Thursday, December 26, 2019

Rene Descartes And William James - 1226 Words

Have you ever been driving in a car with a child who asked a million questions starting with â€Å"why†? Regardless of how well you think you answered their question, they will ask why the answer to that question is what it is, and so on and so forth. This is characteristic of all human beings; children just are not as restrained and willing to ask whatever questions comes to their minds, while adults are more inclined to accept the first level answer and question it no further. However in the back of our minds we all want to know the truth, and we will eventually conjure up a reason why what we accept as truth, in fact, the truth. Two very prominent philosophers, Renà © Descartes, and William James were concerned with truth and how people come to believe and accept something as true or false. They believed that there is a very definite truth, but they mapped out different routes in order to get to the place where truth could be found. Renà © Descartes believed that all truth could be found by rationalization, that it is not that any one person lacks the ability to come to the conclusion of truth, but that we all think differently and do not analyze situations in the same way. To understand his strategy, you must first understand the type of life that Descartes lived. Descartes was always a very intelligent person with a passion for learning. He spent much time studying in school in order to learn about truth and the world, but what he found was that he had not actually foundShow MoreRelatedThe Interconnectedness Of Knowledge By Rene Descartes And William James1725 Words   |  7 PagesThe Interconnectedness of Knowledge Renà © Descartes and William James take two opposing views in an attempt to answer the question of what true knowledge is. Descartes takes the perspective of a foundationalist, and James takes a coherentist approach when trying to answer this question. A foundationalist is someone who believes that there is an indubitable proposition in which all other knowledge receives justification from. This method of thought is often referred to as The Pyramid, because theRead MorePhilosophers and Scientist of Modern Psychology1454 Words   |  6 Pagesis due to the works of one great Philosopher that till this very day this is still in existence. Rene Descartes was the first to ever talk about the interactions of the mind and body, which later on in psychological history caught the attention of others who came after him such as James and Wundt. Descartes stated that not only body can influence mind, but that mind could also affect body. Descartes was a famous mathematician born in France. H e was known as the father of modern philosophy for hisRead MoreHuman Behavior And The Functions Of Humans1632 Words   |  7 Pagesreplicable. Science must have terms that can be universally used and understood by everyone. Descartes, James, Freud and Skinner all had trouble grasping that idea. Flanagan goes into detail about these famous old-time philosophers that all had different opinions on the mind-body problem and self-knowledge, and all used different methodologies to help justify their theories. One of the earliest theorists, Rene Descartes, believed that there could be a science of Psychology. While studying automata in theRead MoreBaron dHolbach and William James on Free Will and Determinism1192 Words   |  5 PagesBaron dHolbach and William James on Free Will and Determinism 3. Discuss the issue between Baron dHolbach and William James on free will and determinism? Before we can discuss the issue between Baron dHolbach and William James we have to know the definitions of the items the issue is about. Free will according to the Encarta encyclopedia is The power or ability of the human mind to choose a course of action or make a decision without being subject to restraints imposed by antecedentRead MoreBiological Psychology839 Words   |  4 Pagesfeelings. From there, biological psychology was incorporated in Descartes’ mind body approach to mental health and medicine. During the time of Descartes the big question remained are the mind and body connected? Do they work together with a soul or sprit? Or do they operate in a mechanical function with the body? Descartes focused his research on innate ideas, such as reflex action and mind and body interactions. Descartes believed that the pineal gland, which is a structure in the humanRead MoreEssay about Discuss How Psychology Developed as a Scientific Discipline1127 Words   |  5 Pagespsychology as a science is Renà © Descartes; a French philosopher and mathematician. Descartes was most influential in his recognition of the body and mind being two separate entities. Descartes differed from other philosophers in his proposal of dualism as he recognised that there is interaction between mind and matter, which was key in the development of psychology as a science as it lead to two principles in psychology: introspectionism and behaviourism. Whilst Descartes emphasised rationalismRead MoreThe Theory Of Self Thinking935 Words   |  4 Pagespossible to be able to make a choice without thinking and humans can not think without a mind. Philosopher Renà © Descartes claims â€Å"I think therefore I am† meaning simply that since he is able to produce thoughts within his mind of his own that no one else can predict, I.e. a number one through ten, then he must exist to be able to make thoughts. Since he is able to make thoughts and act upon them, Descartes would agree with the conclusion that free will exists because we are conscious and are able to thinkRead MoreThe Philosophy Of Human Nature1534 Words   |  7 Pagesgood, under the idealistic doctrines of Confucius and Mencius. In the West, however, many scholars, most notably including John Locke and Thomas Hobbes, suggested that the innate human condition was selfish and competitive. French philosopher, Rene Descartes expanded on Plato’s ideas by construi ng people as â€Å"thinking spirits†, while German philosopher, Karl Marx, implied that human nature was all about social relations, and could be best observed via the progression of history. Religion also playedRead MoreIvan Pavlov s Theory Of The Conditioned Reflex1706 Words   |  7 Pagesof an association or connection between stimulus and formation† (Schultz Schultz, 2008, p.203). Three centuries earlier, philosopher Rene Descartes believed that animals are similar to machines because they will inevitably react in accordance to stimuli within their environment. In 1927, Pavlov’s book Conditioned Reflexes paid tribute to philosopher Rene Descartes for his theory. (Schultz Schultz, 2008, p.202) Based on Pavlov’s investigation on the digestion system of the dogs, he agreed that theRead MorePhilosophy Of The Middle Ages1124 Words   |  5 Pagesconcept of Greek Forms which were then defined as ideas in the mind of God. It seems as though philosophy was able to progress when the concept of God was debated. Much of the debate that followed concerned the ideas of the general and the specific. As William of Ockham said, how can we talk about specific things until we talk about general things? We have examples of words and even objects that represent specific things but that does not mean there is an object that they represent. A word such as justice

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Classical Conditioning, Operant Conditioning And...

Learning is a relatively lasting behavior through experience. There are three major types of learning: classical conditioning, operant conditioning and observational learning. Classical conditioning is a process of learning where an association is formed between a neutral stimulus and a stimulus that evokes a response naturally. Operant conditioning is a learning process using reinforcement or punishment of certain behaviors. Observational learning is where the process of learning happens through observing and experiences. Kids tend to act out what they see and witness. Albert Bandura’s social learning theory supports this and states that humans learn from the examples others set and from direct experiences that involve rewards and punishments. He conducted a study where he and a team of researchers were watching a bunch of kids with dolls after they had seen adults with the dolls. He originally thought that if a kid sees a doll, he or she is just going to play with it. He was proved wrong. These kids were how ever the adults were with the doll and attempted to mimic the mannerisms such as being aggressive with the doll. His study taught that a child can not be just told to not be aggressive. If you want a child to be peaceful, the adult or anyone in the environment should be peaceful. â€Å"Regardless of the precise contributions of genetic and biological factors, it is clear that aggressive behavior is strongly affected by learning (Bandura, 1973)† (Fein, Kassin, Hazel, 2014,Show MoreRelatedClassical Conditioning, Operant Conditioning, and Observational Learning664 Words   |  3 PagesOur understanding of classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and observational learning has allowed us to unlock many of the answers we sought to learn about human behavior. Classical conditioning is a technique of behavioral training, coined by Ivan Pavlov, which basically states that an organism learns through establishing associations between different events and stimuli. This helps us understand human behavior in an assortment of ways. It makes it clear that almost everything we do isRead MoreClassical Conditioning, Operant Conditioning And Observational Learning Essay914 Words   |  4 Pagesare three ways, according to Experience Psychology 3rd Edition, for or ganisms to learn – Classical Conditioning, Operant Conditioning and Observational Learning. In Classical Conditioning, it involves the association between a neutral stimulus and an innate stimulus of organisms, and a response is produced when these two stimuli came in contact. Slightly different from Classical Conditioning, Operant Conditioning woks in a way when a behavior is determined by the consequences of the outcomes. To putRead MoreClassical Conditioning And Operant Conditioning1492 Words   |  6 Pages To expand upon the concepts of the two forms of conditioning listed above, three additional principals not previously listed for the sake of convenience are present in both forms of conditioning; these three principals-extinction, spontaneous recovery, and stimulus discrimination-are among the number of basic principals of conditioning that are found in most forms of conditioning. To explain, Extinction refers to the process by which the steady weakening or diminishment of a conditioned responseRead MoreLearning Experience Paper : Smoking Cessation Essay1185 Words   |  5 Pages Learning Experience Paper: Smoking Cessation Throughout one’s lifetime, an individual undergoes a magnitude of various learning experiences, all of which serve as a shaping agent, consequently forming personality traits that are unique to each human being. Examining this fact further, what does learning mean, precisely? Namely, the definition of learning is the resulting change in behavior or knowledge that occurs through experienceRead More The Process of Learning Essay1107 Words   |  5 PagesLearning Learning is more than a person sitting at a desk and studying off a book. Everything that we do is a result of what we have learned. We respond to things that happen to us, we act and experience consequences from our behavior, and we observe what others say and do. Psychologists explain our many experiences with basic learning processes. â€Å"Learning is a relatively permanent change in behavior that occurs through experience (Santrock, p.146).† By learning how to use a computer you willRead MoreLearning: Classical Conditioning1132 Words   |  5 PagesLearning Learning is more than a person sitting at a desk and studying off a book. Everything that we do is a result of what we have learned. We respond to things that happen to us, we act and experience consequences from our behavior, and we observe what others say and do. Psychologists explain our many experiences with basic learning processes. Learning is a relatively permanent change in behavior that occurs through experience (Santrock, p.146). By learning how to use a computer youRead More psychology and learning Essay1182 Words   |  5 Pagesin which they are learning and what they have to learn. One form of learning is known as conditioning. Conditioning emphasises the relationship between stimuli and responses. The two types of conditioning found are Classical conditioning and Operant conditioning. Learning may occur in different ways. Psychologists have distinguished between different types of learning, these being Observational Learning and Insight Learning. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Classical conditioning refers to a simpleRead MoreApplying Operant Conditioning to Human Behaviour Essay591 Words   |  3 PagesApplying Operant Conditioning to Human Behaviour Operant conditioning is when a way of learning by consequence. To put it basic, an action which is rewarded is more likely to be repeated, along with an action that is punished is less likely to be repeated. To apply this to an example of human behaviour, young children may have shaped behaviour due to operant conditioning; where desireable behaviour is rewarded (e.g. by giving a toy) the behaviour is being positivelyRead MoreLearning Principles Classical Conditioning And Observational Learning1080 Words   |  5 PagesReading skills are essential to learning all other subjects taught in school. The sharper the reading skills children have and the earlier they accumulate them will determine how rapidly and how well they will achieve in school. That is why it is very crucial to get students motivated to read at a young age. Research has consistently shown that children who are exposed to reading or who read regularly gather long term benefits such as better academic performance, a mastery of language, better communicationRead MoreThere Are Many Types Of Conditioning That People Used To1427 Words   |  6 PagesThere are many types of conditioning that people used to learn things. The first type of condition that we talk about in this paper is classical condition. The second type of conditioning is called operant conditioning. And the last type of conditioning is vicarious conditioni ng / Observational Learning. These are the 3 main types of conditioning that we use in are daily life. Classical Conditioning Classical conditioning is one of the most basic forms of learning that we use today. You can see it

Monday, December 9, 2019

Explanation Of Job Responsibilities And The Duties - Samples

Question: Discuss about the Explanation Of Job Responsibilities And The Duties. Answer: Job description: It is the explanation of job responsibilities and the duties that the person needs to fulfil on the job position. It also includes the skills that are required to perform the duties. Designation: HR executive Reporting to: HR manager Duties: Recruitment: Reviewing resumes and applications of the candidates Conducting interviews and all over recruitment process Working with third party recruitment agencies Cold calling to the candidates Training and development: Identification of training needs of the employees Contacting the trainers and developing the training programs Induction of the new employees and joining related issues Operations: Developing salary statement Communicating and describing HR policies to the employees Making records of the employees presence Performance records and maintenance of the employees Handling employee leaves Keeping records of staff insurance Employee engagement: Conducting various welfare activities Ensuring a safe workplace to the employees Engaging the employees in various activities (Brandl, Madsen Madsen, 2009). Qualifications: Diploma degree course in HR and HR analytics course is the added advantage Skills requirement: Some of the skills that are required for performing the HR Executive duties are: Communication skills Attractive personality Knowledge of the field Legal compliance knowledge Negotiation skills Understanding of SAP Observation skills Conflict resolution skills Goals: Goals at team level: Achieving the hiring targets collectively Improving the workplace environment and inter department communication Personal level goals: Achieving monthly hiring targets Improving the negotiation skills Collaborating with more third party for recruitments Work plan: Activities Description Goals KPIs Timeframe Personal Responsibilities Team goals: Identification of potential vacancies in the company Training to the employees to use communication portal more often Allocating the work to different HR executives Contacting the college campus drives for mass hiring In order to achieve the team goals, it is required to perform some of the activities that help the HR tea to achieve the team goals (Pilbeam Corbridge, 2010). Achieving the hiring targets collectively Improving the workplace environment and inter department communication Number of hiring in a month Effective communication between the employee Number of campus drives conducted 2 months HR manager and topmanagement Personal goals: Making cold calls to the potential candidates Updating and posting the ads on online portals Visiting more and more third parties Training of negotiation skills for whole HR department Some of the goals are for personal development. These goals are also required to be completed in order to complete the target of the team. Achieving monthly hiring targets Improving the negotiation skills Collaborating with more third party for recruitments Number of hiring Improvement in negotiation skills Number of third party collaborated in a month 1 month Self and whole HR team Journal: Policies and procedures of the organisation: Following are some of the policies that the organisation follow in order to support the employees to achieve their personal goals and team goals. Training policies: the company focuses on providing trainings to the employees and also identifying the training needs in order to provide relevant trainings to the employee for their personal and professional development. Communication policy: the company also believes in effective communication between the departments and thus developed a portal for communication that helps the HR team to interact with each and every employee (Franklin Melville, 2015). Employee welfare policy: the HR department of the company focuses in providing better environment to the employees to work for. Incentive policies: this is the policy of the company through which the incentives are given to the employees who achieve their target. Even the team gets the incentives for their target achievement as the team. Every organisation believes in developing goals and setting the targets for the individuals that are associated with the company as its employees and the teams that works in the organisations. The reason behind setting the targets for individuals is that it helps in evaluating their performance in the company and also helps the employees to have the clear idea of their roles in the organisation. As far as the team goals are concerned, they are made to dissociate the major goals of the company (Gist, 1987). In order to evaluate the goals and its completion rate, it is required to set some of the KPIs that is Key performance indictors that helps in measurement of the goals achieved. These KPIs are the measures to analyse the performance rate of the employees and the teams. When the goals are decided or set for the company, it needs a plan to achieve the goal. This plan includes some activities and resources for the same. This plan is made with some of the activities and the resource allocated to the same. There can be situations and contingencies that can affect the working of the plan and it may be possible that the things do not happen the way they thought to be (Korschun, Bhattacharya Swain, 2014). Thus, it is required to make the plans in such way so that the alternative action can be taken place at times. One of the major examples that the company generally face is lack of employees or human resources. To face this challenge, it is required to keep the hiring process up to date so that hiring can be done immediately when required. As far as my strengths are considered, I am the one who have good communication skills and thus I can easily convince the candidates and present the job offers very creatively in front of them. In terms of weakness, I am the person who is very bad at negotiating things. I can attract people but cannot negotiate properly with the salary and thus many of the candidates resist coming for the interviews. Thus, I always try to negotiate in mails rather than in speech. Prioritizing deals with arranging things as per their importance. It has been analysed that the activities that needs to be performed should be arranged as per their importance. This helps in making the things sorted. As far as the process is considered, I first jot down the activities I need to perform and then rank them accordingly. I sometimes eliminate the activities that are of less importance when I have time constraint. Developing the work plan can be effectively done if the standard process is followed for the same. The process of work plan initiated with identification of goals and related activities that needs to be performed in order to complete the goals. After that, the time and the resources need to be allocated to each and every activity that needs to be performed (Lynton Pareek, 1990). In terms of managing the time and the work plan activities, it is required by themanagement of the company to engage the employees in the overall process. Engaging the employees makes it easy for themanagement to implement the overall process. This also motivates employees to perform effectively within the given timeline. As per my strength, I think that I can be the role model for the other employees as I can provide them positive environment to work. The work plan that I have made in the above section also justifies that I have tries to balance the efforts requirements by the employees to complete the tasks and the time of achieving the goals of the organisation as early as possible. It is required to maintain the work life balance of the employees. Allocation of the work according to their capabilities helps the employees to complete the targets easily. As far as the above work plan is considered, it has been analysed that it can be easily followed by the employees without any work pressure. References: Brandl, J., Madsen, M. T., Madsen, H. (2009). The perceived importance of HR duties to Danish line managers.Human Resource Management Journal,19(2), 194-210. Pilbeam, S., Corbridge, M. (2010).People resourcing and talent planning: HRM in practice. Prentice Hall. Franklin, N., Melville, P. (2015). Competency assessment tools: An exploration of the pedagogical issues facing competency assessment for nurses in the clinical environment.Collegian,22(1), 25-31. Gist, M. E. (1987). Self-efficacy: Implications for organizational behavior and human resource management.Academy of management review,12(3), 472-485. Korschun, D., Bhattacharya, C. B., Swain, S. D. (2014). Corporate social responsibility, customer orientation, and the job performance of frontline employees.Journal of Marketing,78(3), 20-37. Lynton, R. P., Pareek, U. (1990).Training for development(No. Ed. 2). Kumarian Press.

Monday, December 2, 2019

Sustainability and Waste Management University of Queensland

Executive Summary Waste management is vital in any organisation. Managers should have a waste management plan in place at their respective places of work. The University of Queensland is one of the largest and oldest learning institutions in the state of Australia, producing thousands of graduates every year. The institution also contributes to research and policy development in the country. The report focuses on one main campus of the institution located in St. Lucia. This campus started over 100 years ago. It covers over 114 hectares.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Sustainability and Waste Management: University of Queensland specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The methodology used in this report mainly consists of interviews, waste area assessment, and waste analysis. A survey was also conducted. The waste management assessment at the institution showed an efficient waste management plan in place. The main wast e types produced at this institution include paper, food particles, hazardous waste from the laboratories, and the plastics mainly from the packaging materials. A private contractor and the local city council do the collection and disposal of these wastes. The general waste is land filled while the rest of the waste is either recycled or incinerated. At the time of the collection of the waste from the bins, the bins are over 50% full, with the general waste bins being 95% full. Analysis of the data obtained from this waste assessment at the institution is provided in the report. The recommendations from the analysis of waste management at the institution were based on the opportunities available. The institution has a waste minimisation strategy, which involves the reduction of materials for land filling to cut on the greenhouse gas emissions (EPA Information Bulletin, 1993). The report recommends the creation of a committee at the institution to oversee the waste minimisation strat egy, which should be headed by a qualified individual. The bulk of the organic waste can be reduced through inventory management at the catering department with some of the food materials being fed to animals such as pigs (Panikkar, Riley Shrestha n.d). The proposed waste minimisation plan at the institution has a timeline of five years. Background Description of the Facility The waste management plan developed in this paper is for the University of Queensland that is situated in Australia. The institution is among the oldest universities in Australia, having been started back in 1909. This public university has thousands of students in the many campuses, with the main campus being located near Brisbane city at a place called St. Lucia (Sweet 2008). The facility is credited with the provision of higher education to students in Queensland and Australia at large. It has been ranked among the best performing institutions in the world.Advertising Looking for report on environmenta l studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The institution has over 2,000 teaching and non-teaching staff working all over the campuses. Apart from the training of students, the university is also tasked with research and development of policies in the various disciplines. There have been a number of research works from the university. It operates a number of research facilities such as the Heron Island research station. The floor size of this institution is relatively large. No figure is provided for the combined space for all its campuses. However, the report will focus on waste management at the main campus at St. Lucia. This campus sits on 114 hectares. The current waste management practices at the campus have been constantly revised. The institution has grown in terms of the number of students being enrolled. A simple system is used where private companies are contracted in the disposal of the waste. The institution has embark ed on a waste minimisation strategy. The costs utilised in this system are mainly the bills used in the payment of the private companies contracted to collect the waste at the St. Lucia Campus. Rationale for Waste Assessment Several reasons reveal why waste assessment at the campus is crucial. The major reason for the assessment and development of the waste management plan is to allow the institution to comply with the state of Queensland and the Australian national policies on waste management. The National Waste Policy of 2009 in Australia is geared towards the reduction of the disposed waste, thus ensuring environmental sustainability and providing associated economic and environmental benefits (Albu, ChiÃ… £u 2011; Wei, Burritt, Monroe 2011). Therefore, the university, which is a leader in policy formulation and implementation, is required to be at the forefront of the implementation of this policy. The university also has a policy of engaging in clean and reliable processes i n its operation. Environmental conservation is one of its policies. The waste assessment and management plan will contribute towards the development of an effective method for the institution to reduce its wastes and costs, thus ensuring that it lives up to the expectations of the society. The university has developed a number of waste management plans over the years. Most of the plans have the goal of waste minimisation. Methodology The objective of the exercise was to carry out a waste assessment at the institution in the effort of developing a waste management plan for St. Lucia Campus. The assessment of waste management at the St. Lucia Campus of Queensland University was done in various ways. Several methods including interviews, survey, collection of bins, and waste assessment were used to ensure that all the facts gathered concerning how the organisation handles its waste were available.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Sustainability and Waste Manageme nt: University of Queensland specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Interviews were conducted where the management was interviewed on the waste management plan in place, especially on the cost of the methods in place at the institution. The interviews were also conducted with the participation of other stakeholders such as students to establish the general waste management culture at the campus. A survey was also conducted, with students and staff at the institution being evaluated in terms of waste management practices. This task was meant to establish whether the waste minimisation and management policies in place at the institution were working as anticipated. The next step that was followed in the waste management assessment was the analysis of wastes in the institution for a period of one week together with the financial implications of the same for a month (EPA Victoria 2009). The process of waste collection and/or collection of bins was also assessed. After the analysis of the waste management system in the institution, the description of the waste generation process was possible. The generation of waste at the St. Lucia Campus is a complex process where all shareholders in the institution are involved. The institution generates all kinds of wastes, including the organic and inorganic wastes. The organic wastes at the institution come from the cafeterias and the refreshment areas in the institution. Specially designed bins are in place to allow room for the collection of these wastes. The other types of wastes generated at the institution include paper materials, plastics, and dung from the animals at the research centre. In every month, the organisation produces over 5 tonnes of waste. Several disposal routes are used in the organisation, including the contracting of garbage collection companies and private firms that do the same. The city council is also involved in the collection of waste from the institutio n. The main problem encountered while carrying out the assessment of the waste management at the St. Lucia Campus of the University of Queensland is the lack of access to the kitchen areas where a more detailed assessment of the organic waste needed to have been done. There was also limited time to carry out the waste assessment, with limited information being available for the assessment. However, the waste assessment was fruitful. Therefore, the data obtained from this exercise will be discussed below. Key Findings Results from the Waste Assessment From the waste assessment exercise at the St. Lucia Campus, a series of information can be obtained. The institution’s waste can be categorised into general waste, paper waste, ICT waste, and hazardous waste. The collection frequency for these varieties of waste ranges from daily to weekly. The main contractor is the St. Lucia City Council (The University of Queensland, Property Facilities Division, Sustainability Office 2011).A dvertising Looking for report on environmental studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The bulk of the waste collected is recycled for disposal, with the general waste being disposed by land filling at the City Council’s main waste disposal centre. The general waste is first sorted out at the institution, with various bins in place for the different types of wastes such as organic and inorganic wastes. Inorganic wastes mainly come from the plastics, which are mainly used for packaging drinking water and other soft drinks at the institution’s catering areas. A summary of the waste management, including the types and collection frequencies were obtained and provided in the table below. Waste Stream System Contractor Collection Frequency Fee (per year) Disposal Pathway General 1 x 3.5m3 City Council Daily $48,000 Landfill Paper 2000 City Council Weekly $20,000 Recycling ICT waste 2500 University premises Monthly $15,000 Recycling Hazardous Waste 1 x 300 litre University premises Weekly $36,000 Incineration Table 1: Summary of waste management at St. Luis Campus The general waste at the institution consists mainly of food particles from the dining area, hand towel and tissues from the sanitary areas, garbage bags, animal droppings, soft plastics, and plastic fastenings. The material types in paper waste include white paper, notes, shredded paper, and waxed cardboards. Mails and other confidential materials are also present in the paper wastes. The ICT wastes consist mainly of computer materials, communication gadgets (Government of Victoria, 2013; RudÄÆ'reanu, 2013), and other ICT wastes from students (Bender, 2013). The hazardous wastes from the institution are mainly from the laboratories. They consist mainly of used chemicals and reactants. These materials are not mixed with the general wastes. However, they are packaged in special materials that cannot react with the chemicals. An analysis of these components is provided below. Materials in General Waste Volume Litres Percentage Food 300 litres 20.6% Tissue and hand towels 50 litres 3.5% Garbage bags 200 litres 13.8% Animal droppings 400 litres 27.5% Soft plastics 300 litres 20.6% Plastic fastenings 200 litres 13.8% Total 1450 Litres 100% Table 2: Table showing the distribution of general waste Pie Chart 1: Table showing the distribution of general wastes An analysis of the bins showed that they were almost full in most of the instances before the collection of the waste. The percentage capacities for these bins were more than 50% occupied at the time of analysis. The analysis time was done before the collection of each of these bins. The general waste was the largest in amount, with the bins being 95% full at the time of analysis. Bin-Percentage Full General 95% Paper 68% ICT waste 58% Hazardous waste 54% Table 3: percentage that the bins were full at the time of analysis Graph showing the bin-percentage full in waste analysis at the institution Analysis of Results The institution has a number of waste m inimisation opportunities. The reduction of the organic waste at the institution can be achieved through efficient procurement and inventory management at the catering department. Some of the food materials disposed are expired food products. The institution can put in place proper procurement strategies to reduce this form of waste. Through this opportunity, the organisation can reduce the amount of money it spends by about 20,000 dollars a month. Opportunities are available in the institution such as a working incinerator, proper waste collection system, and organisation management. Such opportunities are aimed at reducing carbon emission through a reduction of wastes to b landfilled (EPA Victoria 1993). The institution also has a waste minimisation plan in place. This plan is scheduled to run for the next few years as shown in the figure below. Figure showing the waste minimisation plan for University of Queensland. (Source: The University of Queensland, Property Facilities Div ision, Sustainability Office, 2011) Recommendations for Waste Minimisation The aim of the future waste minimisation practice at the institution is the reduction of greenhouse gas emission and a cutback in the costs of waste disposal at the institution. The aim of any waste management and minimisation strategy according to Gakhar (2013) is to produce the greatest waste reduction in the greatest way possible. The waste minimisation strategy for the institution should involve the identification of the existing practices in waste disposal, development of indicators of waste reduction performance, development of strategies and policies for waste reduction and identification of the implications of the proposed waste management plan. The necessary actions include the formation of a committee to oversee the process of waste minimisation at the institution. A professional in waste management will lead this committee. The second plan will involve the creation of special designated areas of wa ste disposal at the institution where the inorganic waste and hazardous materials should be incinerated. The other strategy to ensure reduction in waste is the reduction in the number of products sold at the catering department that are packaged with plastic materials. These products include water and soft drinks. The sizes of containers can be increased to ensure a reduction in the number of these containers. The institution aims to reduce the greenhouse emissions from the landfill that the organic waste is disposed. One way of accomplishing this role is the reduction of organic waste being deposited in the landfills. The organic waste can be reduced through keeping of animals that can feed on the food materials. Animals such as pigs may be used to consume the food materials, thus saving the institution in waste disposal and/or earning revenue for the institution. The timeline for the waste minimisation plan should be five years. All the components need to be functional by the end of this period. References Albu, R ChiÃ… £u, I 2011, ‘Waste management within the context of waste management national strategy (WMNS) and regional waste management plan (RWMP) from centru region’, Bulletin Of the Transylvania University Of Brasov. Series V: Economic Sciences, vol. 4 no. 2, pp. 87-92. Bender, A 2013, ‘Standards Australia un wrapse-waste standard for ANZ’, Cio, vol. 1 no. 1, p.13. EPA Information Bulletin, 1993, Guidelines for Preparation of Waste Management Plans, Publication 383, Routlege, London. EPA Victoria 1993, Waste Minimisation: Assessments and Opportunities for Industry, A Practical Guide to Cleaner Production’ Publication 351, Routlege, London. EPA Victoria 2009, Industrial Waste Resource Guidelines: Introduction to the Environment Protection (Industrial Waste Resource) regulations, www.epa.vic.gov.au/waste/docs/AttachmentCPIW-Disposal-Historical-Trends.pdf. Gakhar, S 2013, ‘An Effective Waste Management System for a Better Future’, Aweshkar Research Journal, vol. 15 no. 1, pp.129-136. Government of Victoria 2013, Getting full’ value the Victorian waste and resource recovery policy, Finsbury Green, www.dse.vic.gov.au/waste. Panikkar, A, Riley, S Shrestha, S n.d, ‘Risk Management in Vermi composting of Domestic Organic Waste’, Environmental Health, vol. 4 no. 2, p.11. RudÄÆ'reanu, C 2013, ‘Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) management in Europe’, Economics, Management Financial Markets, vol. 8 no. 3, pp. 119-125. Sweet, M 2008, ‘It’s Time the University of Queensland Came Clean Properly’, New Doctor, vol. 88 no. 1, p. 17. The University of Queensland, Property Facilities Division, Sustainability Office 2011, Waste Minimisation Plan, The Sustainability Office, Waste Minimisation Plan 2010-2015, The University of Queensland, Australia. Wei, Q, Burritt, R Monroe, G 2011, ‘Environmental management accounting in local government: A case of waste management’, Accounting, Auditing Accountability Journal, vol. 24 no. 1, pp. 9-128. This report on Sustainability and Waste Management: University of Queensland was written and submitted by user Otto Skinner to help you with your own studies. 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