Child Beauty Pageants free essay sample

Some people think that beauty pageants are good for children but I personally do not think children should participate in beauty pageants because they create a pathway to eating disorders, low self-esteem, and can be more easily targeted by predators. Parents think that they are doing them well but in reality, the child competing is being deprived from a normal childhood and the parents are only harming them. The children are being taught that their body and attractiveness will determine how pretty they are and that sexuality at a young age is a good quality. Beauty pageants focus a lot on appearance and on how you present yourself. I believe that everyone is beautiful and I strongly believe that beauty comes within and not from the outside. However, children who grow up in the pageant industry, start to learn that a big part of the competition has to do with your physical attraction. We will write a custom essay sample on Child Beauty Pageants or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Now, there are little girls wearing fake eyelashes with cakey faces because excessive makeup will make you look â€Å"prettier†. However, why change the concept when beauty pageants did not require any makeup when they first started. What happens when the child is older and gets acne or needs braces. Since the perception of perfection and beauty has already been painted to them, they no longer think of themselves as beautiful. What happens when they gain a little weight and get points deducted for not complimenting the outfit they are modeling? They start thinking that they need to fix something about themselves and some girls will take those measures to the extreme. All of a sudden we have young girls searching the web on how to quickly lose weight and what appears on the screen is disturbing. Surgery; but wait, there is not enough money and their parents probably would not allow it. Anorexia/Bulimia (eating disorders that rapidly cause someone to lose weight by starvation or purging); well that’s easy because no one will ever find out. Now we have these girls browsing on how to become these things. Next thing you know, we have a group of fifteen teenage girls in a rehab facility having a difficult time of accepting themselves for who they are. Some of the pieces they wear for the runway are provocative and are an open invitation to pedophiles. It’s important for everyone to know that people with a disturbed mentality as such will possess anything they admire by any means. For example, JonBenet Ramsey was a beauty queen who won her first beauty pageant at the age of four. In the month of December, at age 6, her mother found a note in the kitchen at approximately 5:00 AM stating that JonBenet was being held at ransom for $118,000. Police made a couple of mistakes by not closing down the premises as a crime scene and allowing friends and family to walk in and out. When the father was asked to walk the house for anything unusual, he searched the basement and there the beauty queen was found murdered. She had a skull fracture and had been sexually molested and strangled with a cord. Her cause of death was asphyxia by strangulation. Although the case is still cold, investigators believe that her publicity made her an easy target for any assassin (Oates 1999). JonBenet was such a darling! She was an American beauty queen with blue eyes, porcelain skin, and blonde hair. Every child is beautiful in these pageants but unfortunately, these beauties are exposed in the media as well as their parents information and residence stay. Law enforcement has put a huge emphasize on the security of teenagers walking alone and with the information that they share on social networking. If this pressure of care is being put on older teenagers, then isn’t it our job to put a greater emphasize with the care of our children due to the fact that they are more vulnerable and have little chance of escaping a full grown adult? It doesn’t take a lot for a killer to commit a murder as we can see with the case of JonBenet. She was not only killed in her own home but there were no traces as to who could have done it. There was no force of entry and obviously, no way of the parents hearing their little girl. Why put children at risk for the simplicity of fame and money? Are parents that selfish that all they think about is living their childhood again through their children. Little girls do not like to have their hair pulled and they don’t like to be sitting in a chair for hours putting on makeup. So much of their appearance is judged that even the skin tone matters. Ten year olds are getting spray tanned and are going through a long process when all they should be doing is going to school, making friends, starting a little bit of trouble, and enjoying their childhood. When is there time to do all that when you are so focused on memorizing a script and getting your hair done? My real curiosity is how a beauty pageant judges beauty when the girls are all made up? The message is clear that the judges need to see makeup and thinness in order for a child to be considered for the beauty queen title. Some children participate in pageants at such a young age that it is all they know. They like to make their mothers proud so making the choice that they don’t want to participate feels like a disappointment. Pageant mothers are harshly criticized because of the way that they behave with their children during competitions. Sometimes the parents don’t listen to what the child is asking for and is focusing on only the win. They get so wrapped up in the winning that it’s embarrassing for them to not go home with a prize. They’ll even pay a little extra just to have a better chance at winning (Nauert 17). No mother should ever be embarrassed of their child and it is even worse when the mother gets upset at their daughter for making an understanding mistake. There are no valid excuses for the mothers when the child is throwing a tantrum but isn’t that behavior normal for children of all ages? Just because they are dressing and looking like sixteen year olds does not mean that they actually have the same mentality as one. Children beauty pageants range from the ages of sixth months to 16 years old. Since an infant does not have the ability to walk nor stand by herself, the mother comes out on stage with the baby in her arms. You would think that they would not permit an infant to wear makeup or tan the skin but they do. They will offer the service but it is ultimately up to the parents to make the choice (Seaman 18). However, if your baby is competing in a pageant and you want her to win what are you going to do? You have to make her to the same level as the other infants if you want her to have a chance at winning so there you go dolling her up. Why are we making these children grow up way too soon? The sexuality they bring into these pageants come a little too early for them. Lets’ not define beauty for these girls in our eyes. They should have the opportunity to mold themselves to whoever they want to be in their own style at their own time. Works Cited Nauert, Nick. â€Å"Child Beauty Pageants May be More About Parents. † Psychcentral. n. p. Grohol John M. , 28 Apr. 2013. Web. 29 Oct. 2012. Oates, Joyce Carol. The Mystery of JonBenet Ramsey. The New York Review of Books, 46. 11 (1999): 31-36. Schultz, Kristen. â€Å"Beauty Pageants Draw Children and Criticism. † New York Times. New York Times, 26 Feb. 2011. Web. 8 Mar. 2013. Seaman, Donna. Little Beauties. The Booklist, 101. 21 (2005): 1896.

Supply Chain Management Information Systems - MyAssignmentHelp

Question: Q.1 Briefly describe the business processes supported by a Supply Chain Management (SCM) information system. In a global business like Emerson what are the advantages and disadvantages of using a SCM information system? With Emersons many divisions using different suppliers, what would be the benefits of using a single SCM information system for all of its divisions? Q.2 Global companies like Emerson have suppliers, manufacturing, distribution, and retail operations. List and briefly describe the technologies and devices (used for input, output, and communication) that are used with SCM information systems. Choose two different input devices and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each. Discuss the benefits that they provide to the business. Q.3 Consider that you have to implement a new SCM information system for Emerson. Describe each of the different implementation options. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the different implementation options. Make a recommendation and justify Q.4 Modern SCM information systems and with the use of other technologies have supported businesses in improving environmental sustainability by reducing carbon emissions. Research and find an example. Briefly describe the system and how it works and how carbon emissions where reduced. Discuss what decision making is performed and how does the SCM information system contribute to the decision making. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages to the business. Answer: Introduction Management of supply chain is referred to as the strategic and systematic coordination in the traditional functions of business and the tactics used across the functions of business within a certain company and within business organization in chain of supply. The purpose with supply chain management is focused on the improvement of performance in the longer term of organizations as well as their supply chain in their entire context. With changes in the technology, supply chain management information systems have been playing a highly crucial role within the ability of organizations for the reduction of costs and for increasing the responsiveness in the chain of supply (Wang, 2006). A significant example can be seen in the case of Emerson. Emerson is an international manufacturing organization of China dealing with the customers of South Eastern region of Asia, Europe and America. With the help of information systems in supply change management, the organization had been successful in envisioning an individual hub with the help of which everyone would be linked for utilizing common mechanisms of communication and formats of data. In context with the case study of this organization, this paper will be discussing certain aspects related to the information system in supply chain management. Business Processes in Supply Change Management Information Systems In the current era of globalization and being an organization functioning across the globe, information systems seem to be having significant impact on integrating the main elements of supply chain at Emerson. By the system of hub and the system of ERP, the organization had been successful in coordinating the process of shipping with the suppliers and the providers. This can be considered as a major tool that enables the organization for responding to the demands of the customers, in accordance with the quality being desired (Wang, 2006). There is clarity in the reason as to why it will be taking increased manpower for compromising amongst the model of reference and the current process of business. The issue that had been faced by Emerson along with a number of organizations was that the trivial and essential processes of business are more often mixed in the absence of specification in the priorities for all. In a consequent manner, the model of references involves constraints regarding the rules of enterprise, resources and organizations that are presented in a highly detailed manner. There are two key processes that support the information systems in supply chain management. These are as follows (Hines, 2004): Coordination amongst the demand at the side of sales and supply at the side of production in order to make the plan of production Coordination amongst the level of demand at the side of production and the supply made by the suppliers in order to make the plan of sourcing Both of these processes are considered as the template of business process. The method in the modelling of business process is focused on modelling the process of business in the structure of hierarchy that is highly dependent over the strong points of business process in relation with the goal of business. There is consistency of direct interactions in process of business that takes place amongst the original performer and original customer of the problems being targeted. This is referred to as the key process (Hines, 2004). The level of hierarchy in the process of business, at Emerson became reduced as there had been decomposition of the issue within different elements and these had been sub- contracted to other individuals as the sub- processes. In the general sense, the key process had a structure that was highly stable, as the key process is developed by interacting with two individuals, the original performer and original customer, and the impact of the constraints of resource, organization and rule becoming small enough for being ignored. Considering the other side of the coin, the sub- process has the structure of variable in accordance to a number of different constraints. For successfully designing the template of business process, extraction needs to be done from the key processes mentioned above (Cooper Pagh, 2009). These key processes help in defining the actions that are interdependent and the improvement of these processes can be done by utilization of information systems in supply chain management. By the extraction of the key process at the template of business process, it can be reutilized amongst a number of enterprises and the manpower in the design of business process can be decreased. Technologies and Devices of SCM Information Systems Even though the organization of Emerson has gained a number of benefits from the information systems of supply chain management, there are often mismatching points in the expectations and the activities undertaken by the organization for the achievement of performance being desired. Electronic Data Interchange The technology of Electronic Data Interchange has been highly utilized by a number of organizations in the chain of supply for the facilitation of transactions and the exchanges of information. This technology is referred to as the computer to the exchange of computer with the structured data for processing in an automatic manner (Kumar, 2009). This technology can be utilized by the partners of supply chain for exchanging important information relevant to effectively run the businesses. Advantages Delays of time: Causes of delays are main because of two factors. Documents of paper may be taking a number of days for transporting from one party to the other. In addition to this, the manual delays in processing take place due to the requirement to compare, retrieve, file and key data Costs of labour: In the systems not based on this technology, manual form of processing is needed for the keying of data, storage of document, matching, sorting, retrieving, envelope stuffing, signing, stamping, and reconciling (Halldorsson, 2004). While the equipment of automation can assist with certain processes, majority of the managers will be agreeing that the costs of labour for the processing of document help in representing a significant share within the overhead Disadvantages Adapting a number of varying interfaces amongst varying organization, where there is an increased need to map data and convert data Costs in the process of changing procurement Costs for the fees of subscription and transaction The partners of business might be having extremely deep insight in one of the figures of business Scanner and Bar Coding Bar codes are referred to as representing a code or a number within a form having suitability to be read by the machines. Bar codes are widely utilized in the entire chain of supply for identifying and tracking the goods at each and every stage within the process (Halldorsson Larsen, 2007). The technology of bar codes are a number of varying width lines, the presentation of which can be done in horizontal context, referred to as the orientation of ladder, or the vertical context, referred to as the orientation of picket fence. Advantages Reduction in the error: Utilizing scanners and barcoding helps in the reduction of rates in the error of humans. When individuals are making manual entry of data, the chances for the occurrence of errors is an individual part in the nature of humans. Medical workers have the ability of scanning the barcodes for viewing the doses and medication need of the patients (Hines, 2004) Savings in time: Not only does this result in keeping the stock organized as well as under control, the time being spent performing the checks of stock are reduced. Since scanners and bar codes are easy for being used and quick, the value of time being saved continuously for declining with the release of barcode Implementation Options of SCM Information Systems The first option that can be taken is by strategic planning that involves four key steps. These steps are 1) Assignment of a project team, 2) Examining the present processes of business and the flow of information, 3) setting objectives, and 4) development of a project plan. The team of project has to be assigned with the employees under the department of sales, accounting, operations, customer service, purchasing and senior management. This is a significant option as it is followed up in an appropriate procedure (Ketchen Hult, 2008). Documents of paper may be taking a number of days for transporting from one party to the other. In addition to this, the manual delays in processing take place due to the requirement to compare, retrieve, file and key data. The other option of implementation is testing and training, where there is an involvement of four key procedures. These steps are: 1) pre- testing the database, 2) verification of the testing, 3) training the trainer, and 4) performance of final testing. The team of project should be practicing in the database of test for confirming that each and every information is working correctly and in an accurate manner (Kumar, 2009). When individuals are making manual entry of data, the chances for the occurrence of errors is an individual part in the nature of humans. Medical workers have the ability of scanning the barcodes for viewing the doses and medication need of the patients Modern Information Systems of SCM Sustainability in supply chain is a major issues of businesses that affect the logistics network or supply chain of the organization, and on frequent basis, quantifying the comparison in the ratings of SECH that utilizes a bottom line with triple layers that incorporates the aspects of environment, society and economy. The rating of SECH are referred to as the footprints of society, ethics, culture and health. The customers have been becoming highly aware for the impact of environment related to the SECH rating of the companies and purchases, and with the not- for- profit organization that set the agenda to transit the organic foods of growth, and the goods that are locally produced supporting small and independent businesses (Levi, 2007). Hence, these help in maintaining sustainability in the chain of supply by the information systems. This is due to the fact that it helps in the reduction of environmental issues and thus, improvement in the rating of SECH. Management of supply chain is referred to as the strategic and systematic coordination in the traditional functions of business and the tactics used across the functions of business within a certain company and within business organization in chain of supply. The purpose with supply chain management is focused on the improvement of performance in the longer term of organizations as well as their supply chain in their entire context. With changes in the technology, supply chain management information systems have been playing a highly crucial role within the ability of organizations for the reduction of costs and for increasing the responsiveness in the chain of supply (Mentzer, 2011). Considering the other side of the coin, the sub- process has the structure of variable in accordance to a number of different constraints. For successfully designing the template of business process, extraction needs to be done from the key processes mentioned above. Conclusion With the help of information systems in supply change management, the organization had been successful in envisioning an individual hub with the help of which everyone would be linked for utilizing common mechanisms of communication and formats of data. By the extraction of the key process at the template of business process, it can be reutilized amongst a number of enterprises and the manpower in the design of business process can be decreased (Wang, 2006). Documents of paper may be taking a number of days for transporting from one party to the other. In addition to this, the manual delays in processing take place due to the requirement to compare, retrieve, file and key data. Sustainability in supply chain is a major issues of businesses that affect the logistics network or supply chain of the organization, and on frequent basis, quantifying the comparison in the ratings of SECH that utilizes a bottom line with triple layers that incorporates the aspects of environment, society and economy. The technology of bar codes are a number of varying width lines, the presentation of which can be done in horizontal context, referred to as the orientation of ladder, or the vertical context, referred to as the orientation of picket fence. References Cooper, M.C. Pagh, J. (2009). Supply Chain Management: More Than a New Name for Logistics. The International Journal of Logistics Management, 8(1), pp 114 Halldorsson, A. (2004). Logistics versus supply chain management: an international survey. International Journal of Logistics: Research Application, 7(1), pp. 17-31. Halldorsson, A., Larsen, T. (2007). Complementary theories to supply chain management. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, 12(4), pp. 284-296. Hines, T. (2004). Supply chain strategies: Customer driven and customer focused, Oxford: Elsevier. Ketchen, J.G., Hult, T.M. (2008). Bridging organization theory and supply chain management: The case of best value supply chains. Journal of Operations Management, 25(2), pp. 573-580. Kumar, V. (2009). Transition to B2B e-Marketplace Enabled Supply Chain: Readiness Assessment and Success Factors. The International Journal of Technology, Knowledge and Society, 5(3), pp. 7588. Kumar V. (2009). Developments in Theories of Supply Chain Management: The Case of B2B Electronic Marketplace Adoption. The International Journal of Knowledge, Culture and Change Management, 9(6), pp. 8598. Levi, E. (2007). Designing and Managing the Supply Chain, 3rd edition, Mcgraw Hill Mentzer, J.T. (2011). Defining Supply Chain Management. Journal of Business Logistics, 22(2), pp. 125. Wang, H. (2006). Supply Chain Management Research and Production and Operations Management: Review, Trends, and Opportunities. In: Production and Operations Management, 15(3), pp. 449469

John Stuart Mill Essays (341 words) - Classical Economists

John Stuart Mill After reading 100% of the book, New Ideas From Dead Economists, I chose to write a little summery of John Stuart Mill. I did a little outside research on the subject, because his theories and philosophies were intriguing to me. I was impressed by his change in his views as he entered his mid twenties. John Stuart Mill was born in London on May 20, 1806, and was the oldest son of James Mill. His education, as a boy, was carried out by his father, James Mill. Johns discipline was extremely rigid, as a result, he believed it gave him the intellectual advantage of a quarter century on his contemporaries. Later in life Mill recognized that his fathers extreme system of intellectual discipline gave him little time to develop social and emotional relationships with others. He regretted this aspect of his childhood. Mill was considered a leader in thought at the young age of twenty-one. This is when he encountered a mental crisis. The cause of the crisis, extreme mental and physical strain, gave him as he called it, a dull state of nerves. He realized that the goals in his life, that his father had given him, stolen the feelings out of him. After many months of despair, he found that the emotions within him were not dead. One important factor in this emotional realization was a woman by the name of Mrs. Taylor. She was known to help Mill in authoring works of his, and a good friend. While she was married, Mill held a close relationship with her. After the death of her husband, Mrs. Taylor and John Mill were married in 1851. After this he had great success publishing in multiple literary journals. These articles had ranged from those relating to philosophy and social to political and economic. One of his earliest was with The Westminster Review, but were mostly for The London Review. Through thes e articles, we can trace his gradual development and change in his radical politics. Economics Essays

Discover the Lithosphere in Plate Tectonics

Discover the Lithosphere in Plate Tectonics In the field of geology, what is the lithosphere? The lithosphere is the brittle outer layer of the solid Earth. The plates of plate tectonics are segments of the lithosphere. Its top is easy to see its at the Earths surface but the base of the lithosphere is in a transition, which is an active area of research. Flexing the Lithosphere The lithosphere is not totally rigid, but slightly elastic. It flexes when loads are placed on it or removed from it. Ice-age glaciers are one type of load. In Antarctica, for example, the thick ice cap has pushed the lithosphere well below sea level today. In Canada and Scandinavia, the lithosphere is still unflexing where the glaciers melted about 10,000 years ago. Here are some other types of loading: Construction of volcanoesDeposition of sedimentRise in sea levelFormation of large lakes and reservoirs Here are other examples of unloading: Erosion of mountainsExcavation of canyons and valleysDrying up of large water bodiesLowering of sea level The flexing of the lithosphere from these causes is relatively small (usually much less than a kilometer [km]), but measurable. We can model the lithosphere using simple engineering physics, as if it were a metal beam, and get an idea of its thickness. (This was first done in the early 1900s.) We can also study the behavior of seismic waves and place the base of the lithosphere at depths where these waves begin to slow down, indicating softer rock. These models suggest that the lithosphere ranges from less than 20 kilometers  in thickness near the mid-ocean ridges to about 50 km in old oceanic regions. Under the continents, the lithosphere is thicker ... from around 100 to as much as 350 km. These same studies show that underneath the lithosphere is a hotter, softer layer of solid rock named the asthenosphere. The rock of the asthenosphere is viscous rather than rigid and deforms slowly under stress, like putty. Therefore the lithosphere can move across or through the asthenosphere under the forces of plate tectonics. This also means that earthquake faults are cracks that extend through the lithosphere, but not beyond it.   Lithosphere Structure The lithosphere includes the crust (the rocks of the continents and the ocean floor) and the uppermost part of the mantle beneath the crust. These two layers are different in mineralogy but very similar mechanically. For the most part, they act as one plate. Although many people refer to crustal plates, its more accurate to call them lithospheric plates. It appears that the lithosphere ends where the temperature reaches a certain level that causes average mantle rock (peridotite) to grow too soft. But there are many complications and assumptions involved, and we can only say that the temperature would be from about 600 C to 1,200 C. A lot depends on pressure as well as temperature, and the rocks vary in composition due to plate-tectonic mixing. Its probably best not to expect a definitive boundary. Researchers often specify a thermal, mechanical or chemical lithosphere in their papers. The oceanic lithosphere is very thin at the spreading centers where it forms, but it grows thicker with time. As it cools, more hot rock from the asthenosphere freezes onto its underside. Over the course of about 10 million years, the oceanic lithosphere becomes denser than the asthenosphere beneath it. Therefore, most of the oceanic plates are ready for subduction whenever it happens. Bending and Breaking the Lithosphere The forces that bend and break the lithosphere come mostly from plate tectonics. Where plates collide, the lithosphere on one plate sinks down into the hot mantle. In that process of subduction, the plate bends downward as much as 90 degrees. As it bends and sinks, the subducting lithosphere cracks extensively, triggering earthquakes in the descending rock slab. In some cases (such as in northern California) the subducted part can break off completely, sinking into the deep Earth as the plates above it change their orientation. Even at great depths, subducted lithosphere can be brittle for millions of years, as long as it is relatively cool. The continental lithosphere can split, with the bottom part breaking off and sinking. This process is called delamination. The crustal part of the continental lithosphere is always less dense than the mantle part, which in turn is denser than the asthenosphere beneath. Gravity or drag forces from the asthenosphere can pull the crustal and mantle layers apart. Delamination allows the hot mantle to rise and yield melt underneath parts of a continent, causing widespread uplift and volcanism. Places like Californias Sierra Nevada, eastern Turkey and parts of China are being studied with delamination in mind.

Corporate Social Responsibility at the Boston Beers Essay - 1

Corporate Social Responsibility at the Boston Beers - Essay Example This research tells that resources such as clean water and air are getting more elusive daily, both in the community, we operate within and in the world over. In Boston, Massachusetts, one of the major problems faced is water pollution. Some members of the public continue to raise concerns over the frequent pollution of their primary water sources that they use as sources of drinking water, domestic consumption, and industrial uses, among other things. Often, members of the public have articulated that unclean water infiltrates their water lines, causing the water supplied to be unusable, especially domestically. In a study conducted by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, it was discovered that the water pollution in the Boston area went as high as 35.71% on the pollution index. The study was based on water collected from beaches, rivers and residential areas. The beach water was voted most polluted owing to the quantity of chemical effluent discovered on testin g the samples collected from them. Apart from chemicals, the water consisted of other wastes such as plastics and sewage. This has raised major concerns over the measures taken by the relevant parties in ensuring access to clean and usable water in the community. Boston Beers Company has a role to play in ensuring a reduction in the level of water pollution in the environs of the company. The company is not solely to blame for water pollution. Even so, there are several reasons as to why the Boston Beers ought to be at the front line in making efforts to reduce water pollution.

Leadership and Change Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Leadership and Change Management - Essay Example Leadership development is a complex process as I witnessed over last year and the issues covered by the meetings proved vital in changing my perception of human resource management and how to influence change in the organization structure. The failure to address challenges in the process could be highlighted in the preceding meeting. The process was a complex one although the challenges were diverse. I learned vital issues in change management, which will be addressed later in this reflective analysis. One of the vital issues addressed by the meeting is group cohesion and participation. The participation of individuals in the meeting helped to make the meetings interesting. In fact, the availability of the group members ensured that the objectives of the meeting were met. The individual performance of the group members ensured that all the vital issues in management were handled perfectly and even resolved amicably. The delegation of duties to the individual made the tasks easy to co mplete (Paton, Paton, & McCalman, 2008, p. 56). I learned from the process the vital nature of communication when handling human labor or education members. It was not easy to establish the code of practice among the members, but we were able to work due to mutual trust and cohesion. The change management strategy and collective responsibility are essential issues on the addressing of change within the organization such as the development of leadership skills and experience. As the meeting progressed, several issues could be raised that needed to be solved by the group members. Planning for the meeting was left to the chair-lady because she was the facilitator of the meeting and could handle leadership issues effectively. Under her leadership, several issues were addressed and the issues include the role of every group member. Through the development of group cohesion, she ensured that the group could operate better than expected. The resistance to change was evident within the grou p during the initial stages of operation. This indicated the power of inertia and the role of perception in trying to reach and change an established system (Okbor, 2001, p. 23). The planning of the meeting was perfect and led to the effective completion of the project and attainment of the set goals and objectives of the study. The planning of the ideas or themes to be discussed during the meeting was done by the chair lady with the support from the group members. The group used consensus building in the development of a meeting planner and the issues to be addressed by the group. It was not easy to resolve certain issues in the first meeting. Such vital issues were deferred and were addressed in the later meetings including the third meeting (Lusardi, 2012, p. 89). However, after the completion of the planning process, it was easier to develop and come up with the necessary plan of the meetings throughout the year. The direction and facilitation of the meeting were left to the cha ir-lady and the group members were in charge of the participation. The participation of the various members was monitored by the facilitator who recommended a plan of action, which included the probing of the group members and evaluating their understanding of the concepts discussed through the meetings.

Moths as Ecological Indicators

Moths as Ecological Indicators Results Articles from peer-reviewed journals, revolving around the topic of moths as ecological indicators, were collected and reviewed. The articles dealt with various studies conducted in different parts of the world and reveal the relationship between various anthropogenic impacts on ecosystem and change in moth diversity. To begin with, the studies carried out in the Australian rain forest, the moth assemblages were considered to be an effective indicator of the ecosystem. Light trap method was used to study the differences in diversity and richness of moths between the disturbed and undisturbed sites. As a result, a clear decrease was accounted in the number of moths of few of the studied species from less disturbed to more disturbed locations whereas few other species showed the exact opposite response. The reason behind this variation in the response could be the presence of the flora on which that particular species depends for its food. The literature shows that the moths present on the undisturbed site were mainly dependent on those large trees and the moths on the disturbed sites depend on herbaceous plants. Another study was carried out in the Eastern deciduous forests of North America where several moth families were studied as indicators of habitat disturbance. The selection of moth species was done on the basis of ease of sampling and the ease of identification. A comparative study was done in terms of accessing the moth communities of the prevailing forest edge and that of the interior habitat. Forest edges, recovering clear-cut stands, and small forest remnants were considered disturbed habitat types (Brown and Hutchings,1997; Usher and Keiller, 1998; Hamer and Hill, 2000;Summerville and Crist, 2003). There was a considerable decrease in the species richness in the interiors as compared to that of the edge. This shows that the selected species of moths can be considered as indicators of habitat disturbance. The phenomenon of global warming has devastation implications. The next study deals with the effects of climate change on moths in the forest ecosystem. The change in climate leads to an increase in temperature which in turn leads to termination of diapauses. It is a condition during which the development is on a standstill. This is considered to be a good example of indicator of climate change. Another article deals with the study carried out in Carinthian Alps in the years 2002 and 2004 which dealt with the study of population trends of moths as a result of restoration and the conservation and control sites were defined and monitored. It revealed that there was a decrease in the number of moths from 2002 to 2004 but the decline was more in conservation sites that control ones. This decline was attributed to the transformation of dense forest like habitats into open landscapes with the final outcome of semi natural grasslands with are rich in species. Therefore, the transformation from forest to open habitat is considered to be negative for moths. Moths proved to be an effective indicator to define the health of a forest ecosystem. The final article is based on the similar concepts and addresses the impacts of climate change on moth populations. Discussion and conclusions The study involved a literature review of several articles from peer-reviewed journals and was focused on the consideration of moths as ecological indicators. The main factors identified were: the effects of restoration, habitat changes, climate change and other anthropogenic activities on the moth population and the way in which they respond to it. Overall, the review revealed that the influence of the above mentioned factors on moth population has been well studied. However, there were many constrains in the studies. The studies were mainly limited to the local scale and local geographical and environmental conditions which can be considered as a limiting factor. The selected species of moths might be considered as an accurate indicator of ecosystem quality the articles reflected the same. The selection of such an indicator species to monitor the health of an ecosystem can be considered as a powerful tool for the analysis. It can be noted from the articles that climate shifts are the drivers of extinctions and the habitat contractions of moth species. It can also be inferred that the role of the host plant plays a major role, in the response of moths, towards ecological changes. As we saw in one of the articles, few species of moths showed higher richness in the disturbed sites because of the presence of the preferred plant. We can even compare the inferences of this article with the results we obtained at Agumbe Rainforest Research Station, where we studied the moth diversity over three different sites. By taking into consideration the results of the Shannon-Wiener index, the highest diversity was obtained in the forest site which was the least damaged as compared to the other two sites where the damage was comparatively higher. However, we cannot completely rely on the results because the study was too short. An inference can still be made out of it because the disturbance had negative impacts on moth diversity. Therefore, the decline in the moth population has been a matter of concern and these declines point towards the catastrophic loss of biodiversity because of anthropogenic environmental and habitat changes. On a concluding note, I would like to say that a future research based on the impacts of anthropogenic activities and climate change and its relation with moth population is necessary. An understanding has to be developed regarding the decrease in moth population and related conservative steps has to be taken. References S. Netherer, A. Schopf. 2010. Potential effects of climate change on insect herbivores in European forests—General aspects and the pine processionary moth as specià ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ c exampleJournal ofForest Ecology and Management259:831–838. P. Dieker et al. 2011. Two high-mountain burnet moth species (Lepidoptera, Zygaenidae) react differently to the global change drivers climate and land-useJournal of Biological Conservation. 144:2810–2818. R.L. Kitching et al. 2000. Moth assemblages as indicators of environmental quality in remnants of upland Australian rain forest.Journal of Applied Ecology37:284-297 F. Richard. 2013. The decline of moths in Great Britain: a review of possible causesJournal ofInsect Conservation and Diversity6:5–19. L. Rà ¡kosy, T. Schmitt. 2011. 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