Life-Based Leadership Principles from Jack Welch Essay

During the hundreds of millions of years of natural evolution on this planet, survival has always been a continuous challenge for living creatures. It has recently to come into light that in the past four million years, there have been scores of human species on the earth, besides us homo sapiens. However, all of these various human-like beings including the Neanderthal man perished in the course of evolution; we humans have outlived all of them. We have emerged as the true survivors. We are the last â€Å"man† standing. However, in the whole history of the world, survival could have never been as tough as it is in today’s world of big business. It is an ever-changing, dizzingly fast-paced, intensely competitive and danger-saturated environment out there. There are many survivors and many winners in this arena, of course. Of all such exceptional people in the recent decades, there is one man who stands out as a celebrated icon of leadership and business success. And it is none other than Jack Welch of GE, arguably the finest CEO in the latter half of the twentieth century. Speaking from a broad perspective, he is not just an exemplary business leader, but a hero, a survivor, a symbol of the triumph of man. Jack Welch is a man who believed that each individual should control his or her own destiny. Welch sums up his conviction thus: â€Å"†Today, I see winning as people defining their objectives and fulfilling them, not being a victim. You define where you want to go, and then you go for it† (Knowledge@Wharton) And from the depth of this belief perhaps sprang the secret of his greatness. Starting from the early Eighties, Jack Welch, CEO of the General Electric Corporation, has led his company through one of the most revolutionary and far-reaching changes ever witnessed in modern business history. Having taken GE with a market capitalization of about $12 billion, Jack Welch turned it into one of the largest and most admired companies in the world, with a market value of about $500 billion, when he stepped down as its CEO 20 years later, in 2000. Although Jack Welch was the legendary leader of a global manufacturing giant noted for its technological might and superiority, he has utilized a very human process to drive change through GE’s vast organization. He honoured the individual above all, and the humanity of the individual. To him, the individual was the pivotal force in bringing about organizational change. And for the major part of his immensely successful career at the helm of GE he relentlessly embraced change. It was change that made GE businesses leaders in their markets, added profitable, productive businesses to GE’s family, and tapped the brains of knowledgeable employees. Welch worked for change, and change worked for him. Jack Welch of course knew how difficult change could be. Nevertheless he viewed change as his only real chance to transform GE into the kind of top-notch competitive enterprise that he wanted it to be. Only through continuously undergoing massive changes, GE could win, and Jack Welch firmly believed in winning. He wanted to be a winner. And winners were not afraid to make changes. However, pursuit of change, empowerment of individuals, and such principles are only part of a broder human-centric principles of successful leadership in which Jack Welch passionately believed in. Welch’s original approach to management and leadership, which proved so successful in transforming GE could be summed up unders six heads: Control your destiny, or someone else will. Welch’s first maxim became the title of a semi-autobiographic bestseller that described the revolution at GE. The basic approach that Welch followed to carry out a dramatic revolution at GE was to trust the individual and let him or her believe in their own desitiny. Welsh believed in delegating authority freely, fairly and responsibly, within the company. In a general context, however, while no mere human being can have absolute control over his or her destiny, the point is to take total personal responsibility for one’s own life and actions, and assume intelligent control of the course of things. 2. Face reality as it is, not as it was or as you wish it were. Facing reality is tough. Facing reality means looking directly into suffering, failure, inadequacy of ourselves, others, and the world, something which we human beings are programmed to avoid. When corporations do not face simple realities, however, such as their products costing more to produce and being worthless than those of their competitors, market share and profits drop, the company and its employees suffer. Welch saw all these things happening at GE. Only when we are ready to honestly examine ourselves and acknowledge our shortcomings, will we be able to do anything about them. Acceptance can lead to transformation. 3. Be candid with everyone. Traditional wisdom says that honesty is the best policy. This home-spun truth has great relevance in today’s hyper-modern corporate settings. Welch strove to create an atmosphere at GE where people could effortlessly speak up to somebody â€Å"in authority,† who could then do something about their problems. It is an atmosphere, it is in the air of GE. Welch himself regularly spoke with front-line employees on the plant floor. Welch was equally open to hear both the good and bad things about GE. Honesty, sincerity and candor: they have their own rewards. â€Å"In a bureaucracy, people are afraid to speak out. This type of environment slows you down, and it doesn’t improve the workplace,† says Jack Welch. He therefore calls for promoting a corporate culture that appreciates and rewards honest feedback. â€Å"You reinforce the behaviors that you reward. If you reward candor, you’ll get it. † 4. Don’t manage, lead. Welch abhorred a strictly hierarchical type of management built on the concept of control. To Welch, managers should become leaders who show the way to other people by inpsiring and motivating them. Instead of controlling and exploiting workers, leaders should liberate and empower them. Do not push and pull your employees at every opportunity, gently guide them towards greater possibility. Welch’s leadership philosophy continues to be very simple: empower others, ask questions, tap into the potential of all of your associates, choose integrity and candor over charts, graphs, and politics, and spend more time in action instead of planning and posturing budgets. 5. Change before you have to. That is to say, proactivity. One has to be able to look ahead and predict changes that future is going to necessitate. In the context of a business organization, it is far better to change early those things in a company that need to be changed to stay competitive, when there is still plenty of time, rather than forcibly having to change them later when an adverse reality in form of failure and loss thrusts itself in the face of the organization. Welch was fond of yelling across the table at meetings, â€Å"Change, before it’s too late! † 6. If you don’t have a competitive advantage, don’t compete. Welch often quoted his business maxim that every division at GE had to be â€Å"number one or number two† or get out of that specific business. In the 1980s, Welch was convinced that inflation would soon become rampant thereby slowing down economic growth. The elimination of the old-line businesses was not going to be an easy job in terms of loss of jobs and lowering of morale that it implied. But Welch had to do what he had to do. The â€Å"Number 1 or number 2† philosophy – as ruthless as it sounds – had been critical for GE to grow and survive in the modern world.

Be able to work in a person-centred way Essay

2.1- Work with an individual and others to find out the individual’s history, preferences, wishes and needs I should refer to any previous files held with regards to that person Social workers/agencies/person involved in placing the individual into our care should provide as much background info as possible, (psychical, mental, social and emotional health, medical history, behavioural history, personal interests so forth)- myself and the rest of my staff team should familiarise themselves with these files. A new client will undergo assessment, assessing the client’s wishes, preferences and needs. This assessment should be completed within 6 weeks of coming into our care. It allows us to truly acknowledge the clients care needs and wishes, providing us with the grounds to formulate and implement an effective care plan that shows a true reflection of the client’s needs, character and preferences. Individuals in our care will be given chances to engage in regular discussions about their care and how we are promoting their care towards their own wishes and preferences.Comments will be required from the individual to evidence they are given several opportunities to have their input when discussing their care and care strategies. If a care plan doesn’t reflect a true individual’s wishes and needs and does not promote person centred care then I have the responsibility of reporting this to my line manager, in order for it to be altered to a more effective person centred document. 2.2- Demonstrate ways to put person-centred values into practice in a complex or sensitive case Complex cases vary depending upon the client and their individual circumstances, values and beliefs. For instance a client’s care needs may be that they require support in personal care, however the client wishes for this support is to be as minimal as possible to maintain some dignity and self independence. Here our service needs to assess how we can me the individual’s care needs but also promote person-centred care by accommodating the client’s wishes. This can be done by figuring out what support the client is comfortable with and not. For example the client may be happy to have assistance when bathing, providing intimate areas are correctly covered, and staff allow them to dress and undress on their own to maintain privacy. Here all care needs regarding personal care and hygiene are being met as well as delivering it in a person-centred approach. 2.3- Adapt actions and approaches in response to  an individual’s changing needs or preferences Care records and individual risk assessments need to be constantly reviewed in order to make in an appropriate working document. Strategies, approaches and the clients preferences may alter meaning methods of delivering care may change. Therefore in order to ensure care needs can be met in a person centred care approach, records need to be changed and staff need to be communicated and updated on strategy changes. Staff should have full training in ‘care plans’ and how they work; therefore they will be able to monitor the care plan on a daily basis and act in according to the care strategies. They will become aware of any changes in the client and whether they need to implement alterations. If I notice certain areas of the care plan are not working efficiently to meet the needs our client and could be improved, it is then my responsibility to report this back to my man ager, so they can review and update if necessary. When working with the client if I notice any unusual behaviour or causes of concerns I should report it to my manager then depending on the circumstances the care records and risk assessments will be reassessed and the client’s behaviour will be monitored. Be able to establish consent when providing care or support 3.1 Analyse factors that influence the capacity of an individual to express consent The term â€Å"consent capacity† describes an adult’s ability to understand information relevant to making an informed decision. These decisions can vary on the importance such as what the client eats, to activities they participate in, medical consent, so forth. In more complex care decisions such as care strategies, medical options, safe guarding approaches, etc consent from the client may actually not be what’s best for client. Ones mental/intellectual ability can be affected for various reasons, disorders, conditions, and injuries can affect a person’s ability to understand such information. Informed consent is a phrase often used to legally indicate that the consent a person gives meets certain minimum standards. In order to give informed consent, the client concerned must have adequate reasoning ability and be in possession of all relevant facts at the time consent is given. Impairments to reasoning and judgment which may make it impossible for someone to give informed consent. For example basic intellectual or emotional immaturity, high levels of stress such as PTSD, or  severe learning difficulties, mental illnesses affecting one’s own welfare, intoxication, severe sleep deprivation, Alzheimer’s disease, or being in a coma. In these cases consent would need to sought elsewhere, this needs to be from the acting legal guardian for the client (even if its short or long term guardian ship, until the client is able to make appropriate decisions for their own welfare, consent will be needed from legal guardians) such as an acting family member taking legal parental ownership, social workers, having actual legal guardian status, etc.

Sociology Within 1984 by Orwell

Madeline LaRossa October 24, 2012 C07789454 Potential Outcomes of Progress: Orwell’s 1984 1) Summary of the Book 1984 is an eye-opening novel written by George Orwell. Orwell wrote the novel in 1949 to outline how he projected society would be in 1984 if progress continued upon its current track. Orwell published the book as a warning that society must be careful about progress for progress’s sake, or conditions could end up similar to the way society is in his work 1984. The novel is divided into three chapters, or books, each with multiple subunits, and these sections tell the story in chronological order.The book ends with an appendix on the principles of newspeak, the new language of Oceania. The novel follows Winston Smith’s experiences in London in 1984. Smith is a low-ranking member of â€Å"the Party,† the all-controlling ruling entity of their county Oceania. The Party (represented by Big Brother) has telescreens (two-way microphones and cameras) and spies everywhere with the purpose of finding and snuffing out anyone who is not fully and unquestioningly devoted to the Party.The citizens of Oceania are not allowed to own their own property, are not allowed any privacy (even in their thoughts), are not encouraged to have sexual desires, are forced to live under strict rations in constant wartimes, and are forced to alter their memories and records as The Party sees fit. The book focuses on Smith’s secret disobedience of the Party; he thinks he joins an underground resistance movement However, he is eventually captured and tortured into honest belief of everything that the Party and Big Brother claim and represent. 2) Summary of the ChaptersThe beginning of the first chapter takes place in April of 1984 and introduces the reader to the book’s protagonist, Winston Smith. Smith is coming home to his dilapidated apartment building (ironically called â€Å"Victory Mansions†) and reflects both on his troublesom e varicose ulcer and on the large posters plastered everywhere, all advertising the same blown-up face and stating â€Å"Big Brother is Watching You. † The reader learns that although Smith is a low-ranking member of the Party, he is still under their oppressive control. Smith enters his apartment and sits in the alcove in his oom hidden from the telescreen; he proceeds to commit â€Å"thoughtcrime† by writing his true feelings against the Party in his secret diary. In the second and third parts of the chapter, Winston reflects on how there are spies everywhere searching for thoughtcrime and how a parent’s own child will turn him in. Winston thinks about his childhood and how the Party has falsified historical records as they saw fit, even though Winston is not allowed to acknowledge or even be having these thoughts. Winston also reflects on a man named O’Brien, with whom he works and whom he suspects may also secretly question the Party as he does.In the middle of the first chapter, Smith goes to his job at the Party, where he falsifies old records in order to account for the Party constantly switching war enemies and eliminating questioning citizens. While at work, Winston hears an announcement from The Party stating that they are increasing rations, when Winston really knows that they are decreasing them. Winston observes how everyone believes this unquestioningly, but then wonders if he has given himself away when he realizes that a dark-haired woman has been watching him.When he goes home, Smith writes in his diary about how he would love to have a steamy sexual affair because the Party discourages sex for any means other than reproduction. In the close of the first chapter, Smith writes in his diary about how any hope for rebellion lies in the â€Å"proles,† the lowest class in Oceania, and a rumored secretive resistance group called â€Å"The Brotherhood. † Smith considers how bad the conditions are that everyon e lives in, but then realizes that no one has any previous better conditions to compare it to, thanks to the Party altering all historical records.He writes about how he once had concrete evidence that the Party was lying about the past, and he repeats his suspicion that O’Brien shares his sentiments towards the Party. Winston eventually walks into the proles’ district and sneaks into a forbidden shop to buy a paperweight, a relic from the past. As he is leaving the store, he realizes that the same dark-haired girl is watching him and believes that she is a spy for the thought police, and that he has surely been found out and will be eliminated. The second chapter starts with the dark-haired girl slipping Smith a note at work saying that she loves him.The two eventually make secret plans to meet far out in the country, and Smith learns that her name is Julia. The two eventually do meet and have sex hidden out in the countryside, simply for the purpose of pleasure and d efying the Party. Julia and Smith then return to their respective homes, thinking themselves undiscovered. Smith then rents a room above the shop where he previously bought the paperweight. Julia and Smith meet in the room whenever possible to have sex and share in the contraband food and drink they are able to obtain.As the citizens prepare for a large political movement supporting Oceania in its ever-going war, O’Brien makes contact with Smith and arranges a secret meeting between the two, confirming Smith’s suspicions about O’Brien’s disloyalty to the Party. Winston and Julia continue to meet in the room above the shop, and eventually, the two go together to meet O’Brien at his home. O’Brien turns off his telescreen (as he can do this since he is an upper-Party member) and enlists Smith and Julia in The Brotherhood’s secret efforts to overthrow the Party.O’Brien tells them that he will arrange to have The Brotherhood’ s book of missions and truths delivered to Smith, and then bids them on their way. Smith does acquire the book, and the chapter ends with Smith and Julia reading it in their rented room. The book uncovers all of the Party’s lies and lectures on the Party’s ever-increased desire for complete control over all. The next morning, Julia and Smith realize that they have been found out by the Party’s thought police; the two are cornered in their room and restrained into custody. The last chapter opens with Smith locked up in the Ministry of Love, one of the Party’s three departments.Smith is originally still hopeful for the Brotherhood, but he then sees O’Brien there working for the Party; Smith realizes that O’Brien has actually been an undercover member of the Party’s thought police the whole time, and that the Brotherhood has never actually existed. O’Brien begins to torture Smith, trying to impress The Party’s ideals and pr inciples into Smith. Smith initially resists, but after weeks of torture, he yields on all aspects of the Party and its teachings except for one: Smith still refuses to betray his feelings for Julia.Smith is transferred to more comfortable quarters in the department and is content for a while, until he accidentally reveals his prevailing love for Julia. O’Brien brings Smith to the infamous â€Å"Room 101,† where everyone is tortured with his or her worst fear. There, Smith is threatened with rats that will slowly eat him, so he finally renounces his love for Julia. At the very end of the last chapter, the story leaps to when Smith has been released back into society. Smith now honestly believes in everything that the Party does and represents and he respects them whole-heartedly.He runs into Julia by chance, but they both are now different people and go their separate ways. Smith eventually has a fleeting memory of his childhood but quickly dismisses it as a false memo ry, congratulating himself on his victory over himself and his unquestioning love for Big Brother. An appendix follows the last chapter of the book, explaining some of the vocabulary and grammatical structures of Oceania’s official language, New-speak. 3) Relation Between the Book and Class Materials Orwell’s 1984 holds great relevance to the topics we have recently covered in class.First of all, 1984 references, on several occasions, then tendency for people to get drawn into mass sentiments, doing things without knowing why they are doing them. In class, we referred to this as â€Å"collective behavior,† and defined it as â€Å"behavior that doesn’t involve that deliberate interpretation—instead we just get swept up and act as others are acting† (Weinstein, 2012). As an example, we discussed how people get swept up at a basketball game and react favorably simply because everyone around them is doing so, without specifically thinking about or analyzing it.We talked about how this can also lead to â€Å"circular reaction,† when a person reacts off of the person next to them, and then the person next to them reacts based on the original person, and so on, leading to amplification of the original reaction. 1984 touches on this concept several times. Early in the novel, the character Smith reflects on something called â€Å"the Two Minutes Hate,† in which everyone gathers once a day and simply hates and yells out against Oceania’s wartime enemy.Smith realizes that the mass hysteria of everyone around him can even change his own sentiments momentarily, as Orwell writes, â€Å"At those moments his secret loathing of Big Brother changed into adoration, and Big Brother seemed to tower up, like a rock against the hordes of Asia. . . † (Orwell 15). Later on in the book, Smith talks about how the uneducated Proles get swept up into moments of blind patriotism without really knowing or understanding wh at they are rooting for.Smith notices that â€Å"The poles, normally apathetic about the war, were being lashed into one of their periodical frenzies of patriotism† and realizes that the upper Party encourages this behavior in many slick ways, including propaganda and mind control (Orwell 149). Orwell yet again wants us to understand the dangers of this behavior as he writes â€Å"Times beyond number, at Party rallies and spontaneous demonstrations, she [Julia] had shouted at the top of her voice for the execution of people whose names she had never heard and in whose supposed crimes she had not the faintest belief† (Orwell 152).Orwell impresses upon the reader the importance of fighting this mindless behavior since this mindlessness can be very dangerous. We discussed in lecture how historically, people have often gotten swept up into mindless bureaucracy, doing things simply because everyone else is or because it is what they are used to doing or are told to do. We t alked about how dangerous this could be— it can allow a bureaucracy to gain much more power than it ever should be able to, since its citizens do not question the things that the government does and implements, as occurs in 1984.Secondly, the attributes of progress and the ways technology influences it play a large role both in 1984 and in our class discussions. Early on in the work, 1984 overlaps some of the topics we have covered in class as Orwell references some of the various ways that â€Å"progress† is exhibited in a society; Orwell writes, â€Å"The Party claimed, for example, that today forty per cent of adult proles were literate; before the Revolution, it was said, the number had only been fifteen per cent.The Party claimed that the infant mortality rate was now only a hundred and sixty per thousand, whereas before the Revolution it had been three hundred. . . † (Orwell 74). Just as Orwell uses factors such as literacy rates and infant mortality rates to measure progress in society, we also learned in class that these can be important indicators of how a society is changing, as well as death rates and other statistics. Similar to how we learned in class that progress just for progress’s sake must be discouraged as it can lead to detrimental results, Orwell is warning against this very occurrence all through 1984.More specifically, Orwell warns against the dangers of excessive technological advancements: â€Å"Science and technology were developing at a prodigious speed, and it seemed natural to assume that they would go on developing. This failed to happen. . . partly because scientific and technical progress depend on the empirical habit of thought. . . As a whole the world is more primitive today than it was fifty years ago† (Orwell 189).Orwell later warns that technology can indeed ruin our private lives by allowing us to be constantly watched and submitted to endless propaganda. The character Smith reflects upo n this when he says â€Å"Every citizen, or at least every citizen important enough to be worth watching, could be kept for twenty-four hours a day under the eyes of the police and in the sound of official propaganda. . . The possibility of enforcing not only complete obedience to the will of the State, but complete uniformity of opinion on all subjects, now existed for the first time† (Orwell 206).We discussed this very possibility in class when we talked about how citizens of today’s society are created technology that is smarter than us, and about how dangerous this could be towards the safety of our society in the case of a technological revolt. Professor Weinstein also pointed out how excessive technology can make it even easier for government can control us and gain power excessively; he pointed out that the government could be watching us right now through the webcams on our laptops and listening to us through our phones.Additionally, both our class lectures and 1984 reference aspects of a class system and a hierarchal society. First of all, when we discussed in class the characteristics of a bureaucracy, we talked about the concept of ascribed versus achieved statuses. We learned that in the family setting, a status is ascribed—a person is born into their position. However, in a bureaucracy such as that present in 1984, a status is instead something that must be worked for and earned—it is an achieved status. 1984 touches on this in the secret Brotherhood’s book, as the book lectures â€Å"In principle, membership in these three groups is not hereditary.The child of Inner Party parents is in theory not born into the Inner Party. Admission to either branch of the Party is by examination, taken at the age of sixteen† (Orwell 208). In lecture, we learned that since statuses are achieved in a bureaucracy instead of ascribed, the power of the status is held by the position itself, not the person that holds the posit ion. In other words, we learned that in a bureaucracy, a person is simply filling a role that could be filled by anyone; if a person dies or no longer wishes to hold their position, it can quickly be filled by another person.People, or a policeman, for example, only hold power because of their uniform and job, not because of who they are on a personal, individual level. 1984 also teaches this concept; at one point, Julia is expressing how happy she is to finally escape her generic job position in the Party and instead simply be an individual woman as she exclaims, â€Å"In this room I’m going to be a woman, not a Party comrade† (Orwell 142). 4) Relation Between the Book and a Personal Experience 1984 and its teachings hold close relation to a personal experience I recently had.Last week, I had a huge assignment that I was trying to do for one of my classes. I settled in to start working on the paper, but then my phone rang. I picked up because it was my mother, and I e nded up involved in a thirty minute conversation. I eventually hung up with my mother and returned to the paper, but soon after, I heard someone start talking to me from my computer! I soon realized that I had accidentally left my video messaging on on my computer, behind the screen on which I was writing the paper, and one of my friends had seen that I was online and started video chatting me.Since she had started the conversation, I was then obligated to hold a conversation with her in order to not be rude. All the while, I was distracted from working on my assignment. Once we finished talking and I turned off my chat program, I was tempted to check my email before I got back to my paper, but I realized that if I did, I may indeed never get to my paper. This showed me that technology certainly can be dangerous towards progress, not only on a large societal scale, but also as far as the simple task of writing my paper.All of the means of technology that my friends were using to con tact me were simply invading my privacy while I was trying to concentrate and have a private evening to do an assignment. Reading 1984 only supported and increased my awareness of how distracting technology can be, and how dangerous and detrimental it can actually be in the grand scheme of progress. 5) Critique of the Novel 1984 has many positive aspects. I really enjoyed how Orwell used a fictional situation to teach readers and warn them against dangerous conditions rather than simply lecturing the readers about what they should and should not be doing.I liked this because even though a lecture-style presentation of material teaches important concepts, I feel that putting these concepts into a theoretical story helps the reader to remember the concepts and understand how they can be practically applied in real life. Although the ending is sad for the reader (as it extinguishes all hope that anyone could hold out against the Party’s mind control and excessive practices), I l iked it because I thought it was important to drive Orwell’s teachings home.I felt that this ending was necessary because through the way things ended, Orwell showed that if society continued as it was in 1949, conditions would eventually get so bad that even the smartest individuals would not be able to undermine and revolt against the political entity, and there would be no hope. I feel that this was necessary because it shows just how important it was that people altered the path down which society was headed. I am hard-pressed to find anything that I dislike about Orwell’s work.At some points during the first half of the book, I wondered if Orwell’s long and detailed description of the conditions and unspoken rules of Oceania was really necessary, but as I read farther in the book, I realized that all of the descriptions were indeed necessary so that the reader would fully understand and grasp all of the terrors that were in store if society’s current track was not derailed. All in all, I really enjoyed this book, and it helped me to further understand many concepts that we discussed in lecture.When it was published in 1949, 1984 was, and remains as such now, an eye-opening warning of the way our lives will change if we ever allow our society and government to run away with itself by striving for progress simply for progress’s sake. Citations Orwell, George. 1984. New York: Penguin Group, 1949. Weinstein, Jay. Class Lecture. The Components of Change. University of Miami, Miami, Florida. 9 October 2012. Weinstein, Jay. Class Lecture. The Engines of Change. University of Miami, Miami, Florida. 16 October 2012.

Question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 13

Question - Essay Example The event in which U.S. destroyer Maddox (conducting electronic espionage nearby) was fired on by North Vietnamese torpedo boats was just a good opportunity and reason on which United State could boldly declare war in the name of retaliation. Reports indicates that during the spring of 1964, military planners had developed a detailed design for major attacks on the North, but at that time President Lyndon B. Johnson and his advisers feared that the public would not support an expansion of the war (Dare 54-8). This explains two critical aspects of the war. First is that United States had prior plans to attack North Vietnam. The fear of President Nixon over possible public opposition indicates that significant taxpayers’ money had been spent on the war without any economic gain. These are clear evidence that United States had prior arrangement to strike North Vietnam under the shadow of supporting South Vietnam. Their actual challenge was whether the public would approve the military action and the undefined reaction of the international

Polymath a Man of Many Talents Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Polymath a Man of Many Talents - Research Paper Example A person of great stature can be a tragic hero not anyone else and these guidelines were followed by almost all the great writers, this goes to show a lot about Aristotle and his achievements. William Shakespeare also incorporated Aristotle’s guidelines in his tragedies. Hamlet is a classic example of the same, Hamlet suffers all along in the tragedy, he was the tragic hero because he was a person with great stature, the Prince of Denmark. Aristotle also wrote about tragic flaws and how the same affected the tragic hero. This paper will shed more light upon the life and the philosophy of one and only Aristotle. â€Å"Aristotle (384–322 B.C.E.) numbers among the greatest philosophers of all time. Judged solely in terms of his philosophical influence, only Plato is his peer: Aristotle's works shaped centuries of philosophy from Late Antiquity through the Renaissance, and even today continue to be studied with keen, non-antiquarian interest. A prodigious researcher and wr iter, Aristotle left a great body of work, perhaps numbering as many as two-hundred treatises, from which approximately thirty-one survive.† (Aristotle) Aristotle’s Philosophy Procrastination can be sustained by rational decisions and this can even be applied on an addict in order to cure him of his addiction. Intransitive preferences, comprehensively throws light upon our delays which may seem to be irrational and it also expansively presents our preference for rewards which we may get immediately; it also presents our regrets later for having made our choice. A report that is due on Thursday is only worked upon on Tuesday or Wednesday but not Monday and this goes to show the theory of intransitive preference, this procrastination and the belief in working upon the report tomorrow is what this theory is all about. This paper will expansively present the concept of aesthetics, the story of David and the choice that he made will also be analyzed in this paper. A complete round-up of how people choose and rate a piece of art will be provided in this paper. Imagination takes centre stage when it comes to deciding a piece of art or any beautiful thing for that matter. Understanding is seldom used when we decide about a beautiful piece of art and this also gives rise to cognition. A judgment of taste has nothing to do with our understanding or logic, it is all about aesthetic sense and whatever appeals to our aesthetic sense is appreciated and chosen by us. When it is accepted that a masterpiece is beautiful, it is contemplated upon and people unanimously conclude that it is beautiful, how it is judged in our contemplation is what matters the most. For instance, if someone is asked to comment about a very huge and a beautiful palace, he might not even be interested in such huge palaces and would conclude by saying that the hard-earned money of the people must never be squandered in building such superfluous buildings. It is suggested that we have to be indifferent when it comes to judging matters of taste only then can we do justice to it. Aristotle’s Thoughts on Aesthetic Judgment Concepts like agreeable and non agreeable are very important when it comes to judging a work of art or for that matter any other work that involves the use of aesthetic sense.  

Successful mentors are those who develop relationships that foster Essay

Successful mentors are those who develop relationships that foster growth & development in others(Walsh 2010).Supporting your an - Essay Example This paper will primarily focus on mentoring in relation to the characteristics or traits that enable mentors to undertake their duties and responsibilities. The paper will also analyse the extent to which successful mentoring is informed by these characteristics or enabling traits, and finally highlight strategies that could see mentors enhance their mentoring qualities. A mentor is expected to exhibit a given level of experience or a set of qualities/attributes that enhance effective and efficient mentorship Walsh (2010). Such attributes allow the parties involved to relate in a way that is mutually beneficial and productive in their respective fields. In a bid to enhance mentees’ growth and development, mentors should build functional relationships that best address the issues, concerns, or interests of the mentees. To do so, mentors require a number of traits, personal characteristics, attributes, or qualities. These aspects allow them to establish strong ties with their m entees, as they work to inspire, encourage, motivate, empower, and challenge the mentees. The first quality or attribute in this line is respect. Mentors have to be respectful to their mentees. Although mentors are most likely more experienced than the mentees, the mentors have a duty to respect their mentees in order to produce the desired results. Without respect, the resultant relationships are less likely to be functional, and the whole mentoring process could fail. It is important to note that the respect factor in this case should be mutual. That is to say that mentors will respect mentees who will show some respect in return. Otherwise, mentors will find it difficult to deal with disrespectful mentees if their respect is not appreciated. According to Elcock and Sharples (2011), respect is a critical factor in any given form of relationship, regardless of the setting within which the relationship is established. The relationship between mentors and mentees is built on trust; t his is according to Hinchliff (2004). Either of the two parties involved should find it easy to confide in the other. Without trust, the entire mentoring process becomes prone to operational difficulties, especially if trust issues emanate from the mentor’s side. Mentors who are trustworthy are highly likely to work cooperatively and collaboratively with the mentees, thereby ensuring that mentoring process achieves its purpose. Trustful grounds are created when mentors accord their efforts towards building the mentees’ life positively. Basing this on inspire, motivate, and challenge mode of mentorship allows the mentor to focus on every aspect of the mentee’s life within and without the learning environment. The form of interaction between mentors and mentees calls for mentors to be understanding. Mentees are normally faced with critical issues, concerns, or interests. Striking a balance between them and the mentee’s personal life can prove to be a diffic ult task. While it may or may not seem to be the case with the mentors, the understanding trait for mentors is fundamental in order to effectively relate with, enhance the growth, and develop their mentees. Working with people whom they do not understand could result in negative results to the mentees. Mentorship, in the light of Aston’s and Hallam’s (2011) arguments, requires that mentors place themselves

Local practice essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Local practice - Essay Example After interviewing the members of the Chinese family, I realized there are numerous misconceptions about the Chinese culture, practices, and family organization. The family has been in the United States for two generations, but none of the members has intermarried with other cultures. The family I interviewed comprises both parents and their five children. This paper is a comparison of the information in books with the local practices of the Chinese people. There is a misconception that Chinese can barely speak English. Although Chinese have limited English proficiency, some of them can communicate considerably well. However, I noticed they have a tendency of using Mandarin even in the presence of persons who do not understand it. Additionally, though some can speak some English, they have poor understanding capability. As we spoke, I realized that they would frequently misunderstand me. However, when discussing issues regarding their culture, they would understand better than when discussing other issues (Ngo-Metzger, et al., 2003; Rastogi, 2002). There is a misconception that the Chinese people do not take a stand in an issue or they are shy. On the contrary, I realized this is not true. In the short period I spent with them, they disclosed a lot of information regarding their past. They would freely talk about their social life. Like explained in the books, the Chinese culture stresses the dedication to family and traditions. I realized that they have some disregard to individualism. They have a tendency of shielding a sick family member from accessing bad medical news. They told me of an example that one of their family member died of cancer without ever knowing what she was suffering from. They argued that disclosing such news to her would only have made matters worse since she was still too young. While dealing with Chinese, it is thus important to ask them of the persons who can

Why Sir Isacc Newton is important Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Why Sir Isacc Newton is important - Essay Example Newton contributed important concepts of science, such as in physics that surpassed other discoveries of his time. He discovered the forces of motions of people and objects in the world and universe that led to an understanding of the forces of nature (Kaminski 1). These forces are published in the books in the field of Physics. He described the motion of things and people using three major principles that are taught in the present and form basis for industrial activities. For instance, he showed that objects remain in their positions unless when moved, and would move in straight lines to the force applied. In addition, objects would offer would offer an equal and opposite reaction for every action force. Newton also discovered and explained the force of gravity that acts on all bodies and people. The force of gravity is very important since explains the solar systems and other items in the universe (Whipps 1). The force of gravity explains the movement of the earth and the moon, whi ch cause ocean water currents and as well as explaining bulging of the earth around the equator. He explained the importance of gravitational force in the movement of people by pulling them towards the center of the earth. He also enriched the field of physics through the developments of in movement of fluids as well as optics(Kaminski 1). Many optical substances and fluid flow systems in industries are based on his discoveries. He also developed a practical telescope as well as observed the multi-color properties of light using prisms. Newton also contributed to the other areas such as mathematics through development of important formula that are still applicable solving mathematical situations in the present (A&E 1). For instance, he laidthe foundation for the development of modern calculus and developed the formula for computing areas of curved or spherical objects that enabled solutions and breakthrough in mathematics. In

Contract law Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Contract law - Case Study Example As Gavrilovic (2013) has noted, under the Second Schedule of the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977, a supplier party should make accommodations for the consumer as a way of fulfilling the spirit of reasonableness of contractual terms. In light of these provisions, the University has provided Ms Edwards adequate accommodation of  £20 discount on her weekly rental fee. This accommodation by the University renders her alleged â€Å"unreasonableness† of the institution’s contract terms a, b and c in the tenancy agreement void. Regulation 5(1) of the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999 provides the definition of an unfair contractual term as one that: has not had the input of the consumer or one that substantially impacts the rights and responsibilities of the parties to an extent that it creates an imbalance of the duties or one that negatively affects the spirit of good faith. In this case, Ms Edwards’ acceptable of the tenancy contract terms offered by the University against other less favourable options provided by the private sector can be construed to mean as a student she negotiated for the lower rental fee (Toms, 2009). A contract term that results in â€Å"significant imbalance† and thus unfair to a consumer, requires that the condition has to be seen as detrimental to the consumer and extremely beneficial to the supplier in terms of profits (Gavrilovic, 2013). In this case, the University did not intend to benefit in any way whatsoever by limiting Ms Edwards’ and any other student’s desire to hold parties within the institution’s premises. In fact, the rule is part of the institution’s duty of care in ensuring that the organization’s assets including the human resources are safeguarded from any harm within the University’s property. In light of this second rule, the contractual terms are fair and reasonable to the plaintiff. Lastly, the terms which the

Preparing to Conduct Business Research Essay Example for Free

Preparing to Conduct Business Research Essay The Fitbit Company is always in search of new ideas and products to develop to meet an ever evolving technology market. In order for the company to achieve success, there must be constant research, innovation, and market strategy. The Fitbit product is the flagship of the company and enjoys enormous popularity. However, in order to keep the product relevant, new ideas must be brought to the table. The designer Fitbit will be the newest product in a successful line of devices. In order for the product to be successful, a roadmap will need to be laid out showing how the company will prepare for the production and release of the product. Anytime a new product is planned to be marketed, business research is conducted to allow leadership the opportunity to make sound decisions about the device. The new designer Fitbit will reenergize the Fitbit line creating new buzz about the existing technology. It will also fill a space in the market for consumer who want the utility of the Fitbit with the style of a designer watch. Finally, it will help boost current sales by bringing in a new consumer base that was previously untapped. One of the most important ways by which the company can satisfy these objectives is through the use of strict and professional business research. Reference Cooper, D.R., Schindler, P.S. (2014). Business Research Methods (12th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

Design of a Standalone Energy System

Design of a Standalone Energy System Design of a Standalone Energy System and its Comparison with Grid Connected System in Pakistan Abstract During last few decades the investment and interest in the development of solar energy is being increased. PV is becoming more and more popular in those countries which can bear large investment cost and can offer economic incentives to the investors and almost in all those areas of world which are looking for a clean environment and working hard for green energy projects. This thesis work covers the design of a standalone power system and comparison of this designed system with already existing grid connected system in Pakpattan, Pakistan. After preliminary designing, an estimation of system and different components sizing was made and on the basis of this sizing, different energy sources like PV, wind and diesel generator were tested. Also if PV can fulfill the daily load or a backup diesel generator would be needed. For preliminary designing, Sandia sheets and PVSYST were used but for the actual designing, HOMER was used because HOMER is more accurate and precise tool for designin g standalone power systems. Simulations were carried out and the cost of energy per kWh was 0.435$. Total initial capital cost was 6517$. Further economic evaluation was carried out and was compared with already existing grid connected system. On pure economic terms, this system does not seem to be economical feasible but when different recommendations were taken into account like government subsidy and carbon credit then this system was economically feasible over the 25 years which is the life of this project. 1. Project background and Introduction 1.1 Introduction The project with respect to this thesis is to design a standalone energy system and to compare it with already existing grid connected system. This system might be PV alone system, PV wind hybrid system, PV Diesel hybrid system or just diesel generator system. This system is designed for a Jamia Masjid (Islamic center) in Pakpattan, Pakistan. The exact site of the project is a colony of Pakpattan which is in the south-west of the city Pakpattan. The Pakpattan city is situated around 161 Km south west to Lahore. The climate and weather data is almost same for Lahore and Pakpattan. Furthermore it will be first project of its own nature in this area and it will help to design the systems for the residential areas by which a common person can get benefits and get rid of power failures. â€Å"Pakistan is located between latitude 24 and 37 degrees North and longitude 62 and 75 degrees East. Pakistan has Afghanistan in the north-west, Iran on west boarder, India is on the east, China in the north and the Arabian Sea is on the south† [1]. Pakistan is ageographical centre of the Asian Continent because it builds a type of bridge between Far East and Middle East; also it has a continental type of climate which can be characterized by extreme variations of temperature. Generally the climate of Pakistan is arid, means very high temperature in summer and low temperatures in winter. High altitudes change the climate in the freezing northern mountains which are covered by heavy snow. There is little rainfall. There are some differences exist distinctly in various locations, e.g. the coastal line along Arabian Sea is usually under warm conditions, whereas the Karakoram mountain range and some other mountains of far north are so cold, completely frozen and covered with snow that these are only visible and accessible by some international world-class climbers for a couple of months of May and June of each year. The variation of daily temperature could be 11 0C to 17 0C but in winters the minimum mean temperature is about 4 0C in January. Pakistan has tremendous recourses of energy but unfortunately due to mismanagement out of 170 million population just 65-70% has access to electricity. Demand is more than supply of energy to residential and industrial sector. Currently Pakistan is facing 3000 MW of power storage and it is expected that in year 2010 the demand will exceed supply by 5500 MW. The current power and electricity demand and supply gap shows that there is a big need to increases the current power generation capacity in Pakistan. [1] 1.2 Aim of the thesis The main aim of the project is to design an independent and stand alone energy system for an Islamic center in Pakpattan, Pakistan. During the attempt to design this independent energy system, there could be sub aims as well, which are the procedures and details of the design are presented with step by step. There are main following aims which are supposed to be fulfilled by this thesis. * To go through the core knowledge of the designing process. * Obtaining data for the boundary conditions such as load, solar radiation wind data, available components, cost for fuel, electricity and components. * Sizing of the system. * Optimizing the cost. * To get familiar with different tools used for designing and make selection between them. * Beyond from bookish knowledge, get to know some real and practical aspects of different PV systems and projects. The body and structure of the thesis is mainly divided into four phases. * Introductory part (Abstract, contents) * Main part (Introduction, Background, Description, Analysis, Calculation of the primary load for this specific project. Boundary conditions and design parameters. Economical look on existed grid connected system and Comparative study between this newly design system and already existing grid connected system in terms of economics, Results and Conclusion ) * Reference part (Reference list and Appendices) 1.3 Method As the aim of this thesis project is to design an independent energy system for Islamic center and then compare it with existed grid connected system. The main interest is to provide electricity for Islamic center without shortfall. To do so, first of all literature survey was carried out and was gone through different designing procedures for standalone independent systems. Different tools were also tried and testified, so that an appropriate design could be chosen. In this way Scandia sheets, PVSYST and HOMER were considered especially because these tools were used previously to design such systems. First of all load demand was calculated. Why these three tools were used, the reason is that Scandia sheets are very helpful in sizing different components of standalone energy system while PVSYST has very big database of PV modules, batteries, inverters and diesel generators in itself. After that when the sizing was done then specific components were chosen for this stand alone system. In HOMER there are different options to check weather PV, PV wind hybrid or PV diesel hybrid system is feasible After designing the system, its economic analysis was carried out using different economic parameters like pay back periods, net present value, benefit to cost ratio and internal rate of return. 1.4 Energy profile of Pakistan The energy profile of Pakistan is inadequate and there are always short falls of energy (electricity) especially during summer. Pakistan needs around 14,000 to 15,000 MW electricity everyday to meet all residential and industrial demands. But Pakistan can produce around 11,500 MW, so it means there is around 3000 MW to 4000 MW short fall. The reasons for this deficiency are limited fossil fuel resources, weak economy and mismanagement of the available energy sources. In 1.1, an overview of primary energy supplies in Pakistan is presented in MTOE (TOE: ton of oil equivalent. It is an energy unit which is equal to the energy of burning of 1 ton of crude oil which is about 42 GJ) [2] From 1.1 it is clear that energy supply of Pakistan is highly dependent on Oil and Gas, both contribute more than 79% of total primary energy supplied. The other sources like hydro- electricity, coal, nuclear electricity and imported electricity contribute about 21% of the total share. Pakistan has been growing in agricultural and industrial sector during last decade and thats why energy demand is being increased. As population and industry is growing, the daily demand will increase up to 20,000 MW in 2010. Natural gas has played an important role to meet the energy needs in recent years. But Pakistan needs to expand its energy resource on permanent bases. In order to overcome this energy shortage, Pakistan needs to develop its indigenous energy resources such as hydropower, wind and solar energy. Pakistan is one of the highest solar insulation areas of the world. [3] Here are the main sources of energy in Pakistan right now; * Natural Gas * LPG * CNG * Oil * Coal * Nuclear Energy 1.5 Renewable energy sources in Pakistan Pakistan is situated in such a special geographic location that it is blessed with abundant and inexhaustible Renewable Energy (RE) resources. These resources can play an effective and considerable role for the contribution towards energy security of Pakistan. When we look into current world energy scenario in general and energy scenario of Pakistan in particular, the development and adoption of RE technologies makes better sense. Government policies and objectives to develop RE technology are also matching with this sense so that the share of RE in overall energy mix should be at least 5% by the year 2030. Solar energy has 2.9 Million MW potential and wind energy has around 0.346 Million MW while Mini Small Hydel has 2,000 MW. [4] There is a significant potential of wind energy in Pakistan especially in the coastal belt of Baluchistan and Sindh, and also in deserts of Sindh and Punjab. However this renewable energy source has not been utilized. â€Å"AEDB collected the wind data of all Pakistan from Pakistan Metrological Department and was analyzed. On the basis of this collected data and analysis, it was stated that the coastal belt of Pakistan has a God gifted 60 km wide (Gharo-Keti Bandar) and 180 km long (up to Hyderabad) wind corridor† [4]. This wind corridor has the potential to generate 50,000 MW of electricity. AEDB has done other different surveys in Gharo and Jhimpir regions and some coastal area of Baluchistan. After these surveys it is concluded that in the south region most of the remote villages can be easily electrified through micro wind turbines. Furthermore it is estimated that in Baluchistan Sindh and Northern areas more than 5000 villages can be electrified through wind energy. [4]. In 1.2a and 1.2b wind and solar maps for Pakistan are shown. Sincere efforts and aggressive lobbying has been done by AEDB with national and international investors to invest and to make them realize the tremendous potentials of RE. AEBD is in negotiations with international companies to set up their business in Pakistan. However large wind mills have not been installed yet but 30 wind mills for water pumping have been installed on experimental basis in different parts of Baluchistan and Sindh. In southern coastal areas of Pakistan remote villages are currently electrified with energy and so far more than 17 villages have been electrified using micro wind turbines. Around 95% of total electricity generation is from hydropower in Pakistan. But during hotter months of summer, it cannot meet the energy requirements due to less productive. Also 70% of population lives in around 50,000 villages. Many of these villages are very far from the main transmission lines and also it is not economically viable to connect these small villages to the main gri d due to their small population. On the other hand solar energy has excellent and significant potential. Pakistan is one of those countries which receive solar radiations at high level throughout the year. Every day it receives an average of about 19 MJ/m2 of solar energy. Studies have been already done and solar systems have been developed and tested. [4] 1.6 Potential of PV in Pakistan The location of Pakistan is very ideal to take advantage of solar energy as a source of energy because Pakistan is in the Sun Belt region. Solar energy is available abundantly and widely distributed all around the country. Following shows solar insolation map for Pakistan. The map shows around 200-250 W/m2 per day. The Baluchistan province is very rich in solar energy. It receives around 19-20 MJ/m2 per day averagely which is equal to 1.93-2.03 MWh/ m2 per day with annual 8-8.5 mean annual sunshine hours. These conditions are ideal for PV and solar energy applications. [5] Solar energy is very good option for off-grid villages. There are around 75,000 off-grid villages which contains 4 million homes and every home accommodates around 4-5 people. These off-grid villages are situated in the Baluchistan and Frontier Province. AEDB has set a target to electrify a thousand villages via solar technology by the year 2010. In this respect the first contract has been given to the Sehgal electronics group (Pakistan). Each home which is electrified with PV will have around 400W power supply and lead acid batteries for overnight storage. There are also other plans to have local production using PV modules with and estimation of this production is around 3MW/year. [6] 1.6.1 Possible routes for solar PV in Pakistan The global demand of PV equipment is increasing day by day and due to this fact the prices for PV systems, equipment and electricity has gone down remarkably. PV could be exploited in Pakistan through following two routes. [6] 1.6.1.1 Off-grid or stand-alone sector Stand-alone or off grid systems generate electricity independently of the utility grid. Stand alone systems can be a very good option for the remote areas and very deep located villages, where the extension of power transmission lines would be more costly. Also it could be implemented in environmentally sensitive areas as parks, remote homes and cabins. In rural areas, it could be used for solar water pumps and farm lighting. [6] 1.6.1.2 Grid-connected sector Grid-connected PV systems supply extra power when the home systems power supply is not sufficient to fulfill the load. These systems remove the need of battery bank. In some situation, utilities allow net metering, by which the owner can sell extra power back to the utility. [6] 1.6.2 Current solar energy applications in Pakistan Both PV and solar thermal have a wide range of applications in Pakistan. Although the scale of utilization and adoption has been very small but it has been utilized for last 25 years in Pakistan. Different applications mainly PV and solar thermal applications are summarized as. [5] 1.6.2.1 Photovoltaics Eighteen PV stations were built by the government in the early 1980s to electrify different villages the country. The installed capacity was nearly 440 kW but due to the lack of technical knowledge and follow up, these systems could not perform as required. Currently in Pakistan solar energy is being used for telephone exchanges stand alone rural electrification, cathodic protection, highway emergency telephones and vaccine refrigeration in hospitals. In different parts of Baluchistan, about 20 solar water pumps have been installed for drinking purposes by The Public Health Department. The northern and western area of Pakistan are mostly hilly and mountain areas (Hindu Kush-Himalayas, HKH region), which are blessed with a lot of sunshine with 4-6 kWh/m2 daily average solar radiation. Seven solar stations were installed in this region in the late 1980s for lighting by different companies. The total capacity of these systems was 234 kW. They are not in operation now due maintenance pro blems. SIEMENS Pakistan has installed many stand alone solar systems in Pakistan. On the Lahore-Islamabad Motorway, it has installed power supply systems for many microwave-link repeater stations and more than 350 emergency call boxes. [5] 1.6.2.2 Solar thermal applications There are many applications which utilize the heat characteristics of solar energy directly. These applications are very simple, low price and easily to adoptable. These include heating and cooling of residential and commercial buildings, cooking, water heating for domestic and industrial use and drying agricultural products. A brief description of such applications in Pakistan is given here. [5] 1.6.2.3 Solar water heaters This technology is quite mature in Pakistan but very limited because of its higher capital cost as compared to conventional water heaters which operate on natural gas. But in last couple of years it has started to gain popularity because a number of public sector organizations are working to develop low cost solar water heaters. The prices of natural gas and electricity are increasing day by day, so people are adopting solar water heaters and also private sector has already started the production of such heaters. [5] 1.6.2.4 Solar cooker Different public sector organizations have been working to develop low cost and efficient design solar cookers. In HKH region of Pakistan, more than 2000 solar cookers are in use. This number is very small. It needs to be more popularized. Pakistan needs to reduce the use of precious forest resources as fuel wood and to replace it with solar cookers. [5] 1.6.2.5 Solar dryers Solar energy can be very good option for drying agriculture products. By this, we can get very good quality products at much less cost. Northern mountainous areas like Gilgit and Sakardu are very rich in fruit production like apricots which used to be wasted by tons every year. But now solar dryers are being used to dry large quantities of fruit, which is leaving a positive effect on the economy of this area. Different NGOs are working for the popularizing and the use of such dryers. [5] 1.6.2.6 Solar desalination Drinkable water is unavailable in many parts of Sindh, Baluchistan and southern Punjab and it is very critical issue. Underground water is available but it is highly saline. This saline water is not fit for drinking at all and causes many dangerous diseases such as hypertension. Solar energy can be utilized to convert this available saline water into drinkable water. Solar desalination is very simple, low cost and easy to use. Also it is very easy to adopt. A successful solar desalination project is in operation and it is working very fine and helping to change the life style of the population of Gawader in the Baluchistan province. It consists of 240 stills and each can clean 6000 gallons of seawater per day. [5] 2. Types of PV and PV Hybrid systems Generally the classification of PV systems is based on their operational and functional requirements, the configuration of their components and the connectivity of the equipment to power sources and electrical loads. PV systems are designed to supply DC and/or AC power and can operate interconnected with utility grid or independent of it. There are classified as;  · Grid-connected Photovoltaic systems  · Stand alone Photovoltaic systems 2.1 Grid-connected PV systems Grid-connected PV systems are designed to operate parallel with the interconnection of electric utility grid. Power conditioning unit (PCU) or inverter is very basic component in grid-connected PV systems. PV array produces DC power supply and the PCU converts it in to AC power supply which is consistent with the power and voltage requirements of the utility grid. PCU automatically stops the power supply to the grid when utility grid is not energized. [7] 2.2 Stand alone PV systems Stand alone PV systems or off grid systems are designed to operate independently. Mainly stand alone PV systems are used in isolated and remote areas where the connection with grid or electricity network is not possible. In this type of systems the storage system (batter bank) is very important component and storage is guaranteed by batteries. The design and sizing of such system should be done in a way that it could supply and meet the required load even in bad weather conditions or during winter months. For this surety these systems could be coupled with diesel generator, wind turbine or hydro generator and the systems after this type of coupling is called PV Hybrid systems. There could be different arrangements and designing methods of PV systems depending on the requirements and type of load to be fulfilled. In direct coupled system, DC power is supplied directly from PV array to DC load and there is no energy storage, thats why this type of systems can operate in sunlight hours which make them suitable for common applications like water pumps, ventilation fans and small circulation pumps used in solar thermal heating systems. In many other type of PV stand alone systems battery bank is used for the storage of energy and power inverters which can fulfill AC/DC loads at the same time. [7] 2.3 PV Hybrid systems PV hybrid systems are composed of combined solar energy with some other electricity producing sources like wind turbines, diesel generators or small hydro plants. The choice of other source of energy to be combined depends on the needs and the geographic situation and other specifications. The hybrid systems are best for the remote areas like islands and remote villages, also for remote applications like communication stations and military installations. Before go for designing a hybrid system, the specific energy needs and the available energy sources should be known. It means the potential for all available energy sources like solar energy, wind energy and hydro energy must be studied, so that the best combination could be made which can meet the specific energy requirements in best way of economy and availability. [8] 2.4 PV Diesel hybrid systems In remote areas the electricity has been produced by engine driven generators in the past. For those applications where we need a reliable and stationary generator is required, diesel generators are preferred. Petrol generators may provide electricity at lower cost due to their less frequent use. Engine driven generators are less efficient when driven at light loads (around 40 to 50% of their rated capacity) which can shorten their operating life and it results in high maintenance cost. When the engine is operated at light loads, the combustion temperature goes down which results incomplete combustion and carbon starts to deposit (glazing) on cylinder walls and this leads to premature engine wear and tear. In recent years, the cost of renewable energy technology has been declined continuously and also the concept of usage of alternative energy is growing day by day. Due to these two factors, the utilization of renewable energy has been increased for remote areas. Typically PV modules with small to medium size wind turbine are being used, but for some locations small hydro electric generators are suitable. In simple words combination of renewable energy sources and conventional energy sources with energy storage (battery bank) makes a Hybrid system which can give reliable and economic electricity supply. If we compare a system only with PV generator with a PV hybrid system, the second one reduces the batter size and improves the reliability of overall power supply. In hybrid system, the renewable energy source and battery bank try to reduce the run time of diesel generator. There is sufficient storage in these systems which allow the load to be shifted. Generally these type of systems a re installed in those locations where the logistics and costs of a reliable supply of fuel are not major contributing factors to overall system operation cost. [9] The displacement type systems are sized to decrease the fuel consumption of diesel generator by 70 to 90% as compared with a diesel battery system, so it relies mainly on renewable energy sources like solar. The engine driven generator still remains in the system to equalize the battery and it provides a backup for those periods when there is low solar input or high load demand. Such systems are installed in those locations where some attractive incentives for the use of renewable energy exist or fuel supplies are costly and unreliable. [9] Usually the conventional power supplies with diesel in remote areas are not flexible to react to the changes in load demand and varying operating conditions. This results in the compromises on reliability and efficiency. Significant changes in long term and short term load demand could happen as a result of * Increase or decrease of population; * Special community events; * Seasonal change in environmental conditions ( summer, humidity); * Change of consumer trends (increased use of home appliances) But renewable energy sources and batteries are modular in nature and can be upgraded without any problem when in future the load demand is increased with time. It means that we do not need to change the whole system. But as far as other components of the systems are concerned, they are different in their nature. For example inverters, battery chargers and PV charge controllers should be in such a way that the future increased demand should not exceed their rated capacity. Power conditioning devices are also inherently modular and they facilitate convenient system upgrade. [9] 2.5 Hybrid System configurations PV-Diesel hybrid systems produce AC power supply by the combination of PV array with inverter, which can be operated parallel or alternatively with engine driven generator. PV diesel hybrid systems can be classified as  · Series hybrid energy systems  · Switched energy systems  · Parallel energy systems 2.5.1 Series hybrid energy systems In this configuration, the power generated by generator is rectified first and then converted back to AC supply to fulfill AC demand which incurs much conversion looses. During low electricity demand periods, the diesel generator is powered off and the demand can be fulfilled from PV and stored energy. AC supply reaching to the load is converted from DC by an inverter. In series configuration the system efficiency is low because most systems pass large fraction of produced energy from battery bank which increases the cycling of the battery. [9] The SOC (state of charge) of the battery and actual load decide whether the diesel generator will operate or not, which depends on power supply from PV and diesel generator, load demand and the batteries are either charged or discharged. Solar controller is used to control such situations which prevent the overcharging of the batteries, when PV supply is more than the load and also the batteries are fully charged. The gain in energy is marginal for a good sized system but we can add a maximum tracking point which can improve the utilization of available PV energy. The system can be operated either in manual or automatic mode. This can be done by adding some extra components in the system. [9] There are certain merits and demerits of these configurations, they are as below. Merits * It has simplified electrical output interface as no switching of AC supply is required between different energy sources. * The supplied power to the load is not interrupted when diesel generator starts. * The inverter can produce a square wave, modified square wave or a sine wave depending on application. Demerits * The cycling of the battery bank increases which decreases the life time. * As diesel cannot supply power directly to the load, thats why system efficiency is low. * If there is some problem in inverter or in case of its failure, it results in complete loss of power. In this case diesel generator has to supply power directly for emergency purposes. * The cycling profile requires the large battery bank to limit the depth of discharge. 2.5.2 Switched configurations It is one of the most common configurations used, but it has some operational limitations. As the name shows, it operates either with diesel generator or inverter as AC source but no parallel operation of the main power generation source is possible. Switched configuration hybrid systems can be operated in manual mode but it makes the system more complex. In order to get rid of this complexity, it is desirable to add some automatic control unit. â€Å"This automatic control unit can work by adding appropriate battery voltage sensor and start/stop control unit of diesel generator† [9]. The advantage of this configuration is that the load can be fulfilled directly from diesel generator, which gives overall higher conversion efficiency. In this configuration both PV array and diesel generator can charge the battery. [9] This configuration has also certain advantages and disadvantages as Advantages * As the generator can fulfill the load directly, it improves the efficiency and reduces the fuel consumption. * The inverter can make a square wave, modified square wave or a sine wave depending on application. Disadvantages * Power supply is interrupted time by time as AC power sources are transferred. 2.5.3 Parallel configuration In this type of system PV and diesel generator supply the load separately when the load demand is low or medium. But when the load demand reaches at peck point, then PV and diesel generator combine and supply that peak load. In this configuration we use a Bi-directional inverter which has two functions * It can charge battery bank when excess energy is available from diesel generator (rectifier operation). * DC/AC converter (inverter operation). The bi directional inverter can also provide â€Å"peak shaving† which is defined as â€Å"the ability of parallel hybrid energy systems to supply load that exceed the power rating of the engine driven generator of the inverter from combine sources as part of the control strategy when the engine driven generator is overloaded †[19] Parallel configuration hybrid systems have also merits and demerits over other systems, like Merits * The efficiency of diesel generator could be maximized. * The maintenance of diesel generator could be minimized. * The system load could be fulfilled by optional ways. Demerits * It should be controlled by automatic control unit in order to make the operation of the system more reliable. * Operation of the system is much complex for untrained users 2.6 Power conditioning In PV diesel hybrid energy systems three types of conversion devices are used to control and conditioning of power flow. They are battery charge regulator, inverter and a rectifier. The rectifier or battery charger is included in the system to convert AC power generated by diesel generator to DC voltage. This is done to recharge the battery bank. Series type hybrid systems have always low efficiency because they use two conversions AC/DC and DC/AC. If we assume that both efficiencies of rectification and subsequent inversion of DC voltage are very high, lets say 90%, it will result a loss of 19% of total power gained in these conversions. This is the reason why parallel and switched cond systems have always more overall system efficiency. In hybrid energy system operation, usually the generator operates at 80% of its rated capacity. In switched or parallel cond energy systems AC power is supplied directly from diesel generator but the excess power which is more than the required load is used to recharge battery bank. This supply of power to battery bank is according to a defined battery charge strategy which takes the battery to high state of charge. In some modern parallel hybrid systems, a bi directional inverter unit is used. This bi directional inverter unit consists of solar controller, i

Spring Oscillation to Find the Spring Constant

Spring Oscillation to Find the Spring Constant Title: Using a spring oscillation to find the spring constant. The aim of my report is to find the K (spring constant) by measuring the time of 10 complete oscillations with the range of mass of 0.05kg up to 0.3kg. It was been demonstrated by the lecturer and also the following instruction that I’ve been given. This experiment will show and prove that with this method, we can calculate the spring constant by using the following formula, In the meantime, we’ll be experience that we can get to find the spring constant, k, through this type method. What is a spring constant? Spring constant is a measure of stiffness or the ability to resist displacement under a load. It is denoted by K where; The SI unit for the spring constant; Nm-1 The spring constant tells u that it is the ratio of change of force with respect of deflection. So in other words, it is directly proportional to each other. The spring constant can also be known as the force constant. It is a measure of the elasticity of the spring. In theory, the more its elastic value, the more the force you will need to act to extend the spring. For example, a short spring has a higher spring constant than that of a long spring IF the other aspects or characteristics of it are the same or equal (thickness, material). It will take you 10N to extend a short spring with 1cm. To extend the long spring by the same amount, it would take less force, perhaps 5N for example. Introduction on Hooke’s Law Hooke’s law is the law of elasticity that was founded by the English scientist, Robert Hooke in the early 1660. It states that the extension or compression of a spring is directly proportional to the force exerted upon it. Sometimes Hooke’s law is formulated asF=−kx where as in this expressionFis no longer the applied force but it was the equal and oppositely directed restoring force that causes elastic materials like springs to return to their original forms. The law can also be expressed as the ratio of stress and strain. Stress is the force on unit areas within a material that develops as a result of the externally applied force while strain is the relative deformation produced by stress. For relatively small stresses, stress is proportional to strain. For particular expressions of Hooke’s law in this form, see bulk modulus; shear modulus; Young’s modulus. Diagram of the apparatus used Clear Description of the Method Used As can be seen from the previous page, these are the description of the method by using the apparatus from the picture and as prepared by the lecturer. At first, set up the apparatus which demonstrated by the lecturer. Hang the first mass on the spring. Allow the mass to oscillate up and down with a small amplitude and measure the time for ten complete oscillations. Calculate the average from both of the time’s sets. Find the time period T by dividing the average time by 10 Repeat all of the measuring of time by 5 more times with different masses which are from 0.05g. Make a table regarding the results that you analysed. Data Analysis Table Graph of T ² (y-axis) against m (x-axis) Analysis Discussion The first thing that needed to do is get all the information of the data that I’ve collected from this experiment using the method and Hooke’s Law. Next step, all the result data were then arranged in a Microsoft Excel, which is to be completed by using the table. With the results that I’ve got from the method to measure k (speed constant) and for every each of the value from the â€Å"Blue dots†, (from the graph) was accurate enough to its original value. Although, most of my values are in the range of 2 N/m, it is acceptable. Gradient To find the gradient of the graph, firstly, we need two particular points which included 2 values from x-axis and 2 more values from y-axis. The formula to find gradient is à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   The equation of a line is à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   For example, these values are from the graph: à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   (0.06, 0.06) à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   (0.29, 0.46) SUBSTITUTE à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   = 1.74 (value of my gradient) (look at my graph) Therefore it links with the equation of a line which is, Like this, Therefore the gradient is, Thus, substitute the following gradient value with this to find k. Value of k (speed constant) Finding the value of k, from the equation, The gradient that I found is 1.74N/m. Substitute it into the following gradient formula, Total value of k = 22.7Nmˆ°Ã‚ ¹ Percentage Difference (My total original value of spring constant divided by the value of spring constant) Multiply by 100. Ãâ€" 100 = 60.3% Accuracy and reliability First thing that we should know is that the spring constant is depended on the displacement under a load. So by the result that I have calculated with the method and the formula given to find T ² from the lecturer is not accurate as we would expected because of the formula that we should use is † â€Å". The required unit for spring constant value is the acceleration of the free fall gravity and the displacement of the spring. Even though we can find the constant K by using the method from our lecturer, it will not be as accurate as the one with the formula â€Å"â€Å", and with measuring time there’s a lot of miss accurate because of the possibility of human error. We can also substitute into† â€Å", however there is no value given for the length or displacement of the springs given, thus, giving us more uncertainties error. Comment: Reasons for Uncertainties Amplitude is different from each of the results causing it not to be precise. The disability of finding the missing length of the spring which is not constructed by the lecturer is very important to find the spring constant. Spring constant cannot be invented because as the number of how much weight or force that we need to apply to make the spring extended by 1 metre and based on the spring function. Due to the human error, the reaction of calculating time of the stopwatch will never be accurate. The measurement of an angle from working out the oscillation is inaccurate. Improvement for Uncertainties Firstly, we need the value of the spring length which will be easier to be calculated and comparing the percentage difference between the method that I’ve used and the one with this improvement. If there is a modern technology that can be invented that can measure the length of the spring when they stretch and to determine the time of oscillation with the creation of lasers to determine the period for each oscillation. Need an instrument that can hold the pendulum before and after the 10 complete oscillations so that every each of the oscillation within both period (time and time 2) will be measured accurately. In my honest opinion, the more accurate method to find the spring constant is to measure the spring’s displacement rather than using time as the unit to find k, spring constant, so we can now substitute the one we got previously to the formula Referencing Lists Bray, A. Barbato, G. Levi, R. (1990). Theory and Practise of Force Measurement. San Diego: Academic Press Limited. 52-53. Hosch, W.L. (2006). Hooke’s law Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/271336/Hookes-law Iris. (2009). what is spring constant? Retrieved from http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090902015640AAmDuLn Keller, J.F. (1993). Physics Classical and Modern (2nd ed.). McGraw-hill Inc. 331-350.

Governance in the CNMI Essay -- Unicameral, Bicameral, legislature, Uni

Is the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) better yet with a Unicameral Legislature or with the current Bicameral Legislature? According to Wikipedia, the Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth Legislature is defined as the territorial legislature of the United States of America (Wikipedia). The legislative branch of the Marianas is bicameral. It consist of twenty members in the lower House of Representatives, and an upper house Senate with nine members. The Representatives serve two-year terms, and the Senators serve four-year terms, both without term limits. Both houses of the legislature convene and conduct their meetings on the Island of Saipan, the capital island of the Northern Mariana Islands. The House seats are elected in seven districts. Two districts have one seat each, one for Tinian & Aguiguan, and one for Rota. The remaining five districts elect multiple members, two with three members and two with six members which are all located in Saipan. According to the Mariana Islands Constitution, the requirements for House of Representative are a minimum age of 21, must be a residence of the Commonwealth for at least three consecutive years, and a registered voter in the district you represented. Reapportionment occurs every ten years following the census. Together with the Senate, the Constitution permits the Legislature to enact a higher residence requirement (CNMI Government laws). The Senate seats are divided into three districts containing three seats each from Saipan, Tinian, and Rota. The Senate seats are divided into two classes that are similar to the classes of the United States Senate. One class consisting of a single Senator from each district, and the second class consisting of two Senators from... ... Mariana Islands, 1998- 2013. Web. Retrieved from http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/northern_mariana_islands.htm Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Country Brief. Home page. Bilateral, Sept. 2013. Web. Retrieved from http://www.dfat.gov.au/geo/cnmi/ Farrell, Don. â€Å"Tinian: A Brief History.† Tinian. (Original work published 2012) Northern Marianas Commonwealth. Home page. Legislature, 2006. Web. Retrieved from http://www.cnmiago.gov.mp/government.html Covenant of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Home page. Web. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Mariana_Islands Covenant. Law revision commission, 2013. Home Page. Web. Retrieved from http://cnmilaw.org/cnmicovenant.html Farrell, Don. Personal Interview. 26 Nov. 2013 Cruz, Peter. Personal Interview. 29 Nov. 2013

Introduction of foreign pathogens into Australia :: essays research papers fc

Introduction of foreign pathogens into Australia It is widely known that the poor health experienced by many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders relates from complex reasons originating from their history after European settlement. Two centuries of introduced disease, combined with today’s lifestyle diseases and impoverished socioeconomic and environmental conditions, have had devastating, and all too often fatal, effects on Indigenous health. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population suffered from introduced disease that often turned out to be fatal because of lack of immunity to introduced pathogens. In 1788, Indigenous Australians were totally healthier than most Europeans of that time, whether it was socially, emotionally or physically. But when the Europeans came, their diseases killed many of the Aborigines without even lifting a hand. There were an estimated 5000 Aborigines living in Tasmania when the British first arrived in 1803. Living in small groups, they had survived for millennia in the island's extreme wilderness, hunting kangaroos and gathering shellfish along the coast. By the end of the 19th century they had been all but wiped out, in what has long been regarded as one of the darkest periods in Australia's history which many thinks was caused by introduced pathogens by Europeans. People have said that introduced disease was used as an international weapon of extermination especially in the case of the Australian Aborigines. The Aborigines were so affected by the introduced pathogens because their immune systems had never encountered that kind of disease before so they had not developed any immunity at all and so succumbed to disease very easily. The first major smallpox epidemic among Aborigines was in April 1789, fifteen months after first settlement. The second was in 1829-31, its origin never determined. Many people have suggested and even written books about it that smallpox and other various killer diseases were deliberately introduced by the First Fleet to the Aborigines to kill them off easily. Diseases introduced by convicts and settlers - smallpox, typhoid, tuberculosis, diphtheria, whooping cough, influenza, pneumonia, measles and venereal disease - seriously depleted Aboriginal numbers. There was a massive population loss in central Australia - particularly in the region of what is now Alice Springs - between 1860 and 1895. Introduction of foreign pathogens into Australia :: essays research papers fc Introduction of foreign pathogens into Australia It is widely known that the poor health experienced by many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders relates from complex reasons originating from their history after European settlement. Two centuries of introduced disease, combined with today’s lifestyle diseases and impoverished socioeconomic and environmental conditions, have had devastating, and all too often fatal, effects on Indigenous health. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population suffered from introduced disease that often turned out to be fatal because of lack of immunity to introduced pathogens. In 1788, Indigenous Australians were totally healthier than most Europeans of that time, whether it was socially, emotionally or physically. But when the Europeans came, their diseases killed many of the Aborigines without even lifting a hand. There were an estimated 5000 Aborigines living in Tasmania when the British first arrived in 1803. Living in small groups, they had survived for millennia in the island's extreme wilderness, hunting kangaroos and gathering shellfish along the coast. By the end of the 19th century they had been all but wiped out, in what has long been regarded as one of the darkest periods in Australia's history which many thinks was caused by introduced pathogens by Europeans. People have said that introduced disease was used as an international weapon of extermination especially in the case of the Australian Aborigines. The Aborigines were so affected by the introduced pathogens because their immune systems had never encountered that kind of disease before so they had not developed any immunity at all and so succumbed to disease very easily. The first major smallpox epidemic among Aborigines was in April 1789, fifteen months after first settlement. The second was in 1829-31, its origin never determined. Many people have suggested and even written books about it that smallpox and other various killer diseases were deliberately introduced by the First Fleet to the Aborigines to kill them off easily. Diseases introduced by convicts and settlers - smallpox, typhoid, tuberculosis, diphtheria, whooping cough, influenza, pneumonia, measles and venereal disease - seriously depleted Aboriginal numbers. There was a massive population loss in central Australia - particularly in the region of what is now Alice Springs - between 1860 and 1895.

Maquiladora Industry

In this paper I will discuss the history and practices of the Maquiladora industry. I will discuss its background, its problems, the benefits it offers to United States companies, and the impact the NAFTA has and will have on the industry. In addition, I will make a suggestion on a possible strategy the Maquiladoras can adopt in order to address the challenges brought on by the NAFTA, to ensure it remains a strong force in the future. Mexican agricultural workers had been granted temporary work visas allowing them to work in the United States† agricultural industries through a program called the Bracero Program until 1965 when this program was terminated. As a result of this termination, the unemployment rate had exceeded 70% in certain border cities. In May of 1965 the Border Industrialization Program was established as a replacement for the Bracero program. It was later renamed the Maquiladora Program. The program was established by the Mexican government to provide employment for Mexico†s rapidly growing population along its border with the United States. This program was utilized to keep Mexicans from entering the United States. The idea was that Mexican workers would be kept on the Mexican side of the border if they were given factory jobs on the Mexican side. The Maquiladora program also wanted to attract foreign manufacturing facilities, technology, and know-how by giving a permanent tax holiday to manufacturing companies that would set up â€Å"twin plants† on the Mexican side of the border. In the beginning of the program, all foreign-owned operations had to be located within a 20-kilometer strip along the US-Mexican border. Since 1972 they can be located anywhere in Mexico. In 1996 there were around 2,500 Maquiladoras – 35% of them were located in the interior states of Mexico. Last year there were over 3,000 and more and more of these operations are being located outside of the border regions. Each of Mexico†s 31 states has at least one Maquiladora. Maquiladoras, also referred to as â€Å"in bond† or â€Å"twin† plants, are allowed to temporarily import into Mexico (free of tax) machinery, equipment, replacement parts, raw materials, and just about anything that was used in the assembly or manufacture of semi-finished or finished products. Once assembled or manufactured, the Maquila products must be exported unless special permission is obtained to sell a limited amount of output in the Mexican market. When these products are imported back to the United States, import duties are levied on the foreign value-added only. If Maquila products stay in Mexico, the are subject to applicable Mexican duties. The largest issue surrounding the Maquiladora industry is the exploitation of cheap labor. The working conditions are often unsafe, workers are not compensated adequately for their labor, attempts to unionize are discouraged; and sexual discrimination and harassment are too common. The conditions in and outside the Maquiladoras are terrible. Workers perform tasks such as welding without protective masks, leather gloves, or goggles (in many instances) and industrial accidents and toxic exposures are common. This, along with malnutrition caused by low salaries, produce skin illnesses, cancer, irregularities in menstruation, abortions, tumors, intoxication and birth of undernourished or disabled babies. Of the employees, many are young girls and women ranging from the ages of 14 to 20. They work 6 days a week in 10-hour shifts. The average weekly salary for a Maquiladora worker is US$35 – $45 even though the average monthly rent for a house with public services such as running water and electricity is around $200 a month. For the most part, Maquiladoras are unorganized. In those that are organized, state-controlled unions represent the workers. Although some companies are unionized on paper, the unions, for the most part, function to reinforce management policies rather than for the benefit of workers. Then there are what are called â€Å"phantom† unions. These unions do not fight for the worker†s rights. The workers do not even know them and have never seen their union leaders. When a conflict arises in a factory, management informs the worker that their unions have accept these or those conditions. Not only are they not protected by existing unions, those that attempt to unionize and are often threatened or bribed by plant managers and the government. In many companies, discrimination against and harassment of the female employees is very common. Female job applicants are required to produce urine samples to be used for pregnancy test, while some have company doctors and nurses examine the applicants or ask confidential information concerning their contraceptive practices. This is done because pregnant women are refused employment. Sexual harassment is often the rule rather than the exception. Rapes occur frequently and few are reported because women fear being fired or blacklisted. Shame and humiliation also keep them quiet. In Mexico, men and women are equal before the law, but the law does not recognize discrimination as a problem to be solved. The Pollution Brought on by the Maquiladoras The increased pollution, accompanied by the dumping of tons of hazardous wastes, poses a serious health threat to the residents of Mexico as well as the resident of the bordering US states. There are several canals that are â€Å"black† with chemical wastes that have been measured at levels that greatly exceed permissible standards. One factory was caught dumping drums of paint, solvents, and shellac into a drain. In other areas there are abandoned lead smelters and air full of soot and dust from brick-making ovens and smoldering tire dumps. Main Advantages for the United States† Companies For the United States companies this was a great advantage since Maquiladoras operates at very low costs in places where the currency is weaker than the dollar–such as Mexico. The less a currency is worth, the more relative value the dollar has. Since Mexico†s peso is relatively week, companies can trade their dollars for pesos with which they pay workers and expenses. The products they manufacture, however, are sold for dollars, increasing their profits by huge margins whenever the local currency falls. They could enhance competitiveness, reduce their costs, and maintain quality by placing their labor-intensive operations in the less developed Mexico, benefiting from the lower wage rates there. For many US companies, manufacturing in Mexico has become necessary to battle overseas competition. Since many manufacturers are moving to â€Å"just-in-time† inventory systems, the quick delivery possible from Mexico†s border towns offers a substantial advantage over Asian alternatives. The NAFTA†s Impact on the Maquiladora Industry Traditionally, Maquiladoras offered foreign businesses several advantages over other forms of direct foreign investment. Since the signing of NAFTA, however, many of these advantages are either being phased-out or granted to all Mexican companies. The most significant advantages of operating as a Maquiladoras include: 100% foreign investment, operation without ownership of assets, tax sheltering of cost centers, and 100% duty-drawback or waivers for temporary imports. Furthermore, the NAFTA attempted to address the labor exploitation and environmental problems associated with the Maquiladora industry. One of the benefits of the Maquiladora program is 100% foreign investment of Mexican operations, which formerly was not allowed. However, Mexico†s Foreign Investment Law has changed through the years (most significantly in 1989 and 1994)-full investment is now allowed in most business ventures. Operation Without Ownership of Assets Another advantage that Maquiladoras have is that they can receive production materials and capital goods as loans from their parent and client companies. As a result, most Maquiladoras have little of no inventory of fixed assets, eliminating the need to pay the Mexican asset tax of 2% of all assets. In January 1995, the Mexican IRS reported that Maquiladoras would now have to factor the depreciation of â€Å"loaned† assets in price-transfer calculations, which is the first step toward phasing-out this advantage by 2001. When Maquiladoras are structured as cost center (providing manufacturing services for a foreign parent) the foreign corporation has traditionally paid the Mexican company for operating costs plus negligible profit. By doing this they avoid Mexico†s 34% corporate income tax, 10% mandatory profit sharing, and asset taxes. Now the Mexican IRS is changing the way Maquiladoras must declare assets. Over the next few years, Maquiladoras will be forced to raise their declared profit percentage to a rate that is comparable to that of two unrelated companies performing the same transaction at â€Å"arm†s length†. This is the type of transfer pricing procedure that is implemented by most trading blocks, like the EC. It will soon be effect throughout North America. 100% Duty-Drawback or Waivers for Temporary Imports Maquiladoras have always allowed Mexican companies 100% duty drawback or waivers in imported components that are exported as final goods. Since 1994, this has provided many Maquiladora programs a way to use non-NAFTA materials within products without the need to pay the corresponding duties over those materials when importing or exporting goods to other NAFTA nations. On January 1, 2001, Maquiladoras that manufacture goods for export to NAFTA partner countries will no longer be allowed to take the waiver. The waiver will still be available for goods that are going to non-NAFTA countries. In 1995 the NAFTA†s of Labor created the National Administrative Office (NAO) as well as the North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation (NAALC). Both were intended to stop labor abuses. The NOA was established to monitor labor complaints that NAFTA critic†s voice regarding unfair labor practices. The NAO can recommend â€Å"ministerial consultations† as well as imposed heavy sanctions against Mexico. Unfortunately, the side agreements proved useless. The NOA cannot force Maquiladoras to allow unions-the most they can do is recommend â€Å"ministerial consultations.† Sexual harassment and discrimination continues as well. The NAFTA has also created side agreements covering the environment. One of them is the North American Development Bank (NAD Bank). Its purpose was to finance wastewater treatment projects along the border in the poorer communities. However, the most important criteria that needed to be met in order to receive funds were meeting certain market considerations. With this program NAFTA â€Å"encouraged† growth without regard for the environment through its practice of placing market consideration above environmental protection. Another is the Commission for Economic Cooperation (CEC). The CEC was established to investigate governmental non-enforcement of environmental laws. Unfortunately it has no power to enforce ,they can only investigate-and they can†t even do that until Mexico collects the data on the pollution for them. Possible Strategy for the Maquiladora Industry As long as the Mexican currency is weaker than the US dollar I don†t think that the changes are going to dramatically effect the flow of US companies to the south. However, the Maquiladora industry cannot count on this for continued growth. By the year 2001 the Maquiladora industry as we know it now will have significantly changed when the phasing out is complete. Maquiladoras will no longer be â€Å"tax break† establishments; they will be just like other foreign investments. In order for them to fully compete in the near future they must become more efficient and leaner. The impact of globalization is forcing manufacturers to produce more rapidly and cheaply than ever before and to continuously improve. Because there will be no differentiation between the non-Maquiladora and Maquiladora industries I feel the inefficient producers will be wiped out. Therefor, Maquiladora employees will need better training, education, incentives as well improved working conditions and hi gher wages. Operations will also have to be streamlined in order to reap the benefits of economies of scale and scope. In addition, Mexicans as well as US citizens will start to demand more accountability from the Mexican government and the Maquiladora industry. They need to be more responsible for their actions. What will the U.S. corporations do when human rights activists and environmentalists start lobbying and protesting on their US sites? Do they want to risk losing their shareholders to this type of negative attention?