Organic Food in Spain: Market Segmentation Essay

Abstract In recent years, consumers concerns on environmental and health issues related to food products have increased and, as a result, the demand for organically grown production. Higher costs of production and retailer margins generate a gap between real prices and those consumers are willing to pay for organic food. In this paper, consumer willingness to pay for organic food in two Spanish regions is analyzed. Markets in both regions are segmented considering consumers lifestyles. Results indicate that consumers concerned about healthy diet and environmental degradation are more likely to buy organic food and are willing to pay a higher premium. Organic attributes are easily identified in perishable products as the premium consumers would pay for organic meat, fruits and vegetables is higher. 1 PUBLICADO EN International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, (2001), 3, 207-226. 1 Market segmentation and willingness to pay for organic products in Spain 1. Introduction Food consumption in most developed countries has attained a saturation point in quantity terms, and consumer food choices are broader than in the past. The result is a more diversified consumption. In this saturated market environment, distribution channels, marketing activities, diversification strategies and food quality are increasingly important. In addition, consumers have become more concerned about nutrition, health and the quality of food they eat. The increasing importance of health, and the impact food production has on the environment, on consumer food choice is well documented in the literature (Jolly et al. , 1989; Jordan and Elnagheeb, 1991; Oude Ophius, 1991; Baker and Crosbie, 1993; Grunert and Juhl, 1995; Kleijn et al., 1996; Viaene and Gellynck, 1996; Chupitaz and Keslemont, 1997). As a consequence, organic products production and consumption have grown in recent years. The number of papers which have been devoted to the study of organic food markets has increased (Lampkin, 1989; Beharrel and MacFie, 1991; Landell Mills, 1992; Tregear et al. , 1994; Lin et al. , 1996; Vetter and Christensen, 1996; Thompson and Kindwell, 1998; among others). Organic farming refers to a farming system which uses organic manure, and avoids or largely excludes the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and chemicals. A recent study carried out by FAO (1998) has shown that an adequate management of organic farming generates a positive impact on the environment (e. g. , reduction of water â€Å"contamination†, increased soil fertility due to crop rotation). On the demand side, consumers have positive attitudes towards organic products as they perceive them as healthier than conventional alternatives (Beharrel and MacFie, 1991). In the case of Spain, although the production of organic food products has considerably increased during the past decade, demand is still very low as only 0. 5% of food expenditure is allocated to such products. The main obstacle with organic production seems to be the difficulty in selling organic products in retail food markets. Although consumers search for more diverse, higher quality and healthier food products, organic products face problems related to consumer product acceptability (new product, high price and deficiencies in distribution channels (Roddy 2 et al. , 1994)). On the production side, high costs, especially labor costs, and the difficulty of shifting from conventional to organic farming are also limiting factors (Vetter and Christensen, 1996; Hamiti et al. , 1996). Furthermore, food availability and seasonality influence marketing activities and make it difficult to establish appropriate retailing outlets. Higher costs of production and retailer margins jointly may result in higher prices than consumers are willing to pay for organic food attributes. The objective of this study is to estimate the willingness of different consumer segments in Spain to pay for organic products, in order to assess alternative price strategies carried out by producers. From other studies, it was expected that consumers would be willing to pay a premium for organic products. This expectation is based on the idea that these products are healthier and may diminish negative environmental effects associated with conventional agricultural production. In order to expand the scope of our results, in this study we have considered a wide range of food products: 1) vegetables; 2) potatoes; 3) cereals; 4) fruits; 5) eggs; 6) chicken; and 7) red meat. Among the different methodological alternatives to assess consumers willingness to pay, the contingent valuation (CV) approach was chosen (Hanemann, 1984, 1987). Although CV is a method primarily used for monetary evaluation of consumer preferences for non-market goods (e. g. , unpriced natural resources), it is also useful in this context because the organic market is still too â€Å"thin†, and organic products are not available in all retail outlets. The paper is organized as follows. In the next section, some descriptive statistics on the evolution of organic farming in the European Union (EU) and, particularly, in Spain are shown. A brief description of the survey instrument used is provided in section 3. Next, consumer market segments based on consumers’ lifestyles are defined and characterized taking into consideration both socioeconomic characteristics and attitudes towards organic food products and environmental concerns. In section 5 the willingness to pay of each segment and all products considered are calculated. A brief outline of the theoretical foundation of the CV method is also included. Finally, some concluding remarks are outlined. 2. Relative importance of organic agricultural production in the European Union and Spain 3 Land under organic farming in EU countries has dramatically increased from 425 thousand ha in 1992 to 2.9 million ha in 1999 (Table 1). Although the area has grown seven fold, it still represents only 2. 2% of total cultivated agricultural land. The proportion of land devoted to organic production on total cultivated land varies from country to country. The highest values are found in Austria (8. 4%), followed by Finland (6. 3%), Denmark (5. 5%), Sweden (5. 5%) and Italy (5. 3%). The lowest are found in the rest of the Mediterranean countries (Portugal, Greece and Spain) in spite of the important increase of land devoted to organic products in these countries. Among EU countries the most spectacular increase in land devoted to organic production has taken place in Italy, although a high percentage corresponds to pastures. (Insert Table 1) Organic farming in Spain has been developed only recently but has increased rapidly during the past few years. Land devoted to organic production has increased from 7,900 ha, in 1992, to 352,000 ha, in 1999, when it accounted for 1. 4% of the total utilized agricultural land, still under the European average. Three-fourths of Spanish organic farming is concentrated in three regions: Extremadura (47%), Andalucia (17%) and Castilla-Leon (12%) (Table 2). In relative terms, regions with higher percentages of organic farming on total utilized agricultural area are Canarias (7. 7%), Extremadura (6%) and Comunidad Valenciana (2. 6%). Normally, organic production in each region is highly related to the crops which are traditionally produced there. At the national level, cereals and olives are the main organic crops followed by nuts and fruits. However, it is noticeable that a high percentage of land devoted to pastures is under organic production, mainly concentrated in the central and southern part of Spain. This explains the relative importance of Extremadura and Andalucia in organic production. Navarra, on the other hand, is the region in which more diversification exists, producing a wide variety of organic agricultural products (fruits, vegetables, cereals and meat). (Insert Table 2) Available information on consumption is less precise. According to the European Commission, EU expenditures on organic products accounted for 1. 5 million Euros in 1991, representing 0. 3% of total food expenditures. The proportion varies from country to country. Expenditure on organic products in Denmark lies between 2% to 3% of total food expenditures; in Germany, it represents 1. 2%; in the United Kingdom, Ireland, France and the Netherlands it is 4 less than 1%. In the case of Spain, the relative importance of organic food products is lower, accounting for only 0. 5% of total food expenditures. Comparing the Spanish figures on production and consumption of organic food products, it is clear that production has increased faster than consumption. The demand for organic food in central and northern European countries is growing more rapidly than in Spain. The main consequence is that, today, more than 50% of organically produced fruits and vegetables are sold in foreign markets leaving, to a certain extent, consumers unattended in the domestic market. Producers get a premium when selling in foreign markets and they expect and want to earn the same premium in the domestic market. However, as in Spain most of the conventional food products are less expensive than in other European countries (mainly, pasta, fruits and vegetables), the gap between conventional and organic products prices is higher in Spain, limiting the expansion of organic food consumption. The study tries to provide a better understanding of Spanish consumers in relation to organic food. Assuming that higher prices is the main limiting factor for increasing organic consumption, special attention will be paid to the maximum premium consumers are willing to pay for such products. As a previous step, consumers will be segmented according to their lifestyles and, then, market segments characterized taking into account consumers socioeconomic characteristics and attitudes towards organic food products and environmental concerns. 3. Data The data used here come from a survey conducted in July-August 1997 in two Spanish regions: Navarra and Madrid. Navarra was selected not only because it is one of the most important producing regions in Spain, but also because it produces a wide variety of organic food products. Madrid is one the most important regions, together with Cataluna, in terms of organic food products consumption. Samples in both regions were selected using a stratified random sample of food buyers on the basis of age and district of residence2 . Four hundred respondents were randomly selected and personally interviewed at home in each region. Respondents were the main purchasers of food products within the household. The first question in the questionnaire was respondents’ 2 Census data were available in both regions. 5 degree of knowledge of what an organic product was. If the respondent did not know anything about them, he/she was not interviewed. So, only respondents with at least some knowledge of organic products were considered 3 . Only 10% of respondents in Navarra and 5% in Madrid claimed to buy organic products regularly, while another 55% in Navarra and 42%, in Madrid, were occasional buyers. These percentages are similar to those obtained in other studies ( ullen and Wholegenant, 1991; M Hansen and Sorensen, 1992, 1993). 4. Market segmentation for organic food As mentioned above, the first step in this study was to group consumers into homogeneous clusters. Consumers were segmented according to their lifestyles as previous research has shown that the willingness to pay for an organic product might be influenced by individual ways of living rather than by the usual socioeconomic variables (Hartman and New Hope, 1997). Once the market segments were obtained, they were characterized taking into account both consumers socioeconomic characteristics and their attitudes towards organic food products and environmental issues. Among socioeconomic characteristics, age, gender, education level, family size and income were judged to be the most relevant. Lifestyles as well as attitudes towards environmental issues, on one hand, and towards organic food products, on the other, were measured by three tested scales (the complete scales are shown in the Appendix). Respondents were asked to evaluate, assigning a value from 1 to 7, their agreement with different sentences. These three scales have been reduced by a principal components analysis to extract main dimensions on each aspect. 4 The main results from these analyses follow. i) Lifestyles. Table 3 shows the correlation between the original variables (sentences) and factors obtained from principal components analysis in Navarra and Madrid. In Navarra, lifestyles was summarized in three factors which account for 53% of the total variance (Table 3, top). The first one, ‘Natural food consumption’, explains 30% of the total variance and is linked to 3 Only consumers with at least a certain knowledge on what organic products are were interviewed. In a previous qualitative research, 90% respondents said they had heard or knew something about organic products. More or less the same percentage was found in the survey. Thus, the sample seems reasonably representative. 4 The non-linear principal components analysis (De Leeuw and Rijckevorsel, 1980) was also used as an alternative to condense the information. Results were almost identical to those presented. 6 consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables and the concern for reducing the consumption of red meat, processed food or food with additives. The second factor, ‘Life Equilibrium’, explains 14% of the total variance, and refers to the existence of a real interest on keeping a balance between work and private life, living in a methodical and ordered way and trying to reduce stress. Finally, the third factor contributes to 9% of the total variance. It is called, ‘Health care’, and shows the interest of consumers for keeping themselves healthy, through practicing sports, following a natural diet, controlling salt ingestion and regularly checking their health. In Madrid, four factors were selected which account for 62% of the total variance (Table 3, botton). The first three factors are similar to those obtained in Navarra, but in a different order, indicating that their relative importance differs. The first factor here is, ‘ Health care’, which explains 28% of the total variance and is linked to consumers awareness to regularly check their health. The second factor, ‘Natural food consumption’, contributes to explain 13% of the total lifestyles variance and, as in the case of Navarra, is linked to variables indicating consumers consumption of healthier food products. The third factor, ‘ ife Equilibrium’, has a similar L interpretation to the case of Navarra. Finally, the fourth factor, ‘Mediterranean diet ’, is related to a high consumption of fruits and a moderate consumption of meat. (Insert Table 3) ii) Attitudes towards environmental issues. In relation to attitudes about environmental issues, two factors were selected in both regions which explained 63% and 70% of the total variance in Navarra and Madrid, respectively (Table 4). The first factor, ‘Environmental conservation’, is related to variables indicating that consumers have an active interest in reducing the effect of environmental degradation by recycling products and using recycled products, etc. The second factor, ‘Environmental concerns’, is linked to those variables showing consumers awareness about the negative effect of development on the environment. (Insert Table 4) iii) Attitudes towards organic food products Table 5 shows the results of the principal components analysis carried out on variables related to consumers’ attitudes towards organic food products. The original information was summarized in two and three factors in the cases of Navarra and Madrid, respectively (Table 5). In Navarra the two factors account for 45% of the total variance. The first factor, ‘ Positive aspects’, emphasizes the quality, taste, healthiness, attractiveness and absence of harmful effects 7 of these products. The second factor, ‘Negative aspects’, is related to the perception that organic products are only a new fashion and more expensive than the conventional ones. In Madrid the three factors explain the 59% of the total variance. In this case, the organic food positive aspects were divided in two factors, ‘Quality and healthy aspects’ and ‘External appearance’ (related to organic food products’ attractiveness and taste). The â€Å"negative aspects† factor is related to the same attitudes as in the case of Navarra. (Insert Table 5) Market segmentation The K-means cluster analysis technique (Malhotra, 1993) was used to identify market segments in relation to organic food products. Lifestyles factors (Table 3) were used as segmentation variables. Three segments in Navarra and four segments in Madrid were identified. Each segment was characterized taking into account: consumers’ socioeconomic characteristics (age, gender, education level, family size and income); factors related to attitudes towards environmental issues (Table 4); factors related to attitudes towards organic food products (Table 5); and the consumption level of organic food products 5 . Results from cluster analysis and market segments characterization are shown in Tables 6 and 7, for Navarra and Madrid, respectively. (Insert Table 6) In Navarra, the first segment accounts for 25% of the sample (Table 6). It includes those people who show a leaning towards natural food consumption and a balanced life, but with no excessive care for their health. This is a potential consumer group of organic products as most of respondents occasionally consume them and a high proportion is willing to taste them in the near future. For this reason, the segment is labeled †Likely consumers†. Consumers in this segment are mainly women, middle-aged, with an educational level of high school or less and they positively assess the beneficial aspects of organic food products. The second segment includes 52% of consumers. It is formed by respondents evenly split between men and women. They are also not well educated (high school or less) and 75% are of medium income. They are worried about health and the balance between private life and work, but pay less attention to follow a natural diet. The percentage of regular and occasional 5. Four categories were defined: 1) regular consumption, 2) occasional consumption; 3) no consumption but probably yes in the near future; 4) no consumption at all. 8 consumers is the highest among all segments; therefore this segment is called â€Å"Organic food consumers†. Nevertheless, this big proportion could reflect certain confusion among consumers between real organic products and those grown in home gardens, for self-consumption. This is very frequent in this area. Navarra is a very important producer region of fruits and vegetables and many people living in town keep strong links with rural areas. This fact could also explain the negative value assigned to the â€Å"natural food consumption† factor. Furthermore, no need for a special consideration of healthy diet is shown as it is intrinsic to consumption habits. The third segment accounts for 23% of respondents. This is clearly the least involved group on natural food consumption, life equilibrium and health care and includes the highest percentage of no consumers. The relatively low potential consumption together with the lack of awareness about health and more natural diets suggest that organic consumption in this group will not be stimulated. Therefore, this segment is labeled as â€Å"Unlikely consumers†. Half of consumers in this segment have less than 35 years old. Finally, it is important to note that among the â€Å"unlikely consumers† half of them have more than a high school. Results from segmentation in Madrid are different because of the heterogeneity of an over 5 million inhabitants town (Table 7). Four segments were identified. Half of the consumers within the first segment (23% of the population) are over 60 years old and there are more households with 2 o fewer inhabitants than in the other groups. Consumers in this group are better educated than in other segments. However, almost 90% of consumers are of medium or modest income. They are not very aware of environmental problems but are worried about health issues and try to follow a â€Å"balanced† life. Mediterranean diet is valued positively but consumption of organic products is not of much interest for them as they do not appreciate the positive organic food products attributes. Therefore, this segment is called â€Å"Unlikely mature consumers†. (Insert Table 7) The second segment is similar to the previous one in terms of the consumption level although the percentage of regular and occasional consumers is even lower. In relation to sociodemographic characteristics consumers in this segments are younger, than those of the first segment, the percentage of male consumers is higher and, finally, family size is larger. They are not very involved in environmental issues, have a negative image of organic products and are not worried about diet and health but try to maintain a certain equilibrium between working and 9 private life. This segment is labeled â€Å"Unlikely young consumers† and accounts for 20% of the population. The third segment (22% of the population) is also mainly formed by households with 3 or 4 members (usually a couple with one or two children). The percentage of consumers educated beyond high school is very low in this group (17%). Consumers within this segment are looking for a more natural diet in which Mediterranean products play an important role, although they show a negative attitude towards the external appearance of organic food products. They are occasional buyers of organic food and are likely to increase their consumption if the natural attribute of such products is reinforced. Thus, this segment is called â€Å"Likely consumers†. Finally, the forth segment accounts for 35% of the population and is labeled â€Å"organic food consumers†. The percentage of regular and occasional consumers is the highest in relation to other groups. It is quite similar to the second segment found in Navarra although it is smaller. Consumers do not show special socioeconomic profiles. Only it is noticeable the high percentage of female consumers. People within this group participate more actively in environmental conservation tasks and are more concerned about food diet and health. As it can be observed from tables 6 and 7, market segments found in both regions present certain similarities although they are more heterogeneous in the case of Madrid. The â€Å"organic food consumers† segment is larger in the producing region (Navarra) as previously discussed. In any case, different market segments, with different socioeconomic and lifestyle characteristics, normally mean differences in preferences. In this paper, the main objective was to evaluate the consumer willingness to pay (WTP) for organic products. In the next section we will answer this question and will identify differences across segments in both regions. 5. Willingness to pay: the contingent valuation method Consumers willingness to pay (WTP) for organic food products is here measured using a direct valuation method: contingent valuation (CV). A mixed questioning procedure, normally called closed-ended with follow-up was used. This procedure consists of a dichotomous choice (DC) question and a maximum WTP question. In the DC question, consumers are asked whether or not they are willing to pay a premium, A, to buy an organic food product instead of a i conventional one. The amount Ai is a percentage over the price of the conventional product and 10 differs across consumers (5%, 10%, 15% and 20%)6 . Consumers responses are YES if they are willing to pay at least Ai for an organic product or NO, otherwise. Consumers are then asked for the exact premium they are willing to pay. The dichotomous individual response is linked to the maximum utility choice which allows us to calculate the WTP from appropriate welfare measures (Hanemann, 1984). Hanemann (1984) assumed that consumers know, with certainty, their utility function before being asked and after paying the amount Ai for buying organic food products. However, some components of these utilities are unknown or unobservable by researches who consider them as stochastic. This issue is the crucial assumption which explains the relation between statistical binary response models and the utility maximizing theory (Hanemann, 1984, 1987). Assuming a linear utility function and a logistic distribution function for the binary question, the WTP can be measured through the estimation of the following logistic function (Hanemann, 1984): Pi = (1 + e -(? + ? Ai) )-1 where, Pi : 1 if consumers are willing to pay the amount Ai and 0 otherwise Ai : the four premiums offered to consumers (5%, 10%, 15% and 20%) Therefore, the mean of WTP is calculated as follows: E(WTP) = ? ?0 (1 + e -(? + ? A) )-1 dA = -? /? (1) Survey data consisted of 400 questionnaires but only 360 were available in Navarra and 376 in Madrid for estimation purposes. The rest of questionnaires were dropped out because interviewers had not answered the dichotomous question. Model defined in (1) was transformed to a linear one: DCi = ? + ? Ai where, DCi : is the logarithm of the probability ratio (Pi /1- Pi ) (2). 6 Consumers are randomly offered a premium of 5, 10, 15 or 20% above the marketed price for a conventional product. Our 400 interviews resulted in 100 answers for each amount A i . 11 Tables 8 and 9 show the maximum willingness to pay for various organic products (vegetables, potatoes, cereals, fruits, eggs, chicken and red meat) in Navarra and Madrid 7 . As we were interested in knowing if WTP differences existed across market segments, we tested for differences in WTP using a covariance analysis method. The unrestricted model was equation (1) adding the appropriate dummy variables. Two types of restrictions were tested: i) no differences across all segments; and ii) differences between any pair of segments. Results from Likelihood Ratio tests are shown in Tables 8 and 9. (Insert Table 8) (Insert Table 9) Also, we tested for starting point bias, that is, if premium offered to consumers biased WTP results. A linear regression was used to estimate consumers WTP as a function of the offered premium. A significant relationship would mean that WTP results were biased. Only in the case of potatoes in Madrid, results were conditioned to the offered premium. In the case of Navarra, all estimated parameters in segments 1 and 2 are individually significant at 5% level (Table 8). As expected, ? coefficients are negative, meaning that the higher is the premium (Ai) offered to consumers, the lower is the probability of answering YES. The third column in each segment shows the willingness to pay for organic products. The WTP is significantly different among all segments at 5% significance level (first column in Table 8). However, no differences were found between segment 1 and segment 2, indicating that potential and actual consumers are willing to pay a similar premium for all products. In both segments, the WTP ranges from 15% to 25% over the price of conventional products. Consumers included in the third segment, â€Å"Unlikely consumers†, are more reluctant to pay a premium for an organic product which is consistent with their attitudes and lifestyles. Most of the estimated parameters are not significant indicating that their WTP is zero. Only in the case of eggs is the WTP close to 10%. In general terms, consumers in Madrid were willing to pay a smaller premium for an organic product (Table 9). Furthermore, when compared to Navarra, results obtained in Madrid are substantially different as market segments differ. The most interesting result is that all segments are willing to pay a higher premium for fruits and vegetables. It seems that for 7 For comparison purposes the sample average WTP for different products in Navarra and Madrid are respectively: vegetables (13%, 12%); potatoes (9%, 9%); cereals (10%, 8%); fruits (13%, 13%); eggs (10%, 11%); chicken (13%, 9%) and; red meat (14%, 11%). 12 perishable products, like fruits and vegetables, the specific characteristics of organic production are more appreciated by consumers. Consumers’ WTP is significantly different across all segments when jointly considered. However, differences segment 1, 2 and 3 are quite small and not significant in most products. On the other hand, the â€Å"Organic food consumers† are willing to pay a higher and significantly different premium than the rest for an organic food product. Only for animal products (red meat, chicken and eggs), differences between real and potential consumers (market segments 4 and 3) are not significant. Among â€Å"unlikely consumers† (market segments 1 and 2), the older ones, worried about natural food consumption, are willing to pay a higher premium for organic meat products than the younger. 6. Conclusions Organic farming practices are becoming increasingly popular among producers although they still represent a marginal share of arable land. New possibilities to get subsidies within the Common Agricultural Policy has favored a rapid growth of organic production although a high percentage is devoted to pastures. On the demand side, the increase concerns about health, diet and environmental deterioration have, at least among some market segments, stimulated the demand for organic food. In Spain, organic food production and consumption have grown more slowly than in other â€Å"northern† European countries. One of the main obstacles for organic food expansion in Spain is the existing gap between conventional and organic food prices. Approximately 75% of organic production is exported to foreign countries where food prices are higher than in domestic markets. As the producers price strategy is oriented to fix more or less the same price level in both domestic and foreign markets (mainly in Germany and Denmark where the consumption of organic products has undertaken a noticeable increase in the last years), the result is that the premium Spanish consumers have to pay for organic food products is higher in comparison to other European countries. Two issues were explored which can affect the future development of organic production in Spain. The first was to detect market segments which could be potential consumers of organic food. The second issue was the identification of the maximum premium the various market segments were willing to pay for such products in order to help producers to take adequate pricing strategies in domestic markets. The study was carried out in two Spanish regions: one is 13 an active producing area ( avarra) while the other is the main food consumption market N (Madrid). Differences between regions were also analyzed. Finally, one of the main outcomes of this paper is that it covers a wide range of products in order to make comparisons both between products and market segments. In relation to the first issue, market segments were identified considering consumers lifestyles and, then, were characterized taking into account not only consumers socioeconomic characteristics but also consumption levels and attitudes towards organic food products and environmental issues. Similar segments were obtained in both regions although more heterogeneity was found in the case of Madrid. In general terms, three broad market segments were identified: consumers, likely consumers and unlikely consumers. The surprising result is that organic food consumers in both regions were larger than expected taking into account expenditure figures discussed in section 2. The answer to this surprising result is that in many areas consumers are supplying their own products. They consider them organic, simply because no fertilizers are used, when really they are not, as there is not any official certification. In spite of this result, some concluding remarks can be outlined. In general terms, consumers socioeconomic characteristics are not very relevant when explaining differences among market segments. Lifestyles and attitudes towards environmental issues are key factors explaining organic food consumption and have to be considered when designing appropriate promotion strategies by producers or marketers. In relation to the second issue, three main results were obtained.

Hard Times and Utilitarianism Essay

â€Å"NOW, what I want is, Facts†, and so starts Charles Dickens novel Hard Times which first appeared as a serial publication in 1854. Dickens regularly took inspiration from the prevailing conditions as topics of his writings and proceeds to make social commentaries through his brand of creative fiction. Examples of these are Oliver Twist (Dickens, 1837) and Bleak House (Dickens, 1952). Hard Times was similarly inspired. The novel is mainly a critic of Utilitarianism, the dominant philosophy at the time the novel was written. As Geoffrey Scarre (1996) stated in his book entitled Utilitarianism, â€Å"The eighteenth century was the green youth of utilitarianism, as the nineteenth was its prime† (p. 49). The term utilitarianism was first coined by Jeremy Bentham in 1781 (Bailey, 1997, p. 3). His ideas were much derided even then and at the House of Commons at that when Lord Brougham dismissing Bentham as, â€Å"’having dealt more with books than with men† (Mack, 1963, p. 2). Yet, despite his seeming notoriety the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834 was passed which defined and classified the poor and outlined how should be handled. â€Å"The Act was and is seen as more or less Benthamite† as concluded by Peter Stokes (2001) in his article entitled Bentham, Dickens and the Uses of the Workhouse (p. 711). It was against this Act that Dickens created Oliver Twist. Dickens’ continues his propaganda against such philosophy with Hard Times. While personifying the basic tenets of utilitarianism in his book, he is, on the other hand, equally condemning it in the same breath. This is already evident as you read the second paragraph where he strips his purported hero of facts of any semblance of respect when he describes the character that is Thomas Gradgrind rather comically with his hair and head as â€Å"a plantation of firs to keep the wind from its shining surface, all covered with knobs, like the crust of a plum pie† (Dickens, 2007, p. 10). This is a deliberate ploy to set an image in the reader’s mind which can effectively cloud anything the character will expound upon even if it may lean towards the rational and acceptable. Dickens’ use of various figures of speech is also ironic as it runs contrary to the basic tenets his character is espousing. This form of mockery can be seen all throughout the novel up until the end when Gradgrind sees the lights and begins â€Å"making his facts and figures subservient to Faith, Hope, and Charity†(Dickens, 2007, p. 387). What is it about utilitarianism that Dickens’ seems to be vehemently opposed to? Several of its principles were taken up in the book. Dickens took a one-sided approach and presented it on an extreme scale and argued against it. We will explore how these were countered by Dickens by using excerpts from the book. In Bentham’s (1996) An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation he declared that â€Å"An action then may be said to be conformable to the principle of utility . . . when the tendency it has to augment the happiness of the community is greater than any it has to diminish it† (p. 12-13). Simply, put, as long as the number of people who are happy is greater that those who are not happy, then all is well. However, this main concept was methodically censured by Dickens by using examples that touched heavily on human interest which therefore, from the perspective of the humane, such reasoning would not be justified at all. A question on prosperity was posed to girl number twenty to which she replied: I thought I couldn’t know whether it was a prosperous nation or not, and whether I was in a thriving state or not, unless I knew who had got the money, and whether any of it was mine. But that had nothing to do with it. (Dickens, 2007, p. 82) With this illustration, it is maintained that the individual good should not be relegated to any mathematical computations. The point was further driven home with the next example. And he said, This schoolroom is an immense town, and in it there are a million of inhabitants, and only five-and-twenty are starved to death in the streets, in the course of a year. What is your remark on that proportion? And my remark was – for I couldn’t think of a better one – that I thought it must be just as hard upon those who were starved, whether the others were a million, or a million million. And that was wrong, too. (Dickens, 2007, p. 82) It is thus contended that such principle cannot and should never be adapted in the formulation of policies and the establishment of institutions when it comes to people’s well-being as we are more than mere data and statistics. This, however, is not the case in Coketown. Coketown is the community where the all the main characters worked and dwelled, survived and tarried about. This was where the major events occurred. Since it has already been established early on that following the tenets of fact can not lead to anything fanciful, it is not surprising that Coketown was depicted to be very spartan and has retained only â€Å"what was severely workful† (Dickens, 2007, p. 37). It is an industrial town that is generally void of lively entertainment and distractions if one can see through the smoke with the textile plant as the main source of income and employment for the â€Å"Hands†, a rather curt label to its workers as if there are no living and feeling beings attached to those appendages. Coketown, as John R. Harrison (2000) described it in his essay, â€Å"represents the domination of an inhuman, utilitarian, industrial ethos† (p. 115). Yet, Coketown can be viewed as the reality of fact. It embodies the concrete representation of the theories of utilitarianism which further belies its effectivity on a community that lives to live and not just survive. Within the town, there is the school run by schoolmasters who share Gradgrind’s methods and beliefs. It can be gathered that they have great memorization skills and would most likely be able to rattle off any observable characteristics of any person, place or thing. The teaching is so rigid that there is simply no place for any sort of creativity. There is just black and white. â€Å"Murdering the Innocents† indeed as the chapter is aptly called. That in itself plainly shows Dickens’ disapproval of such a stiff approach in education where minds are dictated to rather than molded. A further commentary on the misleadingly laudable wealth of knowledge was given, â€Å"If he had only learnt a little less, how infinitely better he might have taught much more! † (Dickens, 2007, p. 18). Another argument against utilitarianism is its apparent support of inequality while still following the happiness principle of the greater good. Utilitarianism claims that a relevant reason for tolerating inequalities is a gain in efficiency; that is, we should be prepared to tolerate the fact that some persons’ lives go less well than others if some aggregate of personal good is greater. (Bailey, 1997, p. 10) This principle is personified in the book by Josiah Bounderby, owner of the textile mill, owner of the bank, owner of the loudest mouth in Coketown. How he came about his wealth was not detailed in his narration of his rags-to-riches story. However, he is not one who attracts admiration and awe for his accomplishments. On the contrary, he is morally ruined by choosing only what he deems to be advantageous to him. He fully appreciates what he has with no regard to level off the disparity. Instead, he maintains and continues to attempt to raise his status even more by denigrating the lives of others. It was a fundamental principle of the Gradgrind philosophy that everything was to be paid for. Nobody was ever on any account to give anybody anything, or render anybody help without purchase. Gratitude was to be abolished, and the virtues springing from it were not to be. Every inch of the existence of mankind, from birth to death, was to be a bargain across a counter. And if we didn’t get to Heaven that way, it was not a politico-economical place, and we had no business there. (Dickens, 2007, p. 375) Dickens demonstrates here that the greater good is subject to a lot of interpretations and it is normally self-serving in that the one who seems to be higher on the scale will never relinquish his power to those who had now been branded as the lesser good. However, the tentacles of the stick-to-the-facts approach did not stop within the boundaries of the town. It must be noted that Gradgrind was being aided by a government official during his discourse with the students in the first chapter who more than willingly shared his beliefs and even went on to imply that these teachings must be applied at all times, at every opportunity and in every aspect of one’s life even at something as mundane as papering your walls or carpeting your floors. Do not do anything that is contrary to reality. There is no form merely function. What is all the more alarming is that Gradgrind was later made a Member of Parliament, â€Å"one of the representatives of the multiplication table, one of the deaf honourable gentlemen, dumb honourable gentlemen. . . â€Å" (Dickens, 2007, p. 127). Dickens makes it known that despite the fallacies and inhumane improbabilities of the radical teachings of utilitarianism, it can still muster followers and influence policies. Therefore, Dickens continues with more events and inevitable results and consequences in his book to trample any other doubt remaining as regards unyielding adherence to facts. One thing that can be said about living things is that their behavior can never be predicted. Take, for example, the white tiger which mauled the magician Roy Horn in spite of it being with them for several years without any incident. More so with people whose thinking processes are more complex. One cannot take a general rule and expect that all will react and comply with it unvaryingly. Current studies have now shown that â€Å"all aspects of personality are fundamentally unique and idiosyncratic to each individual† (Deary, 2003, p. 6). Despite lack of any scientific proof, Dickens’ had already concluded that even individuals who practically grew up living, studying, acting out a way of life are merely suppressing their true nature and would inevitably fight back one way or the other. With these, let us now take a look at Tom, the whelp and Louisa. Tom and Louisa first made their appearance in the book in Chapter III aptly entitled The Loophole. The â€Å"eminently practical father† was basking in his conviction that his children were the models of factual upbringing when he came upon his two eldest children one peeping through a hole in the wall and other peeping through the crack underneath the wall. It could be imagined that time came to a stop with all three just looking at each other with incredulous expressions on their faces. It was bound to happen that children’s innate curiosity will get the better of them and explore realms outside their scope. The rule of thumb is when met with rules, immediately find ways to go around it; look for loophole. There were already indications of deviations from the inflexible path provided them. The mere fact that Louisa has began to wonder even if she was chastised to â€Å"never wonder† (Dickens, 2007, p. 71). There is no room for sentimentality or â€Å"fancy†, if you will, and is simply not allowed for the logical reason that it is e not concrete. It is not based on the real. It has no parts that can be broken down and studied. It cannot be calculated. Utilitarianism hinders that aspect that distinguishes us from the rest of the animal kingdom and that is the ability to feel and think in abstracts. Utilitarians, may contend however, that anatomically, it would be the opposable thumb that sets us apart. The gradual breakdown of the children who had such an upbringing took on different routes but both led to a destruction of their seemingly perfect lives. Tom gave much credence to his pseudo-freedom from the stifling rigidity of science and math and into the arms of vice. No productive outlet or substitute was provided for his suppressed emotions and was therefore easily addicted and resorted to get-rich quick schemes. Louisa, on the other hand, had no choice but to give in to expectations of her and that is to get married which led to the further repression of her emotions. Questions on social issues can be gleaned from the discussion of marriage between Gradgrind and his daughter where Gradgrind, typical of a man and worse, a man blinded by facts and practicality could not read between the lines as he itemizes the pros and the cons of the proposal of marriage as if it is a mere business proposal and must be approached with much objectivity. What should take precedence when it comes to marriages? Should it be for practical purposes or tests of compatibility? If neither is no longer present, should one cut ties altogether? Anyway, as Gradgrind continues to be practical, his daughter laments as she is about to enter into next phase of adulthood when she has yet to experience childhood. ‘Why, father,’ she pursued, ‘what a strange question to ask me! The baby-preference that even I have heard of as common among children, has never had its innocent resting-place in my breast. You have been so careful of me, that I never had a child’s heart. You have trained me so well, that I never dreamed a child’s dream. You have dealt so wisely with me, father, from my cradle to this hour, that I never had a child’s belief or a child’s fear. ’ (Dickens, 2007, p. 138) And to this, â€Å"Mr. Gradgrind was quite moved by his success, and by this testimony to itâ€Å" (Dickens, 2007, p. 138) only to listen and break down and do some soul-searching himself when Louisa has finally allowed herself several years later to break free from her suppression and made her father understood the misery in her heart and the consequences it will ultimately bring. Another hapless victim was Mrs. Gradgrind herself who was reduced to something quite insignificant as she had been unable to cope with the academic precepts. She was however given the chance to salvage what remained of her true self and only because she gave up trying to absorb the useless facts that cluttered and rattled in her mind. It also makes a resounding statement that the redeeming characters in the book were only partly or not at all exposed to the tenets prescribed by Gradgrind. There was Sissy Jupe a. k. a. Cecilia to Gradgrind a. k. a.  girl number twenty to her schoolmasters. She only joined the family later on and while she was not spared the rigors of fact bombardment, she was able to escape intact having had a solid upbringing in an atmosphere of discipline, fun and love. On impulse and on love, she was able to right the wrongs. She was able to persuade Harthouse, Louisa’s intended lover from leaving not through logic but by faith. She was able save Jane, Gradgrind’s younger daughter from the plight of Louisa by opening to her a childhood not before experienced in that household. Then there was Rachael, a Hand in the textile mill who did not have any formal schooling. Yet, this did not belittle her in the reader’s eyes because she had enough compassion to carry the whole town. Then there were the circus people. They were the only community who consistently showed a semblance of emotion, of camaraderie, of caring. Even the dog, Merrylegs, manifested human attributes and possibly gained more sympathy than Bounderby who publicly embarrassed himself for lying about his own mother and denying his heritage. All the proponents of utilitarianism met their downfall while those who showed humanity led fulfilling lives. Gradgrind himself has discovered that aside from the â€Å"wisdom of the Head. . . there is the wisdom of the Heart† (Dickens, 2007, p. 295) and Dickens was magnanimous enough to give his character a chance at true happiness. We end this paper with words from Sleary, circus owner and philosopher as he sums up how it is and how it should be when dealing with your fellow men and when dealing with life.

To what extent does an understanding of power enhance our appreciation Essay

To what extent does an understanding of power enhance our appreciation of the problems and paradoxes confronting the would-be ra - Essay Example The common people were but adherents of the rules set forth by those in charge, and remonstrations were subject to adverse sentences. For this reason, power was wholly desired, and at the same time a basis for apprehensions of those under it. However, when pluralism came into the picture and the United States of America initiated the crusade for democracy, many believed that power was dispersed among qualified citizens of a territory. Pluralism is the view that â€Å"in liberal democracies power is dispersed among a variety of economic and ideological pressure groups and is not held by a single elite or group of elites. Pluralism assumes that diversity is beneficial to society and that autonomy should be enjoyed by disparate functional or cultural groups within a society, including religious groups, trade unions, professional organizations, and ethnic minorities† (Encyclopaedia Britannica 2011). The above notion proposes that power is but a diminutive piece of a puzzle that wa rrants connection with the rest of its kind before it can make an influence. Power has no real value if the parties concerned do not consent its amalgamation. This tends to imply that political power is of modest roots, contrary to the general impression that the same is abusive and overbearing. In effect, political leaders are also called public servants, as they require consensus of the majority of their constituents before any legislation is put into operation. In a corporate perspective, power is bestowed upon organizational managers, not for the mere purpose of implementing policies or taking control of the employees. They are not identified as rulers, but rather leaders who are expected to set good examples to their subordinates, to facilitate coordination among all levels of the organization, to formulate decisions when the need arises, and initiate alternative courses of actions at the presence of setbacks. In other words, organizational power in the corporate world is but a ccountability in its most prestigious form. Henry Minztburg, author of The Succesful Managers, defines ten managerial roles; all embracing interpersonal, social, and decisional aspects. They include figurehead, leader, liaison, monitor, disseminator, spokesperson, entrepreneur, disturbance handler, resource allocator and negotiator (Management.atwork.com 2008). All of these roles are what makes managers a figure of power in a corporate environment with the employees acting as contributors to the cause. In his work â€Å"Top Performance†, Zig Ziglar points out that â€Å"you won’t be an effective leader or manager unless you gain the willing cooperation of others. Cooperation is not getting others to do what you want, but getting others to want to do what you want† (Business Summaries 2009). In other words, a manager or a leader is unable to exemplify true power if support from subordinates is not given at will. Renowned author Stephen Covey suggests that there a re four ingredients to a good leader: inspire trust, clarify purpose, align system, and unleashed talent (Covey 2007). He (2007) expounds that fine leadership is a product of combined character and competence demonstrated towards the benefit of not just the organization but also the people; that, an open communication is a conduit to an objective best identified. Should a leader be merited trust for the display of outstanding qualities, it is equally imperative that

Eric Garner Incident Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Eric Garner Incident - Assignment Example It is evident through a video at the event that he expressed that he could not breathe. This paper discusses what federal law the NYPD officer violated and charges that Department of Justice might bring against him. It is apparent that the NYPD officer violated federal law that covers police misconduct. The federal prosecutors will tend to pursue criminal, civil rights charges to prove that Pantaleo violated Section 1983. The existence of the recording makes it easier to prosecute. This is because misconduct is proven easily when it entails physical force instead of shooting. The amount of pressure used by Pantaleo must be proved, but it might be easy since chokehold is banned under NYPD policy. Also, the race element in civil rights violation be considered but it can be tricky to prove it (Donnelly, par 1-3). After Pantaleo was cleared of civil rights violation charges, he still faces a civil lawsuit. It is apparent that in October, the Garner’s relatives filed a lawsuit against the NYPD and six individual officers accusing them of wrongful death, intentional infliction of emotional distress and assault. The family claimed that Pantaleo negligently placed Eric Garner in a chokehold that is banned from being used by the NYPD. They also identified that the officers involved failed to properly report the use of the chokehold maneuver to the seniors to create a cover up (Lu, par 5). There are several penalties that might be imposed to Pantaleo if he is found guilty. One is that he could be reprimanded. As at this time, he is subjected to an internal affairs investigation within the NYPD. Pantaleo is currently on desk duty where he has been limited to access his gun. If he is found guilty for using excessive force, the NYPD advocate office will determine the level of punishment. The officer may face a disciplinary action or get terminated as a police officer. It is evident that his fate lies with the Bill;

Management of Change in Lufthansa Airlines Essay

Management of Change in Lufthansa Airlines - Essay Example Secondly, there must be allocation and mobilisation of resources so that the necessary changes may be executed. According to Beer and Eisenstat (2000, p. 32), it is increasingly becoming very critical for the corporate world to excel at strategic change management so that they could outperform their competitors. This paper then will discuss corporate restructuring and privatisation in Lufthansa Airlines. The Type of Change and Why It Was Introduced Lufthansa was almost going under in 1991 owing to accrued large debts. However, in a span of eight years, the company turned around its fortunes to become a world leader in the aviation industry. In order to turn around its fortunes, the company had to institute radical changes. After instituting changes, which was the first step in the process, more allied changes had to follow so that the future of the company could be assured. The management of the company decided to execute change at four different levels, which were modelled around th e concept of renewal sustenance at four levels. However, after eight years of its turnaround, none of the processes that were started were completed. The most challenging bit was sustaining the progress introduced through change. It has been pointed out by Boxall (1996, p. 66) that most processes of change do not work because of an absence of attitudes geared towards change. It follows then that irrespective of how important or good a change process is, the desired goals are not achieved. Similarly, Beer and Eisenstat (2000, p. 35) are of the opinion that those change programs that do not work are usually based on theories of change that are flawed. In this case, it is important for change management to recognise their limitations in terms of ability to institute changes from the top. Instead, change managers should be involved in the creation of the climate of change that is in tandem with the company’s development goals without relying on any specific solution (Armenakis an d Bedeain, 1999, p. 302; Schuler and Jackson, S. 2001, p. 247). There is usually a difference between execution philosophy of change and process management philosophy. On the one hand, the former is of the assumption that leading change is the primary task in the process of change while, on the other hand, the latter places emphasis on the main task of change as planned implementation (Burnes, 2009, p. 76). The Context in Which Change Took Place During the change process, it becomes apparent that the basis of principles and values are dictated by underlying cultures (Worren, Ruddle and Moore, 1999, p. 279). The conditions that exist in the American companies are different from those of European continent in relation to criteria that are important for change strategies (Theodorakopoulos and Figueira, 2012, p. 863). This is particularly pertinent to HRM (human resource management) because it is involved with contemporary techniques of management, besides primarily dealing with etiquet te and values. There has to be a differentiation between strategies HRM and their role during the change process. It has been noted that HRM is deeply entrenched in the American culture, which counter-runs the prevalent In Europe culture of social responsibility, collectivism and pluralism (Saunders, Mann and Smith, 2008, p. 1110).

Modern Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Modern Life - Essay Example Fatalism means practical knowledge of limits, self reliance suggests freedom from dependence, religion is a validation and knowledge is developed outside of metropolitan institutions. (Seitz, 1995, p. 128). In this modern life, women are now working shoulder to shoulder with men, and this progress actually happened gradually. Gradually because there are certain impediments that women had to face to prove their capability and potential to be able to become self dependent; some of which have been aforementioned such as the value of women in existing cultures. Other than external factors, do the women folk even appreciate the value of self dependence themselves? Here, the question being posed suggests that are women an impediment to their own progress towards self dependence? Well, the answer is partly yes, because of the reason is that she is not taught self dependence. (Mill, 2008, pg. 111). Understanding the Meaning of Self Dependence Self dependence simply means to be dependent on one’s own self in order to achieve something such as a one’s goals, aims, desires and the like. Self dependence is a synonym for self reliance. A self dependent person accepts and realizes that fact they are responsible for their lives as an individual. Self dependence is a strong belief that one can face the challenges in life alone with no one’s help and guidance other than oneself. When a person is able to listen to himself., they can trust themselves and move their life according to their will. Women and Self Dependence The word self dependent has been started being associated with women, too. However; women of today do not enjoy the bounties of this term completely. It is partial for them. â€Å"If you want a thing done, go yourself; if not, send.† This axiom is clearly and fully valued by most men but not appreciated by the women. It suggests that one of the very last things women are taught, often thr ough a course of miserable helplessness, difficulties, heart burning and pain, is self dependence which boys are taught from their school days till they are grown men. (Craik, p. 27). There are a number of impediments that come in between women and the development of their complete self dependence in this modern world. First basic reason is the way they are brought up, secondly are the cultural values, thirdly the existence of gender disparity at different environments such as educational institutions, workplace environment and the like. Women and Their Brought Up In today’s societies, girls are brought up in similar ways as they were brought up traditionally. That is, they are still told the differences between the female and male gender since they are children. Females are raised to be dainty and lady like, and males on the other hand are raised to be strong and never show weakness. Since the start of their lives, children are taught their different respective roles in the society. For example, girls are made to wear pink dresses and boys are made to wear blue colored dresses. This small differentiation has great and hidden impact on the minds of both the genders. When playing with toys, girls tend to play with dolls and boys tend to play with cars, trucks. Some of it is an inherited quality and some things in them are shaped by the environment. This is also called socialization, in which girls and boys are brought up with different beliefs. All societies have this norm. Women are not considered physiologically equal to men. Males are made to believe that they are predisposed to becoming aggressive. And women on the other hand are made to believe that they are gentle and tender. (Digital Term papers). Cultural Aspects For Women’s Self Dependence Most of the cultures recognize women as belonging to the

D.P Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

D.P - Essay Example Vonnegut narrates the fact that Joe is teased by his fellows in the orphanage as well as by other people who live in the area surrounding the orphanage. He is a very sweet and innocent young boy who is made aware of his uniqueness by the people who surround him. Joe is misguided by a mechanic who enjoys making fun of him that his father is in the area and he looks like Joe. Joe sets out looking for him and he considers a black soldier sergeant to be his father. He eventually returns to the orphanage but only after he is given hope by the sergeant that he will come back to take Joe with him. The story has a very deep and important meaning and theme. Vonnegut explains the phenomenon of racism and how deep rooted this issue is and he also presents the lives of young children who get displaced by wars and their search for hope and happiness. Joe is a black and he is always made a target by the people of the village where they are taken for walks by the nuns. He is also teased by a boy na med Peter in the orphanage who is elder than him and who always keeps on reminding him that he is not a part of this community. This can be seen when Joe states to the nun, â€Å"But Peter says I don’t belong here, that I’m not a German and never can be.† This highlights the fact that Peter always tries to make young Joe feel bad. This may be due to the fact that Peter is old enough and he remembers his good times and he has the memories of his family which make him feel worst about his condition. This probably serves as a drive for him to make other children feel the sadness as he does in his life. Joe is also targeted by the people in the village and a mechanic and other people who work in the village usually ask him mocking questions. The mechanic compares him to a world heavy weight champion as he and the villagers considered the champion Joe Louis to be the only known black. Joe is an innocent child and he always questions the nuns as to why they ask him su ch questions. He does not understand why he is targeted as once he asks the nun, â€Å"Why do people smile when they see me, and try to make me sing and talk, and then laugh when I do?† Though he is unable to understand the reason why people behave with him the way they do but he does know that he is different from the other people and he asks the nun about why he does not see other people like him in the village. Joe always tries to find ways to understand about his identity. The nun always tries to raise his spirit. He is a displaced child and she understands the difficulties that he may be coming across. â€Å"Joe, Joe! Look quickly,† said the nun â€Å"See-up there, in the tree. See the little sparrow with the broken leg. Oh, poor, brave little thing- he still gets around quite well. See him, Joe?† Hop, hop, hippity-hop.† By saying these lines to little John, the nurse tries to raise his spirit and motivate him by giving him the example of a sparrow wh o is hurt and hence he cannot fly like other birds but still he is brave and facing the situation. In a similar manner, she tries to infuse courage in the little boy so that he does not get disheartened. The story explains the wants and desires of displaced children who try to search for happiness in their lives. When Joe is informed by the mechanic that his father is in town, he truly believes him.

Global Issues. Land Reclamation. What are the alternatives to Research Paper - 1

Global Issues. Land Reclamation. What are the alternatives to expanding a nation's economy rather than land reclamation - Research Paper Example ts in four categories which comprise of Draining of wetlands, Building of artificial islands, Floating platforms built out above the water, and Housing built on poles over water. The draining of flooded wetlands is frequently used to reclaim land for agricultural use, port expansions or industrial use. As the world develops, the population increases and the demand for infrastructures of business, commercial, and housing are on the rise. Countries like Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore, used this method as a way of solving the land problems in their states. In the United States, all techniques of land reclamation have been applied, but the primary one is by irrigation. Under the 1902 reclamation act, the Bureau of Reclamation provides water that has been sponsored by taxpayers to agriculturalists in dry areas in seventeen western states. The aims of reclamation include flood control, recreation, and hydroelectric power generation. Moreover, Land reclamation is not the only way a nation can improve its economy. There exist numerous ways a nation can improve its economy rather than destroying the coastline. A country can decide to major in fish production to improve its revenues, or the rare species that exist in the oceans can be a tourist attraction that will improve a countrys econo my through tourism, among others. The purpose of this study is to find out why land refilling is a concern and its historical and global context. Also, we are going to look at the reasons we should act on the landfilling issue as soon as possible and the possible solutions. Lastly, we will relate this issue as it is with Bahrain. The paper will seek to answer the question of alternatives to expanding a nation’s economy instead of land reclamation (Zeballos and Yamaguchi, 690). Reclamation is not just a local issue, but also a worldwide issue. Due to this, it has an immense significance in the current days. The landfill has been shown to produce more wealth globally, through altering

Crime mapping Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Crime mapping - Essay Example Clustering is indicated by the nearest neighbour index (NNI) and the NNI value from the table are 0.5746, 0.4679 and 0.4838 for shift 1, shift 2 and shift 3 respectively. An NNI value of 1 indicates random clustering and therefore the above NNI values are less than 1 and this indicates clustering of occurring offences. The P values for the three shifts is p value = 0.0001 and because this value is less than 0.05 then the clustering of occurring offences are statistically significant. From the table shift two has NNI value 0.4679 and a standard deviation distance value of 2887.5 and this is the lowest NNI value meaning that this shift is more clustered than all the other shifts, shift 1 has the highest NNI value of 0.5746 and a standard deviation distance value of 3039 meaning that this shift is less clustered. Shift three has a median NNI value of 0.4838 and a standard deviation distance value of 3104.7. Shift two has the lowest NNI value and this is an indication that given that shift two time is from16Hours to 24Hours there are less police officers and security agents available during this time of the day and therefore higher clustering of occurring offences. Shift one has a NNI value of 0.5746 which is statistically significant at 0.05 level of tests and this is the highest NNI value meaning that there is less clustering of occurring offences, this shift time is from 9 hours to 15 hours and during this time of the day more police officers and security agents are available and therefore less clustering of occurring offences. Shift three has a median value of NNI and this means that this shift has less clustering of occurring offences than shift two but higher clustering of occurring offences than shift one. This means that during shift three we have higher clustering of occurring offences than shift one but less clustering of occurring offences than shift two. From the above discussion it is evident that during the first shift which is from

Are equity markets efficient Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Are equity markets efficient - Assignment Example Therefore, the allocatively efficiency is determined by utilising a very complicated economic model2. Financial literatures have also eluded that, apart from other factors in global and local market, operational and informational efficiency have a very essential role in shaping market allocative efficiency. For instance, if some investors have realised that some dominant investors in the market have essential information on the market trend, then the possibility of demanding a higher rate of returns on asset is relatively high. The liquidity in assert prices have a considerable role in shaping allocative efficiency. Based on the available information, it is factual to state that the existing microstructures finance does not provide specific question on the nature and profitability in the market. Consequently, equity markets are in most cases inefficient. Moreover, the level of market efficiency depends on the degree of operational and information efficiency. The allocation of funds i n any project depends on the available information regarding the productivity and worth of the project or investment. Very few investors develop interest to invest on projects that have limited rewards on their investments. Moreover, dominant investors in modern market control and manage operation and productivity of specific market. The dominance of market by prominent investors, therefore, increases the rate of inequity in modern market. Moreover, in an inequitable market, most decision make formulated and implemented by individuals who have personal interest in the market3. Operational efficiency Operational efficiency is the evaluation of cost incurred in the transfer of funds from savers to investors. Therefore, operational efficiency is used to define the entire transaction cost in financial sector. In an ideal market, the transaction cost in the market should reflect the marginal cost of offering services to market participants4. Moreover, the management and execution of oper ational efficiency is in most cases based on the liquidity of a specific market. However, modern market has proved to be inefficient due inefficient mechanisms that can necessitate investors to transact their business in a reasonable size without paying huge transaction cost. Searchers and financial theorists have as well claimed that sophisticated investors and entrepreneurs invest in markets with many liquidity-based investors in order to hide their trades. This, therefore, means that the level of informational efficiency is associated with the level of operational efficiency. The amount of information available regarding to the prices in the market determines the level of liquidity in the market. The association of the amount of resources in the market with liquidity level in the market explain the level of inequity in modern market efficient5. Informational efficiency The assert market is presumed to be informational efficient if the prices of asset have totally incorporated the required information on fundamental values. The efficient of the markets is, therefore, defined by the price information that is available to market participants. However, the market informational efficient is to some extent weakened by inclusion of past prices in current prices. The incorporation of past prices in new prices rules out the employment of technical trading rules and regulations in making excess return6. A market is in â€Å"semi-strong form of efficient†

Joseph McCarthy Essay Example for Free

Joseph McCarthy Essay Joseph McCarthy was born on November 14, 1909 in Grand Chute, Wisconsin. At fourteen he stopped schooling only to return six years later. What normally took four years of high school, he finished in one year. The years 1930 to 1935 were spent in Marquette University where got his law degree. In 1939 he became a circuit court judge in Wisconsin. He was a Marines lieutenant in World War II. He ran for and lost a Senate seat in 1944. In 1946, he tried again and won this time as junior senator from Wisconsin. The first years were lackluster for Senator McCarthy. In 1949 he found issues to ride on like the US Cold War and anti-Communists sentiments. He claimed to have a Communists List including employees of the State Department. While that was in February of 1950, he named the alleged communists in government service for a whole of five years. Due to the strong anti-communist climate, even without evidence to support his accusations, his claims had damaged the careers and ruined the lives of his victims. Winning yet in another election in 1952 he had used his position as chairman of the Permanent Investigations Subcommittee to put more government officials and agencies under investigation. He spared no one from his onslaught including President Eisenhower. While hating the senator in private, the President ignored him in public. McCarthy’s downfall came in 1954 when the Army charged him of giving political favors to a consultant, a former army draftee. The Army-McCarthy hearings were held in his own subcommittee. He was found to be irresponsible as well as dishonest by the subcommittee in televised hearings. Unrepentant to the end, he was censured by Senate in 1954. He died at age 47 from liver ailment. The site elaborated on the rise and fall of a man. It helped me understand the complexities in the life of a man whose humble beginnings propelled him to seek out his dreams and the trappings of power brought him down and away from those dreams. Reference CNN Interactive. Com. Knowledge Bank:Profiles. Retrieved April 17, 2008, from http://www. cnn. com/SPECIALS/cold. war/kbank/profiles/mccarthy/

Why singapore failed to be a major trading centre?

Why singapore failed to be a major trading centre? â€Å"No historian has yet adequately explained why Singapore failed to be a major trading centre before the nineteenth century†. Raffles Professor of History, Wong Lin Ken. a. Do new Dutch/Portuguese reports, maps and scant archaeological evidence dating back beyond the 19th Century now suggest that Singapore was ALWAYS a strategic place after all? Numerous evidences had been uncovered, and reports and archaeological findings especially, certainly suggest that Singapore was largely strategic between the period of Temasek, in 14th century, and late 17th century. However, to conclude that Singapore was hence always strategic would probably be too much of an overstatement. This essay will discuss Singapores strategic significance, with the support of these evidences, during the different time periods. During the 14th century, trade was already ongoing between the West, South Asia and East Asia. The Melaka Straits was crucial for traders to sail to and fro the Indian Ocean to the South China Sea. Sailing in the past depended on wind direction, thus ships had to stop in Southeast Asia (SEA) to wait for a change in wind direction to bring them towards either China or India. Singapore was hence a strategic port because she was located in SEA and along Melaka Straits, making it a convenient stopover hence the central of international trade. Bits of celadon (from China), Chinese coins, fragments of stoneware (mainly from Guangdong and South Fujian) and earthernware (from Sumatra, Java and Borneo)and under-glazed blue and white stem cup (more expensive of porcelains from Jingdezhen during Yuan Dynasty)recovered support the above claim as they suggest extensive trade links Temasek had with China and SEA, and that its inhabitants, especially the wealthier ones inhabiting Fort Canning, were able to afford the more exquisite products of Jingdezhen. Temasek then, was able to attract maritime trade by providing unique products that rival ports were unable to supply. Recorded by Wang Da Yuan in Daoyi zhilue,Temasek supplied indigenous products like hornbills casques of excellent quality. Found only between north of Malay Peninsula and South of Borneo, traders can only lay their hands on it at Temasek or Palembang. Though Lakawood was in abundance, Temasek was one of the five ports that offer those of middle-quality. Celadon, white wares and stonewares uncovered at Riau Archipelago, dating back to the period of Temasek, had patterns and craft similar to those imported from Temasek. Furthermore, the origin of glassbeads of Riau Archipelago and Temasek should be identical given similar compositions. Hence, Temasek probably served as a collection centre and an entry to export for Riau Archipelago. In this case, evidences do suggest that Singapore was prospering and had an influence on regional economy and was thus strategic. During the 15th to 17th centuries, though Singapore declined slightly when Temasek was relocated to Melaka, fragments of under-glazed blue porcelains found at Kallang River, and Portuguese maps which indicate the presence of a shahbandars office, as elaborated in (b), suggest that she retained some of its strategic significance as a port by maintaining some trade with China. As mentioned, being one of the strategically situated along the Melaka Straits, the power that was able to erect a strategic dominance around the waters around Singapore would be advantaged in terms of security and economically. The Dutch had wanted to destroy Luso (Portuguese-Spanish) monopolies in SEA when they first started attacking Portuguese trading ships around Singapore waters and declared war with the Portuguese when they raided Santa Catarina and auctioned off its products. This saw the naval battles between the Dutch and Johor Sultanate, and Portuguese and Acehnese in the early 17th century and gave rise to the considerations of fortifying Singapore by both powers. Jacques De Coutre proposed to build forts at the east coast of Singapore and Muar River estuary and station a naval fleet at Sentosa to protect Portuguese trading ships from the Dutch. Dutch had the same places in mind for their fortification plans. Till this point, the Dutch and Portuguese reports do suggest th at Singapore was strategic. However, the plans never realised, which made us rethink if Singapore was really that strategic after all. Singapores strategic significance took a turn in the 18th century. There was not much evidence to prove this period of time, but by referencing to my contextual knowledge, we know that the Dutch shifted their focus from the Melaka Straits to the Sunda Straits, Portuguese diverted their trade to Japan having difficulties trading in the Melaka Straits and Johor Sultanate relocated their capital to the Lingga Archipelago, shifting the maritime silk road southwards. Singapore lost its value with the declination of Melaka Straits and was abandoned. She no longer held any strategic significance to participants of the maritime trade. Perhaps it is precisely that not much evidence was found that dates back to this period of time that it suggests that trading activities in Singapore was kept to its minimum. Moreover, no coins or porcelains were uncovered that dates beyond the Song and Yuan Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty respectively, further supporting my contextual knowledge. It is evident that Singapores strategic significance changes with time, depending on human-related factors such as politics and economics, and hence is relative. The evidences may seem to imply that Singapore was always strategic, but when viewed from another angle, they can also suggest otherwise as stated in the previous paragraph. Therefore to say that they suggest that Singapore is always strategic may be a little too extreme. b.In light of this evidence, should Singapores history from 1511 to 1819 be written as (1) little more than a sleepy fishing village? (2) a declining but still thriving emporium astride hotly contested strategic waters (3) part of the Johor Sultanate?Please explain your preference. From the 15th century to 17th century, Singapore was a (3) part of the Johor Sultanate, but she was (2) a declining yet thriving emporium astride hotly contested strategic waters between the 16th and 17th century. It was only during the early 18th century that trade in Singapore started dipping, and she was perceived by the British as a sleepy fishing village when they stepped ashore in 1819. Hence, (1) little more than â€Å"a sleepy fishing village† suitably describes Singapores history between this period as it is a broader title and thus encompasses both (2) and (3), and the reduction of importance of Singapores port resulting from the declination of the Melaka Straits during the 18th century accounts for Singapore being â€Å"a sleepy fishing village†. When Singapore was (3), trade was still ongoing though insignificant compared to its Temasek period. Excavations on the north bank of Singapore River, where a settlement was once present, and Kallang River revealed fragments of ceramics and under-glazed blue porcelains with designs dating back to the rule of Ming Emperor Wanli (1573 to 1620). Similar findings in Johor Lama and Johor Shoal imply that the findings in Singapore belonged to the Johor River trade controlled by the Johor Sultans. Some may suggest that these pieces might have been disposed into the Kallang River when ships stopover for supplies because they broke during the voyage, and not because of trade present in Singapore. This may be true, however, according to two Portuguese maps, a shahbandar of the Johor Sultans office was featured on the southern coast of Singapore, proving the above conjecture wrong and showing that trade at the Kallang River was flourishing to the extent it needed a shahbandar to run it. This also indicates that Singapore then, was continuing some degree of trade with China, showing that she was (1). As mentioned, trade was also falling, compared to its Temasek period, as during this time, Melaka was the main port for international trade. Singapore then, supported Melaka by providing goods from herself for Melaka to export. An example being blackwood, which was brought from Singapore to Melaka, and then bought in bulk by Chinese traders. (2) may now seem to be plausible at this point in the essay since Singapore was a declining yet thriving emporium, and evidence show that its waters are hotly contested for between the Dutch and Johor Sultanate, and the Portuguese and Acehnese, and Singapore was seen by both as strategic to build a fort to achieve their individual aims as mentioned in (a). However, one may wish to note that Singapores waters may not be that strategic after all. In 1613, Aceh successfully attacked Batu Sawar as she was upset about the signing of the peace treaty between Johor Sultanate and Portuguese, uncovering the vulnerable position of Singapore waters, rendering it no longer strategic. Moreover, when Melaka Straits lost its importance to Sunda Straits in the late 17th century, Singapore was neglected and declined over the 18th century. Its waters were no longer contested and the issue on it being strategic or not became irrelevant. A village of Orang Lauts and Malays, not being much of a deal, were all that were left in Singapore. Melaka Straits was filled with pirates and Singapore, lying on the Straits, was hence seen as a sleepy fishing village by the British when they landed in the 19th century. (2) does not take into account these happenings, thus it is flawed in describing Singapores history. In conclusion, (1) best describes Singapore history as it accommodates the period when Singapore was (3), when trade was active though declining, the period when it was considered strategic and its waters contested by the Dutch and Portuguese, up to the period when British founded Singapore as a sleepy fishing village due to the decline of Melaka Straits. (2) was unsuitable as mentioned above, and (3) seems to be an understatement as Singapore was more than just part of the Johor Sultanate.

The Block Cave Mining Method

The Block Cave Mining Method Block caving is a large-scale underground mining method applicable to the extraction of low-grade, massive ore bodies. With the amount of literature available on block caving this report identifies the need to provide a simple understanding of the process. Understanding a production process of a block cave mine is an important aspect before getting involved with technical aspects of the mine. This report attempts to give an introduction into the production process of a block cave mine and also an understanding about block caving. The document has been split into four chapters, Chapter One gives a basic understanding of the method and highlights the considerations that have to be made before the implementation of a block cave mine. Chapter Two gives an introduction into the production process involved in a block cave mine by taking into account four major levels involved in production. The production process has been described in the form of a flow chart for simple understanding of the process. Chapter Three outlines the significance of production control and production management in order to increase productivity of the mine. Chapter Four outlines some of the safety and risks involved in a block cave mine and the necessary precautions to be taken in order to increase safety. This report has been intended to provide a simple understanding of the block cave mining method and the production process involved. This report is advocated towards a layman in block caving in view of getting an impression about the block cave mining method. Chapter One Introduction 1.1 Block Caving Block caving is an underground mining method applicable to the extraction of low-grade, massive ore bodies with the following characteristics: large vertical and horizontal dimensions, a rock mass that will break into pieces of manageable size, and a surface that is allowed to subside. These rather unique conditions limit block caving to particular types of mineral deposits. Block caving is used for extracting iron ore, low-grade copper, molybdenum  deposits, and diamond-bearing kimberlite pipes. 1.1.1 Block Caving Method A large slice of material is blasted at the base of the ore body which creates an instability within the orebody, inducing the breakdown and mobilization of ore to the production level through the breakdown of ore and waste due to the natural pattern of breakages, development of stresses in the active caving area, and the low strength of the rock mass. The size and shape of the undercut depends on the characteristics of the rock mass. Excavations are created at the production level at base of the orebody to draw out the broken material. A large amount of development expenditure is required to set up the facilities to break the lowest level of the ore body, and all the broken rock is extracted out of the block cave through a system of drawbells. Once the caving is initiated, operating cost of the block cave is very low comparable to the operating costs in open pit mining. Once caving is initiated, production can be ramped up until the production rate is almost equal to the caving rate. The undercut is advanced in the horizontal plane to create greater areas of caving for increasing the production.   Rock breakage occurs only in the caving areas, induced by undercutting, and has low drilling and blasting cost; some amount of blasting may be required at the drawpoints1  to break some of the large rocks coming through the drawbell, especially during the initial stages of draw. Most block caves these days are highly mechanized with large number of large LHDs (load-haul-dump machines) working at the lower levels, though smaller orebodies can also be caved and extracted using gravity draw systems with orepasses2  and slushers3. The development of a conventional gravity flow system of block caving involves Figure Conventional Gravity Flow System http://technology.infomine.com/reviews/BlockCaving/assets/images/BlockCaving1.jpgSource: Infomine Block Caving A spot where gravity fed ore from a higher level is loaded into hauling units A vertical or inclined passage for the downward transfer of ore A mechanical drag shovel loader an undercut where the rock mass underneath the block is fractured by blasting; drawbells beneath the undercut that gather the rock into finger raises4; finger raises that draw rock from drawbells to the grizzlies; a grizzly level where oversized blocks are caught and broken up; a lower set of finger raises that channel ore from grizzlies to chutes for train loading the finger raises are arranged like the branches of a tree, gathering ore from a large area at the undercut level and further channeling material to chutes at the haulage level; and a lowermost level where ore is prepared for train haulage and chute loading. When LHDs are used, the development required is considerably less complex and involves Undercut Levelhttp://www.edumine.com/xcourse/xblock101/docs/figures/images/10002x.jpg Extraction LevelSource: Infomine Block Caving 4 Steeply sloping openings permitting caved ore to flow down raises through grizzlies to chutes on the haulage level an undercut where the rock mass underneath the block is fractured by blasting; drawbells constructed between the undercut and extraction levels; an extraction level with drawpoints at the base of drawbells; and an ore haulage system to collect, crush and transport the ore out of the mine. Underground Mining Methods Unsupported Artificially Supported Pillar SUpported Shrink Stoping Bench and Fill Stoping Room and Pillar Sublevel Mining Longwall Mining Sublevel and Longhole Open Stoping Block and Panel Caving VCR Stoping Cut and Fill Stoping 1.1.2 History of Block Caving Late 19th century:  precursor to modern block caving developed in the Pewabic iron ore mine, Michigan, USA Early 20th century:  the block caving method developed in the USA for iron ore and then copper mining in the western states 1920s:  block caving started in Canada and Chile Late 1950s:  block caving introduced into southern African diamond mines and then chrysotile asbestos  mines Late 1960s:  LHD vehicles developed for underground mining 1970:  LHDs used with block caving at El Salvador mine, Chile 1981:  mechanised panel caving introduced in the primary ore at El Teniente mine, Chile 1990s:  planning of the new generation of block caves with larger block heights in stronger orebodies (e.g. Northparkes, Palabora) 2000s:  planning and development of super block caves under existing open pit mines (Grasberg, Chuquicamata, Bingham Canyon) and at great depth (Resolution Copper) http://www.edumine.com/xcourse/xblock101/docs/figures/images/10003x.jpg Source: Infomine Block Caving 1.2 Management Organizational Chart Mine Manager Technical Services Superintendent Technical Services Superintendent Mine Superintendent Human Resource Logistics Electrical Mechanical Cave Development Cave Production Ventilation Projects Geo-Technology Geology Survey Long Term Planner Short Term Planner Design The organizational chart might differ based on the requirements of a specific mine. 1.2.1 Managerial Responsibilities: Mine Manager is responsible for the overall management, direction and coordination of the mine and related operations. Mine Managers are also intended to provide the technical leadership in the area of underground mine engineering.   The focus of the Mine Manager should be on the following subjects Ensuring underground mining activities are conducted in accordance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act and Regulations and environmental standards Complying with all safety requirements Observing all company policies and procedures Assisting with the development of production targets Ensuring production targets are met or exceeded Developing schedules, budget and ensuring these are controlled and managed effectively Monitoring production results on a progressive basis and preparing monthly progress and variance reports Maintaining effective working relationships with Contractors, Suppliers and Service Providers, and ensuring adherence to contractual requirements Developing a sense of continuous improvement Ensuring appropriate training programs are in place to meet safety and production requirements Maintaining knowledge of current statutory requirements and industry best practices and ensuring compliance at all times Interphases with other managers and superintendents as part of the management team Reviewing mining methods Implementing optimisation programs where appropriate Managing manpower levels to achieve their performance 1.3 Parameters to be considered before the implementation of cave mining Twenty five parameters that should be considered before the implementation of any cave mining operation are set out in Table 1. Many of the parameters are uniquely defined by the orebody and the mining system. No. Parameters Considerations 1 Cavability Rockmass Strength Rockmass Structure In situ stress Hydraulic radius of orebody Water 2 Primary Fragmentation Rockmass strength Geological structures Joint/fracture spacing Joint condition ratings Stress or subsidence caving Induced stress 3 Drawpoint Spacing Fragmentation Overburden load and direction Friction angles of caved particles Practical excavation size Stability of host tockmass Induced Stress 4 Draw Heights Capital Orebody geometry Excavation stability 5 Layout Fragmentaion Drawpoint spacing and size Method of draw 6 Rockburst Potential Regional and induced stresses Rockmass Strength Structures Mining Sequence 7 Sequence Cavability Orebody geometry Induced stresses Geological environment Influence on adjacent operations Rockburst potential Production requirements Water inflow No. Parameters Considerations 8 Undercutting Sequence Regional stresses Rockmass strength Rockburst potential Rate of advance Ore requirements 9 Induced Cave Stresses Regional stresses Area of undercut Shape of undercut Rate of undercutting Rate of draw 10 Drilling Blasting Rockmass strength Powder factor Rockmass stability Required fragmentation Height of undercut 11 Development Layout Sequence Production Drilling and blasting 12 Excavation Stability Rockmass strength Regional and induced stresses Rockburst potential Excavation size Draw height Mining Sequence 13 Primary Support Excavation stability Rockburst potential Brow stability 14 Practical Excavation Size Rockmass strength Insitu stress Induced stress Caving stress Secondary blasting 15 Draw Method Fragmentation Practical drawpoint spacing Practical size of excavation 16 Draw Rate Fragmentation Method of draw Percentage hangups Secondary breaking requirements 17 Drawpoint Interaction Drawpoint spacing Fragmentation Time frame of working drawpoints No. Parameters Considerations 18 Draw Column Stresses Draw-column height Fragmentation Homogenity of ore fragmentation Draw control Height-to-base ratio Direction of draw 19 Secondary Fragmentation Rock- block shape Draw height Draw rate-time dependent failure Rock-block workability Range in fragmentation size Draw control program 20 Secondary Blasting Secondary fragmentation Draw method Drawpoint size Size of equipment and grizzly spacing 21 Dilution Orebody geometry Fragmentation range of unpay ore and waste Grade distribution of pay and unpay ore Mineral distribution in ore Drawpoint interaction Secondary breaking Draw control 22 Tonnage Drawn Level interval Drawpoint spacing Dilution percentage 23 Support Repair Tonnage drawn Point and column loading Secondary blasting 24 Extraction Mineral distribution Method of draw Rate of draw Dilution percentage Ore losses 25 Subsidence Major geological structures Rockmass strength Induced stresses Depth of mining Source: Laubsher Chapter Two -Production Process 2.1 Block Cave Mining System In a Block Cave Mine there are four major levels that contribute to the production of the mine. The levels that have been taken into account here are Extraction Undercut Haulage Ventilation In a natural progression of a block cave mine the infrastructure that need to be built before the start of caving includes Primary access to the production levels (ramps and shafts) Extraction level excavations Haulage and Ventilation level excavations; and Crushing and ore transport facilities. While most of these excavations need to be created before the start of caving operations, construction of some extraction, haulage and ventilation level drifts can be planned just in advance of actual caving operations. Each of these levels is given a brief introduction and the production process for each level are outlined from collecting data from different sources. The information flow in the form of a flow chart is provided for ease of understanding the process. The information flow chart provided is implemented from personal experience and its objective is to provide an impression on the production process of an underground block cave mine. 2.2 Extraction Level The extraction level is the main production level in a block cave operation. All the ore from the block cave is drawn through draw points at the extraction level and then transferred to haulage level through a system of ore passes or a fleet of LHDs. Since this is the main production level, it is developed and supported to counter the stresses and displacements that can be expected during the life of the drawpoints at the level. The arrangement of drawpoints, drawbells and other excavations on the extraction or production level is referred to as the extraction level layout. The development of the extraction level and the drawbells creates two types of pillars. The major apex is the shaped structure or pillar above the extraction level formed between two adjacent drawpoints but separated by the extraction or production drift. The minor apex is the shaped structure or pillar formed between two adjacent drawbells on the same side of the extraction drift. The drawpoint spacing, the drawpoint width, and the distance between the undercut and extraction levels are all designed based on the fragmentation expected within the block cave. The ground support installed in the excavations at the extraction level is based on the characteristics of the rock mass and the expected stress levels at different locations. 2.2.1. Drawbells The ideal shape of the drawbell is like a bell, so that ore can flow to the drawpoint. However it is a compromise between strength and shape. The major and minor apexes must have sufficient strength to last out the life of the draw. It needs to be established how much influence the shape of the drawbell has on interaction. It has always been an empirical point that shaped drawpoints improve ore recovery as the ore should have better flow characteristics than a drawbell with vertical faces and a large flat top major apex. The time consuming operation is creating the drawbell. The undercut technique also determines the shape of the major apex and importantly the shape of the drawbell. The draw rate from the drawbells is an important factor in that it must provide space for caving; also it must not be too fast to create a large air gap and possible air-blasts. If the draw rate is too fast seismic activity will occur. Production must be based on this value and not rely on economic factors such as short term return on investment that ignores long term consequences. There is also the fact that a slow draw rate will mean improved fragmentation. 2.2.2 Extraction Level Production Process Planning Design Equipment/People Decision Making Ground Support Drawbells Drifts Ground Support Development Pathways Ventilation Ventilation Blast Hang ups Drawpoint Undercutting Secondary Blasting Ore Removal LHDs Ore pass full Ore Pass Haulage Level Secondary Ore pass Crusher 2.3 Undercut Level The process of undercutting creates instability at the base of the block being caved. Block cave mining is based on the principle that when a sufficiently large area of a block has been undercut by drilling and blasting, the overlying block of ore will start to cave under the influence of gravity. The process will continue until caving propagates through the entire block surface or to the open pit above, unless a stable shape is achieved. The purpose of the undercut level is therefore to remove a slice of sufficient area near the base of the block to start the caving of the ore above. The undercut level is developed at the base of the block to be caved. The caving of the block is initiated by mining an undercut area until the hydraulic radius of the excavation reaches a critical value. As the broken ore above it will collapse into the void so created. Vertical propagation of the cave will then occur in response to the continued removal of broken ore through the active drawpoints. The horizontal propagation of the cave will occur as more drawpoints are brought into operation under the undercut area. 2.3.1 Undercutting Undercutting is the most important process in cave mining. As not only is a complete undercut necessary to induce a cave, but the design and the sequencing of the undercut is important to reduce the effects of the induced abutment stress. It is essential that the undercut is continuous and it should not be advanced is there is a possibility that pillars will be left. This rule which is often ignored owing to the problems in re-drilling holes, results in the leaving of pillars resulting in the collapse of large areas and consequent high ore losses. The undercut technique also determines the shape of the major apex and importantly the shape of the drawbell. Care must be taken that there is no stacking of large blocks on the major apex as this could prevent cave propagation. 2.3.2 Undercutting Techniques Conventional The conventional undercutting sequence is to develop the drawbell and then to break the undercut into the drawbell. Henderson Technique The Henderson Mine technique of blasting the drawbell with long holes from the undercut level just ahead of blasting the undercut reduces the time interval in which damage can occur. They have also found it necessary to delay the development of the drawbell drift until the drawbell has to be blasted. Advance Undercut The advance undercut technique means that the drawpoints and drawbells are developed after the undercut has passed over, so that the abutment stresses are located in the massive rock mass with only the production drift. 2.3.3 Undercut Level Production Process Design Planning Development Equipment/People Decision Making Ground Support Ventilation Drifts Pathways Undercutting Ore Removal Haulage Level LHDs Crusher Muck Removal LHDs Ore Pass Waste Dump 2.4 Haulage and Ventilation Level The haulage and ventilation levels lie below the extraction level. They need to be developed with adequate excavations to handle the quantity of broken ore and ventilating air streams required for the designed production rates, equipment and manpower employed within the block cave. Facilities for storing, crushing and conveying the broken ore to the mill need to be developed at the haulage level. The larger excavations required for the crushers, ore bins and conveyor transfer stations need to be located outside the zone of influence of the stresses due to the block cave, and adequate ground support will need to be installed to ensure that the excavations are stable during their expected life. The excavations and levels must be placed far enough apart so that there is limited interaction between numerous excavations created to move the ore from the production level to the milling facilities at the surface. 2.4.1 Haulage Level Much of the development of the infrastructure for a block cave operation is completed during the pre-production stage though some haulage lines and ventilation drifts and raises may be deferred to later in the life of the block cave. Scheduling the development of haulage and ventilation drifts needs careful planning so that the required facilities are in-place well in advance of their requirement. Though there is some flexibility in the development of these levels since they are different elevations and lie below the extraction level, the preliminary layouts need to be prepared so that the flow of materials, ore and ventilating air can be integrated without interruption as the block cave progresses. 2.4.2 Ventilation Level Ventilation Levels are normally developed between the haulage and the extraction levels. During the development phase air is streamed through the undercut and extraction levels to the working faces and exhausted through the raises to the ventilation level. During production, air is coursed through the extraction level and exhausted through the ventilation raises to the exhaust side of the ventilation level. Additional air is provided at the working areas through ventilation raises which connect to the intake of the ventilation level 2.4.3 Haulage Level Information Chart Scoop Ore Removal Haulage Level Haul Distance Optimization LHDs Crusher Figure Haulage Level Information Chart 2.4.4 Ventilation Level Information Chart Auxillary Ventilation Intake Raise Exhaust Raise Fresh Air Exhaust Air Drifts Pathways Fans/Vent Ducts Chapter Three Production Control 3.1 Departments in a block cave mine involved in Production Control Design Planning Geology Geo-technology Ventilation Maintenance Cave Development/Production Survey Construction Electrical Mechanical Human Resource Safety In a Mine Environment each and every department plays a crucial role to keep the Mine running and to meet the production targets. Problems associated with these departments no matter how small they may be contribute damage in their own way to dampen the production. Production planning for block cave operations can be complex. The factors to be considered include geotechnical constraints, cave shape, draw point development sequence, draw point productivity, production block limits such as loader capacity and ore pass capacity and variable shut-off grade mining costs. The nature of the problem also changes during the life of a cave from initial production build up to final closure. Overall objective for production planning should be to maximize productivity, some of the aspects of production planning include Minimum/Maximum tonnage per period Maximum total tonnage per draw point Ratio of tonnage from current drawpoint compared with other drawpoints. Height of draw of current draw point with respect to other drawpoints Percentage drawn for current draw point with respect to other drawpoints Maximum tonnage from selected groups of drawpoints in a period. 3.2. Production Control Major Concerns 3.2.1 Fragmentation Rock fragmentation is the fragment size distribution of blasted rock material, in caving operations fragmentation has a bearing on Drawpoint spacing Dilution entry into the draw column Draw control Drawpoint productivity Secondary blasting/breaking costs Secondary blasting damage Primary Fragmentation Caving results in primary fragmentation which can be defined as the particle size that separates from the cave back and enters the draw column. The data to be considered for the calculation of the primary fragmentation is In situ rock mass ratings Intact rock strength Mean joint spacing and maximum and minimum spacing Orientation of cave front Induced stresses Secondary Fragmentation Secondary fragmentation is the reduction in size of the primary fragmentation particle as it moves down through the draw column. The processes to which particles are subjected to, determine the fragmentation size distribution in the drawpoints. The data to be considered for the calculation of the primary fragmentation is The effect of fines cushioning Draw strategy and draw rate Rock block strength Shape of fragments Frictional properties of fragments Column height Fragmentation is the major factor that determines productivity from a drawpoint. Fine material will ensure high productivity. 3.2.2 Draw control Draw control is one of the major concerns that need to be optimized in order to increase productivity of the mine. Geomechanical issues related to draw control have played a dominant role in efforts to reduce stress and improve fragmentation and reduce dilution. Draw control is the practice of controlling the tonnages drawn from individual drawpoints with the object of Minimising dilution and maintaining the planned ore grade. Ensuring maximum ore recovery with minimum dilution. Avoiding damaging load concentrations on the extraction horizon. Avoiding the creation of conditions that could lead to air blasts or mud-rushes. The following have to be considered for draw control strategy in order to maximize productivity, Any factors observed during the start of caving that will influence the planned caving and drawdown processes. Control the draw from the first tonnage into the drawpoint. Define the potential tonnages and grades that will be available from each drawpoint. The draw control system must be fully operational. Confirm that the planned draw strategy is correct. The recording and analysis of the tonnages drawn, this important aspect is often not treated with the required respect. Managing the draw by following the adopted draw strategy. Define how the control is to be monitored, maintained and audited. Planning for how the draw column would behave with time. An estimation of the remaining tonnages and grade for future production scheduling and planning. Personnel must be aware of the definition of isolated drawpoint. Ensure the drawpoints are clearly and correctly identified underground. There must be reporting system to record and describe why allocated drawpoints have not been drawn. Ensure secondary breakings are done effectively and efficiently. Develop standard procedure for close drawpoints. Draw control is what block caving is about, the reasons for and the principles of draw control must be clearly understood by all operating personnel. Preparation of orebody must be done in a sound way so that preventable problems do not hamper the draw control. 3.2.3 Secondary Breaking Irrespective of the method of primary blasting employed, it may be necessary to reblast a proportion of the rock which can then be handled by the loading, hauling and crushing system. There are four types of problems that cause a need for secondary breaking, High hang-ups are where a large fragment lies across the entrance to the draw bell up to 19m above the footwall. This type of hang up is very rare though, and it is more common that this will only occur up to a distance of 5 m above the draw point floor. Rock jumble is where several ore fragments of rock smaller than two cubic meters form an arch in a drawbell. This is found to occur especially in the troat of the drawpoint. Low hang up is a large fragment of over two cubic metres hanging in the troat or on the floor of a draw point clocking the flow of ore. Draw point oversize is any large fragment over two cubic metres on the floor of a draw point and effectively prevents loading by LHDs. Some of the techniques that are in use for secondary breaking are as follows, Concussion blasting Drill and blast Emulsion secondary blasting Robust hydro fracturing breaking system There are many products on the market today that promise effective secondary breaking of both hang-ups and boulders, including cone packs, the quick draw system, the boulder buster and the penetrating cone fracture technique. In order to choose a secondary breaking method with respect to productivity the following need to considered and evaluated, Explosive quantities Labour and Equipment requirements Fragmentation Safety 3.3 Significance of Production Management