Monday, September 30, 2019
Economic Development for Developing Countries Essay
International Undergraduate Program Faculty of Economics University of Indonesia Depok 2013 Larger Rural Populations but Rapid Rural-to-Urban Migration One of the hallmarks of economic development is a shift from agriculture to manufacturing and services. Although modernizing in many regions, rural areas are poorer and tend to suffer from missing markets, limited information, and social stratification. However, a massive population shift is also under way as hundreds of millions of people are moving from rural to urban areas, fueling rapid urbanization, with its own attendant problems. Lower Levels of Industrialization and Manufactured Exports Industrialization is associated with High Productivity and Incomes. It is also a hallmark of modernization and national economic power. Moreover, it is a national priority for many developing countries, including Indonesia. In developed countries, Agriculture only contributes small share to the overall employment and the same goes to Industry, which the share of employment is smaller than the developing countries, since they tend to expand their Service sector. An often suggested but controversial ââ¬Å"Pattern of Developmentâ⬠is that the share of employment in industry is decreasing as the service increases as when developed-country status achieved) Furthermore, developing nations have tended to have a higher dependence on primary exports even though the goods are typically less advanced in skill and technology content. Adverse Geography Geography plays a role in problems of agriculture, public health, andà comparative underdevelopment. In tropical/sub-tropical countries for example, most of them are developing countries. They suffer from pests, diseases such as Malaria, and many others. Another case is in Africa, which most countries are landlocked countries. They tend to have lower incomes than other countries that are Coastal. Not only geographical location, the rising issue of Global Warming might also bring impact especially in African and South East countries. However, geography is not destiny, but the presence of common and often adverse geographic features in comparison to temperate zone countries means it is beneficial to study tropical and subtropical developing countries together for some purposes. Underdeveloped Markets Imperfect market and imperfect information which can be found mainly in developing countries creates the market less efficient. There are aspects that determine Market Underdevelopment. They lack of: 1. a legal system that enforces contracts and validates property rights 2. a stable and trustworthy currency 3. an infrastructure of roads and utilities that results in low transport and communication costs so as to facilitate interregional trade 4. a well-developed and efficiently regulated system of banking and insurance 5. substantial market information for consumers and producers about prices, quantities, and qualities of products and resources as well as the creditworthiness of potential borrowers 6. social norms that facilitate successful long-term business relationships Lingering Colonial Impacts and Unequal International Relations Colonial Legacy Most developing countries were once colonies of Europe or otherwise dominated by European or other foreign powers, and institutions created during the colonial period often had pernicious effects on development that in many cases have persisted to the present day. Both domestically and internationally, developing countries have more often lacked institutions and formal organizations of the type that have benefited the developed world: Domestically, on average, property rights have been less secure, constraints on elites have been weak, and a smaller segment of society hasà been able to gain access to and take advantage of economic opportunities. Problems with governance and public administration, as well as poorly performing markets, often stem from poor institutions. Moreover, several decades after independence, the effects of the colonial era linger for many developing nations, particularly the least developed ones. Due to colonialism, there is a high inequality between the people living in ex-colonies countries resulting less movement toward democratic institutions, less investment in public goods, and less widespread investment in human capital (education, skills, and health). The European colonial powers also had a dramatic and long-lasting impact on the economies and political and institutional structures of their African and Asian colonies by their introduction of three powerful and tradition shattering ideas: private property, personal taxation, and the requirement that taxes be paid in money rather than in kind. These innovations were introduced in ways that facilitated elite rule rather than broad-based opportunity. External Dependence Related with the Colonial Legacy, developing countries are less well organized and influential in international relations. They also have weaker bargaining position in international economic relations. Moreover, developing countries are dependent on the developed world for environmental preservation (on which hopes for sustainable development depend). This is called Environmental Dependence. This becomes interesting since Global Warming is more likely to harm the Developing Countries compared to the developed ones. How Low-Income Countries Today Differ from Developed Countries in Their Earlier Stages There are eight significant differences in initial conditions that require a special analysis of the growth prospects and requirements of modern economic development: 1. Physical and human resource endowments 2. Per capita incomes and levels of GDP in relation to the rest of the world 3. Climate 4. Population size, distribution, and growth 5. Historical role of international migration 6. International trade benefits 7. Basic scientific and technological research and development capabilities 8. Efficacy of domestic institutions Physical and Human Resource Endowments Some developing nations are blessed with abundant natural resources, while in Africa the resources are plentiful but yet to be discovered. Huge capital needed to be invested in order or these resources to be explored and exploited. The ability of a country to exploit its natural resources and to initiate and sustain long-term economic growth is dependent on, among other things, the ingenuity and the managerial and technical skills of its people and its access to critical market and product information at minimal cost. The problem with low-income and developing countries nowadays is that their people are less educated, less informed, less experienced, and less skilled compared to their counterparts were in the early days of economic growth in the West. Moreover, there is an ingenuity gap (the ability to apply innovative ideas to solve practical social and technical problems) between the rich and the poor. This did not exist in now developed countries on the eve of industrialization. Relative Levels of Per Capita Income and GDP People in low-income countries have lower level real per capita income than the developed ones in the 19th centuries. Meanwhile, todayââ¬â¢s developed nations were economically in advance of the rest of the world. Therefore, they could take advantage of their relativity strong financial position to widen the income gaps between themselves and less fortunate countries in a long period of income divergence. By contrast, todayââ¬â¢s developing countries began their growth process at the low end of the international per capita income scale. Climatic Differences The economically most successful countries are usually located in the temperate zone. Even though social inequality and institutional have greater importance, but dichotomy is more than coincidence. Extreme heat and humidity in most poor countries contribute in deteriorating soil quality and the rapid depreciation of many natural goods. Not only that, extreme heat and humidity also contribute to low productivity of certain crops, the weakened regenerative growth of forests, the poor health of animals,à Discomfort workers (weaken their health), and reduce their desire to engage in strenuous physical work which eventually will lower their productivity. In conclusion, tropical geography does pose problem on economic development.
Sunday, September 29, 2019
Brita Case Essay
The Brita Products Company began in 1988 under the recommendation of Charlie Couric, a marketing executive with the Clorox Company. Optimistic of its capability to be profitable, Clorox acquired the right to market the home water filtration system. Clorox, citing the overriding long-term benefits of continuous filter sales, initially engaged in deficit spending. Such measures paid off and Clorox not only created a $350 million market, but also captured 70% of the market revenue. Brita enjoyed success in the market by creating a perception of better tasting water. However, as ater purification technology improved and consumer awareness increased, taste alone was no longer enough to sustain its massive market share. Consumers are demanding more in terms of health benefits and Brita needs to respond to their growing needs and wants. The market environment is characterized by fast growth. As consumers are becoming more health-conscious, bottled water and water- filtration systems are becoming a necessity for most, with a Brita pitcher in 1 out of 7 homes ââ¬â 103 million households. Britaââ¬â¢s competitors were unable to effectively rival Brita in pitcher sales. Brita dominated despite many new entrants to the market. However, a small competitor, PUR, launched a different water filtration product. PURââ¬â¢s faucet-filter system offered added health and convenience benefits that Britaââ¬â¢s pitcher couldnââ¬â¢t provide. Now suddenly, our competitors came up with the first mover product. Thus Couric is considering allocating resources to launch a faucet-mounted filtration system in response to these emerging competitors. Many think Brita needs to capitalize on this opportunity to gain new consumers while their name still remains synonymous with quality and taste. Thus raising the question, how should Brita attempt to further penetrate the market with their products? Lets take a look at the Pros and Cons of each option: Option 1: Implement the new faucet mount filtration system The Purpose This writing aims to present one possible solution to the dilemma that Clorox Company faces. The Clorox Company was the market leader in water filtration in the USA with the Brita Pitcher (one of the Cloroxââ¬â¢s most important product), but in 1999 they faced the threat of a new product ââ¬Ë the faucet mounted filter. Clorox already had its own version of this new product ready to launch into the market, so the issue was to decide the best of the following strategies: 1 . Continue selling only the current product; 2. Introduce their new faucet mounted filter in addition to the pitcher into the market 2. The Analysis Market Summary Clorox launched in 1988 the Brita Pitcher and after a decade they were the market leaders of water filtration systems with a market share of 69%. After the Brita pitcher launch, the water quality became a growing concern to consumers. This new attitude about the quality of drinking water allowed the purified water market to grow in both bottled water and filter systems. This growing on the water market, allowed Clorox Has not defined product Market segmentation
Saturday, September 28, 2019
Bebop Jazz and its Influence
Bebop was a revolutionary sound that captivated the audience due largely to the new found creative freedom of musical expression allowed by extensive improvisation. According to John Andrews (1998), Bop marked the point at which both the musicians and their audience came widely conscious that Jazz was an art form. Andrews also goes on to mention that bebops mall focus was for people to seriously listen, instead of dancing. After bebop other styles of Jazz developed, such as progressive Jazz, cool jazz, and hard bop. These three styles of Jazz, In the pollen of many people, imparted a substantial influence on current jazz, and will likely impact future generations as well. Bebop is a style of Jazz developed in the early sass as a means to revolt against big band music. Big band music required large groups of players. As a consequence, the musicians were required to follow simpler, highly structured, written arrangements. At the time, many musicians resented the lack of freedom to improvise and the reliance upon written arrangements, so they created bebop, a new style of Jazz. Bebop was vastly deferent than swing band music. It had faster tempos, complex harmonies, elaborate melodies and a rhythm section. According to _Americas Musical Landscape-? a typical bebop combo consisted of a trumpet, saxophone, double bass, piano, and percussion. Due in part to the smaller number of performing Caucasians, bebop music allowed for more freedom of expression and imagination than in big band music.Improvisation was a key feature. While much of big band music was designed to indulge the audiences desire to dance, bebop Jazz is for people who want to sit down and listen to the music. At first, many people enjoyed listening to bebop simply because it was something new and exciting. However, many people, particularly musicians, prefer bebop because of its sophistication and complexity. Some Jazz musicians felt they needed something different and preferred to play bebop Instead of swing Jazz to demonstrate their improvisational skills.Musicians such as saxophonist, Dizzy Gillespie; trumpeter, Charlie Parker; and plants, Theologies Monk; stand out as examples of creative giants who through their virtuosity, were able to achieve an innovative sound that wound into their musical presentations, more important than dancing or chatting ove r simple background music. In a way, bebop was a new genre unto itself, more akin to Jazz than big band music. Because it is essentially the basis for most contemporary Jazz styles, listeners will hear the enduring influence of bebop in most Jazz forms that have followed it.Progressive Jazz, cool Jazz, and hard bop are three styles to have evolved from bebop jazz. It is likely that these three Jazz styles, as well as others, embedded with the underlying roots of bebop will have an ongoing influence on future Jazz musicians. No one can speak for all musicians, many may prefer to play older well-established, classic Jazz, but certainly there are a substantial number of musicians that prefer playing the avian-garden styles, who will carry the flag of bebop for future generations.Bebop was a revolutionary and exciting sound that changed the world of Jazz in the asss and continues to influence Jazz styles today. At its advent, bebop was a way for jazz musicians to break away from the confines of big band music, wh ich did not allow for much improvisation or freedom of musical expression. Bebop pioneers such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Theologies Monk helped pave the way for other jazz musicians, allowing them to shed their restrictive chains of structured big band music and to elevate the level of improvisational genius that bebop allows.
Friday, September 27, 2019
My Story of a Career in Medicine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
My Story of a Career in Medicine - Essay Example I focused on my education in order to realize my dreams. I was also keen to pursue my studies in the United States as I believed that it offered many opportunities to young medical aspirants. And ever since I came to the US my life has never been more dynamic. The educational system in the US has given me the freedom to choose my schedules and to record lectures. This in turn has provided me with ample time to do my other chores and to constantly keep in touch with the subject by listening to the lectures time and again. In addition the creative presentation of lectures by the professors has kept me engaged and challenged me to perform better in the subject. The lectures and experiments in Biology and Physics have perhaps been the most intriguing and motivating for me. God has been kind enough to bestow upon me the privilege of education and in return I have always wanted to reciprocate something back to the society especially for the under-privileged people. It is with this intent t hat I joined the Trio-Upward Bound program which conducted tutoring classes for students. The experience was tremendously fruitful not only for the students but also for me as I saw distinct improvement in my communication skills by the end of the program. The initial personal satisfaction of conveying the beauty of science to the students bloomed into an interest in teaching. As a math tutor and recently, a biochemistry teaching assistant, I have diligently introduced students to fascinating and interesting concepts. In return, I learned a great deal of useful information from the students, my colleagues and my coordinators. This tutoring experience also increased my circle of acquaintances and with whom I enjoyed the pleasure of pursuing our common interests.Ã Apart from tutoring I also served as a medical volunteer and worked as a medical shadow in a hospital. Coming from a country where medical accessibility is limited, I have always empathized with patients whose illness coul d have been prevented if they had the financial assistance or insurance to pay for the treatments. This interest in promoting healthcare to the lesser privileged individuals drove me to volunteer at a nonprofit clinic for uninsured patients. I experienced a spectrum of emotions ranging from sadness to pure joy during this service in the real medical world.Ã
Thursday, September 26, 2019
Stages of Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Stages of Development - Essay Example Progesterone levels also shoot up during pregnancy and function to cause loosening of ligaments and joints throughout the body, cause internal organs such as ureters to enlarge and importantly transform the uterus to a size that can accommodate a full pregnancy. The hormones make exercise difficult because of the loosened ligaments. The womanââ¬â¢s posture changes, breast enlarge, abdomen transform into a convex shape increasing the curvature of her back (which may often result in changes in sense of balance). Weight gain during pregnancy slows down blood and fluid circulation. As a result, pregnant women retain fluids and experience swelling of legs, feet, hands and even face. Some women experience vision changes during pregnancy characterized by increased myopia and abnormal hair and nail growth rates. Apart from increased metabolic rates due to high demands for nutrients, women also experience taste and smell changes along with skin changes such as development of stretch marks (Fuchs, 1983). In the third week of pregnancy, gastrulation begins with the appearance of a primitive streak which establishes the long axis of the embryo. Gastrulation involves the transformation of the two-layered embryonic disc into a three layered embryo with three primary germ layers; the ectoderm (develops into the epithelial lining of the gut, respiratory and urogenital systems and associated glands), the mesoderm (develops into all tissues not formed by ectoderm or endoderm such as the muscle tissue) the endoderm (develops into structures of the nervous system and the epidermis) (Goodwin, 1994). Fertilization of the egg by the sperm results in the formation of a zygote which travels down the fallopian tube and divides into a ball of cells. The zygote continues to divide into an inner group of cells with an outer shell collectively called the blastocyst. Blastocyst moves to the uterus around day 5 and implants onto the uterine wall around day 6 for nourishment.
Workshop Report (Analysis of the Mediation Exercise) Essay
Workshop Report (Analysis of the Mediation Exercise) - Essay Example The purpose of this paper is to analyze what occurred in the mediation between Glen Ford and William Holden using a particular element of the models/frameworks presented during the workshop, including a description of a particular intervention dynamic that occurred during the mediation and how it affected the course of the mediation (Fisher & Ury, 1991 and Charlton & Dewdney, 2004). The conflict started out because a formerly successful partnership between Ford and Holden had reached an unhappy point. Holden feels that Ford is too old to drive and is concerned that he has had an accident in the recent past. Furthermore, Holden feels upset that Ford has spent a great deal of time on television appearances rather than improving his driving abilities. On the other side, Ford believes that Holden does not understand the importance of working the fans and building sponsorships. He feels that racing is not all about driving as fast as one can in circles; rather that money is attracted by obtaining the best sponsors and the best fan base. Currently, their sponsors are upset with their dispute and are threatening to withdraw sponsorship. In order to avoid going to court, the parties agreed to have a mediation session in an attempt to settle their dispute. In this mediation session, the model used was facilitative mediation. With facilitative mediation, the process is the focus of the agenda. The parties in this case work out their own dispute with little interaction from the mediator other than general guidance. The mediator plays the role of a facilitator rather than as an individual that provides a great deal of advice or suggestions. Even though this model does not require that the mediator have any knowledge of the dispute before the mediation process begins, in this particular case the mediator did have knowledge of the situation at hand before the mediation process started (Fisher & Ury, 1991 and Charlton & Dewdney, 2004). The Type of Negotiation As far as the type of negotiation that was made in the course of this process, it was relationship building. In this type of negotiation, the parties are likely to move on to a long-term relationship based on the results of the mediation, even if the basis of this process has yet to be determined. Although this type of negotiation often results in a positive relationship being built after the mediation process has concluded, that relationship must be managed carefully in order to prevent further disputes from arising in the future. Both parties must have a great deal of knowledge and skills in order to make this type of negotiation work (Fisher & Ury, 1991 and Charlton & Dewdney, 2004). The Mediation Process The first step of the mediation process was to start the mediation by introducing myself and stating that I held a neutral position. Then, I explained the process of mediation according to the mediation flow: mediator's opening, parties' statements and issue identification, exploration, possible private sessions, joint discussion and ways forward, crafting terms and conditions, and closure. I listened to and outlined that statements and concerns from both sides, asking for a summary as well as why, how, and when. I then spoke to each party individually to determine any concerns that they may have and not want to say in front of
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Water and Air Pollution in Shanghai China Article
Water and Air Pollution in Shanghai China - Article Example Air and water pollution in Shanghai is caused mainly by industrialization and the rapid increase in population. Air pollution levels are through the roof and the water in most parts is not safe for drinking. Water and air pollution in Shanghai, China, has been of great concern to the government, environmentalists and the general public, as the effects continue to affect the environment while many people have gotten incurable diseases and some have died as a result of the two and addressing the issue can be of great importance to the environment, the population and the country. Causes of Air and Water Pollution in Shanghai Coal Coal has been used in China for many centuries. Historians believe that coal in China was used as early as 1000 B.C. since then, it has been a major source of energy in China. Currently, China is the largest producer of coal producing an approximately three billion tons. China consumes more than one billion tons of coal for production of energy. In fact, about 70% of Chinese energy is from coal. Energy is produced by burning the coal. This process leads to a number of by products including smog, soot, carbonaceous gases, methane, sulfur dioxides and nitrogen oxides. These gases are the major causes of air pollution in Shanghai and around China. Coal mining and combustion around Shanghai produces about 37% of air pollution (United Nations Technical Cooperation, 12). Coal use has also been associated with water pollution through several ways. Coal plants use large amounts of water for cooling the plant. Water is also used in these plants to remove impurities that may affect the combustion of coal. The water used has to be released at some point. The water may come into contact with the products and byproducts of coal for example methane, arsenic and particulates. At the same time, the rains may wash out some heavy metal compounds from coal. Coal is usually stored just outside the coal mines and is not covered in most cases (U.S Environmental Protection Agency 5). Whether water is released to a safe disposal place or not it has to find its way to the main water bodies in some way. It can be through run off after rains or through seepage through the rocks in the adjacent areas. Also, sulfur dioxides produced during the production of energy from coal forms a layer of cloud above the earth and leads to acid rain after precipitation landing on vegetat ion and water bodies. Environmentalists also believe that the particulates formed and aerosols are dispersed by wind and end up in the water bodies contaminating the water (Smil 233). Industrialization Shanghai is one of the largest industrial cities and ports in the world. There are more than 10,000 large industries in the city of varying products and services. All these industries have waste which has to be dumped off at some point. As of 1999, industrial waste in Shanghai was estimated to be at 999 million tones per year. 93% of the waste were treated by the rest remained untreated posing a possible pollutant to the environment. Domestic waste on the other hand was estimated to be 380,550 tones within the same period. The monitoring institution stated that most of the waste contained oils and dangerous chemicals which found their way into the water sources (Huizhen 3). Industrial waste and domestic waste in Shanghai has been on the increase since 1997. Many industries have been e stablished and the existing ones have to cope with the increased demand for the various products. The industrial sector has been growing at an average of 11% per year from 1978 to 2008 in China. With Shanghai being one of the major industrial cities, the growth is expected to be around the same rate if not better. The rapid growth in the sector was attributed to by the cheap
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Application of ethical theory to a case study vignette Essay - 1
Application of ethical theory to a case study vignette - Essay Example The paper will throw light over major ethical issues and analyse this case in the light of Consequentialist (Utilitarian) and Deontological ethical approaches. In addition, the researcher will also discuss how he would act or would have acted assuming himself as a top executive of Great Brands marketing company. There are two main ethical issues in this case. The first issue is about Ahmedââ¬â¢s plundering of private information of Great Brands when he electronically copied the customer database and some of the customised software applications software in case he sets up his own company in the future. The questions that arise here are whether Ahmadââ¬â¢s act was violation of companyââ¬â¢s intellectual property rights and whether Ahmed had any other option if he was really interested in setting up his own business. The second major issue is that if Ahmed would establish his own company by using plundered clandestine information then his firm would become a direct competitor of Great Brands. Again the question is whether this is a violation of formal contract with Great Brands that Ahmed would not assist or facilitate any other company that competes with Great Brands because of confidentiality he promised with the officials. It should be mentioned that Utilitarian theory of business ethics is a contribution of proponents of Consequentialists who judges the viability of an option by analysing its positive and negative consequences. Utilitarian approach supports the fact that a solution that brings greater good to greatest number of people is the best solution because the entire society benefits from implementation of this alternative. In other words, the supporters of Utilitarianism have proposed that the scope of each proposed solution should be evaluated on the basis of costs and benefits (in quantitative terms) (White & Taft, 2004). In addition, the proposed alternatives should be shared with
Monday, September 23, 2019
Discussion board Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3
Discussion board - Essay Example Prison wardens could use excessive force that violates human rights to meet these goals, particularly when handling difficult inmates. Use of inhumane strategies by wardens to contain an inmateââ¬â¢s behavior, either directly or indirectly could cause such wardens to be sued. This could be attributed to violation of laws that dictate that for whatever reason a person is incarcerated, such a person should not suffer pain beyond liberty deprivation and that even the most atrocious offender should be treated with dignity and respect. The report of such violations by a Rikers Island jail guards by Weiser (2009) provides an example of how wardensââ¬â¢ actions could cause them to be sued. This reporter observes that the jailââ¬â¢s wardens influenced other inmates to attack inmates who exhibited undesirable conduct. It was such action by the wardens that led to the death of Christopher Robinson, an 18-year old inmate, on 18th October 2009. Three wardens were linked to the death and charged by the Bronx district attorney of larceny and assault among other charges. Therefore, whereas wardens are charged with maintaining order in correctional facilities, they are limited by the need to respect human rights from acting
Sunday, September 22, 2019
How Literature Displays Positive Character Trait Through Characters Essay Example for Free
How Literature Displays Positive Character Trait Through Characters Essay Traits Through Its Characters It is known that a piece of writing can do more than tell a story, but can also portray indirect ideas to the reader. A narrative piece is able to show positive traits, presented through its characters. Literature can display a variety of positive attributes, through different characters, and situations. This is demonstrated in the story, ââ¬Å"The Blue Bead,â⬠through Sibiaââ¬â¢s acts of selflessness, and again in the text ââ¬Å"Long, Long, After School,â⬠through Miss Trethewayââ¬â¢s acts of kind-heartedness. In the story ââ¬Å"The Blue Bead,â⬠an example of how literature shows positive raits through its characters, is composed by Sibiaââ¬â¢s displays of selflessness when saving a woman from an attacking crocodile. In the text, the narrator states, ââ¬Å"Sometimes it had seemed difficult to cross these stones, especially with the big gapâ⬠¦ But now she came on wingsâ⬠¦ and in a moment, she was beside the shrieking woman (pg. 61). â⬠This shows selflessness because Sibia, usually hesitant on the slippery stones, flies across them making rapid footing decisions, throwing herself towards to woman being attacked, aware of the fact that if she falls, she could harm herself severely. Another piece of evidence is shown when the narrator states, ââ¬Å"Its eyes rolled on to Sibia. One slap of the tail could kill her. (pg. 61). â⬠This shows selflessness because the young girl willingly put her life at risk, to save one that was not her own. Through the young girlââ¬â¢s displays of selflessness, one can see how the text, ââ¬Å"The Blue Beadâ⬠portrays a positive trait through Sibia. Throughout the text, ââ¬Å"Long, Long After School,â⬠Miss Tretheway shows kind- heartedness through acts presented in the story. An illustration of this is when a flashback occurs, back to when Miss Tretheway states, ââ¬Å"Why, Marilyn, Wesââ¬â¢s hands re much cleaner than yours. Maybe Wes doesnââ¬â¢t like to get his hands dirtyâ⬠¦ (pg. 114). â⬠This shows kind-heartedness because though Miss Tretheway is Wesââ¬â¢ teacher, she stood up for him when his classmate insulted him in front of his peers. Another illustration of how Miss Tretheway shows ki nd-heartedness is when a character states, ââ¬Å"She gave me a whole quart, just as soon as she found out that hers would match. â⬠This shows kind-heartedness because one was willing to give up blood, an element that signifies life, almost immediately to save someone who with the woman shared a student-teacher relationship. Through the acts of kind- heartedness displayed through the story, ââ¬Å"Long, Long, After Schoolâ⬠shows that literature shows positive attributes through its characters. A piece of writing can portray positive traits through its developed characters. Sibia shows selflessness through her acts of saving the woman being attacked by the crocodile, putting oneââ¬â¢s own life at risk. Miss Tretheway displays kind-heartedness by standing up for a student, and giving the aforementioned student a much needed blood transfusion. These examples show that positive traits can be demonstrated through characters presented in literature.
Friday, September 20, 2019
Doctrine of Impossibility in Contracts
Doctrine of Impossibility in Contracts Introduction This essay will consist in an attempt to analyse the doctrine of impossibility and its operation in relation to contracts. It will look closely at both the concept of initial impossibility arising from a common mistake on the part of both parties as to the state of things before the contract was agreed and the concept of subsequent impossibility and frustration. The latter deals with a situation whether the parties enter into agreement on terms both express and implied and then a supervening event renders the performance of that agreement radically different from that which was envisaged by both parties at the outset. These themes will be discussed in greater detail in the first section and will run throughout the work. The essay will examine the concept of objective and subjective impossibility, and the rules relating to discharge of contractual obligations and allocation of risk. It will look at the situation when either the subject matter or a thing essential for performance is de stroyed or unavailable, either partially or completely. It will then look at how the death or supervening incapacity of a party will affect a personal contract. Towards the latter part of the essay, it will discuss the problems that arise when a method of performance becomes impossible or a particular source becomes unavailable. It will conclude by looking at the effect of delay and temporary impossibility on a contract. The concept of impossibility The concept of impossibility in contract law can be split into two distinct categories. There are the cases where the parties never actually reach a true agreement because they are mistaken as to some element of the contract before the contract is concluded and the cases where the contract becomes impossible to perform subsequent to the agreement having been reached. Generally speaking, in the first instance, the contract is void ab initio and in the second, an otherwise valid contract is brought to an end from the point when the impossibility arises. A basic example to illustrate the difference would be a contract for the sale of a car. If unknown to the parties, the car had blown up 5 minutes before the contract was signed the contract would be void ab initio, whereas if the car blew up 5 minutes after the contract was signed, the contract would be valid, but brought to an end by the fact that its subject matter no longer existed. Essentially the courts are implying into the contra ct a condition precedent that the subject matter exists and is capable of transfer. This concept of implied condition precedent has been regarded with considerable scepticism among commentators in light of the traditional common law view that the courts should neither make nor amend a bargain. The main problem arises when dealing with the first type of impossibility. It is not always entirely clear how the courts will formulate the implied condition precedent. Smith and Thomas suggest three possibilities: A impliedly promised B that the thing existed. A impliedly promised B that he had taken reasonable care to ascertain that the thing existed. A and B proceeded on the common assumption, for which neither was more responsible than the other, that the thing existed and its existence was a condition precedent of the contract.[1] Which of these options it will be, depends largely on the relative means of knowledge of the parties and whether one is relying on the other. This will be discussed at length through the course of the work. It also may be that on proper construction of the contract either, or both of the parties have made absolute promises. In that event, the courts will not excuse non-performance for either type of impossibility. There are also cases where the contract has not become entirely physically or legally impossible, but an event has occurred which ââ¬Å"strikes at the base of the contract so as to frustrate its purpose.â⬠[2] This is commonly referred to as frustration and it operates as a form of subsequent impossibility. Objective and Subjective Impossibility The contract will have to be objectively impossible to perform before it is held to be void. The case of Thornborow v Whitacre (1705) 2 Ld Raym 1164 held that a party cannot escape liability on the grounds of impossibility purely relating to his individual ability or circumstances. Neither will he be discharged from his obligations simply because he finds the contract particularly difficult or onerous to perform: ââ¬Å"It is not hardship or inconvenience or material loss itself which calls the principle of frustration into playâ⬠[3] Subsequent impossibility will similarly not excuse the parties from performance if it was brought about by the conduct of one of the parties. The case of Southern Foundries (1926) Ltd v Shirlaw [1940] AC 701 held at 717 per Lord Atkin: ââ¬Å"â⬠¦conduct of either promisor or promisee which can be said to amount to himself of his own motion, bringing about the impossibility of performance is in itself a breach.â⬠Clearly, any impossibility that can be attributed to either party will be considered a breach of contract and the defaulting party will become liable in damages in the usual way. Where the impossibility brought about by one of the parties existed at the time of the contract he is likely to be held to have warranted possible performance of the contract and held to be in breach of that warranty. As discussed above it is sometimes possible for the courts to hold that a party made an absolute promise and therefore accepted the risk of the fact that the contract might be impossible to perform. Whether a contract is considered to be absolute will be a matter of objective construction of the terms of the contract. If the contract is held to be absolute, the party will be held to his performance whether or not the impossibility is his fault or not. In the case Paradine v Jane (1647) Aleyn 26 a lessee was held liable to pay rent even though he had been evicted from the property by armed forces during the civil war. A lease is a type of contract that is commonly regarded as being objectively absolute without reference to the subjective intentions of the parties. Overall the contract must be objectively impossible to perform, the subjective views of the parties as to their circumstances and their personal ability to perform the contract will not usually be taken into account. Similarly, if a party is active in bringing about the impossibility the contract will not be seen as objectively impossible, but as having been breached. Conversely, some contracts will be held to be objectively absolute and the subjective intentions of the parties in forming the contract and their level of fault in bringing about the impossibility of performance will not be relevant. Destruction of the Subject Matter In the case of Taylor v Caldwell (1863) 3 B S 826 the claimants granted the defendants the use of a music hall and gardens for a series of music concerts. After the contract had been concluded, but before the concerts had begun the music hall was destroyed by fire and the concerts could no longer be held there. The claimants argued that the defendants were in breach of the contract for failing to provide the music hall and sought to recover à £58, which they had spent on advertising the concerts. The courts however held that the contract had become impossible to perform and was therefore frustrated. Both parties were therefore released from their obligations under the contract. In coming to this conclusion Blackburn J referred to the dicta of Pothier[4] stating that: ââ¬Å"The debtor is freed from obligation when the ting has perished, neither by his act nor his neglect and before he is in default, unless by some stipulation he has taken on himself the risk of the particular misfortune which has occurred.â⬠He recognises that the civil law is not binding on English Courts, but states that it is a useful indicator of the principles on which the law is grounded. Blackburn J also refers to a line of authority involving bailment. For example the case of Williams v Lloyd W.Jones 179 the claimant had delivered a horse to the defendant on the condition that it be returned on request. Without fault on the part of the defendant, the horse became sick and died and was therefore not able to be returned on the request of the claimant. It was held that bailee was discharged from his promise by the fact that the horse had died. Blackburn J stated that it was a settled principle of English law that in contracts for loans of chattels or bailments, if the promise of the bailee or borrower to return the goods becomes impossible because the goods have perished through no fault of his own, the bailee is excused from this promise. It is noted that in none of the cases relating to bailment was it expressly agreed that the destruction of the subject matter would release either party from their obligation, ââ¬Å"the excuse is by law impliedâ⬠[5] This principle established in Taylor and subsequent cases[6] is now contained in section 7 of the Sale of Goods Act 1979 ââ¬Å"Where there is an agreement to sell specific goods and subsequently the goods, without any fault on the part of the seller or buyer, perish before the risk passes to the buyer, the agreement is avoided.â⬠Partial Destruction of the Subject Matter It is interesting to note that the contract in Taylor was for the use of ââ¬ËSurrey Music Hall and Gardensââ¬â¢. It was therefore only part of the subject matter that was destroyed by the fire; the gardens were still in tact. However, it was held that the destruction of the music hall rendered performance of the contract impossible. This implies that when part of the subject matter is destroyed the courts will investigate the purpose of the contract. If the part that is destroyed renders that purpose impossible the contract will be held to have been frustrated by its destruction. Discharge and Rules Governing Risk As discussed above a contract, which is the subject of a mistake made by both parties prior to its formation that makes performance impossible, will be void ab initio. This is not the case if the impossibility arises after the formation of the contract, i.e. the contract is frustrated. In that event, the contract is said to be discharged from the time when the frustrating event arose. The parties are discharged from any future performance without having to elect that that will be the case.[7] Where the core of the contract is the happening of some future event and that event is cancelled the time of frustration will be the time when the cancellation is announced. In the case of Krell v Henry [1903] 2 KB 740 the defendant hired a flat on Pall Mall to watch the coronation procession of Edward VII, though this purpose was not expressed in the contract. The procession was cancelled before the formation of the contract, but the announcement was not made until after the contract had been a greed. If the contract is severable, it may be that only part of the contract is frustrated and the other parts remain in force. It seems that even when an entire contract of sale is held to be discharged because it has become impossible to deliver some of the goods, the buyer can ââ¬Ëwaiveââ¬â¢ this and demand delivery of the rest of the goods. This was the case in HR S Sainsbury Ltd v Street [1972] 3 All ER 1127. Supervening events may also make the suspend the contract without actually discharging it.[8] Temporary impossibility will be discussed in greater detail in a later section. Furthermore, illegality may frustrate a minor obligation without discharging the entire contract. The implications of things like this for a potential doctrine of partial frustration will also be discussed later. The essay will now go on to look at who should bear the risk and hence the loss of a frustrating event. For a long time it was thought that the losses resulting from the frustration of a contract should lie where they fell. This led to the conclusion that any money paid before the frustrating event occurred was irrecoverable and conversely any money already due under the contract for services provided was enforceable. In the case of Chandler v Webster [1904] 1 KB 493, CA, a room was hired to view the coronation procession, the price being payable immediately. When the procession was cancelled, à £100 had been paid on account. It was held that the contract was frustrated thereby releasing the parties from further performance, but leaving promises performable before the frustrating event still standing. On the other side a party who had only partially performed the contract could not recover anything for his services even when he had conferred a benefit on the other side.[9] It is pos sible however that a party who, after a frustrating event, takes reasonable steps to protect the other partyââ¬â¢s interest will be entitled to recover remuneration for his expenditure on a restitutionary quantum meruit basis. This was the case in Socià ©tà © Franco-Tunisienne dArmement v Sidermar SpA [1961] 2 QB 278[10]. Until 1942 it was also considered that there could be no recovery for total failure of consideration. This was on the basis that up until the point of frustration the party who had paid any money had the benefit of a executory contractual promise and that was consideration enough[11]. However, in the case of Fibrosa Spolka Akcyjna v Fairbairn Lawson Combe Barbour Ltd [1943] AC 32 the House of Lords held that a party could recover where there had been a total failure of consideration. This was an improvement on the Chandler position discussed above, but two principle defects in the law remained. The first was that the principle only applied when there was a total failure of consideration; where there was a partial failure the claimant could not recover anything.[12] The second defect was that the payee could not set off any expenditure that he had incurred in the performance of his side of the contract. These defects were rectified by section 1(2) of the Law Reform (Frustrated Contrac ts) Act 1943. The subsection states: ââ¬Å"All sums paid or payable to any party in pursuance of the contract before the time when the parties were so discharged (in this Act referred to as ââ¬Å"the time of dischargeâ⬠) shall, in the case of sums so paid, be recoverable from him as money received by him for the use of the party by whom the sums were paid, and, in the case of sums so payable, cease to be so payable: Provided that, if the party to whom the sums were so paid or payable incurred expenses before the time of discharge in, or for the purpose of, the performance of the contract, the court may, if it considers it just to do so having regard to all the circumstances of the case, allow him to retain or, as the case may be, recover the whole or any part of the sums so paid or payable, not being an amount in excess of the expenses so incurred.â⬠This deals with the defects in the common law by stating that monies paid before the frustrating event are recoverable, sums payable prior to the time of discharge cease to be payable and the payee is entitled to set off expenses reasonably incurred in their performance of the contract. Goff and Jones note that whilst the Act does deal in outline with the deficiencies of the common law it does not completely resolve the issues.[13] For example, the Act does not say what principles the court ought to employ to decide how much the payee is entitled to set off. In the case Gamerco SA v ICM/Fair Warning Agency Ltd [1995] 1 WLR 1226 Garland J felt that the courtââ¬â¢s task was to: ââ¬Å"â⬠¦do justice in a situation which the parties had neither contemplated nor provided for, and to mitigate the possible harshness of allowing all loss to lie where it has fallen.â⬠Section 1(2) does permit the payee to recover or retain more than he has been paid up to the tine of frustration. I.e. for expenses incurred in expectation of future payment. They may be able to recover such expenditure under section 1(3), which takes effect when one party has conferred a valuable benefit on the other party (other than money) before the time of discharge. In that event, he will be able to recover a just sum, which shall not exceed the value of the benefit conferred. Robert Goff J held in the case of BP v Hunt [1979] 1 WLR 783 that there were two steps to assessing a claim under section 1(3), the first was identifying and valuing the benefit conferred. Goff J held that usually the benefit would be the end product of any services. In some contracts the services were the end product themselves, for example, a contract for the transportation of goods. He held that if the end product is destroyed by the frustrating event then no benefit is conferred because the other party does not have the product either. This interpretation has been heavily criticised as failing to give effect to the intention of the Act.[14] This section of the Act was intended to mitigate against the harsh consequences of the common law rule of ââ¬Ëentire obligationsââ¬â¢. In the case of Appleby and Myers (1876) LR 2 CP 651 the claimants contracted to make machinery in the defendants factory and to maintain the machinery for two years. Payment was upon completion of the wor k. After part of the machinery had been erected, a fire destroyed the whole factory and all the machinery. The claimants could not recover anything, as they had not completed the work. Goff Jââ¬â¢s interpretation of section 1(3) would lead to the same result. However, this interpretation has also been adopted in the Commonwealth[15]. It does appear to accord closely with the wording of section 1(3), which draws a distinction between the performance by on party and the benefit conferred on the other. This implies that the claimant must actually have received the benefit of any performance on the part of the defendant before the defendant can recover or retain any money. The second step Goff J laid down was the measurement of a ââ¬Ëjust sumââ¬â¢. Contractual allocation of risk will of course be a factor. Goff J thought that it ought to be as much as is necessary to prevent the unjust enrichment of the other party. This approach was rejected by the Court of Appeal in the same case, who simply held that it was in the almost unrestricted discretion of the trial judge. In conclusion, the Act is sadly deficient in its guidance as to the allocation of risk and loss between the parties to a contract that has been discharged for frustration. It is possible for the parties to allocate the risks contractually. This is one of the main reasons that the courts have kept a tight reign on the doctrine of frustration. Parties are expected to be able to foresee the possibility of dramatic price increases and the outbreak of labour disputes etc. Contracts therefore regularly include clauses which allocate the risk of such an unforeseen event occurring. One common example is a ââ¬Ëforce majeure clauseââ¬â¢. In the case of Channel Island Ferries Ltd v Sealink UK Ltd [1988] 1 Lloydââ¬â¢s Rep 323 the relevant clause stated: ââ¬Å"A party shall not be liable in the event of non-fulfilment of any obligation arising under this contract by reason of Act of God, disease, strikes, Lock-Outs, fire and any accident or incident of any nature beyond the control of the relevant party.â⬠The advantages of such clauses are that they provide a degree of certainty and the parties can agree to a wider range of circumstances than are currently available under the doctrine of frustration. For example, an unexpected increase in prices is not considered to be a frustrating event,[16] but it is common in a commercial contract to see a force majeur clause containing provision for ââ¬Ëabnormal increase in prices and wages.ââ¬â¢ It also allows the parties to determine their future relationship. The frustration doctrine discharges the contract regardless of the wishes of the parties, but they can provide for a continuing, adapted relationship if they so wish. Unavailability of the Subject Matter Where both parties are mistaken as to the availability of the subject matter at the time of the contract, this may be sufficiently fundamental to avoid the contract. The leading case on this issue is that of Courturier v Hastie (1856) 5 HLC 637 in which the parties entered into a contract for the sale of a cargo of corn, which was believed to be in transit from Salonica to England. Unknown to both the parties, the cornââ¬â¢s quality had deteriorated to such an extent that the master had sold it. The House of Lords held that the matter turned on the construction of the contract concluding that: ââ¬Å"The contract plainly imports that there was something which was to be sold at the time of the contract, and something to be purchased, no such thing existing,â⬠¦ judgment should be given for the defendants.â⬠[17] The exact legal basis for importing this term has been the subject of some debate among commentators and will be discussed briefly now. The draftsmen of section 6 of the Sale of Goods Act 1979 appear to have interpreted the decision as stating that a mistake as to the existence of the subject matter of the contract inevitably renders it void: 6 Goods which have perished Where there is a contract for the sale of specific goods, and the goods without the knowledge of the seller have perished at the time when the contract is made, the contract is void. The court in Couturier did not however mention the word mistake; they based their reasoning on the construction of the contract and the fact that there was a total failure of consideration on the part of the sellers. Lord Denning applied a different interpretation in the case of Solle v Butcher [1950] 1 KB 671 at 691 in which he held that there was an implied condition precedent that the contract was capable of performance. He reasoned that in Couturier the parties had proceeded on the assumption that the goods were capable of being sold, when in fact they were no longer available for sale. Lord Denningââ¬â¢s interpretation does seem to give effect to the most likely intention of the parties. However, in the absence of a clear intention to release each other from the agreement if the subject matter is not available, it is not clear when Lord Denning is suggesting a term of this nature should be implied into the contract. The third interpretation is that whether or not the contract will be void, depends on the its construction. This was the interpretation put on Couturier by the High Court of Australia in the case of McRae v Commonwealth Disposals Commission 84 C.L.R. 377. The defendants invited tenders for the purchase of an oil tanker described as lying on the Jourmand Reef off Papua, together with its contents, which were stated to be oil. The Claimants won the tender and spent a considerable amount of money modifying a vessel for the salvage work. In a bizarre turn of events it was later discovered that no such tanker had ever existed. The court held that: ââ¬Å"The only proper construction of the contract is that it included a promise by the commission that there was a tanker in the position specified.â⬠On that construction the Commission had assumed the risk of the tanker not existing. They distinguished Couturier, holding that this was not a case in which both parties had entered the contract on a common assumption. The Commission had assumed the existence of the tanker, but the buyers had only relied on their assertion. In policy terms there can be little doubt that the approach taken in McRae is a sound one and one which ought to be followed by the English courts, but its is somewhat difficult to reconcile with section 6 of the Sale of Goods Act. There is the possible argument that McRae does not fall under section 6 because the tanker had never existed and therefore could not have ââ¬Ëperishedââ¬â¢. This distinction does seem somewhat artificial and not within the intention of the court in McRae. If the subject matter becomes unavailable after the contract has been concluded this may also render the contract frustrated for impossibility. For example in the case of Bank Line Ltd v Arthur Capel Co [1919] AC 435 a charterparty was held to be frustrated when the ship was requisitioned and so unavailable to the charterer. Temporary unavailability may also suffice, but this will be discussed later. Destruction or Unavailability of a Thing Essential for Performance Lord Atkin in the case of Bell v Lever Brothers Ltd [[1932] A.C. 161, discussed the circumstances in which one might wish to imply a condition into the contract. He states that a condition derives its efficacy from the consent of the parties, express or implied. He supposes a possible term: ââ¬Å"Unless the facts are or are not of a particular nature, or unless an event has or has not happened, the contract is not to take effect.â⬠If there are express words in the contract such as ââ¬Ëa foundation essential to the existenceââ¬â¢, there need not be any further enquiry, but when there are no such words the court must investigate the circumstances of the agreement to see whether any such condition can be implied. Lord Atkin uses the example of the hire of a professional vocalist whose continued health would be essential to the performance of the contract. The case of Krell v Henry [1903] 2 KB 740 has been discussed earlier. For present purposes it can be described in the following terms: The contract was for the hire of a room on Pall Mall to watch the coronation procession of Edward VII. The subject matter of the contract was the room and that was still in tact. However, the purpose of the contract was to watch the procession and without the procession the contract was not capable of full performance. Vaughn Williams LJ refers in his judgment to the case of Nickoll v Ashton [1901] 2 K.B, which is authority for the proposition: ââ¬Å" English Law applies the principle not only to cases where performance of the contract becomes impossible by the cessation of existence of the thing which is the subject matter of the contract, but also to cases where the event which renders the contract incapable of performance is the cessation or non existence of an express condition the continued existence of which is necessary for the fulfilment of the contract, and essential to its performance.â⬠This concept was extended in Krell to include a situation in which that particular set of circumstances (the viewing of the coronation) was not expressly mentioned in the contract. The contract in Krell was, however a strange one; the room was only hired out by the day, not the night, and the purpose for the contract on both sides was the viewing of the coronation. It is clear that the particular set of circumstances must have been in the contemplation of the parties and one that they both realised was necessary for the full performance of the contract. There is some dispute surrounding the Krell case. Cheshire and Fifoot point out that the cancellation was probably not in the contemplation of the parties, but with regard to the proposition that the buyer should be discharged from his obligation to pay on cancellation: ââ¬Å"It is incompatible with the character of a hard bargainer to say that the owner of the room would have agreed to this proposal if it had been put to him during negotiations.â⬠[18] It is more likely that the owner would have told the hirer that that was a risk he would have to take. It seems somewhat unreasonable to import to the seller a state of mind which he may well not have been in had he thought about it. McElroy and Williams, on the other hand say that the contract was impliedly for the hire of ââ¬Å"rooms to view the processionâ⬠, the fact that there was no procession therefore amounted to a complete failure of consideration on the part of the owner of the rooms, discharging the hirer from his obligation to pay.[19] The circumstances in which Krell will apply are extremely limited. The set of circumstances, which the parties assume to be continuing, must be the common foundation of the contract. In the case of Herne Bay Steamboat Co v Hutton [1903] 2 KB 683 the claimant hired a ship from the defendant to watch the naval review and for a dayââ¬â¢s cruise around the fleet. After the contract, the naval review was cancelled owing to the same illness of Edward VII, but the contract was held not to have been frustrated. This is thought to be because the hirer could still see the fleet and the boat had not been hired out by the owner for the specific purpose of seeing the Naval Review. This meant that seeing the Naval Review was not the common purpose of the contract and its cancellation was not therefore a frustrating event. Thus interpreted, Krell can be seen as a very narrow decision and as indeed been distinguished in more recent cases.[20] The Death of a Person Essential to Performance In the case of Galloway v Galloway (1914) 30 TLR 531 the defendant thought that his first wife had died and married the claimant. The defendant and claimant subsequently separated and entered into a deed of separation under which the defendant agreed to pay the claimant a weekly sum in maintenance. The defendant then discovered that his firs
Thursday, September 19, 2019
Myths in Tom Robbinsââ¬â¢s Another Roadside Attraction :: Another Roadside Attraction
Questioning Myths in Tom Robbinsââ¬â¢s Another Roadside Attraction Tom Robbinsââ¬â¢s controversial first novel, Another Roadside Attraction, epitomizes the declination of religious devotion, especially Catholicism, in America during the 1960s. Influences on Robbins while conceiving this novel include the early history of Christianity, eastern religion, and author Joseph Campbell. Campbell is famous for his massive and detailed comparisons of Western and Eastern spirituality, myth, and belief. Additionally, the experimentation with psychedelic drugs such as LSD and psilocybin mushrooms led Robbins to new perspectives and mind expansion and consequently to question the validity of Christianity and the divinity of Jesus Christ. Robbins was intrigued by the extent to which Western Civilizationââ¬âfrom its cultural myths to individual behaviorââ¬âwas predicted on the divinity of Christ. He wanted to explore questions and possible answers about what would happen if American Christians learned conclusively that Christ was not divine; questions s uch as, "What would this say about Western Civilization, about the future of Western Civilization? Could we continue to lead moral and ethical lives if Christ was proved to have died and stayed dead?" (Whitmer 245). This premise, conceived while writing art reviews for the Seattle Times, led Robbins to speculate about the consequences of world religion if the corpse of Jesus Christ was unearthed. When he approached Luther Nichols, west coast editor of Doubleday Books in 1968 with the concept for Another Roadside Attraction, Nichols bought the idea and Robbins was off and running on his first piece of fiction (Hoyser 9-12). While Robbinsââ¬â¢s work was at first ill received, by the mid-1970s the public had started to warm up to this quirky and thought provoking writer. Even today, his work invites inquiry about what prompted him to write this controversial novel. That is, who and what influenced this line of thought? What was happening in America and with Christianity during the period, in which he wrote and researched this piece of fiction? And, finally, why did he write in this sporadic, nonlinear fashion, inserting seemingly non-related details and encrypting an official report within the structure of a novel? And how does this relate to the influences mentioned above? All of these questions and more offer themselves up from the pages of this funny and whimsical, yet philosophical and wise novel, Another Roadside Attraction. Robbins began penning his first novel in 1968 while working for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Before that he held many journalistic jobs and had a varied and colorful education.
science of ozone :: essays research papers fc
THE SCIENCE OF OZONE Ozone, though similar to oxygen chemically, is composed of three molecules of oxygen and is usually blue in color with a very strong odor. The atmosphere contains less ozone than the common oxygen. While out of every ten million air molecules, there exist about two million molecules of normal oxygen and only three molecules of ozone. Most of these ozone molecules are typically concentrated in the Stratosphere, the atmospheric layer that runs roughly from ten kms to about fifty kms in altitude. Even though the amount of ozone in the atmosphere is small, it plays a vital role in the atmosphere. The ozone layer protects the Earth and everything on it by absorbing the sunââ¬â¢s UV radiation. When the ozone is not at an atmospheric level and is at ground level, ozone proves to have toxic effects. ââ¬ËInhaling fairly low amounts of ozone can result in signs and symptoms such as coughing, congestion, wheezing, shortness of breath, and chest pain in otherwise healthy people. People with already existing asthma, bronchitis, heart disease, and emphysema may find their conditions worsen while inhaling ozone. Breathing ozone may also increase the risk of getting certain lung diseases. People can recover from short-term exposure to low levels of ozone. However, breathing high levels of ozone or breathing low levels of ozone over a long period of time may have more damaging and longer-lasting effects.ââ¬â¢ Ozone has also been found to have positive effects on people. It has proven to be a very purifying substance. Doctors are now aware that it has three powerful properties: 1. It stimulates the immune systems through production of natural cancer-killing proteins called cytokines. 2. It improves oxygenation (delivery of oxygen to starved tissues) and metabolism. 3. It is a powerful antibiotic when applied locally. Ozone is made naturally in the atmosphere or artificially by using high voltages or ultraviolet rays. Ozone and Oxygen work together efficiently to prevent the ultraviolet radiations reaching the earthââ¬â¢s surface. The ultraviolet radiations with shorter wavelengths, such as wavelengths less than 242 nm, have sufficient energy to break the O-O covalent bonds in the oxygen molecules and are thereby used up by the oxygen molecules. < 242 nm O2 (g) à ® 2O (g) Similarly, ultraviolet radiations with higher wavelengths, for example more than 242 nm to 320 nm, are used up in breaking the bonds between the oxygen atoms in an Ozone molecule. 242-320 nm
Wednesday, September 18, 2019
Jack: Almost the Hero of Lord of the Flies :: Lord of the Flies Essays
Jack: Almost the Hero of Lord of the Flies Jack Merridew is the devil-like figure in the story, Lord of the Flies. Jack is wicked in nature having no feelings for any living creature. His appearance and behavior intimidates the others from their first encounter. The leading savage, Jack leans more towards hunting and killing and is the main reason behind the splitting of the boys. It has been said that Jack represents the evilness of human nature; but in the end, Jack is almost a hero. With his totalitarian leadership, he was able to organize the group of boys into a useful and productive society From the beginning of the novel Jack intimidates the other boys with his flaming red hair, his long black cape, and the brutal way he shouts orders to his choir. Although he is not a good-looking boy, he is amazingly arrogant. He always has to look good in people's eyes. Not that he cares if people like him, but more that they respect him. The only way he knows how to gain people's admiration is by getting them to fear him. He spots Piggy as an easy target and immediately starts to humiliate him in front of the others: "You're talking too much," said Jack Merridew. "Shut up, Fatty."(21) He sizes up Piggy right from the beginning knowing that Piggy wouldn't stand up to him and by making fun of him he was letting the other boys know that he not one to be messed with. When he feels that people are about to think him to be weak or gutless, he uses his knife as if it were a symbol of his superiority: "Jack slammed his knife into a trunk and looked round challengingly"(33). His knife gives him power, a weapon that he would use against anyone who dares to mock him. He shows early on how he has no sympathy for anyone. For example, when Simon passed out from heat exhaustion on the beach Jack showed no compassion: "Let him alone.He's always throwing a faint."(20) Simon was not a stranger, he was a boy that Jack has spent a great deal of time with and yet he displays no feelings for him at all. He demonstrates a great deal of power over his choir. He orders them around as if they were puppets that he controls by working their strings and making them dance at will.
Tuesday, September 17, 2019
Good management Essay
ââ¬Å"Good management is working through others to accomplish task that help fulfill organizational objectives as efficiently as possible. â⬠a) Would you agree to the above statement? Please explain your answer. No, I disagree with the above statement as efficiency was more towards achieving specific objective with minimum usage available resources and time consumption. In view of my current job in sales and marketing, if I just blindly drive my sales team to sale the products and services to fulfill the organizational sales target without considering the quality of delivery in terms of knowledge, skills, competency, and experience, time required for delivery, methods used for delivery and resources available for delivery. How long can I maintain the sales target without considering the effectiveness of the delivery system? An example of a service manager, Mr Raymond Ling from Jimisar Autotrade Sdn Bhd, Sibu branch said that the top management has set the target where every mechanic must service one unit of car in 30 minutes to prove the efficiency of the service team else disciplinary action will be taken. As a result, the mechanic gets the job done within the given timeframe without considering the quality of the service and types of service required by the customer. At the end, the sales advisor has been receiving a lot of customer complaints such as ââ¬Å"why my car so dirty after the service? â⬠, ââ¬Å"why you donââ¬â¢t check the air of the tyresâ⬠? At the end, they have been losing their customer. However, UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd ââ¬â Sibu branch service centre, Mr Mathew Tiong said that their top management do set the time frame but according to types of services ââ¬â general service, minor repair or major repair? The customer must call to pre-book the services and inform the service advisor the suspected problem of their car that need the service centre to troubleshoot. The head office organizes training in technical, motivation, customer service by routine and weekly review to ensure they improve and fast in respond to rectify the problem. The customer satisfaction level has been increase and manages to retain their old customer even though the free service period has over but they still come back to them to service their car. This show that efficiency can drive a person or a team to complete the task as per requirement but in terms of management, it should not be just looking into efficiency but effectiveness also very important especially in the sales and services industry. b) If you were tasked the role of a CEO, how would you make others to accomplish tasks effectively. I am an Advance Diploma in Computer Studies holder with around 12 years of working experience from administration, event management, sales and marketing in retail and education. If I am being tasked the role of CEO in my company. I definitely will take the challenge. First, I will go to google and read some good example of a CEO in some well-known company such as SAMSUNG, APPLE, DISNEY and etc to get some inspiration and better idea on how to become a good and effective CEO in my company. I believe lead by example. I also believe people are the most important asset of an organization. How to become an effective CEO? I believe an effective CEO must be able to lead and work through people. How to tap on their talents? How to make them work for you and how to motivate them? What is their strengths and weakness? I must know my staff well and delegates the job by tapping on their talents. Being the top of the pyramid, a great CEO must be able to clearly communicate the vision of the company in order to inspire staff, customers and investors. As the company bearer, all eyes turn to the CEO for direction and example. It is the key for the CEO to understand the every-day activities of the organization and how all parts fits all together to move the company forward. As CEO, I should not get dragged into the seductive lure of micro managing granular details. Instead I should trust my management team that there are capable in handling it. I need to build up a strong and good quality management team where they should know and accountable for their responsibilities. I must know how to mentor and accomplish them to keep them motivated, involved and on the track to meet the company goals. People are the most important resource available to me to build up a strong management team. I must be SMART in managing them when there is an issue, problem, demands or even crisis. I must be an effective leader. How? First I should be a good listener and willing to listen to problems and concerns my employee as a friend to get more concrete information about their comments or problems. I should be giving positive reinforcement and is about asking or requesting them to do something not commanding them. I must posts influencing power and donââ¬â¢t mind to get the hands dirty to make my team to follow my recommendations and willing to works together with me. I must realize that I am not just a figure head or a boss! To be a successful and effective CEO, it first comes from the way that you treat your staff or coworkers. I must know how to respect their ideas and not just simply brush them off and only use my own ideas. I must treat everyone equally and everyone feel like they are part of the group. When they are given full respect, they are more willing to give respect back and I will be able to gain more loyal followers. I also must involve them in some of the management process and valued them according to their contribution and commitments. I must do what is the best for the group and sometimes it involves making tough decisions and willing to take risks if it will benefit the whole. I should realize and remind myself that working with different personalities can be challenging especially when there is a project that needs to be done. I must know how to work with each of these different personalities and at the same time encourage and motivate them to get the job done. An effective CEO must be able to position my team according to their strength to get the best and most effective output of them. As an effective CEO, I will be involved in the overall management process where people will be the most important asset. Why? Because every process from decision making, organization, leading and controlling, people will decide whether it will works effectively or not. The team commitment, competencies, loyalty and sense of responsibility will determine how far the company can achieve its goal.
Monday, September 16, 2019
Title of your paper
It feels like such a long time since I last saw you. I know I've only been away for only a few weeks, but so far my vacation here at Greece has been great! I'm currently staying at the Academy.I found a friend who shares the same passion with me in philosophy and he asked me to come with him to this place to meet other people. I'm very glad to stay here, I've learned a lot from various people.Anyways, yesterday I was walking along Agora or the city market and found some really great stuffs to buy and take home. In this place I found many people who are trading and talking about gossip (for women) and politics (for men). After hours of walking, I was able to get to the Hephaisteion.à I stayed for a while and witness the beauty of the temple.At noon, the heat at Athensà is topnotch so I stayed at the Stoa for cover. There are two kinds of Stoa, the one I stayed at was the Painted Stoa. It is a long covered hall that is open in one side and is decorated with many beautiful paintin gs.I spent almost an hour there and spent the whole time talking to people who get to engage in a conversation with me. It's really funny though for they will just come up to me and ask me something all of a sudden.I was so dumbstruck. At the right of Agora are the sacred places that can be found in the city like the Theatre of Dionysos, the Askelpieion, and most of all the Acropolis.After a while of wandering around, my attention got caught by a group of man loudly arguing among one another. I happened to ask someone about what's going on and he told me that the male citizen are debating about big decisions that affect the city.This place that I got into was called the Pnyx, the home of the assembly of people. However, I want to go to some quiet place instead and got interested in following young children each carrying small vases. I noticed I was back at the entrance of the city which was the Karameikos for I used the potteries as a landmark.By the end of the day, I decided to spe nd my time at the cemetery and stayed there till sunset. The cemetery was great for it really depicts the culture of the Athenians with their pottery and carvings.But what interests me most is the people's daily activities on the city. By what I've observed, they're almost routinary. Different kinds of people have specific type of jobs to finish each day. Even before the day starts people can be seen from all over the place.I came to ask a man why he was up so early and he said he had a trial and he have to prepare. Women get water from the fountains and traders are up for early trading. By mid-morning, servants are already working on their respective jobs. And by noon, the Agora and almost every plac ein Athens is so busy with people talking, doing business and many more.By mid afternoon, the place starts to quiet down and shops are preparing to close, this is my favorite part of the day in Athens for it is very peaceful and relaxing. And at last by midnight, servants start to rela x and even play games with their friends.I somehow got used to the busy and loud environment here at Greece. Though I'm not quite used to talking about politics all the time, or even some serious or religious topics like religion and life. Athens is a very economic centered city and almost all people has something to trade and has something to offer as livelihood. All over Greece, the people grew olives, grapes, and figs. They kept goats, for milk and cheese. In the plains, where the soil was more rich, they also grew wheat to make bread. Making it smell like a combination of vegetables and farm animals at the same time.I really liked it here so far. I wanted to explore the city more but I guess need to have more time. Nevertheless, today I was invited to go to a friend's house and spend the night there. I'm gonna have to take a look at a Greek house and be amazed once again.I'll write to you again very soon. Take care always. See you!
Sunday, September 15, 2019
Dr. Seuss’s the Sneetches
The Sneetches Book Analysis By: Matthew Strong The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss is the title story in a playfully written series of short stories that subtly illustrate very crucial moral and social issues that are still very relevant in todayââ¬â¢s society, despite the book being published in 1961. Now, obviously this story can be read for sheer pleasure, however upon rereading it as an adult I, walked away with a much more profound enlightenment at the overall message conveyed by The Sneetches. There are multiple dilemmas/ social issues that significantly stand out, and these will be the ones addressed and analyzed in more depth.Issues such as racism and the keeping up with the Joneses mentality that is so prevalent in todayââ¬â¢s consumerist society. Of course these are not the only issues brought up within The Sneetches, but simply the ones that I feel are conveyed the strongest by Dr. Seuss through his illustrations and his obscure, yet delightful use of literature that has made him such a world renowned author of childrenââ¬â¢s books. Keeping up with the Joneses is a popular term that summarizes the widespread and cyclical effect of defining oneself by what they possess, in an effort to reach a higher social status.Dr. Seuss precipitates this effect by introducing the very clearly spoken and keen character of Sylvester McMonkey McBean (Giesel, 9). After effectively raising the social status of the Plain-Bellied Sneetches by adding a star to their bellies he immediately initiateââ¬â¢s the consumerist cycle by stating, ââ¬Å"belly stars are no longer in styleâ⬠(Giesel, 17). Dr. Seuss illustrates the ensuing dilemma that perfectly depicts the desire to achieve social and cultural superiority by the Sneetches, while also detailing Sylvester McMonkey McBean amassing a large fortune in the background (Giesel, 20).The character of Sylvester McMonkey McBean represents an uncanny similarity to that of the big business industries that use consumerism a s a means to control the buying public. He continually raises his prices and dictates the newest trends so that the Sneetches raced through the machines constantly changing their stars every minute or two (Giesel, 22). Dr. Seuss is discreetly pointing out that by constantly defining our social status by what we possess, we will inherently ause conflict and unfortunately in todayââ¬â¢s consumerist society, there will always be people who take advantage of humanities desire to define ourselves for a profit. Racism is arguably the most prominent moral issue portrayed within The Sneetches. Dr. Seuss almost immediately starts off the story with a seemingly irrelevant difference between two otherwise indistinguishable Sneetches. The line ââ¬Å"Those stars werenââ¬â¢t so big. They were really so small, you might think such a thing didnââ¬â¢t matter at allâ⬠(Giesel, 3) is used to foreshadow how such a small star will have such a vast impact throughout the story.Racism can be defined in many ways, however in this context it can be put simply as a belief that members of a certain race possess characteristics that they use to distinguish themselves from another race, in an effort to be perceived as superior. I see the theme of racism throughout the entire story but it is most evident in the first few pages, where as a reader you become acclimated to the fact that the Star-Bellied Sneetches truly do believe they are more privileged by the way that they carry themselves with their snoots in the air and such a pretentious demeanour (Giesel, 4).Dr. Seuss further emphasizes this belief of superiority during the following paragraphs when he describes how the Plain-Belly Sneetches were not allowed to join in games of ball or attend parties and picnics hosted by the Star-Belly Sneetches. The Plain-Belly Sneetches remain depressed and oppressed, clear indicators that the factors of racism have been evidently established between the two types of Sneetches for a lon g period of time. Dr.Seuss uses very thin horizontal and diagonal lines to really capture the energy and excitement of the Star-Bellied Sneetches, while also using the same technique to convey the depressed and divided mood of the Plain-Bellied Sneetches (Giesel, 6). Furthermore, Dr. Seuss practically reverses the colour palate from the previous pages to strengthen the emotion displayed by the two types of Sneetches (Giesel, 7). The illustrations on pages six and seven compliment the text perfectly as Dr. Seuss describes how deep rooted and developed the segregation between the Sneetches truly is when he says ââ¬Å"They left them out cold, in the dark of the beaches.They kept them away. Never let them come near. And thatââ¬â¢s how they treated them year after yearâ⬠(Giesel, 7). It is with that paragraph that Dr. Seuss used seemingly primitive imaginary creatures to emphasize a very realistic and relevant human rights issue. Racism and all of its awful subcategories such as prejudice, discrimination and segregation donââ¬â¢t emerge overnight; they are the result of a small-minded belief that has cultivated and grown over time like an untreated disease. Although The Sneetches is a beloved childrenââ¬â¢s book, Dr. Seuss is conveying a valuable message for all ages.With his iconic use of subtle metaphors, he is saying to not allow our trivial differences act as dividing lines in society, and that the human race can exist peacefully despite our exterior differences. Through playful commentary and relatively simplistic illustrations Dr. Seuss is able to send a very subtle, yet powerful message to the readers of The Sneetches. It becomes vividly apparent and shockingly unfortunate that a story published in 1961 can still address so many moral and social issues that are still very relevant in todayââ¬â¢s society. Disguised as a childrenââ¬â¢s story, Dr.Seuss has conveyed very valuable lessons in racism and the desire to define ourselves by what w e possess. We are all born with innocence to the world, and therefore, how we identify ourselves, and tolerance towards others are all qualities that are taught. The overall message of this story is aimed at the adults who will be reading The Sneetches to the children of today/ tomorrow. To teach them to accept others for who they are because we are all but one component of the greater human race. Works Cited Giesel, Theodor Seuss. The Sneetches And Other Stories. New York: Random House Childrenââ¬â¢s Books, 1961. Print.
Saturday, September 14, 2019
Analyse the dramatic effectiveness in Act 3, Scene 5 Essay
Looking closely at the characters and language in Romeo and Juliet, analyse the dramatic effectiveness in Act 3, Scene 5 William Shakespeare wrote ââ¬Å"Romeo and Julietâ⬠in 1954, although the basic plot can be traced back as early as the third century. In the play, Shakespeare relies heavily on the poem ââ¬Å"The Tragicall History of Romeus and Julietâ⬠by Arthur Brooke. Most of the people in the Elizabethan era were perceptive enough to concentrate on how the play was being performed and engaged themselves in the language the characters were using. Shakespeareââ¬â¢s audiences had different expectations towards his play, as many of them recognised the story already, they were settled enough to watch it providing the dramatistââ¬â¢s interpretation proved to be unique and original. I have been looking closely at Act 3, Scene 5 where Romeo and Juliet have just been secretly married. The scene opens with the two lovers having to part quickly after the Nurse informs Juliet her mother is swiftly approaching. Already a dramatic atmosphere is created, the audience is almost waiting for Romeo and Juliet to be caught out, this they know can simply not happen. Juliet is understandably tearful; Romeo is sympathetic towards her, showing he really cares for her: ââ¬Å"I will omit no opportunity That will convey my greetings, love, to theeâ⬠All this is in comparison to later scenes in the play showing Juliet solitary and unsupported. Between the two lovers, there is a great difference, Romeo appears more optimistic than Juliet who is full of fear, sensing premonitions of her next seeing Romeo dead in a tomb. Her premonitions affect the audience, making them apprehensive and tense: ââ¬Å"O God, I have an ill- divining soul! Methinks I see thee, now thou art so low As one dead in the bottom of a tomb. â⬠The audience hears these harsh, severe words and are reminded of Romeoââ¬â¢s earlier startling premonition that he would die young: ââ¬Å"â⬠¦. My mind misgives Some consequence not yet hanging in the starsâ⬠¦.. By come vile forfeit of untimely death. â⬠A chilling effect is created on those viewing the play as they start to realise and understand the significance of the two premonitions. By looking back into earlier scenes, dramatic effectiveness is created. Juliet uses language that shows how she is fearful of how her life with Romeo could easily be destroyed. She speaks to him strongly, showing a strong contrast to her soft words used previously. The strong bond that has been created between the two lovers before the audienceââ¬â¢s eyes is momentarily going to be destroyed; tension is created as an aftermath of this feeling. This tension carries on and becomes hugely greater as the news of County Parisââ¬â¢ proposal is first heard of. The audience watch, already aware of the proposal, as the news is given to an extremely shocked Juliet. They wait anxiously for Julietââ¬â¢s sake as she learns of it, and so a dramatic effectiveness is cast over them. The scene is made effective by the use of irony from Lady Capulet. As Lady Capulet refers to her ââ¬Å"joyful tidingsâ⬠and Julietââ¬â¢s response is ironically a pleased one: ââ¬Å"And joy comes well in such a needy timeâ⬠But then the audience sees the real reason of Lady Capuletââ¬â¢s announcement and the hesitation of the crucial words proves to be highly dramatic, ââ¬Å"Shall happily make thee there a joyful brideâ⬠Julietââ¬â¢s intense anger would make great drama on stage, she shows her raging reaction well: ââ¬Å"Now by Saint Peterââ¬â¢s church and Peter too He shall not make me there a joyful bride! â⬠Julietââ¬â¢s response shows exactly how she is feeling about the matter; she does not hold back at all. The audience knows the dilemma she is facing, one of bigamy, they are deeply involved and show much needed sympathy to Juliet. In the conversation that follows the cold and sharp language both Juliet and her mother used are very effective. Both sides address each other very formally, Juliet calling Lady Capulet, ââ¬Å"My Ladyâ⬠, ââ¬Å"Motherâ⬠where Lady Capulet calls Juliet ââ¬Å"girlâ⬠and ââ¬Å"childâ⬠. This doesnââ¬â¢t seem to be the language one would expect from a close knit and loving family. This could lead to the conclusion that Julietââ¬â¢s relationship is far from the relationship she has with Romeo; a loving and stable one. When Lord Capulet enters Julietââ¬â¢s room, it proves to be a significantly dramatic scene because of the violence and fury portrayed by Lord Capulet. He arrives in her room in a threatening manner; his wife shows fear warning us to expect the worst, ââ¬Å"Here comes your father. Tell him so yourself And see how he will take it at your hands. â⬠Lord Capulet does not expect Juliet to disobey him, he would simply expect grateful thanks and obedience from his daughter. He portrays himself as someone who is used to getting his own way and the way that he regards himself as royalty emphasises to his huge ego and elevated formal language,â⬠Have you delivered to our decree? â⬠He shows great enthusiasm as he enters Julietââ¬â¢s room, he seems delighted with his plan and congratulates himself on stage. Being the only man on stage, he is showing domination and the audience can see that he likes to be in control. He makes the women afraid; his centre role on stage shows this. The language that he uses is indeed very dramatic and effective. He poses questions to Juliet, being sharp and short when he does so showing how bewildered he is, and he vociferously attacks his daughter overwhelming her with numerous with numerous questions which she does not have time to answer, ââ¬Å"How? Will she none? Doth she not give us thanks? â⬠Capuletââ¬â¢s sentence construction is cleverly disjointed emphasising greatly on his anger that is building up rapidly. He shows more of an interest in finding a way to answer Julietââ¬â¢s questions and his concern is more about his cleverness than the distress of his only daughter. He uses aggressive terms to Juliet, â⬠you greensickness carrionâ⬠, â⬠young baggageâ⬠, both examples are very aggressive and devegiating.
Friday, September 13, 2019
Challenges Faced by the UK Construction Industry Today Essay
Challenges Faced by the UK Construction Industry Today - Essay Example From the report it is clear that buildings in UK have been accounting for a substantial amount of energy compared to the total electricity consumption, and the entire emission of the carbon dioxide from various building. This has developed challenge replacing or renovating buildings in order to reduce the environmental impacts in a way that neutralizes the carbon emissions, thereby achieving respectable financial returns on investment. There are efforts for reducing consumption of fossil fuels in buildings in order to achieve the objective of neutrality, and this will be achieved through seeking new approaches in designing and renovating buildings.This discussion highlights thatà the other challenge relates to the pressure exerted on the construction industry by inflation, whereby pressure has been building over the emerging markets and other mature economies. There is a substantial domestic demand experienced in the construction industry, which is calling for expansionary monetary policy, and increase in cost of commodities. This results to an inflation risk prevailing in the year, though the central bank has commenced to increase the rates in order to prevent asset bubbles. Therefore, a likelihood of remaining as a target in UK because of pressure exerted on the commodities used is in the construction industry while an increase in tax has resulted to an increase in the wages due to expectation of further increase in inflation. (Langdon, 2011, 3). Nevertheless, there are policies that have been undertaken in the Back of England concerning the quantitative reduction of interest rates during the year leading to implications for inflation, which targets integrity (Jones, 2011, 1). In this case, the risk associated with inflation has been depicted three key factors such as potentiality in the rise of food inflation, persistent rise in prices of asset and a substantial increase in the global commodity prices. Shrinking workforce The construction industry in UK has faced a loss in the vital knowledge associated to the inability to replace specific skills, which have made a significant contribution to eh industry. On the other hand, the utility industry has achieved an age of utility workers since numerous of the workers who are experience are about to retire (Hughes, 2011, 1). Moreover, there is an aging workforce as a significant concern in the construction industry, and this is contributing substantially to the shrinkage of the workforce. There are expectations of an increase of average annual rate in construction industry leading to subsequent raise in rate of employment opportunities. However, the deteriorated workforce contributes to a problem related to utilities of the construction industry, whereby the utilities that are projected can lose stability (Lynagh, 2010, 1).
Thursday, September 12, 2019
Mitigation Strategies Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Mitigation Strategies - Assignment Example The levees broke, leading to flooding 80 percent of the city. If levees continue to be used, Hurricane Katrina or an equivalent can reoccur. Thus, after each reoccurrence the levees network will have to be rebuilt. This will result to waste of resources and will inconvenience the people by displacing them or even causing deaths (Kapucu et al. 2013). In addition, the hurricane slayed about 1,500 inhabitants along the U.S. Gulf Coast and caused huge damage, making it the most expensive natural disaster. The continued use of levees will mean people to continue dying as a result of this catastrophe yet it can be avoided by use of a different and a better mechanism to counter this calamity. As Hurricane Katrina established, that the risks of inundation and flooding never can be completely eliminated by protective structures. Substantial dangers of living in flood susceptible to areas were not ever visibly communicated to people before Hurricane Katrina, it stated, and simply the reconstruction of New Orleans and its tempest protection system back to pre-Katrina heights would leave the city susceptible to another flooding catastrophe (Baltimore, 2009). Moreover, the first floor of buildings in flood susceptible parts of the city should be elevated at least to the 100 year flood level, which the report named a "crucial flood insurance standard." But for deeply populated metropolises like New Orleans, that standard is insufficient, said the report, part of a 5 part study by the conservatories in the event of Katrina (Baltimore, 2009). Furthermore, the 100 year standard essentially specifies protection based on the supposed worst damage of the foulest flood in the last 100 years. It regulates insurance tariffs for the National Flood Insurance Program controlled by the federal government. However, structures in New Orleans most flood susceptible areas have a 26%
Wednesday, September 11, 2019
Critical Action Learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words
Critical Action Learning - Essay Example In this paper, I will discuss the process of critical action learning to achieve enhanced understanding and potential resolution of the work based problem with strong focus on ethical issues and morality. The paper shows how critical action learning has been applied to enhance CSR in my organization. Key words: action, critical, ethical and learning Introduction In week one, I discussed the problem that our organization was facing in the implementation and practicing of the social responsibility. There was apathy in the employee participation on the issues that concerned corporate social responsibility. As a middle management manager, I was tasked with ensuring that corporate social responsibility was enhanced in our organization and that we could increase employee retention through the practices of CSR (Cox, Geotte, & Young, 2005). The following paper provides how action learning was used in our organization to address the issues relating to organizational management in relation to the top management, middle management and employees. The corporate social responsibility was the major issue discussed in the paper. ... al responsibility in a business organization is the process of social responsibility, policies, programs and observable outcomes in relation to the businesses social relationship. The CSR can lead to increased reputation for the business. The corporate social responsibility therefore implies to the social behavior of business towards it stakeholders (Heal, 2008). The stakeholders in this case refer to the community members. Companies that are socially responsible in making profits also contribute to some aspects of giving back to the community in the spheres of social development. According to Heal (2008), the corporate social responsibility is the concept in which companies integrate social and environmental concerns in the organizationsââ¬â¢ operations and in their interactions with the community on voluntary basis. Our company needed to ensure the CSR was supported by all employees, as this could steer our company image forward, which translates to trust and more business. Acti on learning was incorporated to enhance the understanding and acceptance of the CSR in our organization (Ferrell & Ferrell, 2012). Action learning is an educational process in which people in an organization work together by tackling the problems affecting their organization and reflecting on their actions (Masquardit, 2004). In action learning, the learners acquire the understanding of the required ethics and practices through actions they engage in rather than being instructed. The results achieved in the daily actions serve as the motivations for increased participation. According to Masquardit (2004), action learning is a major factor in developing competence among individuals and teams in the problem solving and in the process of making decision in an organization. In my case of enhancing
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