Discuss the benefits and environmental implications of applying Essay

Discuss the benefits and environmental implications of applying composts and other organic amendments to agricultural land - Essay Example These include sewage sludges, municipal solid wastes, urban yard refuses, food industry residues, wood processing wastes, and agricultural crop residues; these are produced in considerable quantities by the human community, particularly in urban, highly populated areas, state Senesi et al (1996). Besides their application to agricultural land after appropriate treatment, other alternatives for their disposal are incineration, land filling, and discharge to water bodies. However, the most environmentally safe and economically satisfactory solution is the application of composts and other organic amendments to agricultural land. â€Å"This choice also provides advantages which may result in soil fertility and agricultural production benefits† (Senesi et al, 1996, p.533). Organic wastes and residues of any nature require appropriate treatment before soil application. ... conomic benefits to agriculture, the measures to prevent adverse environmental outcomes, alternative options, and whether benefits outweigh negative effects will be examined. BENEFITS OF APPLYING COMPOSTS AND OTHER ORGANIC AMENDMENTS TO AGRICULTURAL LANDS The application of compost benefits the biological, chemical and physical properties of soil. Biologically, compost promotes the development of fauna and microflora, reduces plants’ susceptibility to attack by parasites, and supports the faster root development of plants. Chemically, compost has beneficial outcomes on soil in several ways. It â€Å"increases nutrient content, turns mineral substances in soil into forms available to plants, and regulates the addition of minerals to soil, particularly nitrogenous compounds† (EPA, 1994, p.87). Additionally, compost serves as a buffer in making minerals available to plants, and provides a source of micronutrients. Moreover, compost improves numerous physical characteristic s of the soil including the soil’s â€Å"texture, water retention capacity, infiltration, resistance to wind and water erosion, aeration capacity, and structural and temperature stability† (EPA, 1994, p.87). In Tigray Region of Ethiopia, the Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Development undertook since 1998 the production of compost as a part of its extension package. By 2007, at least 25% of the farmers were making and using compost. The success of this approach is emphasized by the doubling in the quantity of grain yield between 2003 and 2006, from 714 to 1,354 thousand tonnes. At the same time, since 1998, there has also been a steady decrease in the use of chemical fertiliser from 13.7 to 8.2 thousand tonnes (Asmelash, Araya, Egziabher et al, 2007, p.19). Other regions of Ethiopia are also promoting

Telecom - Verizon Wireless, Sprint, and At&T Case Study

Telecom - Verizon Wireless, Sprint, and At&T - Case Study Example The main objective of purchasing is to preserve the excellence and worth of a company’s goods, to reduce cash tied-ups in register, to sustain the flow of outputs and support the organization’s aggressive position. Purchasing involves development and evaluation of the products’ specifications, reception and processing of requisitions, promotion and evaluation of bids, examination of goods, suitable storage place and release. Thus, it can be said that purchasing is one of the important decisions which needs prior assessment of various factors. The purchasing or buying cycle consists of five major steps1. Purchasing Cycle Source: 1 The buying cycle model according to Weele talks about five factors namely awareness of needs, assessment of alternatives, alleviation of risk, decision and last but not the least achievement of results. With the increasing effects of globalisation and changing business scenario, cellular services have become part and parcel of human life . Increasing need for cellular services has brought quite a few companies into the market. Verizon Wireless, Sprint Wireless and AT&T are three of the popular companies of United States that have successfully catered the need of the customers for certain years. The success of these companies lies on the fact that they could impressively hit the requirement of the prospective customers. The companies came up with foray of alternatives which had been the second stage of the buying cycle model. Verizon wireless provides wireless voice and data products along with services of broadband data. Video services and network accesses are also available to the customers of the company2. Sprint Wireless also provides data and voices services in wireless segment to its customers. Moreover, it provides wireless network with both CDMA and iDEN networks for the customers of United States3. AT&T also provides certain other benefits like WI-FI services, the facility of U-verse which is primarily requi red to send SMS along with high speed broadband and video services. Moreover, the wireless 4G facility and high speed downlink packet access are also provided by AT&T4. The next stage of the buying cycle is the alleviation of risk. While considering the risks, the existing and the prospective customers of any cellular service basically considers the factor of network connectivity. In this context, it can be said that AT&T and Verizon Wireless have higher market penetration in terms of network connectivity in comparison with Sprint. Verizon is also way ahead when compared to two other companies with respect to other add-on services like Bluetooth. The next step of the buying cycle i.e. decision is the most important. The trend of the market depicts that Verizon having better services, also leads in the market share which ultimately depicts that customers have decided to be with the services of the company. In order to ensure long term sustainability, Verizon Wireless needs to ensure that the customers (both existing and the prospective) achieve their desired objectives. The other two companies, on the other hand, need to ensure that they provide services in such a way that they can attain greater market share in due process. Positioning Positioning is an effort to influence the customer perception for a brand or product in relation to its competitive brands. Positioning is one of significant tools of marketing to highlight a brand