The Secret of Success of Wal Mart Research Paper

The Secret of Success of Wal Mart - Research Paper Example Wal-Mart’s large size and high purchasing power enable the company management to access customers from all over the world and the rest of the US. It also has an incredible team of executives who form its leadership. This has equipped Wal-Mart with the management of high caliber. The Company spends its resources carefully with the aim of maximizing their margins while reducing costs. The company focuses on strategies such as every day low prices that helped it stay ahead of its competitor. More so, the company’s retailer opened new small stores, which helped it overcome its competitors such as Amazon.com and dollar stores. It faced tough competition from these companies but it managed to make profits. The function of Wal-Mart’s reward system is to attract, motivate, and retain skilled and experienced employees. Wal-Mart’s reward is effective since it guarantees fair treatment of all employees. Wal-Mart management announced in 2012 that it was going to disburse close to one million dollars in benefits and bonuses to its workers within the United States of America. This shows a monetary reward that the company is able to give its employees in order to motivate them to work hard as the company continues to come up with new products for its customers. In addition to the total monetary reward system, Wal-Mart has come up with a unique social responsibility culture. Such sense of giving back to the community has been weakened by employee turnover rate. This reward system is effective since the company helps community directly without dishing out money. In addition, as part of Wal-Mart’s employee compensation program, the company pays or offers some premium for its employees or workers. This program aims to ensure that each employee is access to cheap healthcare despite the rising costs of health care. Wal-Mart uses employee compensation based control mechanisms in allevi ating possible employer and worker opportunism.

Near and Middle East ( Martyrdom is nothing without remembrance and Essay

Near and Middle East ( Martyrdom is nothing without remembrance and without the cultural industry that keeps the martyr alive after death. Discuss.) - Essay Example The custom is that martyrdom carries with it the diverse cultural diligence as this keeps the martyr alive even after his demise. Unlike the other cultures around the globe, the history of the Middle East goes back to the ancient times (Verkaaik, 2004, P. 138). All along, the Near East has rocked the world affairs through its unprecedented political and religious affiliations. Discussion of its ancient history puts the name ‘Near East’ at the center stage. This is the reason as to why there is the historical origin of major world religions such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The first and the latter have famed for the rite of the martyrdom and they see to it that reminisce is part of their culture (Varzi & Roxann, 2006, P.70). In this modern times, the Middle region/East or the Near East, remains a strategically, politically, culturally, economically and the religiously sensitive zone. First, martyrdom was a transition. A look back to history states that the transition from revolutionary zeal to war fanaticism came as a smooth phase. For example, a telecast broadcast in 1981 at Tehran University served to put this ideology of martyrdom a great stance (Moallem, 2005, P. 108). The speaker whom by history goes down as the martyr of the said creed, Hashemi Rafsanjani, publicly asserted that the public begged to become a shahids. As per his words, he said that the public cries, it sheds tears and implore their commanders to, at least, take them along on the nightly operations in order to become a shahid (Talebi, 2012, P.134). This creed on a nation broadcast, with millions of people listening came an awakening call as to how sacrificing for the name of religion, Islamic in particular, could measure as an incitement to the other religions with different affiliations. In the view of this nation, this religious understanding of Hashemi, theirs was not a radicalization cal l; it was simply a cry to sacrifice for their remembrance of holy Allah. To them, this

IKEA in China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

IKEA in China - Essay Example The corporations decide to enter into new country to capture the new market and in this process they primarily focus cross cultural factors for building multicultural teams. However, they have to face several difficulties due to mismatch of organisation culture and social culture (Rajagopal, 2007, p.8). This paper will attempt to analyse distinct features of cross cultural differences affecting international trade in context of IKEA’s business in China. To offer basic understandings and interpretations of cross cultural difference, some relevant models and concepts will be critically analysed and discussed. This paper will also include the basic difference of Swedish and Chinese cultures. Role of expatriate managers in managing multi-national corporations will also be discussed. Finally, the paper will end by summing up the entire discussions and findings. IKEA is a privately-owned global furniture company. It is a Sweden-based company and founded by Ingvar Kamprad who started to sell matches at the age of seven during 1920. During 1940-1950, he entered into the furniture business and the business experienced a rapid growth within a short span of time (IKEA-a, 2010). Currently, it offers large varieties of furniture for domestic and commercial purposes. It also provides furniture for children (IKEA-b, 2010). IKEA has expanded its business in the global market and it is present in the entire Europe, North America, Middle East and Asia pacific regions. The business idea of IKEA focuses on its core value, product range, low price and betterment of everyday life of its valuable consumers (IKEA-c, 2010). Business and culture are inter-related with other and hence, before presenting critical analysis of cross culture, expatriate management and multicultural operations. The national culture is the prime factor that affects the culture of an organisation and its behaviour.

Critical Evaluation Of The Three Approaches To IHR Essay

Critical Evaluation Of The Three Approaches To IHR - Essay Example Thus, â€Å"globalization is a process of interaction and integration among the companies as well as the people of different nations, a process which is mainly process driven by international trade and investment for the benefit of the investor as well as the host country† (Herbig 2008, p.6). Thus, in a way the globalisation from the last decade of the 20th century has optimized the opportunities for the companies, particularly the Multinational Companies (MNCs) to enter foreign countries, give employment to the local population as well as sell their products or services at competitive prices. In addition, firms cannot keep on operating in a saturated home market to achieve success. They have to break geographical boundaries as well as their economical limits to tap those opportunities in the foreign markets or countries, by following the process of internationalisation. Thus, internationalisation is a happening concept which is being used by many firms to expand their reach g lobally. â€Å"As the global economy expands, as more products and services compete on a global basis and as more and more firms operate outside their countries of origin, the impact on various business functions becomes more pronounced† (Briscoe and Schuler 2004, p. 20).... ing, researching, applying and revising all human resource activities in their internal and external contexts as they impact the process of managing human resources in enterprises throughout the global environment† (Briscoe and Schuler 2004, p. 20). When this management of human resources or employees in the international context is focused, it can be categorized into three approaches: cross-cultural management; comparative human resource management; and multinational perspective in human resource management. The first approach of cross-cultural management focuses on understanding the cultural differences and similarities that may exist between the entering firm or the home country and the local employees or the host country. Each country will have distinct and unique cultural traditions, and so the employees will also imbue it in them and exhibit during the organizational processes. Thus, these cross-cultures of the firms as well as employees have to be managed under the auspi ces of IHRM approach of cross-cultural management. As Cieri, Fenwick and Hutchings (2005, p.588) states, cross-cultural management focuses on â€Å"identifying the likely impact of cross-culturally similar and different human behaviour on the functional elements of HRM, including recruitment and selection, training and development, performance management and reward management.† Even before the foreign firms enter new countries, the employees in those firms will not be all similar, as they could come from different background. Those employees could have been made into a unit through the formation of common organizational culture and other strategies. When these firms with their employees enter new countries, it will be more challenging for them. Most of the countries around the world will have

Hypermedia website Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hypermedia website - Essay Example There are always different views to everything, and the use of twitter handle in the hypermedia website is to enable one to create a social network with people in your niche and to be able to know who is talking about your website and what is being discussed (Webdesigner Depot, 2012). Twitter is used in the hypermedia website because it is an appropriate way to conveniently get in touch with this generation that is technologically advanced and social sites are a way of everyday life. Coincidentally, most of these students are bloggers hence it forms a good platform and a communication medium with the user in regard to the topic. Twitter attracts interested parties, so it is bound to bring in more followers to the topic. The emphasis and briefness make the content on the web attractive to read (Iofilm.co.uk, 2012). This is because reading from a screen is more difficult than reading from paper. The usage of fewer texts in the hypermedia website encourages the youngsters to read and hence encourages more persons to join. This is so because the usage of long texts may encourage ambiguous writing which is not good for the website promotion. The homepage is also simple. Research shows that most people look at the homepage of an advert hence the homepage of the hypermedia website is simple. This is so because its simplicity attracts more readers to the website. The use of photo slides in the hypermedia website is to help the high school students relate to the animals found in the rainforests. In addition, a tool (photo slides) enables them to be able to distinguish them from other animals in other parts of the world. The photo slides are used to easily what cannot be put across by use of words alone (Piechnick, 2012). The use of an external search engine will help the student be dynamic in a way that they can outsource material from other sites and enrich their knowledge on

Family Health Assessment Essay Example for Free

Family Health Assessment Essay The emphasis of Gordon’s functional health patterns concentrates on 11 categories which include: health perception/management, nutritional/metabolic, elimination, activity/exercise, cognitive/perceptual, sleep/rest, self perception/self concept, role/relationship, sexuality/reproductive, coping/stress tolerance, and value/beliefs (Nursing Planet, 2013). These series of questions are effective when accumulating data that can be interpreted and diagnoses can be applied for actual, as well as potential issues. Issues are identified, decisions on interventions, education, and promotion of a realistic, as well as a practical lifestyle (Edelman, Kudzma, Mandle, 2014) can be chosen. Discussion in detail of the interview from the Gouker family assessment follows. They have six daughters. Mr. and Mrs. Gouker have been married for 40 years. Utilizing the 11 functional health patterns by Gordon, a family assessment was completed on the Gouker family. The emphasis of health perception/promotion centers on the individuals’ impression of their wellness and how they govern their health (Edelman, Kudzma, Mandle, 2014). Due to their age, the Gouker family’s health perception presently revolves around their yearly health examinations and eating healthy. Mr. Gouker is 74 years old and Mrs. Gouker is 68. Mr. Gouker (personal communication, March 11, 2014) revealed that only after having experienced weakness did he begin having annual examinations, as he had been healthy his entire life. Mr. Gouker does not take any prescribed medications. Mrs. Gouker participates in yearly examinations and currently has blood work completed every six months due to her chronic diabetes mellitus. Mrs. Gouker (personal communication, March 11, 2014) currently takes daily medications for this condition. Since Mrs. Gouker (personal communication, March 11, 2014) shops for the family, she stated that they only consume chicken and fish, which is broiled, and scarcely eats beef or pork. She also prepares vegetables with the evening meal. Snacks consist of fresh fruits. The primary meal is dinner, which is eaten together. Mr. Gouker (personal communication, March 11, 2014) states that breakfast consists of coffee and rarely has time for lunchtime. Mrs. Gouker (personal communication, March 11, 2014) eats breakfast daily which consists of coffee and toast, whereas lunch consists of a salad. Mrs. Gouker has scheduled dentist visits every six months, whereas Mr. Gouker only schedules dental visits every year. According to Edelman, Kudzma, Mandle (2014), elimination pivots around the expulsion of contents in the bowel and bladder, but also includes the skin. Both Mr. and Mrs. Gouker prefer to drink water and they frequently urinate. Mr. Gouker (personal communication, March 21, 2014) states, that he has multiple bowel movements daily, whereas Mrs. Gouker has daily bowel movements. Mr. and Mrs. Gouker bathe daily. As stated by Edelman, Kudzma, Mandle (2014), activity and exercise concentrates on the patterns pertaining to activity, exercise, recreation, and leisure. Mrs. Gouker is retired and Mr. Gouker owns a business. Mrs. Gouker utilizes the treadmill for walking. Leisure and recreational activities include yearly travel, and attending professional sporting events. The main focus of cognitive and perceptions are patterns seen in regards to cognition, perception, and the senses (Edelman, Kudzma, Mandle, 2014). Mr. Gouker has an Associate’s degree in business administration, whereas Mrs. Gouker graduated high school. When expressing his views on pain management, Mr. Gouker (personal communication, March 11, 2014) stated he rarely experiences pain, but if the situation arises he will take an Aleve. Mrs. Gouker (personal communication, March 11, 2014) expressed that she only takes Aleve for pain or discomfort. Mrs. Gouker finds satisfaction in reading and completing crossword puzzles, whereas Mr. Gouker manages the business. The main concept of sleep and rest centers on patterns which give priority to sleep, rest, and relaxation (Edelman, Kudzma, Mandle, 2014). Mr. Gouker sleeps four to seven hours per night while Mrs. Gouker sleeps seven to eight hours per night. Both Mr. and Mrs. Gouker (personal communication, March 11, 2014) state they unwind by watching their favorite television programs or sitting in their rocking chairs on the porch. According to Edelman, Kudzma, Mandle (2014), the focal point of self perception and self concept is on the persons’ viewpoint of themselves which correlate to their self esteem, their self worth, and body appearance. Mr. Gouker (personal communication, March 11, 2014) believes that he can accomplish anything he so chooses. He believes that whether a person is a success or failure depends upon your state of mind. Mrs. Gouker perceives herself as a kindhearted woman and views herself as a genuine individual who is helpful to those around her. With regards to body image, Mr. Gouker stands five foot nine inches tall and weighs 175 lbs and is aware that he is overweight. Mrs. Gouker is five foot four inches tall and weighs 182 pounds and perceives herself as slovenly. The focal point of the role and relationship patterns centers on the persons role in the family and the relationship they have with the other family members (Edelman, Kudzma, Mandle, 2014). Mrs. Gouker cherishes being a mother and wife. Mr. Gouker (personal communication, March 11, 2014) states that he is blessed. He loves being a father and provider to all his children. Both Mrs. and Mrs. Gouker are content with their personal relationships with family and friends. According to Edelman, Kudzma, Mandle (2014), the patterns of sexuality and reproduction center on the individuals’ satisfaction or dissatisfaction with their sexual style. Mrs. Gouker was modest when speaking of their sexual relationship, yet Mr. Gouker was open. Both parties are content with their sexual relationship and have no complaints concerning sex. The focus of coping and stress tolerance pertains to how the individual detects stress and the techniques utilized when encountering stressful events (Edelman, Zudzma Mandl, 2014). This family has always used communication skills to rectify any problems. Prayer is utilized and their faith that God’s guidance assists them. Edelman, Zudzma Mandle (2014) noted that patterns in relation to values and beliefs focus on spiritual beliefs, values, and goals that direct those choices. The Gouker’s are Lutheran and attend services weekly. Upon interview completion of the Gouker family, two wellness and family diagnoses are: Both are at risk for imbalanced nutrition: more than body requirements since their individual body mass index (BMI) both exceed 20 percent. Both Mr. and Mrs. Gouker are at risk for body images disturbance. Education for the Gouker’s included the impact of exercise and how this will decrease their body mass index. It is evident that nurses impact the lives of those being cared for regardless of the setting. Education is instrumental is assisting patients and their families to make positive changes in promoting a healthier lifestyle. References Edelman, C. , Kudzma, C. Mandle, C. L. (2014). Health Promotion Throughout the Life Span (8 ed. ). : VitalSource Bookshelf. Nursing Plant. (2013). Functional Health Patterns. Retrieved March 11, 2014 from www. nursingplanet. com/theory/functional_health_patterns. html Appendix 1)Health prevention and health management. a. How do you feel about keeping your regular doctor visits? b. What, as an individual, do you do to support your health? 2)Nutritional and metabolic a. Regarding your dental needs, what are your oral habits? b. What are your nutritional practices like in general? c. What sort of foods do you consistently eat? 3)Elimination a. How do you manage your bladder and bowel habits? b. What do you do to take care of your skin? 4)Activity and exercise a. How do you spend your time off from work? b. When participating in leisure interests, how many hours do you devote on a weekly basis? c. What do you do for getaways? 5)Cognitive and perceptual a. How do you manage pain? b. What exercises do you do participate in to improve your memory? 6)Sleep and rest a. As an individual, how do you relax? b. On average, how many hours do you sleep at night and what are your sleeping patterns like? 7 )Self perception and self concept a. What is your prospective on your self image today? . In regards to your body image, how do you view your body image? 8)Role and relationships a. As an individual within your family, what is your position in the family? b. In your current position within your family, what makes you satisfied or dissatisfied? 9)Sexual and reproduction a. With your current sexual relationship, are both individuals satisfied or unsatisfied? 10) Coping and stress tolerance a. How do you handle stress? b. When managing situations that are stressful, what do you do? 11)Value and beliefs a. What is your religious denomination? b. In regards to your religion, what guides you towards your goals?

Water Management Of The Thar Desert Environmental Sciences Essay

Water Management Of The Thar Desert Environmental Sciences Essay The Thar Desert, also known at the Indian Desert is located partly in Rajasthan state, northwestern India, Punjab province, Sindh province and eastern Pakistan in Asia. (Britannica) Its precise location is between latitudes 24 ° and 28 ° north and between longitude 68 °and 71 ° east. (Irrigation) This desert is considered one of the smallest hot deserts in the world only, 77,000 square miles (200,000km ²) (Britannica) yet it has the highest human population of all deserts in the world. (Kuma) Other deserts have a population density of less than ten people per square kilometer, while Thar has a density of more than eighty people per square kilometer. (BBC) With such a large population which continues to grow, it can put a great strain on the environment and the resources it provides. One very important resource that the environment provided is water. Water is the bases for life on Earth and without it humans would not be able to survive. Not only do humans demand water direc tly, they demand it indirectly for the growth of their livestock and crops. Water management in the Thar Desert has to be constantly looked after to ensure that the supply of water will always be present. There are three main ways to get water in the Thar Desert. First, is the rainfall distribution. Second is the terrain type. Third is importing water from outside the area. (Dhir) All of the water management techniques that the Thar people use can be categorized into one of these ways. No one individual method of obtaining water is fully effective by itself. It takes a combination of many techniques to keep a water supply that can sustain the people who are using it. Some techniques rely solely on the weather conditions in a given year and can fluxuate from year to year and are not always dependable. This is why multiple techniques are used to obtain water, in case one fails there are others to fall back on. The soils in the Thar Desert does not allow for water to remain at the ground surface. The soil is made up of loose and porous sand. This allows for the rainwater to quickly be absorbed by the soil and any extra water moves straight down to the ground water reservoirs, via percolation. Unless the water is captured before it hits the soils surface or contained in something at the surface there is no way to access it without going into the ground water reservoirs. (Irrigation) Capturing rain water would be much easier if more of it came to the Thar Desert. The rainfall that is received is relatively low. In the west, the desert receives 4 inches or less of rain fall and in the east about 20 inches of rainfall. (Britannica) The amount of rainfall an area gets is dependent upon where it is located. The rain is sporadic in most parts. Up to nine-tenths of the rain received by the Thar Desert comes between June and September which is the monsoon season. (Agrican and Irrigation) Due to the fluxuation in rain, in regards to when it arrives, it causes agriculture to fluxuate with it. Before the rains arrive the land production is very poor and after the rains have arrived the land is very productive. In a sense the rainfall determines whether or not there will be an opportunity to grow crops effectively. The more rainfall means there is more availability for crop production and the less rainfall means there is less availability for crop production. After a good rainfall when the desert is full of nutrients and succulent grasses a large number of cattle from the Nara Valley in Pakistan and adjoining areas come to graze in the desert. (Irrigation) Herders also take advantage of the rainfall and move their cattle to areas where the grasses are plentiful and nutritious. When there is not a good rainfall herders must find others areas to grazer their cattle which might include irrigated areas. Other ways to make use of the monsoon rains are to cultivate patches of land that is suitable in the low ground. These low grounds are found between sand-mounds (talis, tals or dhars). When the rains are deemed adequate for cultivating crops these areas are taken advantage of. Budgeting the water can be an effective way to manage the water that is available and relate it to the potential crop production it could yield. A formula was derived consisting of four variables: the availability of reserve supply of soil profile moisture (M), in a given period varies under the influence of rainfall (P), runoff (S), percolation (U) and evapotranspiration (ET). (Sen) The equation for the balance of water is P = S  ± M  ± U + ET. Water budget studies have shown that evapotranspiration accounts for 75-80 percent of the rainfall, percolation accounts for 5-10 percent, and 10-15 percent of the rainfall contributed to increasing the moisture of the soil profile when there is no water going to run-off. Techniques used to balance water on an agricultural farm in the Thar Desert include improving infiltration, deep percolation, control of evapotranspiration, and harvesting run-off. Infiltration can be done by bunding, shattering of hard pan or preparatory tillage. Deep p ercolation can be improved by soil compaction. Improving the control over evapotranspiration can be established by control of evaporation. Harvesting run-off can be improved by inter-plot water harvesting or inter-row water harvesting. By improving the means of which water is budgeted can cause the water that is acquired to be used more effectively for farming practices instead of being acquired by the land where is becomes more difficult to obtain. Irrigation is a means of importing water in from another area and can be used in combination with water budgeting of the rain fall of an area. It is the main way that the people of the Thar support their agriculture. Between 1951 and 1980 there were at least 1,127 irrigation projects that were classified as major or medium that were taken up. Of the 1,127 projects 506 were complete, 17 were almost completed and the others were yielding partial benefits. (Prakash) There was a goal set to achieve 1,130 lakh hectares of grass irrigation potential which was the assessed target. This goal caused an increase in the development of policy for implementing irrigation projects. Irrigation projects have been going on in the Thar Desert long before the 1950s. The Gang Canal Project was started in 1920 and completed in 1928. The project consisted of the construction of a canal that would irrigate the north western part of Ganganagar and have a total length of 1,251 km in Rajasthan. The Bikaner Ca nal would feed into the newly constructed Gang Canal and potentially provide water to the extent of cultural command area (CCA) of three 07,692 ha. (Kuma) This is just one irrigation project that was created and currently still operating in the Thar Desert. Another irrigation project is the Indira Gandhi Nahar Pariyojana (IGNP). This projects main goal was to fetch the river water to the waste stretches of desert in western Rajasthan from the Himalayas. (Kuma) The water would be diverted in Punjab from the Hari-ke-Barrage and travel to Rajasthan. This project started in 1958; one of the 1,127 projects developed and was considered a partial irrigation facility in 1961. The project was separated into two different stages. The first stage focused on the 0-74 km of the main canal and stage 2 focused on the 74-189 km of the main canal. The completion of this irrigation project would potential bring irrigation to 15.85 lakh hectare of semi-arid and arid desert wasteland in a cultural command area spanning across four districts of the Thar Desert of Rajasthan, namely Ganganager, Bikaner, Hanumangarh and Jaisalmer. (Kuma) This project would help to irrigate almost the entire western side of Rajasthan by merely diverting the water from another a rea. In the area of Nagaroarkar, specifically the inland section, the Sind government set up experiments to try to improve water availability. These experiments took place between 1968 and 1969 and possibly could have been included in the 1,127 irrigation projects. The Sind government developed six flood irrigation schemes and four tank construction schemes, Gordharo Bhatiani flood scheme, Ranpur Basin-cum-Inundation Scheme, Surachand Flood irrigation scheme and Bhodosar, Tobiriyo, Nabisar and Ghartiara tanks. (Irrigation) These experiments were successful and provided water reservoirs in these inland sections of Nagarparkar. The reservoirs were used for multiple months after the initial water was stored. The success of these experiments showed that ideas such as these need to be replicated and applied to other areas and try to increase the performance of the ideas. (Agrican and Irrigation) Other areas in the Sind portion of the desert presented promising ideas for the improvement and development of water availability. One development was to repair the existing well and ponds that can be repaired and this action is suitable for the entire desert. A second development was to dig deeper wells and it is mostly suitable for areas along the aquifers in the central and eastern portion so the desert. A third development was to dig a canal from the Indus River which once completed would allow for more expansion of the canal system reaching a wider area. A fourth development was the collection of the rainwater in more effective ways specifically focused on the construction of reservoirs with supporting deep tube-wells. These four developments along with the expansion of the irrigation experiments were compiled in 1985 and fall into the three ways of obtaining water; rainfall, terrain and importing. So over the years since 1920 the development of irrigation projects and other mea ns of acquiring water availability has been an ongoing process. (Agrican and Irrigation) Besides irrigation systems there are also means of conserving what surface water is available from the rainfall. Surface water can be gathered in traditional nadis (small ponds), tankas (underground covered tanks) or khadins (water harvesting structures for agriculture). The nadis are one of the major sources of drinking water both for human and livestock consumption. The nadis are dug by villagers in locations that are deemed natural for catching water in higher yield potential. They are constructed to an optimum size, in dune areas from 1.5 meters to 4 meters and in sandy plain 3 meter to 12 meters, and their depth is typically to the zone of calcrete formation. The nadis are used for an entire village if possible and the water supply that is stored in them could last anywhere from two months to a year after the rains depending on the water usage of the villagers (Centre for Science and Environment). Tankas on the other hand might be owned by an individual family or by the communit y. Tankas are being replaced with pipe-water supplies now since they were mostly used in remote areas. (Dhir) Tankas are underground tanks that are built within a main house or the courtyard of a house. They are constructed during the winter and summer seasons when there is available labor since people are not needed for agricultural labor during these seasons. The tanks consist of a hole dug into the ground about ten feet deep that is circular and is lined with fine polished lime. The catchment area of about 30 feet radius is made sloping towards the tank inlet. (Jhunjhunwala) In the tank rainwater is collected by means of gravity and it the rain falls directly into the tank. To keep the water that is collected cooler, they decorate the tankas with tiles. The water that is collected in the tankas is used for drinking water only for a single family. The water stored in the tank can last for six to nine months. In years when there is less rainfall the tankas can be filled by transporting water from nearby wells and tanks. This means of collecting rain water is used mostly in areas far from ot her water sources. The positive effects of tankas include the women not having to leave the home to obtain water, there is an assured supply of water for domestic use, the construction of a tankas is cheaper than paying for water and having to transport it, and having a tankas can be considered a means of social respect. The main negative effect of tankas is that they take up land that could otherwise be used for agriculture. (Centre for Science and Environment) (Jhunjhunwala) Khadins are water harvesting structure used for agriculture. They are also known as dhora. Their purpose is to catch the surface runoff water. Its main feature is a very long (100-300m) earthen embankment built across the lower hill slopes lying below gravelly uplans. (Centre for Science and Environment) This allows the excess water to drain off and be gathered and used to on the land to assist with crop production. http://www.rainwaterharvesting.org/Rural/img/Khadins-img.jpg (http://www.rainwaterharvesting.org) Water management all comes down to the techniques used and if they are effective in that specific area and if there an opportunity to apply the technique to other areas or possibly improve upon the technique. Projects and experiments have been used to establish these techniques in irrigation but they have the potential to be used to discover and improve upon techniques to manage rain fall. One example of an improvement made to a technique that is already practiced is the modification of tankas. The modification consists of collecting rain water from the roof and by means of pipes transports it into the tank for storage and later use. This allows the land that would be used to construct the tankas can be used for agricultural use. (Jhunjhunwala) The water tank schemes that were tested by the Sind government were shown to be effective and tanks were implanted in other areas. The water tank is also known as johad and they provide water for both humans and cattle. They are constructed on public land and all of the people in the community have equal right to use the water in the johad, because of the common use of the johad they are often placed in areas not far from the majority of the people. To construct a johad the land has to be level and there must be clay soil so that the rain water will collect in the tank. The johad is made between January and June must be cleaned out every year as well. (Jhunjhunwala) The source of water supply can be categorized into the three main sources. These sources are rainfall, ponds and wells. In some cases there might be lakes of water also available. The rain water is collect in tarias (ponds) which only last about three to nine months. Tarais are short lived because of their size, the amount of rain water received, how fast the water is evaporating and how permeable the layers beneath the water are. The water that is contained in the tarais is fresh and used for domestic purposes of drinking and cattle watering too. Tarais are very common, in fact most villages has a tarai. Tarais also have a positive effect; their significant influence to the top seated aquifers, namely their water seeps slowly down to the ground water reservoir and freshens the brackish or saline in situ water, making it suitable for drinking and other purposes. (Irrigation) Due to this positive effect wells are often dug close to tarais. The wells are created to reach the water supply more effective. They provide almost 95% of the water that is required for an area. Wells that are built too shallow can cause problems through. They can turn brackish after time and this is a waste of money in the construction of shallow wells. (Agrican and Irrigation) The construction of a well consists of a wooden foundation in the bottom of the well in the shape of the wheel. The sides of the well are lined with green branches and brushwood in a wicker work formation. Depending on the localities in the interior of the well, such as wells between 40-100 meters, these well are lined with burnt bricks. (Irrigation) Since there has been no systematic hydrogeological investigation in the Thar Desert, there is no way of knowing if all the aquifers that exist have been discovered and put to use. Aquifers are part of the terrain aspect of obtaining water. Aquifers horizons have been assumed to exist and are grouped into three categories. The shallowest aquifers have a water table depth between a few meters and 20 meters. The medium aquifers have water table depths between 20 meters and 50 meters. The deepest aquifers have water table depths between 50 meters and over 100 meters. It is believed that the deep aquifer is present in the central and eastern parts of the Thar Desert and might be continuous or discontinuous with a mono or multi-layered structure. In most parts of the aquifer the water quality is fresh to slightly brackish but some parts of the aquifer are severely brackish and unfit for use. (Irrigation) Water in the Thar Desert is saris and a valued environmental resource. A great deal of effort has gone into designing developments, testing experiments and implementing projects to increase the water availability in the Thar Desert. The water is used for both domestic use and farming use for cattle and crops. Ideas and projects can always be built upon and improved to increase their effectiveness. Water management techniques can date back to at least the 1920s with the first project title but they occurred long before that time and they will continue to occur to support the Thar peoples way of life.