province allows it to bring forth a broad assortment of agricultural green goodss runing from tropical fruits such as banana, Mangifera indicas to cereals such as corn, wheat and veggies s uch as tomatoes, onion and murphies ( NDA, 2001 ) . Limpopo Province has big country of land suited for dry-land production ( LDA, 2002 ) . Maize is the staple nutrient of bulk of people in Limpopo Province and is mostly grown by the different classs of husbandmans both for family, industrial and carnal ingestion. On the footing of country and volume of production, it remains the most of import cereal grain produced in the Province despite the dry and drought prone agro-ecology of much of the part ( LDA, 2002 ) . Climatic fluctuation could take to fluctuations in maize outputs. As a basic nutrient in the Province, corn has a big and stable market and is the most of import agricultural merchandise in South Africa ( NDA, 2001 ) .1.9. Summary of chapterThe chapter has clearly provided the background of the survey sketching the general construct of clay mineral and their influence on dirt birthrate for harvest production. It has besides outlined the purposes, aims, research inquiries, job statement, principle and hypothesis of the researc h undertaking. The map of the survey site exemplifying the location of the site in Capricorn territory municipality and the suitableness map of the survey site has been provided. The geology, mineralogy, clime, dirts and agricultural activities of the survey site have besides been outlined. The dirt physico-chemical and clay mineralogical belongingss are reviewed in the subsequent chapter.