Strombidae Protected Fisheries - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 21 Words: 6150 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Statistics Essay Did you like this example? Chapter 1. Introduction 1.1 Strombus gigas, A Threatened But Protected Species Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Strombidae Protected Fisheries" essay for you Create order 65 species of Strombidae are still in existence and the majority of those are found in the Indo-Pacific Oceans (ConchNews). 6 species of Strombidae are found throughout the Caribbean and Florida oceans (McCarthy, 2007): S. alatus, S. costatus, S. gallus, S. gigas, S. pugilis, and S. raninus, one of which, Strombus gigas, known as the Queen Conch, has highest commercial fisheries value of the six species and is commercially threatened. In 1990 the parties to the Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean Region (Cartagena Convention) included S. gigas in Annex II of its Protocol Concerning Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW Protocol) as a species that may be used on a rational and sustainable basis and that requires protective measures (NOAA). Consequently on 11th June 1992 the United States listed S. gigas under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), Appendix II; classi fied as commercially threatened (Theile, 2005). S. gigas then became the first large-scale fisheries product regulated by CITES (NOAA). This requires countries to harvest at a sustainable rate before they can obtain a permit to export (Thiele, 2001). The SPAW Protocol and CITES treaties are generally a positive step for the species, assisting efforts to ensure use and trade of S. gigas, however this is largely a commercial move and should not be confused with meaning it is officially on the endangered/threatened species list. S. gigas is simply on a list of species, fauna and flora not yet threatened or endangered, but with legal commitment by the governments to prevent them becoming so by implementing plans for management by establishment of closed seasons and regulation of their harvest and trade (Thiele, 2005). The Caribbean Fishery Management Council supports a regional International Queen Conch initiative, to promote a common international management strategy for the sustainable use of S resources in the Caribbean region, by making recommendations to address specific issues. E.g. International Queen Conch Initiatives (FAO 2003). In January 1991, 12 of the 14 Governments of the Caribbean Community officially launched the CARI COM Fisheries Resource Assessment and Management Programme (CFRAMP) to promote sustainable use and conservation of the fisheries resources, setting up the 1994 Lobster and Conch Resource Assessment Unit to provide data on conch and lobster resources in the Caribbean (Haughton 2004). Fig 1.1 The wider Caribbean region showing hypothetical Exclusive Economic Zones of countries those of CARICOM countries are shaded grey (Haughton, 2004). 1.2 Commercial Importance History Of Queen Conch Fisheries S. gigas, have been harvested by Caribbean fishermen for centuries (Stoner 1997), in some regions old conch shell middens show conch have been fished for over 1400 years (Torres, 2002) used for religious ceremonies, for trade and ornamentation, and a source of protein from its meat. Fishing pressure, previously entirely small-scale local fisheries on surrounding islands, has now developed into a large commercial trade commodity with an important fishery resource in the Caribbean area and increasing international demand for the rare meat (Berg Olsen 1989). Outside of the live meat trade, S. gigas is also known for its pearls and shells, sold by locals and tradesmen to tourist as souvenirs as a by-product of conch meat harvest. The increase in intensive fishing pressure caused by its rising commercial value since the 1970s (Cochrane et al 1996) has caused queen conch populations to decline throughout their distribution range (Stoner, 1997; Theile, 2005). This is largely due to the slow maturation growth to harvest size of 3-4 years (Davis) ensuring S. gigas are unable to offset the development of fisheries technical enhancements allowing them to fish larger quantities and at previously unobtainable depths (Wells 1989). The use of scuba and hookah gear from 1984 has now become widespread and due to the depletion of near-shore shallow water stocks because of overfishing, former deep-water refugia (20 m) is now increasingly accessible and subject to the same intense exploitation (CFMC/CFRAMP, 1999), shifting fishing efforts from near-shore to offshore areas in parts of the Bahamas, Colombia, Mexico, Haiti and the Dominican Republic (CITES, AC19 Doc. 8.3 2003). In 1986, the U.S. banned all fishing of Strombus g igas populations instead importing approx. 80% of world trade, 1,000t year-1 (NOAA 2003), from Caribbean Islands. The majority of S. gigas populations the U.S are importing from have continued to decline. CITES reviews, following species listing in 1992, report population densities in some areas to be so low that recruitment failure is a risk to local fisheries in parts of Belize, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Honduras, Panama, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands with stock collapses and resulting in total or temporary closure of the fishery in Bermuda, Cuba, Colombia, Florida, Mexico, the Netherlands Antilles, the Virgin Islands and Venezuela (CITES AC19, Doc. 8.3 2003). The primary cause for the population decline is widely demonstrated to be commercial trade overfishing (Stoner, 1994) but Stoner (1994) implies habitat degradation may be a secondary factor, especially in the shallow water nursery habitats of seagrass meadows, which are crucial to Strombus gigas sustainab ility. There are still some larger areas that still maintain stable populations, the Bahamas (Stoner Ray, 1996), Jamaica (Stoner Schwarte 1994) and the Turks and Caicos Islands due to hatchery replacement (Bene Tewfik, 2001) as well as smaller areas of St. Lucia, St Vincent and Virgin Islands (taken from Table 1, p76 Cochrane, 1996). The significant trade review undertaken in 1995, at the 13th meeting of the Animals Committee, formulated recommendations in 1997 requiring states to prove conformity to CITES and slowly by March 1999 most states had conformed. By 2005 Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Bahamas, Belize, Colombia, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Nicaragua, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago had been removed from the Review of Significant Trade of S. gigas (CITES SC54 Doc. 42, 2006). However, CITES recognizes that despite being registered for over 10 years stock declines continue to occur (Notification No. 2006/055, 2006) and in 2006 the Animals Committee concluded that trade was of urgent concern in 3 range states and of possible concern in a further 13 (CITES SC54 Doc. 42, 2006). The important exporting countries of Haiti and Grenada have released no information and with low adult densities reported from fishing all exports from the se states have been suspended as they may currently being exploited at rates that may be unsustainable (CITES AC22 Doc. 10.1). The National Marine Fisheries Service support the CITES embargo on queen conch imports (NOAA, 2003) which will remain until evidence is provided that the CITES recommendations have been implemented (Thiele, 2001). 1.3 Biology of Strombus gigas Strombus gigas are large, soft-bodied, marine shelled gastropod molluscs. They have a thin layer of tissues between the body and the shell, a mantle, which creates a hard external spiral-shaped shell up to 30 cm in length from calcium carbonate extracted from the seawater and sediments. This outer shell develops the distinctive pink coloured flared lip that easily identifies the species and is why the shell also has a horny periostracum coating to deter predators. The body is divided into the head, the visceral mass, and the foot. posterior anterior Fig 1.2 Adult female conch without her shell (FWRI, 2006) The conch head has a pair of tentacles tipped with light-sensitive eyestalks and a long proboscis radula that has thousands of tiny denticle protrusions for feeding. The foot, at the posterior, is a pointed, sickle-shaped, hardened operculum tip used to propel forward in a unique type of hopping locomotion commonly referred to as stromboid leap propulsion. This enables escape from predators by breaking up their scent trail (FWRI, 2006). They have a siphonal canal with an indentation near the anterior end called a stromboid notch. (Hyman 1967, Abbott 1974 quoted https://bellsouthpwp.net/c/u/culpsb/conchnews/strombidae). 1.3.1 Ecology of Strombus gigas Strombus gigas inhabits the neotropical Atlantic waters of Bermuda, southern Floridian and Mexican coasts of Central America in the Gulf of Mexico Caribbean Sea region, and off the South America coasts of Venezuela and Brazil. Strombus gigas are herbivorous, grazing primarily on algae, grasses, and floating organic debris and are consequently usually found in warm, shallow, clear, subtidal water of oceanic or near-oceanic salinities settled on sandy substrates, in rocky habitats, on coral reefs or coral rubble sea floors amongst seagrass and algae (McCarthy, 2007; Cochrane, 1996). Strombus gigas can be found in discrete aggregations up to hundreds or thousands of individuals who actively select these preferable habitats (Stoner, 1997). Adult S. gigas are typically found at depths less than 100 meters concentrated in water 10- 30 meters deep due to the photosynthetic light requirements of algae and plant growth (Randall 1964). Predators of the Queen Conch are known to be around 130 ma rine species including various species of mollusc, lobster, turtles, crabs, sharks, rays, snappers and Nassau Grouper, (Coulston, 1987; Culp and Stoner 1999; CITES AC19 Doc 8.3; Culp et al, 1997). As a defence they bury into the sand to hide, unprotected/unburied conch being less likely to survive (Coulston 1987). Conchs burying behaviours show wide variations, possibly related to environmental conditions of water temp conch increase burying in cooler winter period (Appeldoorn 1985) and wind/sea conditions conch are more active at high tide as a response to increased predator activity in the upper intertidal zone (). The increased amount of attached organisms on the shell of older conch suggests a decrease in long-term burying activity with increases in conch size (Iverson et al, 1986). 1.3.2 Conch Reproduction In the wild, adult queen conch maintain a 1:1 sex ratio in an undisturbed population (Cochrane, 1996), and sexual maturity for males and females occurs by approximately between 3.5 and 5 years, usually when the flared lip is greater than approximately 0.5 cm thick (Appeldoorn, 1988b; Berg and Olsen, 1989). Onset of sexual maturity varies within and between different Strombus gigas populations depending on their site specific habitat quality, food availability and water depth all changing growth rates (Martin-Mora et al., 1995), with faster growth rates inducing earlier maturation (Berg, 1976). Queen conch are dioecious (McCarthy, 2007), fertilization is internal when the male inserts a verge into the females siphonal notch, the female retaining the male sperm till fertilisation during the process of laying eggs (McCarty, 2007). The seasonal reproductive period increases copulation as a linear function of bottom water temperature the summer months (Stoner et al. 1992). Water quality, food supply, a 12-hour photoperiod, and temperature limitations all negatively affect individual female pairing, copulation, and egg-laying reproduction causing a decrease in egg masses (Stoner 1992; Shawl 2004). Females lay demersal egg masses in long continuous strands up to 50 to 75 feet long containing 185,000 to 460,000 eggs in each strand (Shawl Davis 1994). These are deposited in requirement sand substrate (Shawl Davies 2004) at an average rate of 1.5m hr-1, completing in less than a day (Randall 1964). Spawning can multiple times during an egg-laying season, the length of which varies depending on geographic location (Stoner?), but lasts typically 6 8 months usually between March and October (TABLE ?) with stimuli other than temperature, such as declining photoperiod, inducing the end of reproductive activity (Stoner et al, 1992) 1.3.3 Life Cycle of Queen Conch Fig 1. 3 Life cycle of the Queen Conch, Strombus gigas 1.3.3.1 Migration and Dispersal The life cycle of Strombus gigas begins by embryonic development that proceeds rapidly, dependent on temperature, after the fertilization of spawning reaching the gastrula stage after 16 hours. The pelagic larvae emerge within 72 hours 5/6 days after spawning (Cochrane 1996). This is also influenced by temperature and by the presence of phytoplankton (Stoner, 1997). By around 12 days they are lobed, free-swimming veligers, found in open water up to 100 meters deep, localised in above the thermocline, where they drift over 18-40 days in the currents of the upper layers feeding on the plankton (Posada and Appeldoorn, 1994; Stoner, 1997). During this period long distance transport by surface currents to deeper water areas (Iversen, et. al 1990) can occur up to 900km (Davis et al., 1993). Larvae then descend, 17 to 22 days after hatching, settling into the adult benthic habitats, when induced by settling cues of substrate (Boettcher and Targett 1996) and location. Larvae then require an environmental stimulus to induce metamorphose response such as the presence of specific algae foods Laurencia poitei and the epiphyte Fosliella spp. found on Thalassia testudinum (Davis, 1994) usually associated within site substratum and sediment (Davis and Stoner, 1994). Metamorphosis is usually within five days of settlement, unique in developmental history as the competence period is shorter than the precompetence period, instead of equal to or longer than the precompetence period. They are competent for only 6 days at 28 to 30C, losing this ability if the required conditions within the habitat cannot be met (Davis and Stoner, 1994). Short-term competence is ordinarily associated with metamorphosis to a broad spectrum of cues and this explains the conch response to a variety of ben thic cues found in juvenile conch seagrass habitats (Davis 1994). The larvae reach metamorphosis between 25 and 29 days turning lobes into feet while the proboscis develops to about 0.2 cm in length developing a small transparent shell within 24 hours called a protoconch (James Wood). Again development shows environmental variation for example larvae of March, April, May, and September have slower development than the larvae of June, July and August. The survival at settlement averaged 305.18% with highest survival June and July with 386.30%, lowest March (227.22%) and September (207.02%) (Brito-Manzano Aldana Aranda, 2004). 1.3.3.2 Juvenile Strombus gigas Young Queen Conch (one year) settle to benthic life on sandy substrate (Cochrane, 1996) where they remain buried as they have a particularly high mortality rate (63%) from predation, and if unburied conch 1.3-3.7cm long show complete mortality (Iverson, 1989). Very few small conch have been found in nature unburied (Ray Stoner, 1995) suggesting that conch may be buried almost continuously until shell lengths reach 5-10cm, when juveniles emerge and become epibenthic, periodically reburying to avoid winter storms (CFMC 1999). After emerging juvenile S. gigas shift habitat from the area of settlement (Sandt Stoner, 1993) aggregating 0.2-2 ind./m2, up to 100,000 individuals over large areas (100 ha) of shallow depth with high tidal circulation where algae production is sufficient and moderate or dense seagrass coverage (Stoner Lally 1996) This specific habitat is chosen as it reduces mortality from predation shown by (Stoner Ray, 1993) who found that 50% of juveniles outside a seagra ss area were killed. (Stoner, 1997) deems these crucial productive nursery habitats must be protected for population stability are determined by a complex unique interaction of oceanographic features, such as seagrass/algae communities and larval recruitment. 1.3.3.3 Conch Morphology Conch shell growth is deterministic; from approx. 3 years conch stops increasing in shell length, growing only by thickening of the shell, particularly the flared lip that it starts producing. At sexual maturity, which occurs at approximately 3 years (Berg 1976) and lasts approximately 7-10 months (Glazer and Berg, 1992), lip flare growth initiates (Appledoorn 1988). Both growth directions occur simultaneously until adult shell length is reached (Appledoorn 1988). Measuring shell lengths is the most accurate method to date juveniles estimates for mean shell length range from approx. 10.8cm for a 1-year old animal, 17cm for a 2-years old animal, and 20.5cm for +3years (Berg, 1976). In adults shell lip thickness increase has been used to estimate growth from maturation in years (Appeldoorn, 1988a, 1990). This is only a relative measure as the deterministic growth affects estimates of juvenile growth and therefore accurate aging, and mortality (CFMC/CFRAMP, 1999). The shell length of a dult S. gigas can decrease by bioerosion of the shell on substrate types, and interior volume of the shell can shrink with age inducing significantly smaller body size (CFMC/CFRAMP, 1999), both factors hindering accurate aging. Extreme spatial variation occurs in shell size of different S. gigas populations. Factors affecting shell size include site habitat quality, food availability and quality and water depth (Martin-Mora et al., 1995), which coupled with the presence of predators and increased depth are all thought to slow juvenile and adult conch morphometric growth. Growth rate is positively correlated to final shell length, indicated by slower growing conch tending to reach smaller final shell lengths and greater age at maturation (Alcolado, 1976). Increased predation can cause weaker, thicker or denser/heavier shells with shorter spines (Delgado et al. 2002; Stoner Davis, 1994), and increasing depth causes tighter coiling of the shell resulting in a wider, thicker shells and fewer, longer spines (Alcolado, 1976, quoted in McCarthy, 2007). 1.3.4 Migrations Conch travel up to 100 yards per day, mostly at night migrating for two reasons: Firstly, a long-lived ontogenetic migration movement of larger juveniles leaving nursery areas moving into deeper water (Stoner et al. 1988), in the direction of the seasonally synchronous tidal currents, increasing in conch density with the passage of the migration. This serves as a density-dependent or habitat-dependant dispersal mechanism for juvenile conchs from centres of recruitment (Stoner et al. 1988). The second reason is a summer migration of adults inshore to shallower water grass beds for spawning (Appledoorn 1993). This begins when temperatures start to increase (Stoner and Standt 1992; Coulston 1987) and the conch return offshore to sand or algae habitat and deeper water. Conch have also been observed to move to deeper water with age (Stoner, 1997). 1.3.5 Natural Mortality of Strombus gigas The Queen Conch is a relatively slow-growing long-lived species, reaching a maximum longevity of between 20 30 years with an average of 26. In deeper water this can be extended to 40 years (NOAA). Appeldoorn (1988) derived a relationship between age and natural mortality that exponentially decreases until the conch reaches sexual maturity (Appeldoorn, 1988). Mortality along with most other morphometric and maturity data also varies seasonally, due to habitat, predation and food limitation (Stoner and Glazer, 1998) but natural mortality of S. gigas has not been accurately quantified due to bioerosion of the shell by substrate (CITES AC19 Doc 8.3, 2003), and it is thought that aging any S. gigas specimen greater than 10 years old should be considered is unreliable, and therefore the complete lifespan of queen conch is unknown (SEDAR, 2007). 1.4 The Biological/Ecological Importance of Strombus gigas Strombus gigas is an important member of marine benthic and macrofauna communities in seagrass meadows. As a hebrivory mollusc, S. gigas regulates the abundance of seagrass detritus and algal blooms of bottom-dwelling algae such as Batophora oerstedi, performing a visual cleaning of the sediment surface from the normal light brown colour to white, clearing filamentous algae and small detrital particles (Stoner et al., 1995). By decreasing significantly the standing crop of biomass of dead or detritus remains of senescent seagrass blades, seagrass epiphytes, macrodetritus and macroalgae, without reducing living seagrass biomass, S. gigas grazing, similar to other important marine herbivory grazers such as Diadema, potentially stimulates rates of primary production of algae, macrophytes, seagrasses and the role of below ground nutrient reserves (Valentine, 1999). In comparison, S. gigas grazing on epiphytes and detritus could adversely influence other components of the benthic communit y such as amphipods and other smaller Mollusca invertebrates, which are dependent upon detritus for food or cover, reduced in numbers by S. gigas grazing. S. gigas must therefore play a major role in the trophic flux of the tropical seagrass community. Over-exploitation may cause significant ecological changes, including an increase in small grazers or rapid accumulation of organic matter in the sediments and trophic cascade changes that may reduce productivity and limit recruitment of S. gigas and all other species (Klumpp, et al 1992.). 1.5 Future Outlook and Conservation Conserving Reproductive Stocks Having ascertained as above, that conch are important to the ecosystem, the CITES inclusion highlighted global concerns, although mainly for the fisheries economy rather than ecological importance. With this well-documented decline of S. gigas that led to the CITES inclusion, research programs were developed designed to monitor conch stock and to determine how best to rehabilitate the depleted population. Attempts at researching methods to halt the decline and preserve the species have been focusing on both preserving the current stocks of native S. gigas specimens and maintaining stocks by ensuring reproduction or transplanting hatchery reared juveniles into the wild. Increasing interest in preserving the natural global stock led to a focused account of conch reproduction, potential mariculture hatcheries and maintenance of the species as a successful fisheries economy. However, to maintain any mariculture or fishery a strong healthy stock of native conch will need to be conserved. Two methods to protect and preserve high densities of native adult queen conch are at the forefront of conservation of the fisheries economy: depth refugia and marine reserves (Stoner, 1997). 1.5.1 Depth Refugia As S. gigas are herbivorous, predominantly found in well-lighted photosynthetic algal regions of shallow sub tidal zones 10-30m deep. The majority of S. gigas are therefore accessible to scuba divers driving the maximum abundance of adult conch to greater depth. Numbers at depths are generally very low (Stoner, 1997) and in response to declining shallow water populations one potential form of management for maintaining a healthy reproductive native population is to limit fishing to free diving (Posada Garcfa-Moliner, 1996). Relatively natural populations of adult conch are, in comparison, uncommon in depths 10 m showing the highest abundance at depth beyond the reach of free-diving conch fisherman. The limit would allow the survival of these small, deepwater refuge populations, ensuring some reproduction to replenish the regional stocks (). A possible problem is that because the vast majority of queen conch spends their first 2-3 years in shallow water, migrating when mature from ba nk nursery sites into deeper water, those on the bank in the fished area may be harvested before reaching water sufficiently deep to protect them from free-diving fishermen (). Also young adults and adults that do not migrate to deep water are then all accessible to free divers; the intense fishing for conch in shallow water could ultimately reduce deep-water refuge stocks (). 1.5.2 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) Protected marine areas provide an alternative technique already employed to maintaining high densities of adult conch. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are the globally designated marine specific protected sites, and are used as a management tool for limiting the ecosystem effects of fishing, including the biological and socio-economic aspects. Although increasing, currently only an estimated 0.6% of the worlds oceans are designated MPAs, the largest being the Great Barrier Reef, however many of the largest can be found in the Caribbean oceans. UNEP-WCMC, 2002, defined MPAs as any area of the intertidal or subtidal terrain, together with its overlying water and associated flora, fauna, historical and cultural features, which has been reserved by law or other effective means to protect part or all of the enclosed environment. The MPAsprotect all species and rare habitats or nursing grounds in that environment, which can include historical features such as shipwrecks, and cultural sites o f interest (such as known whale routes). MPAs aim to protect their environment according to area and species, by restricting access, mining and fishing practices, and by prioritising preservation and conservation. In extreme cases tourism is restricted, use of certain boats, and ultrasound are either banned or restricted in the conservation areas. 1.5.2.1 Does Marine Protection work? Ecological Effects of MPAs There is sufficient evidence that fishing negatively affects ecosystems (Sumaila, et al, 2000) and to reduce fishing is the main principle of fishery model predictions. Models predict that the establishment of MPAs, in particular, for overexploited commercial populations, can reduce negative effects of fishing consequently maintaining local economies, and livelihoods of fishermen (Behnken, 1993). Reserve protection ensuring a natural source of maintaining species diversity for the future, creating an ecological success and benefiting sustainability of future fisheries economies, as well as rehabilitate those that have collapsed (Halpern, 2003). The scientific consensus is that, marine reserves, on average, regardless of their size, and with exceptions, result in long-lasting significantly higher density, biomass, individual size, and diversity (Lubchenco et al, 2000) when evaluated for both overall communities and by each functional group within these communities (carnivorous fishes, herbivorous fishes, planktivorous fishes/invertebrate eaters, and invertebrates) within reserves as opposed to outside the reserve (or after reserve establishment vs. before) (Halpern, 2003) and often rapid increases in the abundance, and productivity of marine organisms. By providing refuge nursery areas protecting resident species and heritage protection of important habitats such as coral, MPAs increase density of species and decrease mortality, habitat destruction and any indirect ecosystem effects. On average, research provides evidence that creating a reserve can raise mean organism size, double density, (nearly) triple biomass, and increase diversity of communities by 20-30% relative to the values for unprotected areas (Halper, 2003) and Halpern deems the results to be robust despite the many potential sources of error in the individual studies with considerable variance (Halpern, 2003). Outside reserve boundaries the few studies that have examined spill over effects (Lubche nco et al, 2000), but the increase in density and diversity of marine life, is predicted to increase reproduction potential and by permanently eliminating fishing practices, change the ecosystem from disturbed to mature (Sumaila et al, 2000) restoring community structure (McClanahan and Obura, 1995). Outside of the reserve there is potential for the abundance of exploited species to also increase in areas adjacent to reserves via regionally larval export replenishing populations (Lubechncho et al, 2000). 1.5.2.2 Strombus gigas Specific MPA Restrictions Do they Work? Long-lived slow growing epibenthic species and those requiring highly structured habitat would be expected to thrive in the MPA albeit a long process rebuilding the habitat structure (Watling and Norse, 1998). For S. gigas, the establishment of marine reserves is theoretically the best way to allow populations to recover (Stoner 1997) as from a single-species point of view, MPA are designed to restore populations to pre-industrial fishing levels by reducing the probability of extinction for marine species resident within them by using fishing restrictions (Lubchenco et al, 2000). Invertebrate density trends as shown by other species and functional groups, imply diversity will be higher inside reserves but so far invertebrate biomass has been documented lower within reserves (Halpern, 2003). Indirectly the reserve may however affect numbers of S. gigas predatory fishes, and for invertebrate biomass in particular, the effectiveness depends on its position in the localised food chain. C urrently there are few S. gigas specific evaluation of the biological impact of a reserve on the stock of queen conch, the first conducted in the Turks and Caicos islands (Bene Tewfick, 2003), followed by (Stoner and Ray, 1996) comparing the density of adult queen conch in the 1984 Restricted Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park and in the fished area near Lee Stocking Island, Exuma Cays. Both studies showed increased densities of S. gigas in the reserve as shown in Table 1, Benes results showing density 6 times higher within the reserve and S. gigas shell length significantly smaller in the reserve than in the fished areas describing the existence of a crowding effect (high density induced reduction in growth rate) within the reserve (Bene Tewfik, 2003) hypothesized due to a) reduced fishing mortality following creation of reserve b) existence of natural barriers that impede emigration of adults to outside the reserve. (Stoner, 1997) concluded that marine reserves can conserve spawners i ndicated by juvenile conch numbers increasing in Exuma Park and that the increased larval production within the reserve transporting downstream to areas of fished populations (Stoner, 1997). Table 1. Density of adult queen conch in the Exurna Cays Land and Sea Park near the island of Waderick Wells and in the fished area near Lee Stocking Island, Exuma Cays. (mean + SE for each depth interval). (Stoner Ray, (1996) Habitat/Depth (m) Fishery Reserve Fished Area Bank 53.6 1.7 Shelf 0-2.5 0 0 0 0 2.5-5 34 22 2.2 1.7 5-10 49 18 7.2 4.1 10-15 270 85 60 47 15-20 104 58 88 32 20-25 148 72 18 9 25-30 122 70 0 0 As ecological effect results show, reserves are the best way to provide protection whilst evaluating threats to ocean communities (Lubchenco, et al, 2000), however the even limited exploitation or resumption of fishing practice within the protected area decreases documented benefits (Jennings, 1996; Attwood et al., 1997 Wantiez, 1997; Alcala and Russ, 1990). (Halpern, 2003) reports less positive results in other MPA studies as well, but these studies have been mostly disregarded as interlinked confounding factors, such reserves with unfavourable habitats (Tegner, 1993) and not protecting a sufficient portion of critical habitat (Armstrong et al., 1993) were likely to have caused the less significant result (Sumaila et al, 2000). 1.5.2.3 Future Effectiveness of MPAs for Queen Conch Stocks MPAs alone may not guarantee the long-term persistence of the targeted species as external anthropogenic factors, for example pollution effects and climatic changes, may impact and damage the ecosystem in unpredictable and undetectable ways (Allison et al., 1998) but precautionary principle suggests they may provide some sort of protection. To produce effective reserves diversity of marine habitats must be encompassed alongside other management tools coupled with long term monitoring evaluating management impacts within and outside the reserves (Lubchenco et al, 2000). The effectiveness of any MPA is dependant on its size and its location in relation to life-history characteristics and habitat requirement of the targeted species the MPA aims to protect (Sumaila et al, 2000). 1.5.2.3.1 Location and habitat requirement Both larval dispersal and adult migration patterns must be considered important. Knowledge of home range, larval dispersal, location of settlement, migration patterns, the contribution of neighbouring spawning populations and physical oceanography (Halpern, 2003; Sumaila etal, 2000) all become crucial to be considered when determining the location, size, and number of reserves necessary to protect the targeted species and increase ability to retain a sustainable population (Allison et al., 1998). Permanent or temporal closures will protect critical habitats of nurseries, spawning and feeding grounds and populations during crucial life history events such as migrations and spawning aggregations. The reserve must be not only downstream receiving a regular supply of larva from a spawning population, but must be established in locations where they will contribute to further downstream fisheries (Stoner, 1997). If the rate of adult migration to outside the reserve is fast, efficiency of t he reserve is likely to decrease, as a large proportion of individuals would still be vulnerable to exploitation (Sumaila et al., 2000). 1.5.2.3.2 Size Dependency Successful reserves should be large enough that reproductive stock cannot migrate out, and areas that supply larvae into populations must have some level of protection as well (Stoner, 1997). Stoner, (1997) concludes that the apparent success of the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park is due, in part, to its large size. However (Halpern, 2003) states the likelihood to increase biomass or density is independent of reserve size, suggesting effects of MPAs increase directly rather than proportionally with increasing size of a reserve. Halpern acknowledges Stoners view, in that he theorises equal relative differences in biological measures between small and large reserves can translate into greater absolute differences for the larger reserves. They both conclude larger reserves are required in order to reach the conservation and protection objectives of marine reserves. Building large reserves is difficult with global boundaries and evidence is suggesting that a network of reserves that spans l arge geographic areas would encompassing enough to adequately protect and provide a stable platform for the long-term persistence of marine communities against environmental variability or anthropogenic pollution as much as a single reserve (Ballantine, 1997; Lubchenco et al, 2000) The worlds two largest coral reefs are the Great Barrier Reef in Australia followed by the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System (MBRS) and both are good examples of networks of MPAs. The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System (MBRS) extends from the southern half of the Yucatan Peninsula to the Bay Islands of Honduras incorporating the second longest barrier reef in the world (Almada-Villela et. al2003). All coral reef of the MBRS are included within MPAs, and in Honduras all areas off the north coast are included in MPAs as it has diverse assemblage of coral habitats and reef unique in the Western hemisphere are to be preserved. The network system provides the stabilization and some protection of coastal landscapes, and its regulations help preserve important habitats for all marine life, including those of commercial value, ensuring continued employment and income to indigenous people living on MBRS coastal areas. They are assisting the bordering Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras in set ting up communal policies, regulations, and institutional arrangements for the conservation and sustainable use of the area (MBRS). 1.6 Current Honduran Queen Conch Fisheries The broad shelf off north-eastern Honduras and Nicaragua is where the principal fisheries for lobsters, shrimp, and conchs are conducted, with the exception of wildlife refuges in the north Utila, north Roatan, and the northwest side of Guanaja (Miller(3)). Earlier Artisanal free diving Fishing of 1970-1980s, evolved into organized industrial commercial fishing and conchs which were so abundant in places some could be seen from shore in clear waters became depleted in shallow coastal waters spurred by a consistent demand for conch meat in the United States, expanding as scuba gear in 1984 up 37 m in the conch grounds off the north-eastern Honduras coast. Since the mid-1980s, the number of divers employed to catch lobsters and conchs from Honduran industrial vessels has increased sharply, currently totalling about 1,800 make 12, 12 trips/year, taking 15,000-30,000 pounds of conch meat/12-day trip. An estimated 50 fishermen from the Bay Islands, using only mask and fins, and 7 from Pue rto Cortes area, using scuba gear, currently seek lobsters and conchs, taking on average 2-3 conchs a day. In coastal villages eastward of La Ceiba, some fishermen catch conchs by free diving with a mask and fins 10-20 conchs/day, but sometimes none (Zuniga(8)). Only the meat of conchs is taken by cracking a hole to cut the muscle attachment from the shell, often discarding the shell (Fermin(9) or selling to a company in San Pedro Sula, which uses it for making tiles (Galindo(4)). In 1-2 dives, a diver gets about, 15-20lb up to 100-120 lbs and received US$0.95/pound for conch meat (1996). The catches are taken to Roatan, where they are repacked and sold principally in the United States. The fishermen sell to middlemen who in 1996 paid them US$1.43/pound for conch meat whos then sells in the city of La Ceiba and receives US$2.482.86/pound for conch meat (Zuniga(8)). Conch meat sold for US$3.43/pound in markets in San Pedro Sula and Tela in March 1996 (personal observ.). Aquatic produ ction Landings (it) Conch meats = 291 1.7 Honduran MPAs, The Cayos Cochinos Marine Reserve In Honduras, since 1988, 18 officially recognised and 4 proposed protected marine areas have been designated (MPA Global, Marine Protected Area Database) most recently in 2003, the Legislative Presidential decree 114-2003 designated the the Cayos Cochinos islands, off the coast of Northern Honduras, a Marine Natural Monument (Andraka Bouroncle, 2004), and the Honduran Coral Reef Foundation (HCRF) obtained protection for these islands/reefs and the responsibility of the conservation of the islands for 10 years. Fig 4: Detailed Map of the designated Cayos Cochinos Marine National Park The Cayos Cochinos MPA consists of two small islands Cayo Menor (Cochino Pequero) and Cayo Mayor (Cochinor Grande) and 13 coral cays off the north Honduran coast, where the HCRF Management Program implemented focus on the recuperation of the key habitat, taking into account the life cycle of fish, mollusc, and crustaceans, to guarantee the sustainability of the fish in the MPA. This area and management also protection of commercial specials in critical states to provide alternatives to diversify the fishing activities, to alleviate the pressure on the Cayos Cochinos, without significantly affecting the local culture of fishing and by implementing zones with regulations for the conservation and management of these resources, controlled by park rangers and local volunteers monitoring these zones (HCRF). Honduras charges artisanal fishermen to pay a $1.00 per year and industrial corporations $10 a year, for a licence which allows them to fish conch freely with no minimum length regulati on until Honduras closed season of March 16 August 31. 1.8 Aims: In 1997 prior to the establishment of the Marine Protected Area the Smithsonian Institute completed Queen Conch surveys around the islands and showed that stocks were heavily over fished with Adult S. gigas were estimated at 7.3 individuals per hectare, and Juvenile S. gigas also 7.3 individuals per hectare (Tewfik Guzman, 1998). The objective of this project was to repeat these dive surveys, measure the size of all conchs recorded and classify into size categories as in 1997, using the visual abundance survey data to observe whether the management measures implemented by Honduran Coral Reef Foundation in 2002 are protecting the Queen Conch stocks and increasing numbers within the MPA in comparison to 1997. 1.8.1 Visual Abundance Survey Data It was chosen to use visual abundance surveys for assessment of the conch populations as they give fishery-independent estimates of exploitable biomass, future recruitment, as well as habitat distribution, condition, and use by conch populations. Divers can be towed behind boats to count but the benthic nature requires that divers to survey the substrate over a measured area. This allows absolute determination of density and direct observation of individual conch on various substrate types as well as enabling collection of morphometric data. These surveys within the region are reasonably inexpensive and very accessible, short in duration given the limited shelf area of most countries. Large-scale surveys may only be needed every few years as long as other data collections continue in the interim periods. Visual surveys are particularly valuable when used with other data, such as catch and effort, and when a number of surveys have been completed (CFMC CFRAMP 1999). Visual assessments for conch have been done over the years on various spatial scales including: Berg et al. (1992a,b), Friedlander et al. (1994), Appeldoorn (1995b), Berg and Glazer (1995), Tewfik et al. (1997), Tewfik and Bene (2000), Appeldoom and Rodriguez (1994), Berg and Oisen (1989), Appeldoom and B. Rodriguez, Mahon (1990), Smith and van Neirop (1984), Stoner and Ray (1996), Tewfik (1996), Torres Rosado (1987), Weil and Laughlin (1984) and Wood and Olsen (1983).

Poverty in Indonesia - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1174 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2019/04/16 Category Society Essay Level High school Tags: Poverty Essay Did you like this example? When one thinks of Indonesia, images of lush green jungles, komodo dragons, sparkling blue oceans, and massive blackened volcanoes immediately come to mind. Its diverse culture and rich history make the country stand out amongst its Southeastern Asian neighbors. The tropical scenery and art of shadow puppetry is what attracts millions of tourists from across the globe. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Poverty in Indonesia" essay for you Create order The spirit of the Indonesian people and their unique customs never fail to bring a smile to ones face. Indonesias story carries many folds and layers, it is a story of great achievement and progression. The archipelago has acquired extraordinary feats since World War II, the first being its ability to gain independence following the drastic years of Dutch colonialism. Throughout the course of time, the country has managed to overcome even the most distressing obstacles, such as the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997. It earned the title of fourth most populous and has produced a steadily increasing class of young, eager workers. Another incomparable achievement of Indonesia is, surprisingly, its reduced poverty rate. Recent studies have found, to their dismay, that the poverty rate has been nearly cut in half since 1999 (Poverty in Indonesia, 2017). Despite this, Poverty in Indonesia (2017) reports that twenty-eight million people continue to live below the poverty line. This ar ises numerous questions from leaders all over the world but research has shown that Indonesias poverty is a result of the countrys geographical, economic, and political insufficiency. The poverty that is prevalent in Indonesia is due to the corrupt government, inflation, and poor infrastructure. Corruption is among one of the leading causes of poverty in Indonesia because it extracts money from struggling citizens and widens the substantially large gap between the rich and poor. Indonesias corruption actually traces back to its second president, Suharto. He ruled as dictator of the nation for about thirty years until he was forced to resign by riots sparked by the public for his corrupt and demeaning nature, in addition to having kept fifteen billion dollars worth of state funds for his personal benefit. According to Simons (2000), during the economic crisis of 1997, when small landowners asked for compensation on lands they had lost over mass evolution projects in court, they were ignored and accused of being associated with illegal organizations (p. 34). Suhartos family, who was already knee deep in immaculate wealth, were the ones who received the landowners rightful payment. The laws that had been enforced long ago had lost its meaning, for the Suharto Clan was show ered with booming contracts, unnecessary bank loans, and political protection on behalf of the judicial system. The poor, who were in a perpetual state of despair, sunk even lower into the black hole known as poverty. They had no hope, because Suhartos exploitation of their labor and firm grip on the little means they possessed had trapped them. By taking away affluence from the lower class, one can see that government corruption, especially that of the ruler, is the culprit behind Indonesias plunging impoverished community. Whats more, after Suhartos fall, authority and corruption simply shifted to the local authorities. Indonesias police and military forces, as stated in Bribery and Corruption (2016), are in the running for most corrupt institution in the country because they do not regard bribery, for example, as an act of corruption. As a result, revenue generated from private entrepreneurs and huge companies are strewn directly into the pockets of authoritative officials and soldiers, rather than for the good of the penniless citizens. The divide between the rich and poor widen further, because the less educated are unable to afford the significantly high standards that the rich formulate for them. If wealth had been evenly distributed amid the well off and needy, income inequality would be dramatically lowered and the poverty rate would drop from 17.4% in 2003 to nearly zero in 2010. Poverty, perhaps, would not be as intense as it is now, if corruptible individuals did not deliberately remove money from the hands of laborers and establish immeasurable barriers in the middle of the working and lavish class. The fluctuation in prices of food is a product of the gap between rich and poor? Inflation also contributes to the rising poverty rate in Indonesia since it limits peoples access to crucial necessities like food, and prevents the action of accepting imports from other foreign countries. {REVISE] Prior to the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997, Indonesian speculators took advantage of what was believed to be prosperous times and gathered a total of eighty billion dollars worth of foreign debt in anticipation of accumulating tons of fortune (Dori, 1998). Their naive belief of the stability of their economy had led them to exploit their currency, the rupiah, to its full extent; in exchange for dollar bills. After selling out the rupiah for dollars continuously, the value of the rupiah ultimately depreciated to a record-breaking low. Even central banks refused to amend the situation because it had escalated too far. Through his presentation, Dori (1998) conveys that the crumbling of the rupiah had brought Indonesias economy to a standstill. Those who had borrowed l oans from Indonesias banks were therefore unable to pay off their debt. Bank activity halted, which prevented exporters from selling their goods to foreign countries. Indonesian producers, additionally, were unable to pay for the expenses that went in conjunction with the goods they manufactured. The effect that this catastrophe had on the poor was horrific. Prices of basic staples like rice, had skyrocketed. Indonesias rural community spends up to 70% of their income on food, as found by Indonesias Biggest Challenges (2017), so to have had to depend on a monthly income of $100 makes them extremely vulnerable to starvation and the looming extent of poverty. A second element that adds to the inflation in Indonesia are in fact, natural disasters. Because Indonesia is located within the Pacific Ring of Fire, it is susceptible to frequent earthquakes and tsunamis. Moreover, droughts and countless floods have overcome the small island. As a consequence, food shortages are abund ant, and the swelling of resources is strickening. The inflation of material goods, as well as the inability to import or export goods causes Indonesias poor to remain in the outskirts poverty for they have no way of recovering. Finally, Indonesias lack of infrastructure plays a part in increasing the poverty line because it isolates the poor from urban services and education, which leads to extensive malnutrition and maternal mortality (Hughes, 2017). [REVISE} Although it has generated significant economic growth in a relatively short period of time, Indonesia appears to have left the impoverished behind in the dust. Out of the 260 million people residing in that country, more than 26 million live beneath the poverty line (The World Bank in Indonesia, 2017). The pay gap between the rich and poor is simply appalling, and the number of citizens settled in particularly rural areas have an extremely low chance of survival. For years, analyzers have struggled to identify why Indonesias poverty-stricken population continues to suffer under distressing circumstances. The answer lies within the corrupt government, dramatic rise in day to day resources, and the scarcity of infrastructure.

Capitalism and Slavery - 1511 Words

Capitalism: End Of The Slave Trade System or Reevaluated Economic Stimulus. Like many others demoralized cultures during the Atlantic Slave trade period, Africans fell victim to the sixteenth century discovery of Columbus so called New World. Europeans used the Atlantic Slave Trade to capitalize on Columbus so called Discovery. For more than three centuries, the regions of Africa were in a state of destabilization. More than thirty million Africans were taken out of Africa and put in the Americas and surrounding countries. The horrors of the New World Atlantic Slave trade system cannot be expressed in figures along. The humanitarian and cultural losses are staggering. Throughout this period, more than a million and a half died†¦show more content†¦Adam Smiths Book Wealth Of nations discusses his philosophy and motivation for salaried labor. Smith argued that the institution was just one more artificial restraint on individual self-interest. THIS division of labor, from which so many advantages are derived, is not originally the effect of any human wisdom, which foresees and intends that general opulence to which it gives occasion. It is the necessary, though very slow and gradual consequence of a certain propensity in human nature, which has in view no such extensive utility; the propensity to truck, barter, and exchange one thing for another. If a man had no hope of property, Smith thought, he would obviously work badly. He based his beliefs from experience of all ages and nations. Work done by freemen comes cheaper in the end than that performed by slaves. That sentence was immensely influential in the slave labor plantation system. Smiths interpretation was taken exceptionally serious because unlike most who were opposes to slavery based on factors such as religion and moral belief, Smith never mention moral or religion regarding slavery as a factor in his book Wealth of Nations. Slave owners and businessmen alike nationwide took interest in Adam Smiths philosophy. Plantation owners began to reevaluate the effectiveness of their forced labor non-pay accommodation system. Many slave owners began to consider eliminating slavery as their means of capital and socialShow MoreRelatedSlavery, Colonialism and Capitalism783 Words   |  3 PagesSlavery, Colonialism and Capitalism, it can be said that there is a relationship between these three systems. There are many different views on this topic, the main views being the Liberal-pluralists and the Radical revisionists who understand this relationship from different perspectives. To prove the connection between these three systems that impacted many countries this essay shall make close reference to a number of sources. Cedric Robinson (1984: 57) discusses the fact that slavery lead toRead MoreSlavery And The Making Of American Capitalism1153 Words   |  5 PagesJose Arciga Robert Dean History 110 11.10.15 Essay Prompt The Half Has Never Been Told :Slavery and the making of American Capitalism Back when America was being shaped, tobacco was the main slave produced trade in the colonies. Plantations all across the south had a majority of the slaves from Africa brought here on ships. Forced to work for their slave owners. Tobacco wasn t the only booming business. Cotton soon came into the picture, the north was a more industrial economy, while the southRead MoreRelationship Between Slavery And Capitalism Essay1281 Words   |  6 Pagesrelationship between Slavery and Capitalism, and the extent to how dependent Capitalism was on slavery. Chattel slavery first arrived to America in 1619 and from there the business just kept on growing. It leads to the invention of the cotton gin and helped push forward the young country into the developed powerful nation it is now. This can be gained from the readings from Bailyn, Beverly, the Declaration of Independence, and other works that show not only how profitable slavery was, but also how importantRead MoreCapitalism And Slavery By Er ic Eustace Williams Essay1232 Words   |  5 PagesCapitalism Slavery, (published by The University of North Carolina Press, 1994) was written by Eric Eustace Williams and first published in 1944. Eric Williams book, was at the time of its publication, considered years ahead of its time. It should be noted, early on within this report that, literary works on the history of the Caribbean or slavery for a matter of fact, was done by Europeans. In the preface of his book, Williams clearly asserts that his work, is not a study of the institutionRead MoreBook Report: Capitalism Slavery, Eric Williams1513 Words   |  7 PagesHIS294Y Thursday February 7th 2006 Book Report: Capitalism Slavery, Eric Williams Capitalism Slavery, (published by The University of North Carolina Press, 1994) was written by Eric Eustace Williams and first published in 1944. Eric Williams book, was at the time of its publication, considered years ahead of its time. It should be noted, early on within this report that, literary works on the history of the Caribbean or slavery for a matter of fact, was done by Europeans. In theRead MoreEric Williams Thesis on Capitalism and Slavery and Arguments Made for and Against the Thesis.1564 Words   |  7 PagesERIC WILLIAMS THESIS ON CAPITALISM AND SLAVERY AND ARGUMENTS MADE FOR AND AGAINST THE THESIS. Many historians justify that the evolving of the industrial revolution was based on slavery and mainly the triangular trade. The triangular trade was the route taken by Europeans to transport goods to Africa in exchange for slaves to be taken to the Americans. The triangular trade was seen as the first system of global commerce which linked Britain, Africa and the Americans. The most important coloniesRead MoreThe Half Has Never Been Told : Slavery And The Making Of American Capitalism Essay3355 Words   |  14 Pageslatest book, The Half Has Never Been Told: Slavery and the Making of American Capitalism (2014), this one sentence spawned a massive conversation online regarding the reality of slavery’s brutal nature and its standing in the economic development of, not only the South, but the nation. The incorporation of economics into the conversation on slavery dates back to 1965 with the publication of Eugene Genovese’s first book, The Political Economy of Slavery, w herein he argues that economic developmentRead MoreEssay on Slavery In American History1430 Words   |  6 Pagestextbook---A Short History of the American Nation,  ¡Ã‚ °No reform movement of this era was more significant, more ambiguous in character, or more provocative of later historical investigation than the drive to abolish slavery. ¡Ã‚ ± Abolition Movement was not only meaningful to itself, that is, slavery was abolished and black slaves were freed, but also meaningful to the whole nation, because it exerted much influences on American society and economy. In this paper, I will firstly present a brief introductionRead MoreThe Role Of Capitalism And Reproduction During The Middle Passage1492 Words   |  6 PagesThe Role of Capitalism and Reproduction in Commodification (title) From the first voyage of the Middle Passage, American slavery has been dependent on the systematic depletion of human beings as economic assets. This commodification process persisted throughout the course of slavery, solidifying slaves role as property in America. Rooted at the very core of slavery, capitalism motivated whites to view the enslaved as property, rather than humans, to protect their economic interests. In orderRead MoreSlavery And Freedom : An Interpretation Of The Old South867 Words   |  4 Pages book, Slavery and Freedom: An Interpretation of the Old South, is a reflection of slavery and freedom that was closely associated with the ordinary life in the South. The book also hits on points of liberal capitalism that the slave-owner s had. This book goes into immense detail on liberal capitalism as well as the lack of freedom that the slaves had in the Deep South. ...And this could only mean that southern slavery was defined as the denial of the assumptions of liber al capitalism (xiii)

Biography And Background Of Mary Shelley s Frankenstein

Biography Background Author of Frankenstein, Mary Goodwin, was born in London, England in 1797. Poet Percy Shelley, her father s philosophy student took Goodwin to London to travel around Europe with her younger sister Jane. In 1816 the group traveled to Switzerland with Lord Byron. One night a member of the group suggested a writing competition. Shelley had writer s block for a time until she had a dream about the creation of a monster. Therefore, within the following days she began to write a story that would lead to her famous novel, Frankenstein. The group would often tell horror stories aloud at night-time. A horrid topic that the group discussed was Galvanism. The theory of Galvanism concludes that the human body can create†¦show more content†¦At age twenty Melville was a cabin boy on a merchant ship. After a year he joined the Acushnet a whaling ship. He lands on the Marquesas Islands and captured by cannibals, but rescued by the Lucy Ann an Australian whaling ship. His experience in the next few years provided him the knowledge to write his own novels about whaling. Later joining the Charles and Henry another whaling ship because the Lucy Ann did not work out. While on the Charles and Henry he worked as harpooner. Melville was still not tired of the sea life, even after the Charles and Henry landed. In approximately 1844, Melville returned home and began to write about his tales. In his writings he used his own accounts and tales he heard in his twenty years at sea. His descriptions of the life as a whaler were exceedingly accurate and detailed through the communication of his own fears and opinions of whale hunting. In 1851 Moby Dick was published in London as a recognition of the whaling industry. In the year of 1860 in Scotland, J.M Barrie had been born. Barrie was not an only child since he had an older brother named David whom he adored. Not only did Barrie adore him but he was the family favorite. In 1867 a tragic accident happened where David was skating and had gotten into an ice skating accident. This accident had caused Barrie s older brother David to die. Barrie’s mother was so distressed from the incident that she would never function the same ever again. The grief she feltShow MoreRelatedSimilarities Between Frankenstein s Creature And Mary Shelley s Frankenstein916 Words   |  4 Pagessimilarities between the Frankenstein’s creature and Mary Shelley’s. These indications show that the novel may be an autobiography. On the other hand, the novel shows a lot of the characteristics of science fiction. The novel cannot be classified as both, a real description and a fiction narrative, at the same time. An informed opinion about this controversy req uires the evaluation of redundant critics. Sherry Ginn uses â€Å"Mary Shelley s Frankenstein: Science, Science Fiction, or Autobiography?† to adequateRead MoreAnalysis Of Mary Shelley s Frankenstein 1601 Words   |  7 Pagesthe substance itself.†(Mary Shelley) An author’s personal story and background has an immense impact on literature and culture. It affects the style of the writing and ultimately the topics and themes they write about. The novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is an exceptional example of how a person’s experiences influence literature and culture. Frankenstein tells the story of Victor, his monstrous creation, and the consequences both he and the monster had to live through. Mary Shelley’s traumatic earlyRead MoreSimilarities Between Frankenstein And Mary Shelley s Frankenstein876 Words   |  4 PagesFrankenstein’s creature and Mary Shelley. These indications show that the novel may be an autobiography. However, the novel shows a lot of the characteristics of science fiction. The novel can be a real description or fiction narrative, but not both. An informed opinion about this controversy requires the evaluation of relevant critics. Sherry Ginn uses â€Å"Mary Shelley s Frankenstein: Science , Science Fiction, or Autobiography?† to adequately argue that the novel Frankenstein is based on Shelley’s experiencesRead MoreMary Shelley s Life And The Creation Of The Monster Essay2157 Words   |  9 PagesThroughout Mary Shelley’s life, she has faced many obstacles that have made her a strong woman. The events that took place in her life influenced her to create the novel Frankenstein. Shelley’s life has been documented by many biographers (Biography editors, 2016). Many people have also written about the novel s original story, Shelley’s relationship with Frankenstein the creation, and the devaluing of life in Shelley’s Frankenstein. In the novel, Victor has a love for science. He collects bodyRead MoreMetamorphoses Within Frankenstein14861 Words   |  60 PagesThe Critical Metamorphoses of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein You must excuse a trif ling d eviation, From Mrs. Shelley’s marvellous narration — from th e musical Frankenstein; or, The Vamp ire’s Victim (1849) Like Coleridge’ s Ancient Mariner , who erupts into Mary Sh elley’s text as o ccasionally and inev itably as th e Monster into Victor Frankenstein’s lif e, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometh eus passes, like night, from land to land and w ith stang ely ad aptable powers of speech Read MoreThe Period Called Romanticism: Representations of Terror in Literature2051 Words   |  9 Pagesand create a terror reaction . In the human history, fear is a distressing negative emotion, which has been playing a very important role in the personal and social life, through the centuries and becoming a substantial part of the psychological background of the man. The emotion of fear is not a stranger to the majority of people and it would not be an exaggeration to say that every person is afraid of something. As H.P. Lovecraft stated â€Å"The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and theRead MoreHeart of a Dog - Mikhail Bulgakov3407 Words   |  14 Pagesï » ¿The Heart of a Dog Mikhail Bulgakov Andrew Wright ‘The Heart of a Dog’, written by Mikhail Bulgakov in 1925, is a satirical parable illustrating the provincial failures of the Russian regime, post-revolution. According to S. Fusso, Bulgakov’s allegory is not, unlike Orwell’s, â€Å"simple or naà ¯ve†,1 but one that offers an exploration of various different themes, from the ethical implications of eugenics â€Å"that so fascinated the scientific community during the 1920s†,2 to the farcical revolutionRead MoreInterpretation of the Text13649 Words   |  55 PagesP A R T 1. A N A L Y Z I N G F I C T I O N MODULE 1 1.1. The fictional world of a literary work Literature is writing that can be read in many ways. We can read it as a form of history, biography, or autobiography. We can read it as an example of linguistic structures or rhetorical conventions manipulated for special effect. We can view it as a material product of the culture that produced it. We can see it as an expression of beliefs and values of a particular class. We can also see a work of literature

APUSH Free Essays

Apush Free Essays string(87) " attempted to uphold strong nationalistic principles in a time of rowing sectionalism\." CHAPTER 11 * The tie between Aaron Burr and Jefferson meant that Jefferson had to be elected by the house of reps. * Jefferson and his secretary kept financial policies like funding, assumption, and the Bank of the U. S. We will write a custom essay sample on Apush or any similar topic only for you Order Now in place. * The Jeffersonian Republicans showed their hostility by trying to impeach Justice Samuel Chase. * Marbury vs. Madison established judicial review; the right of the Supreme Court to declare legislation unconstitutional. * Jefferson cut the army to 2500 men because he thought a large army was a threat to liberty and economy. Jefferson’s deepest doubt about the Louisiana Purchase was that the purchase might be unconstitutional. * Lewis and Clark expedition demonstrated the viability of an overland American route to the Pacific. * After 1805, American shipping was severely hurt by trade restrictions imposed by both the British and French. * After the Chesapeake Affair Jefferson could have easily declared war on Britain with the enthusiastic support from both the Federalists and Republicans. (what is Chesapeake affair? ) * Jefferson’s embargo badly hurt Federalist New England as well as southern and western farmers. New Englanders overcame the effects of the emba rgo by trading illicitly with Canada and developing more domestic manufacturing. * The most revolutionary development in the critical election of 1800 was the peaceful transition of power form one political party to its opponent. * One federalist policy that Jefferson quickly overturned was the excise tax. * Jefferson was forced to reverse his strong opposition to substantial military forces b/c of the plunder and blackmailing of American shipping by North African states. Although greatly weakened after Jefferson’s election, the Federalist party’s philosophy continued to have great influence through the federalist judicial rulings of John Marshall * The tern â€Å"midnight judges† refers to Federalist judges appointed by Pres. John Adams at the last moments of his administration. * The republicans failure to impeach Supreme Court justice Samuel Chase established the principle that impeachment should be used only for â€Å"high crimes and misdemeanors† and not as a political weapon. * Jefferson focused his military construction policy primarily on building several hundred small gun boats. Embargo Act prohibited all foreign trade. * The crucial foreign goal for many â€Å"war hawks† in the war of 1812 was the capture and annexation of Canada. * Tecumseh and the prophet created a pan Indian military alliance against white expansion and also urged Native Americans to resist white ways and revive their traditional culture. * Native American resistance east of the Mississippi river was effectively crushed in the two battles of Tippecanoe and Horseshoe Bend. CHAPTER 12 * Napoleons decision to repeal his blockage decrees in response to Macon’s Bill No. 2 demonstrated how Madison was manipulated by napoleon. The large western delegations in Congress were very concerned about foreign policy issues such as Canada and maritime rights. * A good deal of western hostility to Britain arose b/c the war hawks believed that the British w ere supplying the Native Americans. * New Englanders did not want to acquire Canada at all. * Even though the New England shippers were most affected by overseas trade they did not want to confront Britain on issues for impressment and maritime rights. * American naval forces under Perry and Macdonough thwarted British-Canadian invasion threats to Detroit and upstate New York. Clay’s and Calhoun’s plans for an extensive system of federally funded roads and canals were blocked by Republican presidents who had constitutional objections. * The Era of Good Feelings under President Monroe was broken by the Panic of 1819 and the battle over slavery in Missouri. * B/c of its wildcat banking practices and land speculation, the west was hit especially hard in the panic of 1819. * Missouri compromise: Missouri a slave state, Maine a free state and no more slavery would be permitted in the Louisiana Purchase territory north of the southern boundary of Missouri. John Marshalls Sup reme Court rulings generally defended the power of the federal government against the power of the states. * The greatest American military successes of the War of 1812 came in the naval battles on the Great Lakes and elsewhere. * Two prominent American military heroes who emerged from the War of 1812 were Oliver Hazard Perry and Andrew Jackson. * The American victory in the Battle of New Orleans proved essentially meaningless b/c the peace treaty had been signed several weeks before. * The terms of the treaty of Ghent nding the War of 1812 provided that the two sides would stop fighting and return to the status quo before the war. * One significant consequence of the War of 1812 was an increase in domestic manufacturing and economic independence. * A significant international consequence of the war of 1812 was a growth of Canadian patriotism and nationalism. * The new nationalistic feeling right after the war of 1812 was evident in the development of a distinctive national literatu re, an increased emphasis on economic independence, and a new pride in the American army and navy. * MuCulloch vs. Maryland: Justice John Marshall said that the federal bank of the U. S. was constitutional and no state had the right to tax it. * Daniel Webster joined John Marshall in expanding the power of the federal government at the expense of the states. * Andrew Jackson’s invasion of Florida led to permanent acquisition of the territory after Secretary of State Adams further pressured Spain to cede the area to the U. S. * The original impetus for declaring the Monroe doctrine came from a British proposal that American join Britain in guaranteeing the independence of the Latin American republics. The Monroe Doctrine asserted that the U. S. would not tolerate further European intervention or colonization in the Americas. * The immediate effect of the Monroe Doctrine at the time it was issued was very little. CHAPTER 13 * The â€Å"New Democracy† was based on the ending of property qualifications for the ballot in most states. * The voters failed to give an electoral majority to a ny candidate in 1824, so the house of reps. had to choose the president form among the top three candidates. * President Adams attempted to uphold strong nationalistic principles in a time of rowing sectionalism. You read "Apush" in category "Papers" The south and its leading spokesman, Calhoun, favored the tariff of 1816 but opposed the stronger tariff of 1828. * The election campaigns of 1828 were more about personalities and mudslinging than on the issues of tariffs and popular democracy. * The election of 1828 was in some ways a â€Å"revolution† of the common people of the West and South against the older, entrenched governing classes of the East. * The Jacksonians practiced their belief that the ordinary citizen was capable of holding almost any public office w/o particular qualifications. * One consequence of the spoils system was the building of the powerful political achienes based on favors and rewards distributed to political supporters. * In the Hayne-Webster deba te, the southerner Hayne defended the doctrine of nullification by the states, while Webster attacked it as contrary to a union formed by the while American people rather than by the states. * An essential cause of the â€Å"New Democracy† was the increased stake in politics felt by ordinary citizens after the panic of 1819 and the Missouri Compromise. * A new, more democratic method of nominating presidential candidates was the national nominating convention. * The Jacksonian charge of a â€Å"corrupt bargain† to gain J. Q. A. the presidency arose b/c Clay was named secretary of state after throwing his support to Adams. * The New Democracy arose partly b/c economic distress and the issue of slavery in Missouri stimulated a heightened public awareness of politics. * One political innovation that illustrated the new popular voice in politics was the rise of national party conventions to nominate presidential candidates. * Adam being stubborn and prickly, his support for national roads, a notional university, and an astronomical observatory, and his anti-western land and Indian policies made his presidency a political failure. In the battle over the â€Å"Tariff of Abominations,† New England backed high tariffs while south demanded lower duties. * Under the surface of the South’s strong opposition to the â€Å"tariff of Abominations† was a fear of growing federal power that might interfere in slavery. * John C. Calhoun’s theory of â€Å"nullification† was based on the idea that states should be able to declare invalid those laws they deemed unconstitutional. * The concept of a political â€Å"revolution of 1828† rests on the increased involvement of ordinary voters in the political process. One of the central beliefs of the new Jacksonian democracy was that office holding should be open to as many ordinary citizens as possible. * One consequence of the spoil system was an increase in incompetence and corruption in government. * The Peggy Eaton affair contributed to the bitter, personal political conflict between Andrew Jackson and Calhoun. * Jackson’s Maysville Road veto signaled his opposition to Henry Clay’s American System. * In his debate with Hayne, Daniel Webster argued that the federal government had formed by the people and the states had no right to nullify federal law. CHAPTER 14 * Jackson ended South Carolina’s threat of nullification and secession by political pressure, compromise, and the threat of military action. * No states backed up South Carolina and their act of nullification against the federal government. * Jackson used his veto of the bill to recharter the bank of the U. S. to mobilize the common people of the west against the financial elite of the east. * The anti-Masonic third party of 1832 appealed strongly to American suspicion of secret societies and to anti-Jackson evangelical Protestants. * Jackson finally destroyed the Band of the U. S. y moving federal deposits to state banks; the independent treasury was not established until 1840. * Jackson defied the Supreme Court and ordered eastern Indians removed to Oklahoma. * American settlers in Texas clashed with the Mexican government over issues of slavery, immigration, and legal rights. * The Whig party eventually coalesced into a strong anti-Jackson party with a generally nationalistic outlook. * Van Buren suffered the bad effects of the anti-bank battle, especially in the panic of 1819. * The Whigs pretended that Harrison was from a poor background to form the basis appeal. Van Buren last the election of 1840 partly b/c voters connected him with the hard times caused by the panic of 1837. * The Whigs favored harmony and activism. The Democrats favored liberty and equality. * The two-party system placed a premium on political compromise within each party and thus tended to reduce the ideological conflict between the parties. * The nullification crisis in South Carolina ended when Henry Clay pushed through a compromise tariff that enabled South Carolina to save face. * Jackson’s veto if the bank recharter bill represented a bold assertion of presidential power on behalf of western farmers and other debtors. Among the new political development that appeared in the election of 1832 were third-party campaigning, national conventions, and party pla tforms. * Jackson’s Specie Circular declared that all public lands would have to be purchased with â€Å"hard† or metallic money. * One of Andrew Jackson’s weapons in his was against Nicholas Biddle’s Bank of the U. S. was removing federal deposits from the bank and transferring them to â€Å"pet† state banks. * One important result of President Jackson’s destruction of the bank of the U. S. was the lack of a stable banking system to finance the era of rapid industrialization. In theory, the U. S. government treated the Indians east if the Mississippi River as sovereign nations with whom the government negotiated and signed binding treaties. * Some eastern Indian peoples like the Cherokees were notable for their development of effectiveness agricultural, educational, and political institutions. * In promoting his policy of Indian removal, Jackson defied rulings of the U. S. Supreme Court that favored Cherokees. * The end result of Jacksonâ⠂¬â„¢s Indian policies the forcible removal of the most southeastern Indians to Oklahoma. * A particular source of friction b/w the gov’t. f Mexico and the immigrant settlers in Texas was the settlers’ importation of slaves. * In the aftermath of the successful Texas Revolution, Texas petitioned to join the U. S. but was refused admission. * The panic of 1837 and subsequent depression were caused by overspecutlation and Jacksons financial policies. * Whig Party: Henry Clay and Daniel Webster. Tended to favor a strong federal role in economic and moral issues. CHAPTER 15: * American frontier life was often plagued by poverty and illness. * The influx of Irish immigrants contributed to the rise of nativism and anti-Catholicism. Most early American manufacturing was concentrated in New England. * The principle of â€Å"general incorporation† permitted individual business people to apply for limited-liability corporate charters from the state legislatures. * The ear ly industrial revolution involved jobs with long hours and low wages. * Early labor unions made very slow progress; partly b/c the strike weapon was illegal and ineffective. * The steel plow and mechanical reaper helped turn American farmers from subsistence farming to commercial, market-oriented agriculture. * By 1840, canals were cheaper and more effective than highways. The Erie Canal’s great economic effect was to create strong east-west commercial and industrial links b/w the Northeast and the West (Midwest). * The railroad met much early opposition, especially from canal interest. * In the sectional division of labor that developed before the civil war, the south generally provided raw materials to the Northeast in exchange for manufactured goods, transportation, and commercial services. * Most women remained outside the market economy, in the home. * American industrial cities were the sites of a slow but steady rise in wage rates for most workers. By the time of the c ivil war, telegraph lines had been stretched across both the Atlantic Ocean and the North American continent. * The experience of frontier life was especially difficult for women. * As late as 1850, over one-half of the American population was under the age of thirty. * The primary economic activity in the Rocky Mountain West before the civil war was fur-trapping. * Americans came to look on their spectacular western wilderness areas especially as one of their distinctive, defining attributes as a new nation. The American painter who developed the idea for a national park system was George Catlin. * Two major sources of European immigration to America in the 1840’s and the 1850’s were Germany and Ireland. * One Consequence of the influx of new immigrants was an upsurge of anti-Catholicism. * Industrialization was at first slow to arrive in America b/c there was a shortage of labor, capital, and consumers. * The first industry to be shaped by the new factory system of m anufacturing goods was textiles. * Wages went up for most American workers in the 19th century except for women and children. A major change affecting the American family in the early 19th century was a decline in the average number of children per household. * The first major improvements in the American transportation system were steamboats and highways. * The new regional â€Å"division of labor† created by improved transportation meant that the south=cotton, the west=grain and livestock, and the east= manufacturing. * One effect if industrialization was a rise in the gap between rich and poor. * A major new technological development that linked America more closely to Europe was the transatlantic cable. How to cite Apush, Papers Apush Free Essays The Sunflower Over the summer we read the book â€Å"The Sunflower†, a story written by Simon Waistlines. The story consists of a man named Simon having to make a choice of to forgive someone that has brought him great pain. Simon Is faced with Nazi asking for forgiveness for all the people he has killed over the years. We will write a custom essay sample on Apush or any similar topic only for you Order Now Simon makes a choice but later regrets It. The book â€Å"The Sunflower† starts with Simon Waistlines being put Into a concentration camp during the Holocaust. He lives his life as a prisoner day by day until one day he is taken with a group to clean trash at a hospital. While walking through the town to the hospital he sees a cemetery for Nazi soldiers. He noticed that each grave had a single sunflower planted on top of it. When Simon reaches the hospital he is called inside by TA nurse who brings him too patient’s room. The room he was brought to was the one of a dying Nazi named Karl. Simon was stuck in Kart’s room listening to his story about what he has done to Jews, the people he has killed and his mother. When Karl is done telling his story, he begs Simon for forgiveness. Without answering Simon leaves. He couldn’t decide whether it was a good idea or not to forgive the Nazi. The day after, Simon is brought back to the hospital. The nurse again brings him inside and instead of going to the patient’s room she gives him Kart’s possessions. Karl had passes away the night before. One day after Simon is freed from the camp, he goes to visit Kart’s mother’s house. He thinks it will help him decide whether or not he made the right decision of not forgiving Karl. After he speaks to her, he still can’t decide whether he made the right decision. At the end of the story he asked the reader what they would have done the same thing. I understand why Simon made that decision he did. I would’ve done the same thing. In anger a lot of decisions are made. Simon was Just very angry with Karl because he killed his own people. Asking for forgiveness from something Like that Is a big thing. If I were Simon I would’ve done the same exact thing. I would have been angry with the man who killed a lot of my family friends and to ask for forgiveness after too. I would have never forgiven that man. Push By Holloway 4 forgive someone that has brought him great pain. Simon is faced with Nazi asking for later regrets it. The book â€Å"The Sunflower† starts with Simon Waistlines being put into a until one day he is taken with a group to clean trash at a hospital. While walking hospital he is called inside by TA nurse who brings him to a patient’s room. The room speaks to her, he still can’t decide whether he made the right decision. At the end of because he killed his own people. Asking for forgiveness from something like that is a How to cite Apush, Papers

Business Communication Using Diagnostic Tools †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Business Communication Using Diagnostic Tools. Answer: Diagnosis and Reflection Business communication is the process of sharing or relaying information about a business or organization. The information is shared with the people in the organization such as managers, leaders of departments, shareholders and other workers as well as people outside the organization such as creditors, the government and aspiring investors. This passing of information is done by people within the organization. (Newman, 2013) Such information includes; marketing and branding strategies of an organization, relations with; customers, the general public, people within the organization, employees performance and how to maximize it, corporate social responsibility and how to protect and better the organizations reputation. (McCroskey, 2013) In my reflection of my business communication skills, I have used five diagnostic tools: The first one is Self-perceived Communication Competence Questionnaire (McCroskey, 2010). Here, I sought to understand how people handle their communication skills when they are faced with the situation of passing of information across a group of receivers. The second tool was a Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (McCroskey, 2013). The report helped me measure my feelings towards communication as an individual by giving me various situations and scenarios where communication is needed and analyzing how I would behave in each one of them. This helped me to come up with a couple of solutions as discussed in the action plan. Thirdly was a Personal Report of Public Speaking Anxiety (McCroskey, 2010), which estimated my anxiety levels towards speaking in public, presentations or during meetings. The fourth was the Willingness to Listen Diagnostic tool, (Roebuck, 2014). It examined my inclination towards listening to other people and their ideas. Lastly was the Tolerance for Disagreement Tool (Roebuck 2014) which informed me on how most people handle disagreements and opposing ideas especially when they think they are right and the other people are wrong. The results from the five diagnostic tools are very accurate and reliable as they gave me the true outlook of my business communication skills, styles and my preferences. The Self-perceived Communication Competence Questionnaire made me realize that am very good at speaking to friends and people am familiar with, compared to my relations to strangers or people I barely know. Here I scored 46 meaning I have much to do in that area. I also realized that I prefer speaking to a person on a face to face basis as opposed to presentations before large groups of people or large meetings. This means that I am more comfortable with connecting personally to an individual as opposed to groups. This is because my non-verbal communication skills such as maintaining the right body posture and holding eye contact with a person are more developed compared to my other skills such as verbal skills. (Jia, 2017) It also gives me a chance to create rapport as well as easily notice an individuals feelings through their facial expressions and other forms of body language such as fidgeting. It is also easier for a client to make a confident decision since they get a face to face clarity for any issues they might be having. The Personal Report of Communication Apprehension further confirmed my discomfort and phobia of speaking in front of or to many people and my total inability to make presentations before my bosses or any group of people. I tend to avoid public speaking scenarios by all means and only speak when I have no other option. Here I scored 48, which shows a poor communication skills level. (Marra, 2012) My willingness to listen score was 75, which means that am moderately open minded and can give other people the chance to air their views whether they differ with mine or not. I can comfortably accommodate other peoples opinions though I do not necessarily agree with them. I comfortably handle issues such as being biased, prejudiced, impatience and assumptions. This has greatly helped me as it enables me to work in teams and give optimum productivity as a result. This is based on assertiveness perception and knowing when and where to talk or listen. Ability to listen also prevents some conflicts from arising. This is explained by the fact that I apply LOTS idea, An acronym which stands for Listen, Observe, Think, Speak, In other words, listen and think before speaking or discrediting other peoples ideas. (Bourdillon, 2017) I have very low tolerance to disagreement and criticism especially if the opposing side is just disagreeing without giving a better solution or ideas. I avoid communicating with people who have the tendency to disagree with my ideas so as to reduce any possible arising conflicts, but face them whenever I have to. In such cases, positive non- verbal communications are more efficient as they send better signals compared to verbal aggressive communications (Jia, 2017). My score here was 53. With the above knowledge, I decided to re-evaluate my business communication skills. I have discovered that I have two major business communication problems; inability to speak or present in front of a group of people, and intolerance to disagreements and criticism; any form of criticism, whether fair or unfair. After reflecting, I have come up with possible solutions on how to handle the above problems. The solutions are well stated and clearly elaborated in the topic; action plan. Through the diagnostic tools, I have come up with the conclusion that some things such as disagreement, public speaking, criticism and team work are inevitable in business hence I have to come up with ways of handling such cases as they are sure to arise. Such skills are required to for success in the corporate world as they ensure credible, reliable and efficient transactions hence enabling trustworthy relationships with clients and workmates, as per the research of Angour (2012). Their research clearly showed the importance of proper communication in the business world. It showed that managers and directors highly value the skill of one having interpersonal communication skills. I thus decided to come up with solutions under the action plan. (Donson, 2017) Literature review The two major issues I have pin pointed are inability of public speaking and intolerance to disagreements and criticism. Beginning with inability of public speaking, I will start by reviewing a certain incidence. I recall a certain scenario I had eight months back. I was interning with a big and well established auditing firm as a junior accountant, when on that particular day the duty of presenting and explaining financial statements and reports to investors and shareholders fell on me. (Jia, 2017) I was so nervous and could not concentrate during the presentation and I could not speak and my hands became all sweaty soiling the papers I was carrying. My mind went blank and I forgot everything I had prepared. Eventually I was unable to present and the embarrassment of failure made me resign from my job. Fear of public speaking cost me something I had worked so much for. The cause of the failure must have been lack of confidence and my underdeveloped verbal skills such as low and unregulated voice tone and pitch. (McCroskey, 2013) The experience made me research on how to handle such a situation to prevent such an occurrence in the future. I came across several possible solutions including: planning my communications before presenting, being well and appropriately groomed for the presentation, rehearsing for the presentation and arriving at the presentation site on time. (Eksner, 2017) Communication planning enables an individual to pass the appropriate message to the intended people in the right way, failure to which frustrations and misunderstandings occur leading to loss of opportunities as was my case. (Richmond, 2011) Communications can be planned in various ways such as: making an effort to know and understand an audience its needs and expectations. For instance, it is not safe to assume that a board of directors will require the same information as a group of interns who just started working. Such an assumption will bring about catastrophic results. (Corey, 2016) I have discovered that the ability to speak well and sell ideas successfully is not in born but can be learnt through five steps: effective public speaking: Capturing the attention of the audience through various means such as beginning with a shocking statistic, establishing the need and convincing the audience why you deserve their attention, for example by explaining to them how a certain problem affects them individually, satisfying the need by giving them the possible solutions you have and elaborating them, visualizing the future: here you explain to the audience what will happen if they do nothing. It should be detailed and reali stic. Finally is actualization. This is whereby the individual leaves the audience with definite solutions or assignments to solve a certain problem. (Monroes Motivated Sequence: Perfecting the act, Allan H. Monroe.) (Kaul, 2015) I have also discovered that it is necessary to ensure everything is in order before a presentation including the room or site and equipment needed such as microphones and visual aids as an unexpected technical issue can ruin ones concentration and disrupt them. It is also necessary to involve the audience in a dialogue as this ensures clarity in all issues. The conclusion of the presentation should be strong and related to the introduction. (Rodriques, 2012) The other issue is intolerance to criticism and disagreements. I have discovered that to handle this one requires a high level of assertiveness and properly developed negotiation skills. This reminds me of a scenario where one of my bosses in a certain company had a tendency of giving his juniors his tasks to do for him and still be reprimanded if they did not do their other jobs. The manager would then give a negative review of the work and make one repeat the whole task again. Being fed up and not in support of what he was doing, I decided to speak up for my colleagues and I but did so in a fit of anger and rude disrespectful words due to my frustration. This was perceived as insubordination so I was fired. I always wonder if there was a way I could have raised up the concern without it costing me my job. I learnt that there should be different ways of disagreeing depending on the person involved and their position in the organization. (Corey, 2014) In the above given situation, I should have approached the situation on a negotiation basis, instead of directly confronting my senior. I should have politely requested him to do his job saying yes to the person and no to the task by giving a reasonable justification such as lack of enough time or lack of knowledge for the job. Due to the fact that disagreements are bound to occur, I researched of ways to handle them and negotiating with the person to see my point of view, being open minded to the fact that I am not always right or offering alternatives. (Jia, 2017) Sometimes disagreements and conflicts occur due to some people being close minded which is quite frustrating. To handle such, one needs to be patient and understanding. It is also necessary to listen to speakers whether they are boring or our ideas are opposing. To be more specific, let me give the example of a discrimination conflict. This is a situation where the employee may be prejudiced towards an employers or the employer mistreating the employee, as in the case I gave above. Instead of me resenting the boss or losing my job, I should have asked for a meeting between that director and I where we could have solved such conflicts peacefully. (Al-Maskari, 2013) In the same job themanagement was quiet annoying as it gave no incentives to its employees, there were no promotions, pay rises or paid holidays. This was the other reason I had considered in my decision to leave the organization. I now know that such conflicts can be solved through requesting themanagement to tie attractive incentives to set goals such that there is a reward for any goal achieved. This would in turn increase productivity hence benefiting both the organization and the employees simultaneously. (Al-Maskari, 2013) Action Plan Having identified those two major communication issues, I have come up with an action plan to which I will adhere to for the next six months to ensure improvement. First, I will keep a personal work journal, in which I will note down all the things I aim to achieve in the6 months and keep track of my progress. The journal will help ensure that nothing is forgotten (Marra, 2012). I will also attend workshops concerning business presentations, so as to become more equipped in the area and perfect the act. Thirdly, I will do a diploma inbusiness management and administration, to help me in my pursuit for corporate leadership. Consequently, I will undertake a post graduate degree in corporate communication course at CQU. The course will enable me to improve my interpersonal communication at my workplace hence enhanced professionalism and efficiency. It will also help me have various and diverse communication skills, a skill really needed in the corporate world. (Corey, 2013) I will also read self help books such as Monroes Motivated Sequence by Allan Monroe, A Complete Guide to Public Speaking by O'Loghlin (Kaul, 2015) and Managing Interpersonal Conflict (Interpersonal Communication Texts. Lastly, I will also hire Dr. Joun Kang (Kang corporate experts and Consultants), an expert in business mentorship and corporate coaching to guide and mentor me. On acquiring the knowledge, I will practice use my newly acquired skills at my work place and in my day to day activities and transactions. Ideally, the action plan will be executed in regard to the communication standards that have been established. This is a value that should be embraced in any organization. The business environment is quite dynamic and the importance of communication should be given priority. The self reflection discussed above has highlighted such importance and if executed diligently, massive success is inevitable. It is therefore true to assert that the nature in which the reflection has been handled depicts the future of an organization. It is always prudent when indications from the staff show the goodwill to improve an organization. Communication is a virtue which was embraced since antiquity. In this discussion, the value of effective business communication has come out clearly as a tool for progress. In the self reflection, the notable incidences were based on the capacity of an individual to use the aspect of communication to improve the status of a business. The diagnostic tools that were discussed brought out the deficiencies in the daily performances of any business. Fortunately, they have recommended several ideologies that can foster the welfare of a business that may be at the brink of collapsing. An analogy of a doctor and patient can be sought to demystify this scenario; where a diagnosis is done upon a patient who is ailing yet they deserve attention from the doctor. References Al-Maskari, K. M. (2013). A practical guide to business writing. Chichester, West Sussex, UK: Wiley. Angour, J. (2012). Managing disagreement in problem solving meeting talk. Problems and solutions . New York Bourdillon, M. F. (2017). Communication Apprehension, Avoidance, and Effectiveness Corey, D. (2016). Effective HR communication: A framework for communicating HR programmes with Impact. Donson, A. (2017). Umm . . .: A Complete Guide to Public Speaking. Eksner, H. J. (2017). Effective People and Communication Skills. Corey, D. (2016). Effective HR communication: A framework for communicating HR programmes with Impact. Jia, M. L. (2017) Workplace emotion and communication: Supervisor nonverbal immediacy, employees emotion experience, and their communication motives.Management Communication Quarterly Kaul, A. S. H. A. (2015). Effective Business Communication. Place of publication not identified: PRENTICE-HALL OF INDIA. Marra, M. (2012). Disagreeing without being disagreeable: Negotiating workplace communities as an outsider. McCroskey, J. C. (2013). Identifying compulsive communicators: The talkaholic scale. Communication Research Reports McCroskey, J. C. (2013). Self-Perceived Communication Competence Scale (SPCC). Measurement Instrument Database for the Social Science Newman, A.S (2013) Business Communication: In Person, In Print, Online. 8th ed. Mason: South-Western Roebuck, C. (2014). Effective communication. New York: AMACOM. Rodriques, M. V. (2012). Effective business communication. New Delhi: Concept Pub. Co.