Environmental and Industry Analysis 1
Organizational and Operational Plan 1
CLC Capstone: Five-Star Cleaning Services
Jessica Cisneros
Nicholas Gaudet
Cory Nicholson
Rebekah Reno
MGT-485
March 19, 2017
Organizational Plan
Management Structure
The management team at Five-Star Cleaning Company is made up of a CEO and a six member board of directors. Each member of the management team has a background in the areas of business, research, environmental science, and/or management, ensuring that every decision is made with the adequate knowledge to be of greatest advantage to the company. Aiding this group is a highly skilled research, development, and marketing team. This group is responsible for watching changes in trends, creating and monitoring innovations in cleaning processes and products, website and app development, and promoting the cleaning service. The next groups are human resources, accounting, and general management. These groups are responsible for hiring, paying, training, and managing our staff of elite housekeepers. The human resources department will ensure that employee morale is high, that employment laws are being enforced in each area, and that ethical practices are explained and implemented. The accounting department will ensure that all financial reports, bookkeeping, and payroll are being maintained with a standard of excellence and consistency. The general management department will oversee employee training and scheduling, as well as resolving customer service issues. The operations department wraps up our company, with a strong team of dispatchers and housekeepers. Our structural style here at Five-Star Cleaning is a functional structure to implement the differentiation strategy (Hitt, Ireland, & Hoskisson. 2015.). Below is a chart of that structure.
CEO & Board of Directors
Human Resources, Accounting, & General Management
Research, Development, & Marketing
Dispatchers & Housekeepers
McKinsey 7-S Assessment/Model
Five-Star Cleaning Company’s organizational design can be examined with the use of the McKinsey 7s model. In this respect, the company has made progress in its strategy, structure, systems, shared values, style, staff, and skills. The company has effectively aligned these key areas in a way that enables it to realize its objectives (Fleisher & Bensoussan, 2015). First, at its strategic level, the organization aims at dominating the national local market through penetration. In as much as it has already established itself, it seeks to distribute itself in both rural and urban concerns of the United States and in the online platform in order to enjoy dominance. The business aims at ensuring that its services dominate the industry and get the first priority from clients who prefer quality and convenience.
From a structural perspective, Five-Star aims at operating using a simple organizational structure. Since it mainly operates locally, the company is going to have a centralized system of ...
Andreas Schleicher presents at the launch of What does child empowerment mean...
Environmental and Industry Analysis1Organizational and Opera.docx
1. Environmental and Industry Analysis 1
Organizational and Operational Plan 1
CLC Capstone: Five-Star Cleaning Services
Jessica Cisneros
Nicholas Gaudet
Cory Nicholson
Rebekah Reno
MGT-485
March 19, 2017
Organizational Plan
Management Structure
The management team at Five-Star Cleaning Company is
made up of a CEO and a six member board of directors. Each
member of the management team has a background in the areas
of business, research, environmental science, and/or
management, ensuring that every decision is made with the
adequate knowledge to be of greatest advantage to the company.
Aiding this group is a highly skilled research, development, and
marketing team. This group is responsible for watching changes
in trends, creating and monitoring innovations in cleaning
processes and products, website and app development, and
promoting the cleaning service. The next groups are human
resources, accounting, and general management. These groups
are responsible for hiring, paying, training, and managing our
staff of elite housekeepers. The human resources department
2. will ensure that employee morale is high, that employment laws
are being enforced in each area, and that ethical practices are
explained and implemented. The accounting department will
ensure that all financial reports, bookkeeping, and payroll are
being maintained with a standard of excellence and consistency.
The general management department will oversee employee
training and scheduling, as well as resolving customer service
issues. The operations department wraps up our company, with
a strong team of dispatchers and housekeepers. Our structural
style here at Five-Star Cleaning is a functional structure to
implement the differentiation strategy (Hitt, Ireland, &
Hoskisson. 2015.). Below is a chart of that structure.
CEO & Board of Directors
Human Resources, Accounting, & General Management
Research, Development, & Marketing
Dispatchers & Housekeepers
McKinsey 7-S Assessment/Model
Five-Star Cleaning Company’s organizational design can be
examined with the use of the McKinsey 7s model. In this
respect, the company has made progress in its strategy,
structure, systems, shared values, style, staff, and skills. The
company has effectively aligned these key areas in a way that
enables it to realize its objectives (Fleisher & Bensoussan,
2015). First, at its strategic level, the organization aims at
3. dominating the national local market through penetration. In as
much as it has already established itself, it seeks to distribute
itself in both rural and urban concerns of the United States and
in the online platform in order to enjoy dominance. The
business aims at ensuring that its services dominate the industry
and get the first priority from clients who prefer quality and
convenience.
From a structural perspective, Five-Star aims at operating using
a simple organizational structure. Since it mainly operates
locally, the company is going to have a centralized system of
decision making. In addition, its system is going to be formal,
in which there is customer support and order processing. The
company also understands the need to employ and maintain a
team of highly talented and innovative workforce to improve
performance (Fleisher & Bensoussan, 2015). This will form its
skills design. When it comes to staff, the company is going to
have few employees who will be trained and mentored to
improve their productivity. The style of the company will be
inclined towards democratic ideals in which there is open
participation in the decision-making process. Finally, when it
comes to shared values, Five-Star cleaning company will
encourage teamwork, trust, and warm relations among
employees to realize its objectives.
Business-Level Strategies
The main business-level strategy that is employed by Five-Star
Cleaning Company is differentiation. This includes
differentiation in the way that it provides services to clients.
For instance, Five-Star seeks to offer outstanding service by
tackling consumer concerns, issues, and enquiries. Moreover,
the organization charges only for the time that is taken to clean
and not other extra time that may be allocated to offer
additional services. Finally, Five-Star Cleaning Company
participates in matters of social responsibility by offering
donations that are equal to 5 percent of the annual cleaning fee
to charity organizations.
Operational Plan
4. Supply Chain
At Five-Star Cleaning Services, we utilize the integrated make-
to-stock supply chain model. The integrated make-to-stock
supply chain model focuses on tracking customer demand in
real time, so that the production process can restock the finished
goods inventory efficiently (Hugos. 2011.). We have maintained
this supply chain model through the use of our fully integrated
information system, which generates instant information that we
use to develop and modify our production plans and schedules,
and ultimately meet our business needs. Additionally, we place
an emphasis on Supply Chain Management (SCM), management
of all interconnected businesses that are part of providing
services and product to the end user, which has allowed us to
maintain a minimal but functional inventory, keeping our cash
available on an as-needed basis (Hugos. 2011.). We bring value
in this supply chain by planning ahead in the manufacturing
process, meeting contractual obligations with our manufacturer,
and delivering quality product and service on time and within
budget to our customers. This has proven to increase our
profitability margins both for our company and our
manufacturer, giving us the ability to guarantee a timely,
efficient, and unparalleled cleaning experience for our clients.
At Five-Star Cleaning Services, we work exclusively with
Formula Corp, a US-based manufacturer who offers custom
formulas and creation for private label all natural cleaning
products. Formula Corp is located in Auburn Washington and
was established in 1983. We have chosen Formula Corp for
several reasons: (1) they have a proven track record of success
and timeliness of orders, (2) they are known for their custom
blended chemicals used in personal care, sanitary maintenance,
and industrial cleaning markets, and (3) all production is done
in the United States (All Natural Cleaning Products. n.d.).
Because Formula Corp is a full-service manufacturer that
formulates environmentally friendly products that meet the
needs of our company’s specific market segment product
requirements, we have been able to eliminate the middle man by
5. selling our services directly to the consumer on our website.
Additionally, we have developed a contingency plan in order to
prepare for unexpected events such as the loss of data, people,
customers, and suppliers, and other disruptive unknowns.
Because we are aware that unexpected events can take place, we
have identified a list of potential backup distributors also
located within the US who specialize in the manufacturing and
distribution of all-natural cleaning products. In addition, we
maintain backup service and inventory records outside of our
integrated information system in the event that our system
crashes and important information becomes unavailable. This
allows us to reduce and eliminate any delays in the service
process.
Operational Effectiveness
Operational effectiveness within our business is something we
have worked hard to develop for our employees and customers.
We have made an app for our customers where they can easily
view our calendar and schedule their own services at their
convenience this have made it so someone is constantly on the
phone to just schedule and can be free to do other business
related activities. This reduces cancellations and inconvenience
to the customers. We also have an application for our
employees to track their schedules for them and product usage
and of course notes and employee comments to management and
vice versa. Finally, we track our inventory electronically.
Employees scan the bottle they use during each cleaning and
select empty when they have run out. This information goes
directly to our inventory system that automatically orders
product once a certain amount is used. This saves time and
money in manual inventory counts and carrying too much
product at one time.
Our app has given us the ability to monitor our customers
concerns and schedules to ensure we are being aware of their
needs and making changes accordingly. Also it has allowed us
to keep minimal inventory thus creating a lot of profit and
almost zero wasted product needed for cleaning, as well as
6. helping to prevent waste and theft.
References
All Natural Cleaning Products. (n.d.). Retrieved March 14,
2017, from http://formulacorp.com/all-natural-cleaning-
products/
Fleisher, C. S., & Bensoussan, B. E. (2015). Business and
competitive analysis: effective
application of new and classic methods. New York: FT Press.
Hitt, M. A., Ireland, R. D., & Hoskisson, R. E.
(2015). Strategic management: Competitiveness and
globalization: concepts (11th ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage
Learning.
Hugos, M. H. (2011). Essentials of supply chain management.
Hoboken, NJ: J. Wiley & Sons.
Writing Assignment 1
EAPS 10000 Y01 Planet Earth
Online Course – Prof. L Braile
Writing Assignment 1: As discussed in the Syllabus, there are 3
writing assignments during
the course. WA 1 should include topics covered in Chapters I
7. to 5 of the textbook. See the
Due Dates file (in the Course Content area of BB Learn) for due
dates of all assignments.
Be sure to read all the instructions below. Please pay particular
attention to the
plagiarism discussion (section 3, below)! In addition to
avoiding
plagiarism, you must understand and use correct citation and
referencing
in your paper (see more information and links to other citation
and
referencing resources below). Also, be sure to read the
information on
grading of the WAs that is included in the syllabus (page 6).
The writing assignments are short papers (short, informative
research papers on a
geosciences topic) designed to allow you to explore (in greater
depth) a topic of interest to
you that we have covered in about 5 chapters in the textbook.
1. Instructions (please read carefully): Write a 1½ to 2 page
paper on a geosciences topic
of interest to you that is related to the material that we have
8. covered in the textbook during
(approximately) the first one-third of the course (chapters I
through 5 or 6). Some suggested
topics are listed below, but you are free to choose other relevant
topics for your paper. Your
paper must use 12 point, Times Roman font (or equivalent), be
single spaced and utilize
one inch margins (sides, bottom and top). With these
formatting choices, the 1½ to 2 page
paper (main body of paper, text only, not including references)
should have 750 to 1000
words (750 words is the required minimum).
In addition, provide a references section at the bottom of your
paper (or on a separate page)
listing your book, journal or internet (complete URL)
references, and use citations in your
text to note quotations or specific information that you used
from your references. In order
for a source to be included in your reference list, it needs to be
cited in the text of your
paper. Also, be sure to use metric units (used almost
universally in science) in your paper.
You can also add (optional) copies of a small number of figures,
photos or tables to support
9. or illustrate the topics or concepts that you describe in your
text. Figures, photos and tables
must include a caption and a citation showing the source.
2
It is not necessary to have a large number of references – two or
three, or so, good
references are all that is necessary. You can use the textbook as
a reference, but it
cannot be the only reference that you use.
The easiest (and recommended) way to handle references and
citations is illustrated by the
examples below (the author's name(s); if more than 3, put first
author's name "and others";
followed by the date of publication. If publication is a book,
also include the page number(s)
in the citation, such as “(Lutgens, Tarbuck and Tasa, 2017, p.
107)”):
Examples of citations (needed for referring to specific
information, or quotes, that you
obtained from your references) in your text:
10. Earthquakes which occur in stable continental crust are
commonly associated with ancient
rift zones (Johnston and Kanter, 1990). (Note: if the above
sentence is a direct quote, it
needs to be placed in quotation marks.)
.....
Johnston and Kanter (1990) show that although intraplate
earthquakes occur less
frequently than earthquakes at plate margins, their potential size
and efficient wave
propagation in stable continental crust results in significant
seismic risk. (Note: if the
above sentence is a direct quote, it needs to be placed in
quotation marks.)
.....
For an Internet source, the citations should be similar to the
following examples; and the
reference section should be similar to the example reference list
shown below. Note that
this is the full URL for this specific source – not a reference to
an extensive website, such
as www.epa.gov. If you are making multiple citations from a
site such as www.epa.gov,
11. you must cite multiple URLs unique to each citation. For
example, you could have a
citation in your text for acid rain such as (What is acid rain,
epa.gov, 2015) with the related
reference and full URL shown in the reference list below.
A summary of recent earthquake activity and possible causes of
earthquakes on the
Midwest is provided by Braile (2011).
.....
Example of reference format for separate reference section (all
sources cited in your text
must be listed in the reference list [if it is an Internet source,
the complete URL in
parentheses can serve as the citation and the reference], and all
entries in your reference
list need to be cited in your text):
Braile, L., 2011, Midwest Earthquakes,
http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~braile/news/midwest.htm.
Johnston, A.C., and L.R. Kanter, Earthquakes in stable
continental crust, Scientific
American, 262, 68-75, 1990.
12. What is acid rain, epa.gov, retrieved May 5, 2015,
http://www.epa.gov/acidrain/what/index.html.
http://www.epa.gov/
http://www.epa.gov/
http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~braile/news/midwest.htm
http://www.epa.gov/acidrain/what/index.html
3
Good references can be found in the Purdue libraries (the Earth,
Atmospheric, and Planetary
Sciences library is on the second floor of Hampton Hall/Civil
Engineering building), local
public libraries and on the Internet. For Internet sources, try to
find reliable sites such as
from government agencies (US Geological Survey, NOAA,
NASA, EPA, DOE, etc.), and
websites (search on a topic, but be selective in which website
you use) developed by
scientists or professional scientific societies. A wealth of
geosciences educational materials
can also be found at the following websites: www.geology.com
(some advertising is included
on this website), http://serc.carleton.edu/index.html,
13. http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/index.html. A list of
useful references (books,
journal articles, periodicals) on many geosciences topics can
also be found at:
http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~braile/eas100/reflist.htm.
2. Review of geoscience video option: For at most one of the
three writing assignments this
semester, you can choose to do a review of a video (or two or
three videos if they are short);
an education video – from Discovery, History, Science,
National Geographic channels, etc.
(some geosciences video series: How the Earth was Made,
Planet Earth, The Universe, Blue
Planet, The Planets, etc.), or a movie that covers a geoscience
topic – Dante’s Peak,
Volcano, Earthquake, San Andreas, Twister, It Could Happen
Tomorrow (series, Weather
Channel), Secrets of Earth (series, Weather Channel), The
Core, etc.), on a geosciences
topic. Many videos (and animations and visualizations – see
Carleton sites above) on
geosciences topics that can be found on the Internet.
14. You can also search on ‘geology documentary’, ‘geophysics
documentary’, ‘ocean
documentary’, ‘atmosphere documentary’, or ‘astronomy
documentary’ on
www.youtube.com and you will find many full-length and
shorter geosciences videos.
If you choose to do a review of a geosciences video, provide a
description of the video, the
topic and the source. Be sure to check the scientific accuracy
(and use and cite a reference
that you checked) and comment on the accuracy and
effectiveness of the video. Also, if the
movie or video portrays inaccurate or exaggerated science
occurrences, provide some
description of the “real geosciences” that the video contains
(this could also require
consulting and citing additional sources). In other words,
provide some accurate background
information (and add citations and references to those sources
to your paper) of the science
that is related to the video. All other requirements of the
writing assignment are the same as
described above and below.
15. 3. Information about plagiarism: IMPORTANT! – Do not be
tempted to use a
paper obtained from the Internet or some other source or to
copy sentences or paragraphs
(without citations and references) from the Internet or other
reference! A simple Internet
search can distinguish papers that are copied. When plagiarism
is suspected, we also
use an online tool that can detect plagiarism in submitted
papers.
Plagiarism is just wrong (because a writer who plagiarizes is
taking credit for someone
else’s work), and is educationally negative (because there is
usually very little learning if
material is just copied and pasted into your paper).
Plagiarism is copying or direct paraphrasing a sentence (or a
significant part of a
sentence) or more without citing the original source and placing
the copied material in
http://www.geology.com/
http://serc.carleton.edu/index.html
http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/index.html
http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~braile/eas100/reflist.htm
16. http://www.youtube.com/
4
quotes. (“Paraphrasing should not include the replication of
vivid phasing, chains of syntax
or sequences of ideas. Where those things are involved, direct
quotation marks should be
employed.” Thomas Mallon, author of Stolen Words, 1989, as
quoted in USA Today,
January 17, 2002.) Please note (in accordance with the previous
statement) that copying
a sentence or more from the Internet (or other source) and then
changing a word or
two, or leaving out a phrase, in that sentence is still “direct
paraphrasing” and is
considered plagiarism! You need to research your topic and
then write your report in
your own words.
Direct quotation (copying) is permissible but must be placed in
quotes in your text and
be cited (citations). Specific information that you obtain from a
reference must be
17. cited. You may copy a small number of specific sentences
(must be in quotes), and
Figures and Tables from an Internet, book or journal source to
include in your paper to
support your own writing and objective. However, the copied
material (quotes, figures,
photos, tables) must be cited (in the text, in the Figure caption,
or Table information)
and the source (Internet URL, book, periodical) must appear in
your reference list.
Direct quotes should not be a major part of your paper.
To avoid plagiarism or filling your paper with direct quotes, a
good method is to prepare
notes and outlines from your reference material, then use only
your notes and outlines (along
with citation and reference information) to write your paper
with your own organization and
in your own words. Also, see additional resources below.
Sources cited in your paper must be included in your reference
list. Also, in order for a
source to be included in your reference list, it needs to be cited
in the text of your paper.
18. Be sure that you understand the difference between references
and citations.
4. Grading: Each writing assignment is worth 40 points toward
the semester point total.
Grading of the paper will be on the following criteria: following
directions and format,
appropriate references and sources, organization of paper, clear
and concise writing, and
scientific content (explanations, scientific accuracy). Also,
please see the grading section in
the course syllabus.
5. Submitting your paper: The writing assignments must be
typed and can be submitted
electronically through the Blackboard Learn pages. To submit
your assignment (WA) on
Blackboard, open the Writing Assignment folder, then click on
the assignment name (such
as WA 1) next to the icon; a new window will open (such as
Upload Assignment: WA 1);
under item 2. (Assignment Materials, Submissions), you can
attach the file (.doc or .pdf
format) of your completed assignment by browsing to your
computer. Please be sure your
19. file has a name such as WA1.YourName.doc.
For Hw and WA assignments, you can submit more than once if
you make updates – for
example, if you submit an incorrect file the first time, or if you
have forgotten to add your
references sections, you can submit a second (or more) time.
For more information, see Directions for Submission on the
EAPS 10000 Y01 Course
Content page on Blackboard for instructions for submitting
homework and writing
assignments. Additional information on the assignments is also
included in the Syllabus.
5
6. Additional resources:
Hacker, Diana, and Nancy Sommers, Rules for Writers, 7
th
edition, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 672
20. pages, 2011.
Modern Language Association, MLA Handbook for Writers of
Research Papers, 7
th
edition,
Modern Language Association of America, 292, pages, 2009.
Scholastic Books, The Arrow Writer’s Handbook, Scholastic
Book Club, 32 pages, 2000. (A
very short but useful guide to writing.)
Here are some resources for writing a research paper from the
Purdue OWL.
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/ – Purdue Online Writing
Lab (OWL) home page
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/658/01/ – Writing a
research paper
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/589/02/ – Is it
Plagiarism Yet?
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/953/01/ – Writing
reports, proposals, technical
21. papers
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/03/ – In-text
citations
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/05/ –
References list basic rules
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/589/1/ – Avoiding
Plagiarism
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/media/pdf/20090212013008_560.
pdf – APA Sample paper
(with annotations)
7. Suggested topics for Writing Assignment 1:
The scientific method Earth’s spheres
Minerals Rocks
Uses of minerals Mineral identification
The rock cycle Metamorphism
Volcanic rocks Sedimentary rocks
22. Intrusive (plutonic) rocks The water cycle
The Mississippi delta Flooding
Groundwater resources Groundwater contamination
Effects of mining Glaciers
Causes of ice ages Future water resources
Alfred Wegener Continental drift
Evidence for plate tectonics What drives the plates?
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/658/01/
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/589/02/
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/953/01/
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/03/
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/05/
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/589/1/
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/media/pdf/20090212013008_560.
pdf
6
Paleomagnetism
Suggested topics and Example References (links) for WA 1
The scientific method
23. General overview of the scientific method:
http://teacher.nsrl.rochester.edu:8080/phy_labs/AppendixE/App
endixE.html
A GSA article detailing the scientific method with added
emphasis on application to the earth
sciences: http://www.geosociety.org/educate/NatureScience.pdf
Minerals
Mineralogy database with general and detailed info:
http://webmineral.com/
General overview of minerals:
http://hyperphysics.phy-
astr.gsu.edu/hbase/geophys/mineral.html
Detailed “notes” for mineralogy course at the University of
Colorado:
http://ruby.colorado.edu/~smyth/G30101.html
Uses of minerals
24. A comprehensive guide to mineral resources and related topics:
http://minerals.usgs.gov/
Common minerals and their uses:
http://www.mii.org/commonminerals.html
40 common minerals and their uses:
http://www.nma.org/publications/common_minerals.asp
The rock cycle
Geologic Society of London presents the rock cycle and all its
components in detail:
http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/rockcycle
A brief overview of the rock cycle and its components:
http://www.geology.wisc.edu/courses/g112/rock_cycle.html
Volcanic rocks
USGS overview of igneous rocks (NOTE: igneous rocks include
volcanic and plutonic
rocks):
http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/LivingWith/VolcanicPast/Notes/igneo
us_rocks.html
25. A brief overview of igneous rocks:
http://www.tulane.edu/~sanelson/geol111/igneous.htm
Lava flows and pyroclastic materials discussions:
http://facweb.bhc.edu/academics/science/harwoodr/GEOL101/L
abs/VolcanicMaterials/
http://teacher.nsrl.rochester.edu:8080/phy_labs/AppendixE/App
endixE.html
http://www.geosociety.org/educate/NatureScience.pdf
http://webmineral.com/
http://hyperphysics.phy-
astr.gsu.edu/hbase/geophys/mineral.html
http://ruby.colorado.edu/~smyth/G30101.html
http://minerals.usgs.gov/
http://www.mii.org/commonminerals.html
http://www.nma.org/publications/common_minerals.asp
http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/rockcycle
http://www.geology.wisc.edu/courses/g112/rock_cycle.html
http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/LivingWith/VolcanicPast/Notes/igneo
us_rocks.html
http://www.tulane.edu/~sanelson/geol111/igneous.htm
http://facweb.bhc.edu/academics/science/harwoodr/GEOL101/L
abs/VolcanicMaterials/
7
Volcanic and extrusive rocks as a part of the rock cycle:
26. http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/page3597.html
Intrusive (plutonic) rocks
USGS overview of igneous rocks (NOTE: igneous rocks include
volcanic and plutonic
rocks):
http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/LivingWith/VolcanicPast/Notes/igneo
us_rocks.html
A brief overview of igneous rocks:
http://www.tulane.edu/~sanelson/geol111/igneous.htm
Intro to structures and textures of igneous rocks:
http://www.tulane.edu/~sanelson/geol212/intro&textures.htm
The Mississippi delta
General stats of the river:
http://www.nps.gov/miss/riverfacts.htm
Evolution of the Mississippi delta:
http://www.ce.berkeley.edu/projects/neworleans/report/Draft/C
H_3.pdf
27. Links to additional Mississippi River info:
http://www.tulane.edu/~mrbc/MRBClinks.htm
Groundwater resources
US groundwater resource info including studies,
availability/sources, and uses:
http://water.usgs.gov/ogw/gwrp/
US groundwater basics, data and info, selected topics,
publications, etc:
http://water.usgs.gov/ogw/
Effects of mining
Environmental impacts of mining with three additional
references at page bottom:
http://ecorestoration.montana.edu/mineland/guide/problem/impa
cts/default.htm
An essay on the effects of mining in the Scranton, PA region:
http://www.wilkes.edu/pages/2299.asp
Causes of ice ages
28. A general discussion of ice age triggers:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/earth/cause-ice-age.html
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab presents a brief intro to ice
age theories:
http://muller.lbl.gov/pages/iceagebook/IceAgeTheories.html
http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/page3597.html
http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/LivingWith/VolcanicPast/Notes/igneo
us_rocks.html
http://www.tulane.edu/~sanelson/geol111/igneous.htm
http://www.tulane.edu/~sanelson/geol212/intro&textures.htm
http://www.nps.gov/miss/riverfacts.htm
http://www.ce.berkeley.edu/projects/neworleans/report/Draft/C
H_3.pdf
http://www.tulane.edu/~mrbc/MRBClinks.htm
http://water.usgs.gov/ogw/gwrp/
http://water.usgs.gov/ogw/
http://ecorestoration.montana.edu/mineland/guide/problem/impa
cts/default.htm
http://www.wilkes.edu/pages/2299.asp
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/earth/cause-ice-age.html
http://muller.lbl.gov/pages/iceagebook/IceAgeTheories.html
8
Earth’s spheres
29. Basic info, outside resources, related topics, and images:
http://earth.rice.edu/earthupdate/
Interactions in Earth’s Systems:
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/education/dynamic/session4/sess
4_interactions.htm
Rocks
Rocks
basics:http://www.nature.nps.gov/Geology/usgsnps/rxmin/rock.
html
Additional info on rocks including properties, characteristics,
and case studies:
http://www.fi.edu/qa97/spotlight1/spotlight1.html
Mineral identification
Basics of mineral identification:
http://esa21.kennesaw.edu/activities/mineralid/mineralid.pdf
Additional general information on mineral identification:
30. http://faculty.chemeketa.edu/afrank1/rocks/minerals/minerals.ht
m
Metamorphism
Intro to metamorphism and metamorphic rocks:
http://www.tulane.edu/~sanelson/geol111/metamorphic.htm
Metamorphic rock classification:
http://geology.csupomona.edu/drjessey/class/gsc101/meta.html
Sedimentary rocks
Brief intro to sedimentary rocks:
http://geomaps.wr.usgs.gov/parks/rxmin/rock2.html
Characteristics of sedimentary rocks:
http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/10f.html
Classification of sedimentary rocks: http://www-
odp.tamu.edu/curation/gcr/geol106lab/classifications.htm
The water cycle
31. General info on the water cycle:
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercycle.html
Global water distribution and brief discussion:
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Water/
http://earth.rice.edu/earthupdate/
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/education/dynamic/session4/sess
4_interactions.htm
http://www.nature.nps.gov/Geology/usgsnps/rxmin/rock.html
http://www.fi.edu/qa97/spotlight1/spotlight1.html
http://esa21.kennesaw.edu/activities/mineralid/mineralid.pdf
http://faculty.chemeketa.edu/afrank1/rocks/minerals/minerals.ht
m
http://www.tulane.edu/~sanelson/geol111/metamorphic.htm
http://geology.csupomona.edu/drjessey/class/gsc101/meta.html
http://geomaps.wr.usgs.gov/parks/rxmin/rock2.html
http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/10f.html
http://www-
odp.tamu.edu/curation/gcr/geol106lab/classifications.htm
http://www-
odp.tamu.edu/curation/gcr/geol106lab/classifications.htm
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercycle.html
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Water/
9
Video presentation by NOAA discussing the water cycle:
32. http://www.montereyinstitute.org/noaa/lesson07.html
Flooding
Diverse resource database on flooding issues and topics:
http://www.floodsafety.noaa.gov/
Geology and geography of floods:
http://andrewsforest.oregonstate.edu/pubs/pdf/pub2812.pdf
Groundwater contamination
Summary of topic with specific examples of sources and types
of contamination:
http://oceanworld.tamu.edu/resources/environment-
book/groundwatercontamination.html
Basics of groundwater:
http://techalive.mtu.edu/meec/module04/title.htm
Glaciers
General info on glaciers including formation, components,
effects, etc:
33. http://nsidc.org/cryosphere/glaciers/index.html
The Forest Service presents an overview of glaciers:
http://www.fs.fed.us/r10/tongass/forest_facts/resources/geology
/icefields.htm
Future water resources
Case study of issues surrounding future water resources for
Maryland:
http://www.mde.state.md.us/programs/ResearchCenter/Reportsa
ndPublications/Pages/Resear
chCenter/publications/general/emde/vol3no7/wolfman_report.as
px
A paper discussing the many issues of water resources in the
US:
http://ag.arizona.edu/azwater/files/Water.People.and.the.Future.
pdf
Case study for Connecticut:
http://www.ct.gov/dep/lib/dep/air/climatechange/adaptation/090
313_water_resources.pdf
34. Alfred Wegener
Brief bio and description of Wegener’s contributions to science:
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/wegener.html
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/bowege.html
http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/wegener.html
Evidence for plate tectonics
http://www.montereyinstitute.org/noaa/lesson07.html
http://www.floodsafety.noaa.gov/
http://andrewsforest.oregonstate.edu/pubs/pdf/pub2812.pdf
http://oceanworld.tamu.edu/resources/environment-
book/groundwatercontamination.html
http://techalive.mtu.edu/meec/module04/title.htm
http://nsidc.org/cryosphere/glaciers/index.html
http://www.fs.fed.us/r10/tongass/forest_facts/resources/geology
/icefields.htm
http://www.mde.state.md.us/programs/ResearchCenter/Reportsa
ndPublications/Pages/ResearchCenter/publications/general/emde
/vol3no7/wolfman_report.aspx
http://www.mde.state.md.us/programs/ResearchCenter/Reportsa
ndPublications/Pages/ResearchCenter/publications/general/emde
/vol3no7/wolfman_report.aspx
http://ag.arizona.edu/azwater/files/Water.People.and.the.Future.
pdf
http://www.ct.gov/dep/lib/dep/air/climatechange/adaptation/090
313_water_resources.pdf
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/wegener.html
35. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/bowege.html
http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/wegener.html
10
Brief history of the development of plate tectonic theory:
http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/historical.html
More detailed history of plate tectonic theory:
http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/drift/review.pdf
Paleomagnetism
Basics of paleomagnetism:
http://geology.cr.usgs.gov/capabilities/paleom.html
List of links to all things geo- and paleo-magnetism:
http://www.agu.org/sections/geomag/background.html
Continental drift
Development of the theory in brief:
36. http://www.oregon.gov/dsl/ssnerr/docs/efs/efs25contdrift.pdf?ga
=t
http://www.platetectonics.com/article.asp?a=18
What drives the plates?
Driving mechanisms of plate tectonics:
http://www.umich.edu/~gs265/tecpaper.htm
Brief intro:
http://www.geology.um.maine.edu/ges416/Lecture3/Lecture.htm
l
References:
Mallon, Thomas, Stolen Words – The Classic Book on
Plagiarism, Penguin Books, 312
pages, 1991.
http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/historical.html
http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/drift/review.pdf
http://geology.cr.usgs.gov/capabilities/paleom.html
http://www.agu.org/sections/geomag/background.html
http://www.oregon.gov/dsl/ssnerr/docs/efs/efs25contdrift.pdf?ga
=t
http://www.platetectonics.com/article.asp?a=18
37. http://www.umich.edu/~gs265/tecpaper.htm
http://www.geology.um.maine.edu/ges416/Lecture3/Lecture.htm
l
Writing Assignment 3
EAPS 10000 Y01 Planet Earth
Online Course – Prof. L Braile
Writing Assignment 3: Writing Assignment 3 should include
topics in Chapters 11 through
16 in the textbook. Except for the topics, the instructions for
completing Writing Assignment
3 are the same as for Writing Assignment 1. See the Due Dates
file (on the Course Content
area of BB Learn) for due dates of all assignments. Be sure to
read the instructions
in the WA 1 assignment. Please pay particular attention to the
plagiarism
discussion!
Suggested topics for Writing Assignment 3:
38. Greenhouse gasses Ozone hole
Acid rain Global warning
Climate change Clouds
Droughts Floods
Blizzards Air pollution
Atmospheric circulation Coriolis effect
Thunderstorms Weather hazards
Lightning Tornadoes
Hurricanes Hurricane Andrew
Hurricane Katrina The Tri-State hurricane
The solar system Earth’s tilt
Jupiter’s moons Galileo
Copernicus Keppler
Newton Planetary impacts
Asteroids Formation of the Moon
Olympus Mons Life on Mars?
Water on Mars? Comets
39. Atmosphere of Venus Terrestrial and gaseous planets
Volcanoes of Io Saturn’s rings
Asteroid belt Jupiter’s great red spot
Measuring astronomical distances Galaxies
Hertzsprung-Russell diagram Life of a star
The big bang Hubble red shift
2
Suggested Topics and Example References (links) for WA 3:
Air pollution
Intro to six common air pollutants:
http://www.epa.gov/air/urbanair/
List of topic resources on specific
issues:http://www.nrdc.org/air/
Greenhouse gasses
40. Intro to greenhouse gases:
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/gases.html
Intro to the greenhouse
effect:http://www.ucar.edu/learn/1_3_1.htm
Ozone hole
Intro to the ozone hole: http://ozonewatch.gsfc.nasa.gov/
Process of ozone depletion:
http://www.epa.gov/ozone/science/process.html
Acid rain
Basics of acid rain: http://www.epa.gov/acidrain/
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/acidrain.html
Global warming
Brief intro to causes of global warming:
http://climate.nasa.gov/causes/
Frequently asked questions surrounding a changing climate:
41. http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar4/wg1/ar4-wg1-
faqs.pdf
Climate change
Intro to the issues: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/
http://www.nrdc.org/globalwarming/
Clouds
Cloud types: http://eo.ucar.edu/webweather/cloud3.html
Formation of clouds:
http://www.atmosphere.mpg.de/enid/1__Clouds/-
_Formation_of_clouds_t9.html
Droughts
http://www.epa.gov/air/urbanair/
http://www.nrdc.org/air/
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/gases.html
http://www.ucar.edu/learn/1_3_1.htm
http://ozonewatch.gsfc.nasa.gov/
http://www.epa.gov/ozone/science/process.html
http://www.epa.gov/acidrain/
44. http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/primer/tstorm/tst_basics.html
http://weather.cod.edu/sirvatka/ts.html
Weather hazards
Stats (see menu for more info):
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/hazstats.shtml
An intro to high impact meteorology:
http://severewx.atmos.uiuc.edu/
Lightning
Basics: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/earth/how-lightning-
works.html
List of resources: http://thunder.msfc.nasa.gov/
http://www.drought.noaa.gov/
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/DroughtFacts/
http://www.ready.gov/floods
http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/floods/
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/fgz/science/blizzard.php?wfo=fgz
http://www.weather.com/encyclopedia/winter/blizzard.html
http://www.ux1.eiu.edu/~cfjps/1400/circulation.html
http://sparce.evac.ou.edu/q_and_a/air_circulation.htm
46. Historical report on Hurricane Andrew:
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/1992andrew.html
Effects of hurricane Andrew on wetlands:
http://water.usgs.gov/nwsum/WSP2425/andrew.html
Hurricane Katrina
Detailed report: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/special-
reports/katrina.html
Survivors’ stories:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5704652
US Air Force response:
http://www.afhra.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-070912-
046.pdf
The Tri-State hurricane
Intro (see links on left menu):
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/timeline/
hurricane-timeline/
47. Brief report:
http://www.erh.noaa.gov/box/hurricane/hurricane1938.shtml
The solar system
Variety of resources on the solar system:
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/index.cfm
Some solar system basics including theories of formation:
http://abyss.uoregon.edu/~js/ast121/lectures/lec24.html
Earth’s tilt
Effect of earth’s tilt on seasons:
http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/ask_astro/answers/980211f.ht
ml
Basics:
http://astronomy.nmsu.edu/nicole/teaching/astr110/lectures/lect
ure07/slide04.html
http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/edu/safety/tornadoguide.html
http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/
http://eo.ucar.edu/webweather/hurricane2.html
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/outreach/
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/1992andrew.html
http://water.usgs.gov/nwsum/WSP2425/andrew.html
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/special-reports/katrina.html
49. Account with more detail:
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/galileo/
Copernicus
Brief account of Galileo’s life:
http://physics.gmu.edu/~jevans/astr103/CourseNotes/ECText/Bi
os/copernic.htm
Account with more detail:
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/copernicus/
Kepler
Several resources:
http://kepler.nasa.gov/Mission/JohannesKepler/
Detailed bio: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kepler/
Newton
Timeline of Isaac Newton:
http://web.clas.ufl.edu/users/ufhatch/pages/13-
NDFE/newton/05-
newton-timeline-m.htm
50. Detailed bio: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/newton/
Planetary impacts
Basics: http://www.psi.edu/explorecraters/background.htm
More detail:
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/explore/shaping_the_planets/
impact_cratering.shtml
Comets, meteorites, asteroids, and impacts:
http://www.uni.edu/morgans/astro/course/Notes/section4/new22
.html
Asteroids
List/links of resources:
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=Asteroid
s
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/planets/asteroidpage.html
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=Jupiter
52. Discussion on the various theories of moon formation:
http://cloe.boulder.swri.edu/aboutTheMoon/alternateTheories.ht
ml
A NASA scientist explains the leading theory of lunar
formation:
http://lunarscience.nasa.gov/articles/nasa-scientist-jen-
heldmann-describes-how-the-earths-
moon-was-formed/
Olympus Mons
Brief intro:
http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/atlas/olympus-
mons.html
Brief discussion on Martian volcanism:
http://www.geology.sdsu.edu/how_volcanoes_work/mars.html
Life on Mars?
Brief discussion on the possibility of life on Mars:
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/publications/slidesets/marslife/
Does the presence of methane mean life on Mars?:
53. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mars/news/marsmethane.ht
ml
Water on Mars?
Recent update on the quest for water on Mars:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/MRO/news/mro20110804.h
tml
More recent update:
http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-
nasa/2011/08dec_slamdunk/
Comets
Comets, meteorites, asteroids, and impacts:
http://www.uni.edu/morgans/astro/course/Notes/section4/new22
.html
Intro to comets: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comet
Atmosphere of Venus
Intro: http://burro.astr.cwru.edu/stu/advanced/venus.html
54. More detailed basics of Venus’ atmosphere:
http://hyperphysics.phy-
astr.gsu.edu/HBase/Solar/venusenv.html
http://www.uni.edu/morgans/astro/course/Notes/section4/new22
.html
http://cloe.boulder.swri.edu/aboutTheMoon/alternateTheories.ht
ml
http://lunarscience.nasa.gov/articles/nasa-scientist-jen-
heldmann-describes-how-the-earths-moon-was-formed/
http://lunarscience.nasa.gov/articles/nasa-scientist-jen-
heldmann-describes-how-the-earths-moon-was-formed/
http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/atlas/olympus-
mons.html
http://www.geology.sdsu.edu/how_volcanoes_work/mars.html
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/publications/slidesets/marslife/
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mars/news/marsmethane.ht
ml
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/MRO/news/mro20110804.h
tml
http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-
nasa/2011/08dec_slamdunk/
http://www.uni.edu/morgans/astro/course/Notes/section4/new22
.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comet
http://burro.astr.cwru.edu/stu/advanced/venus.html
http://hyperphysics.phy-
astr.gsu.edu/HBase/Solar/venusenv.html
http://hyperphysics.phy-
astr.gsu.edu/HBase/Solar/venusenv.html
55. 7
Venus/Earth facts comparison:
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/venusfact.html
Terrestrial and gaseous planets
Basics of solar system and outer planets:
http://lasp.colorado.edu/education/outerplanets/giantplanets.php
Basics of terrestrial plaents:
http://lasp.colorado.edu/~bagenal/1010/SESSIONS/12.PlanetGe
ology.html
Volcanoes of Io
NASA’s description: http://science.nasa.gov/science-
news/science-at-
nasa/1999/ast04oct99_1/
Intro:
http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/jovian_moons/io.html
Saturn’s rings
59. http://casswww.ucsd.edu/archive/public/tutorial/HR.html
Life of a star
Basics: http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/universe/rel_stars.html
Stella evolution intro:
http://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/how-do-stars-
form-
and-evolve/
News and images:
http://hubblesite.org/search/?query=star+life&x=0&y=0
The big bang
Brief intro:
http://www.exploratorium.edu/origins/cern/ideas/bang.html
Intro: http://www.umich.edu/~gs265/bigbang.htm
Basics: http://cmb.physics.wisc.edu/tutorial/bigbang.html
Hubble red shift
Brief intro:
60. http://www.exploratorium.edu/hubble/tools/doppler.html
Basics to calculation details:
ftp://io.cc.gettysburg.edu/pub/clea_products/manuals/Hubbl_sm.
pdf
http://heasarc.nasa.gov/docs/cosmic/
http://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/what-are-
galaxies/
http://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/research/gr/public/gal_home.html
http://www.noao.edu/image_gallery/galaxies.html
http://zebu.uoregon.edu/~soper/Stars/hrdiagram.html
http://casswww.ucsd.edu/archive/public/tutorial/HR.html
http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/universe/rel_stars.html
http://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/how-do-stars-
form-and-evolve/
http://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/how-do-stars-
form-and-evolve/
http://hubblesite.org/search/?query=star+life&x=0&y=0
http://www.exploratorium.edu/origins/cern/ideas/bang.html
http://www.umich.edu/~gs265/bigbang.htm
http://cmb.physics.wisc.edu/tutorial/bigbang.html
http://www.exploratorium.edu/hubble/tools/doppler.html
ftp://io.cc.gettysburg.edu/pub/clea_products/manuals/Hubbl_sm.
pdf
