Good and harmonious working environment free essay sample

A good and harmonious working environment is one where all workers are treated with dignity and respect, and where no worker is subjected to harassment by conduct that is related to religious belief or political opinion. Again the same principles will apply with regard to the promotion of a good and harmonious working environment on grounds of race, gender, disability, sexual orientation and age. Commonsense dictates that what will define a good and harmonious working environment may change over time and place. In addition the context of each situation warrants consideration, for example what may be perceived as light hearted banter or horseplay in one context may be considered more sinister in another. In relation to considering the nature of ‘banter’ the Tribunal has acknowledged that while banter can and does occur, there should be no place in the workplace for conduct that has the potential to disrupt an harmonious working environment or to intimidate or embarrass any worker because of his or her religious beliefs or political opinions. We will write a custom essay sample on Good and harmonious working environment or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Factors That Can Create a Harmonious Working Environment Most of us will have spent time working in certain jobs and enjoyed them far more than we’ve enjoyed others. Much of the time, this might have simply been due to the type of work we were doing but, at some time, we’ve all probably had experiences of work we can point to and say that it was the atmosphere of the workplace itself that made it a fun place to me. But that then begs the question – â€Å"Why are some workplaces more of a desirable place to be?† The truth is that there is no one single ‘secret’ to creating a harmonious and peaceful workplace. However, there are a number of reasons why some workplaces are more harmonious than others. 1. Encouraging Open Communication One of the factors that foster good relations within the workplace is to encourage dialogue and effective communication. This should not just be amongst colleagues but between staff and management also. Encouraging the workforce to express ideas and views as well as suggesting improvements is a great way of achieving this. Gaining feedback on performance, either as a team or in 1-to-1 sessions as well as giving workers clearly defined, and  realistic, targets and deadlines, where they are appropriate to the role, also helps. 2. Establishing a Good Work/Life Balance Work can become unbearable if employers are only interested in themselves and making as much profit as possible without giving any regard to the needs of their staff. Yes, it’s perfectly acceptable to expect your workers to give you 100% when they’re at work but it’s also important to recognize that they have a life outside of the workplace too. Creating a ‘family friendly’ environment is a very positive step. Things like introducing flexible working practices, compassionate leave, childcare facilities such as crà ¨ches etc. will make for good relations between staff and management and will show that the company does have your best interests at heart. Companies which have already implemented these measures and others have realized that the more interest they take with regards to issues that affect staff outside of work, the happier and more productive staff will be when they are doing the job. 3. Training and Development No matter how much a person enjoys their current role, most career minded people will ultimately hope that the job they are doing now will be a stepping stone towards the next phase of their career. To retain valued members of staff, it’s therefore important that a company can provide them with the right platform in order to develop. This might include training in house, offering them the opportunity to take time out for study leave and even paying for the cost of external educational courses, if a career progression requires further study or training which cannot be provided for ‘in house’. 4. Proper Management When it comes to conflicts, it is a management responsible to identify and resolve the source of problems successfully. 5. Cordial Relationship with Colleagues Working individuals create a kind of social and diplomatic connection with each other, keeping such affiliation professional and at the same time a cordial one is essential in building a harmonious atmosphere. If someone in the team or the person you are working with lacks competence in the job,  learn to understand the person’s weakness. Attempt to help the individual realize the weak points and improve himself. It is the same thing when you are working with a team. In order to keep the team members working together, each member should not expect too much from each other and know that we all have our own differences. We all have our strengths and weaknesses, and we have to respect these diversities. If ever a team fails in reaching the goal, blaming is not an option because nothing good will come out of it. Conclusion Therefore, the three most vital components any company can introduce to foster a harmonious and peaceful workplace is to encourage dialogue, to care about your staff’s welfare, realizing the importance of their life outside of work and to try to be flexible wherever possible regarding issues which could affect that and to help them to develop further. All these ingredients will not only create a happier workforce but highly valued members of staff are more likely to remain loyal to the company, to ‘go the extra mile’ for a company when the pressure’s on, to perform to the best of their ability and this will, ultimately, save you money on recruitment and training, reduce absenteeism, lower staff turnover and improve morale which can only be good for both staff and employers alike.

25 Words Coined by Nineteenth-Century Authors

25 Words Coined by Nineteenth-Century Authors 25 Words Coined by Nineteenth-Century Authors 25 Words Coined by Nineteenth-Century Authors By Mark Nichol This post lists a number of words that were introduced to the lexicon by novelists and other writers during the nineteenth century. 1. actualize: Poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge came up with this verb form of actual to refer to realizing a goal; self-actualization came much later. 2. airy-fairy: Poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson, coined this term as a reduplication of fairy to mean â€Å"delicate,† â€Å"lacking in substance,† or â€Å"impractical.† 3. bicentennial: Humorist Mark Twain was the first writer to attach the prefix bi-, meaning â€Å"two,† to centennial, a recently coined word referring to a 100-year anniversary. 4. bisexual: Coleridge came up with the term bisexual, but in the context of androgyny, not attraction to both men and women. 5. boredom: Novelist Charles Dickens coined this word for the state of being bored. 6. butterfingers: Dickens was also responsible for this evocative reference to clumsiness, though he hyphenated it. 7. chintzy: Writer George Eliot crafted the adjective meaning â€Å"cheap,† â€Å"stingy,† or â€Å"unfashionable† from chintz, the word for a Calico print originating in India. 8. chortle: Lewis Carroll came up with this mashup of chuckle and snort. 9. coed: Novelist Louisa May Alcott’s truncation of coeducational originally referred, like the word on which it was based, to an educational system accommodating both boys and girls, but by extension it also came to refer to young female students. 10. doormat: Dickens was the first person to use the word doormat (hyphenated) to allude to someone figuratively being walked all over. 11. feminist: Novelist Alexandre Dumas (fils) used fà ©ministe, the French form of this term, to refer to someone who asserts that women are due all the rights accorded to men. 12. flummox: Dickens coined this nonsense word alluding to being bewildered or perplexed. 13. freelance: Author Sir Walter Scott employed this term (hyphenated) to describe a mercenary soldier, one whose lance (a long spear) was not wielded in the service of a single master, but (with its bearer) was hired out. 14. hard-boiled: Twain, in a speech, used this word to mean â€Å"hardened† to refer to hidebound grammatical usage; later, it pertained primarily to a tough attitude. 15. impact: Coleridge was the first to give this term for the act of collision a figurative sense of â€Å"the effect of one thing on another.† 16. intensify: Coleridge coined this term with the justification that â€Å"render intense† did not fit the meter of a poem he was writing. 17. linguistics: Multitalented William Whewell, a mathematician, philosopher, and poet, came up with this word for the study of language. 18. narcissist: Coleridge, inspired by the Greek myth of the self-absorbed youth Narcissus, came up with this term to describe a person similarly afflicted with self-admiration, though the psychological condition of narcissism refers also to a lack of empathy and, paradoxical to the primary quality of a narcissist, low self-esteem. 19. pedestrian: William Wordsworth came up with the word meaning â€Å"one who travels on foot.† 20. physicist: Whewell, finding physician already taken, coined this term to refer to someone who studies the laws of physics. 21. psychosomatic: Coleridge came up with this term to refer to imagined maladies. 22. relativity: Coleridge created this word to describe the concept of one thing having a relation to another. 23. scientist: Whewell, responding to Coleridge’s dissatisfaction with philosopher to refer to those who pursue the study of science, suggested scientist. 24. selfless: Coleridge coined this word meaning â€Å"unselfish.† 25. soulmate: Coleridge came up with this term (hyphenated) to refer to someone with whom one has a profound emotional connection. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Great Opening Lines to Inspire the Start of Your StoryLatin Words and Expressions: All You Need to Know25 Favorite Portmanteau Words

Cog week10 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cog week10 - Essay Example Furthermore the base rate and a proper way to reduce it mentioned in terms of simple, uninterrupted, intentional time which result in greater skill in understanding and deducing the information we need by assessing the risks and rewards accurately is the right fit considering the decision making error. " Assignment 3 †¢ A brief description of one failure of deductive reasoning that you observed or experienced in the past week or so, similar to those in the "Wason Selection Task" and "Typical Reasoning" experiments.   A recent example that I experienced was that when I was home alone and waiting for the cable repair guy. I was working in the kitchen so when I heard a knock I didn’t bother to look but jumped to the conclusion that it was cable guy. So without thinking I asked him to come in since the knock on the door coincided with my thought process and anticipation regarding the cable guy. So I failed to use valid deductive reasoning as I followed the situation incorre ctly( p then q), so I assumed q then p. Later I realized how wrong I was when I realized I had invited a complete stranger into the house by incorrectly assuming it was the cable guy, an encounter which gave me a start as I momentarily stared at the unknown individual in shock. †¢ Then, in the context of your examples, explain the impediments (e.g., heuristic, bias, etc.) to each process (deductive and inductive), and suggest methods or techniques for improving each process   Heuristic is what basically influenced by reasoning for the incorrect assumption that the knock on the door was the cable guy. In order to improve my thinking process in such incidents and situations it is imperative that I keep a alert mind and recognize fallacies that occur in deductive reasoning. I should evaluate my thinking and consider alternatives which overcome any biases that I might experience and lead me to confidently draw conclusions without really considering them. †¢ A brief descripti on of one failure of inductive reasoning that you observed or experienced in the past week or so, similar to those in the "Wason Selection Task" and "Typical Reasoning" experiments.   An example that I can relate to that of inductive reasoning was when I saw these two dogs fighting over what appeared to be a large bone which was buried not too deep in this pile of things. During this fight another dog came and joined in the fight and the three fought over the bone for a while. When the third dog had joined in through these observations I assumed that he was actually the one that was the owner of the bone and that he had hidden it in the pile of things. However, after a while when I had looked away and turned my attention back towards them I saw that a man way aggressively waving to get rid of these dogs and that I had wrongly induced to be a bone was actually a large packet of meat shaped like a bone. †¢ Then, in the context of your examples, explain the impediments (e.g., he uristic, bias, etc.) to each process (deductive and inductive), and suggest methods or techniques for improving each process   Confirmation bias is the key reasons that lead to my inaccurate assumptions. Turns out I was focusing on all the aspects that seemed to confirm what I had already

Security Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Security Issues - Essay Example The popularity of internet prompts the use of e-business. Most commercial activities apply the use of e-commerce. Through, e commerce involves e banking, supply chain management, electronic data processing (EDI), and online-business processing, amongst other transactions. Countries like UK widely employ the use of Ecommerce. Statistics confirms the fact by the sale of close to $175 billion in the year 2007, and the anticipation for growth nears $335 billion by 2012. The integration of the digital world poses a security threat to the citizen; as many would propose. Is there a back-up in case of a software crash, power-cut or hardware malfunction? Simply spilling coffee on a computer could ruin or damage everything. According to Muhammad Awais (2012) three main weakness of e-commerce are; security, fake websites and fraud. Abu-Ein et al. (2012) in their article â€Å"E-commerce: Security and Applications† also mention attacks by hackers and non-trusted personnel. Human factors are another concern that could cause serious problems. E commerce comes with privacy issues that affect customers significantly. This appears prompted by fraud, theft and impersonation of individuals who end up fooling customers. This appears to destroy a company’s name. The United States government reports security breaches in nine leading retailers; and a minimum of 40 million in debit and credit card numbers. The US Attorneys considers hacking, and impersonation as the most dominant theft cases ever acted against by the justice department. In a bid to conquer the problem, the EU and the US legislation authorize some organizations to disclose to customers how to verify the validity of their product (Evans, 2012). The revelations appear effective when delivered through privacy policies, in online and offline situations. Some studies experiments deem the relating of privacy policies via trustworthiness,

Climate Change Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Climate Change - Research Paper Example Nevertheless, the changes in the climatic conditions have affected the scientific curiosity, whereby they are no longer considered an environmental and regulatory concern. Therefore, climate change is considered an overriding environmental issue, whereby it has posed a formidable challenge to the environmental regulators. On the other hand, it is a growing concern in terms of economic, heath security and other dimensions. The changing climate pattern are threatening the productions of food due to impulsiveness of rain, rising sea levels that are contaminating the fresh water reserves and increasing the risk of flooding and high temperate the environment, resulting to increase of vermin and ailments. Background Issues related to climate change are deteriorating, whereby there is a continued loss of ice from the glaciers resulting two years with the ice-free passage through Canada’s Arctic island and increasing the rate of ice loss from the ice sheet in Greenland Antarctica (The World Bank, 1). The warm water is combining with the thermal expansion, whereby occupying a higher volume compared to cold water. Moreover, the melting ice sheet and glaciers are resulting to high rates and ultimate extension of sea levels in a way that outstrips the anticipation in the resent global scientific assessment. On the other hand, there is significant evidence justifying the significance of tripping points, resulting to irreversible changes in the ecosystem and planetary climate system. In fact, the ecosystem is considered places like diverse Amazon rain forest and Arctic tundra, which may reach the threshold of the dramatic changes in the process of drying and warming. Therefore, this is making the mountain glaciers are in startling draw back and downstream effects related to reduction of water supply during the dry periods of the year. This will be the implications, which will affect the transcend generations while the climate feedback systems and collective environmen tal effects will be building across the Earth systems in a way that demonstrates the behaviors that are not expected. There is a possibility for runaway greenhouse warming, which is real, and the climatic changes are being avoided through the transformation based on the hydrocarbon energy system that is rationally initiating. The transformation has to be adequately financed in order to adopt the transformation program in a way that prevents the disasters. There are tools that can be applied in dealing with the problem, though they must be applied in an aggressive and effective way. Therefore, in order to address climate changes, there is a need to cooperate with other nations to implement policies that mitigate environmental pollution. Initiatives for dealing with Climate Changes There are initiatives by the World Bank Group for supporting the developing countries through a contribution to a global solution, and designing an approach based on the needs these countries. This effort i s reinforcing and developing a partnership of the climatic change, the members of the government and other organizations. There are other plans that have been developed in order to invest on cleaning energy in developing countries, through cooperation with other international financial institutions. A scale of investment has been established by the clean energy investment framework based on the needs of the countries related to accessibility of energy. In this case, this case assists in transitioning to a subordinate carbon development alleyway and

The Most Effective Antibiotic On Bacteria Biology Essay

The Most Effective Antibiotic On Bacteria Biology Essay Before bacteria can multiply and cause symptoms our immune system can usually destroy them. We have special white blood cells that attack harmful bacteria. Even if symptoms do occur, our immune system can usually cope and fight off the infection. There are occasions, however, when it is all too much and our bodies need some help from antibiotics. The first antibiotic was penicillin. Such penicillin-related antibiotics as ampicillin, amoxicillin and benzylpenicilllin are widely used today to treat a variety of infections these antibiotics have been around for a long time. There are several different types of modern antibiotics and they are only available with a doctors prescription in industrialized countries. An antibiotic is given for the treatment of an infection caused by bacteria. They target only bacteria they do not attack other organisms, such as fungi or viruses. If you have an infection it is important to know whether it is caused by bacteria, and not a virus or fungus. Most upper respiratory tract infections, such as the common cold and sore throats are generally caused by viruses antibiotics do not work against viruses. Antibiotics are overused or used incorrectly there is a chance that the bacteria will become resistant the antibiotic becomes less effective against that type of bacterium. A broad-spectrum antibiotic can be used to treat a wide range of infections. A narrow-spectrum antibiotic is only effective against a few types of bacteria. There are antibiotics that attack aerobic bacteria, while others work against anaerobic bacteria. Aerobic bacteria need oxygen, while anaerobic bacteria dont. Antibiotics may be given beforehand, to prevent infection, as might be the case before surgery. This is called prophylactic use of antibiotics. They are commonly used before bowel and orthopedic surgery. Bacteria The word bacteria is the plural of bacterium. Grammatically the headline should just say What are bacteria? The incorrect usage has been included in the headline to remind readers that it is wrong and hopefully help correct an increasingly common mistake in the English language. Bacteria are tiny living beings (microorganisms) they are neither plants nor animals they belong to a group all by themselves. Bacteria are tiny single-cell microorganisms, usually a few micrometers in length that normally exist together in millions. A gram of soil typically contains about 40 million bacterial cells. A milliliter of fresh water usually holds about one million bacterial cells. Planet Earth is estimated to hold at least 5 nonillion bacteria. Scientists say that much of Earths biomass is made up of bacteria. 5 nonillion = 5,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (or 51030) (Nonillion = 30 zeros in USA English. In British English it equals 54 zeros. This text uses the American meaning) Bacterial cell walls Bacterial cell walls consist of layer of peptidoglycan which is made up of many parallel polysaccharide chains with short peptide cross-linkage forming an enormous molecule with net-like structure. However, there are two different types of bacterial cell wall, which can be distinguished by Gram staining, a staining technique developed by Christian Gram in 1984 and still in use today. Before staining, bacteria are colorless. The cell walls of Gram-positive bacteria have a thick layer of peptidoglycan containing chemicals such as teichoic acid within their net-like structure. The crystal violet in the stain binds to the teichoic acid and resists decolouring in the rest of the process, leaving the positive purple/blue color. The cell walls of Gram-negative bacteria have a thinner layer of peptidoglycan with ni teichoic acid between the two layers of membranes and then an outer membrane-like layer made up of lipopolisaccharides. Any crystal violet which does not bind is readily decolourised and replaced with red safranine in the Gram stain. So cells appear red. PROBLEM STATEMENT Which antibiotic is the most effective on bacteria? APPARATUS 200 ml of micropipette, conical flask, forceps, 100 ml beaker MATERIALS Petri dish, sample of E.coli and staphylococcus, 3 different types of antibiotic which are carbenicilin, streptomycin and tetracycline, distilled water, Dettol handwash, 75 % of ethanol, agar, tissue paper VARIABLES Fixed variable : volume of bacteria Manipulated variable : types of antibiotic Responding variable : area of inhibition zone HYPOTHESIS The most effective antibiotic to inhibit bacteria growth is ampicillin PROCEDURE First of all, wash out hands with the soap or handwash. The working area is sprayed thoroughly with the disinfectant spray. It is left for at least 10 minutes, and wiped with a paper towel. An agar plate seeded with is prepared. The petri dish is labeled on the base at the edge out of name, the date and type of bacterium it is inoculated with by usng permanent marker pen. After finishing marking the petri dish, the Esterichia coli bacteria is poured by using micropipette into the petri dish on the marked labeling and distribute it evenly. The agar is taken out from 60 ÃÅ'Ã…  C oven. The mouth of the conical flask containing the agar is warmed in the flame to prevent any different bacteria from surrounding grow inside it. The agar is left for 10 minutes for it to solidify before putting the sterile disc dip into three different antibiotics. The forceps are flamed and used them to pick up disc or Mast ring. It is dip into the antibiotic solution and is placed firmly in the centre of the agar. The dish is taped securely with two pieces of adhesive tape and kept it upside down at room temperature for 24 hours. Step 1 until steps 7 are repeated by using another type of bacteria which is staphylococcus. Our hands are washed with soap or handwash and the bench is cleaned again using the 75 % of ethanol. After the incubation, the plate should be looked at carefully but do not open it. Where bacteria have grown the plate will look opaque, but where the antibiotics have inhibited growth, clear zones called inhibition zones will be seen. The diameter of the inhibition zones is measured in milimetres and the information is used to decide which antibiotic is most effective at inhibiting the growth of the bacterium. The data is collected from other members of the class who used the other bacterial cultures. PRECAUTIONS When carrying out the experiment, we should work very closed to the Bunsen burner to prevent any impurities in each apparatus that is used. Do not seal completely the upper and lower part of petri dish. Both petri dishes contain different bacteria need to be inverted to prevent the water vapour from forming at the upper site of the agar. It might affected or overshadow the inhibition zones that are formed inside the dish. Make sure our hands are constantly being wash with disinfectant before touching any apparatus. Before using any apparatus, they should be sterile to prevent any unwanted impurities to grow in the petri dish. Do not open the petri dish after incubation to prevent from infection. RESULTS Antibiotic Diameter of inhibition area/ cm Inhibition area / cm ² E. Coli Staphylococcus E.Coli Staphylococcus Tetracyclin 2.6 3.0 5.3 7.0 Streptomycin 1.6 2.0 8.0 3.1 Carbenicillin 1.5 3.5 4.9 9.6 Ampicillin 3.6 3.8 10.2 11.3 Control 0 0 0 0 Explanation of the data Table above shows the area of inhibition zone of the bacteria growth on two different bacteria. Four types of antibiotics are used to be investigated which is the most effective on a particular bacteria. They are tetracycline, streptomycin, carbenicillin and ampicillin. Whereas two types of bacteria are used which are staphylococcus and Esterichia Coli. For E.coli, ampicilin showed the greatest inhibition area of bacteria growth with 10.2 cm ². Another antibiotic that showed the closest reading is streptomycin. Tetacyclin and carbenicilin showed 5.3 cm ² and 4.9 cm ² respectively. This result clearly shown that ampicilin is the most effective antibiotic to inhibit the growth of E.coli. Besides that, E.coli is a gram negative bacteria. The cell walls of Gram-negative bacteria have a thinner layer of peptidoglycan with no teichoic acid between the two layers of membranes and then an outer membrane-like layer made up of lipopolisaccharides. In addition to that, Staphylococcus also had a higher inhibition zone of bacteria on ampicilin. Other bacterias have no effect as great as ampicilin which can be consider as a strong antibiotic. Staphy is a gram positive bacteria. The cell walls of Gram-positive bacteria have a thick layer of peptidoglycan containing chemicals such as teichoic acid within their net-like structure. The crystal violet in the stain binds to the teichoic acid and resists decolouring in the rest of the process, leaving the positive purple/blue color. That is why ampicilin is said to be the most effective antibiotic on both bacterias. Limitations There are some limitations that cannot be avoided when carrying out the experiment. The first one was every apparatus that we used had been sterile by the laboratory assistant. Thus we had to wash our hands thoroughly before touching anything. We even could not talk during the preparation. The problem was we carried out the experiment on the labs table, instead of using the cupboard fume to maintain the sterile apparatus. Thus, there might be some of the apparatus that we were using had been contaminated. This condition might affect the reliability of the experiment hence the expected results might not get at the end of the experiment. Besides that, we had to wash our hands by using the dettol hand soap before we start and end the experiment. We had to remove all the impurities and bacteria and that was the purpose of washing hand. The problem rose as we did not know whether we had washed our hand to the maximum cleanliness. Consequently, all the apparatus and materials that we used might be affected by our hand. This is done so that there are no infections or contaminations on the agar that might give problems later. Sources of error There are some sources of error when carrying out this experiment. Firstly, we prepared the experiment at room temperature. It was supposed to carry out in sterile medium to prevent anything from affecting during the preparation of bacteria and antibiotics. Next, the major problem that could be seen during the experiment was most of the groups could not be able to solidify their agar to the maximum hardness. Consequently, when inverting the petri dish, all its contents would be messy inside the petri dish and the disc had mixed to one another. Thus, the antibiotics on each disc also had mixed that could affected the whole result. To overcome this problem, students should let the agar solidify before inverting the petri dish. Another problem was some of the groups do not invert their petri dish before keeping it inside the incubator. This would cause the water vapour to form at the upper part of the petri dish. It would also affect the growth of the bacteria in agar. Fourth, the layer of agar inside the petri dish was too thin that caused it fell to the bottom when inverting it. Besides ruining the shape of the agar and the position of the discs in the agar, the thin layer of agar also inhibits the growth of bacteria because it lacked of nutrients. To prevent this, the layer of agar should be half of the petri dish. Further work To get more reliable and accurate result, this experiment should be repeated by varying the temperature to investigate the activity of antibiotic on bacteria. This means that increase the temperature would cause the antibiotic to act more rapidly compared to the temperature that we used before. Thus we do not have to wait for 24 hours to see the inhibition zone. This manipulated variable also do not waste the time consuming for the experiment. Moreover, as the antibiotic shows more faster effect, thus the bacteria and antibiotic should be put in separately different petri dish to prevent it from overlapping. CONCLUSION The most effective antibiotic is ampicilin. The hypothesis is aceepted. Words = 2200

Desertification Essay -- essays research papers fc

The world’s drylands, contrary to popular misconceptions of being barren unproductive land, contain some of the most valuable and vital ecosystems on the planet. These dryland environments have surprising diversity and resiliency, supporting over two billion people, approximately thirty-five percent of the global population (UNEP, 2003). In fact, approximately seventy percent of Africans depend directly on drylands for their daily livelihood (UNEP, 2003). However, these precious and crucial areas are at a crossroad, endangered and threatened by the devastating process of desertification. There are over one hundred definitions for the term ‘desertification’, however the most widely used and current definition is as follows: desertification refers to the land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid regions due to human activities and climate variations, often leading to the permanent loss of soil productivity and the thinning out of the vegetative cover (U NCCD, 2003). It is important to note that desertification is not the expansion and contraction of deserts or hyper-arid territories, which grow and decrease both naturally and cyclically. French ecologist Louis Lavauden first used the term desertification in 1927 and French botanist Andre Aubreville, when witnessing the land degradation occurring in North and West Africa in 1949 popularized this term (Dregne, 242). The causes of desertification include overgrazing, overcultivation, deforestation and poor irrigation practices. Climatic variations, such as changes in wind speed, precipitation and temperature can influence or increase desertification rates, but they are not catalysts to the process- it is the exploitative actions of humans that trigger desertification (Glantz, 146). The most exploited area historically has been Africa. In the Sahel (transition zone between the Sahara and the Savanna) of West Africa during the period of 1968 to 1973, desertification was a main cause of the deaths of over 100,000 people and 12 million cattle, as well as the disruption of social organizations from villages to the national level (USGS, 1997). As a result of the catastrophic devastation in the Sahel, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) was held in Nairobi, Kenya in 1977, where an agreement was reached to eradicate desertification by the year 2000. Obviously this goal was not achi... ...esertification in Desert Margins.† 2002. . Smith, Olanrewaju, et al. â€Å"Desertification: Myths and Realities.† 10 June 1999. . Sweet, Lois. â€Å"Margins of Hope.† 26 May 1999. . Tiempo Climate. â€Å"Desertification and climate change.† 1993. . UNCCD: Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. â€Å"Knowledge Base.† 19 March 2003. . UNDP: United Nations Development Programme. â€Å"Drylands Development Centre.† 2003. . UNEP: United Nations Environment Programme. â€Å"Drylands.† 2003. USGS: United States Geological Survey. â€Å"Desertification.† 29 October 1997. . Warren, Andrew, et al. An assessment of desertification and land degradation in arid and semi-arid areas. London: International Institute for Environment and Development, 1988. Waser, Katherine. â€Å"The Convention to Combat Desertification Part 1: Africa and the Mediterranean.† 1996. . WHO Africa: World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa. â€Å"Malaria Control.† 19 October 2003. WHO Denmark: World Health Organization. â€Å"Desertification and drought greatly affects Africans’ health.† 10 December 2002. . Wu, Jianguo. Desertification. Phoenix: Arizona State University West, Department of Life Sciences, 2001.