Environmental Archaeology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Environmental Archaeology - Essay Example Most studies, since the ancient times, have indicated that increased human activities on the environment have led to environmental degradation and transformation. However, this paper presents environmental, archeological view that lack of human activities on the environment leads to land degradation and transformation. Since the ancient periods, it is highly believed that increased human activities on the environment have caused environmental transformation and degradation. Almost all human activities have either positive or negative effect on the environment. For example, all types of pollutions are because of human activity. The pronounced sources of pollution are water pollution, air pollution, and farming (Chambers, 2004). Farming is one of the main causes of environmental degradation and pollution. This is because most farmers are determined to practice only one form of animal husbandry, and produce a single crop. This is believed to fuel the loss of biodiversity since natural f orests are cleared to create space for these human activities. Clearing of land exposes the soil surface to rainfall and surface run-offs, which causes soil erosion (Chambers, 2004). In addition, cleared forests reduce the amount of natural habitat available for wildlife. Unlike the traditional assumptions that increased human activity leads to environmental degradation and transformation, â€Å"culture-centric† perspective on the environmental archeology argues that lack of human activities leads to environmental degradation and transformation (Chris, 2003). Deforestation caused through human activities, such as logging and burning, is at times beneficial to both plants and animals. Animals, plants, and trees naturally recover from burnt forests if the space is not occupied by human settlements. Birds such as woodpeckers survive well in freshly burned areas more than thickets where they feed on insects that occupy the burned area (Hall & Harry, 2006). In addition, seed dispe rsion is enhanced through human activities such as the search for food. Trees like lodgepole produce serrotonous cones. These cones are fused shut, and they only burst when burnt. Wildfires set by human burn these cones, thereby spreading their seeds into burnt areas with little competition (Hall & Harry, 2006). After 20 years of growth, the burned area soon becomes fully occupied by medium-height lodgepole pines. An example of such area is Yellowstone National Park (Chambers, 2004). This, therefore, indicates human activities such as deforestation can enhance dispersion of seeds from one area to another, thus the spread of plant and tree species. Human’s ability to confine wild animals into specific areas has also created order in the environment. Wild animals are an integral part of the natural environment, and their existence creates a balance in the ecosystem. However, due to dynamic environmental degradations and transformations, human realized the need to conserve the w ild animals in parks and zoos to protect them from drought and poaching among other factors (Rashid et al, 2005). Through conservation, animals are protected from the loss of habitat, climatic changes, hunting, natural calamities, pollution, over-exploitation, pesticides, and toxic chemicals (Rashid et al, 2005). This has ensured successful utilization of available natural resources by regulating the rate of competition among the animals, and protecting them from external threats (Rashid et al, 2

Methodology And Performance Standards Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Methodology And Performance Standards - Essay Example In this essay, Baldwin Hotel is assessed for service quality in the way and manner in which staff deal with guests by using two major performance standards namely resourcefulness and customer service. Resourcefulness is a quality of staff or workers that makes it possible for them to contribute to several aspects of decision making within their job even outside their official job specification. This means that for staff of Baldwin for example who are front desk attendants must be in a position to provide other services and resources to their superiors outside of their stated job specifications as front desk attendants. Generally resourcefulness improves service quality because it helps in eliminating gaps in tasks and services within the hotel. For example when one worker is absent, the presence of a resourceful employee would ensure that the vacancy is not felt and that it does not affect customer service because he will be there to take that task up. At the visit to the site, there were two major measurable and observable areas or components of resourcefulness that was seen. The first had to do with front desk attendants who were giving room services, and front desk attendants who were undertaking troubleshooting in inaccurate ledger postings and entries. The methodological tools that were devised to measure the resourcefulness of workers were observation and accuracy with ledger postings. This means that there was both a qualitative and quantitative methodology. Employees who were responsible for this performance standard were front desk attendants. Customer service is a performance standard that basically deals with the level of satisfaction that the services rendered to customers by staff is appreciated by customers (Covey, 2008). At the Baldwin Hotel, greater percentage of customers is guests to the hotel who come to book rooms to spend from one night to a whole vacation. Customer service rendered to