Informative Speech On Superbugs - 1372 Words

Christian Lozada Dr. Menegatos HON 105 29 September 2017 Informative Speech Manuscript Does anyone here ever worry about the food that you eat? Where it came from? What it’s made with? If there are any harmful chemicals? Those are of course legitimate concerns because that would be pretty scary to eat food that may just stab you in the back. Have you ever worried about an incurable infection being in your food, though? It’s not a common thought, but actually the feeding of antibiotics to food-producing animals is causing incurable infections and deaths throughout the entire world. It’s very important to understand how antibiotics work and how our misuse of them causes incurable infections called superbugs so that we can further protect†¦show more content†¦(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 17 April 2015, para. 7). If your doctor has ever given, or will give you antibiotics, the misuse, the wrong dosage, and even the wrongful prescription of antibiotics, such as for a virus, can eventually contribute to making a superbug, again according to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 February 2017, para. 2-5). There are already many instances of superbugs taking people’s lives. For example, just this January 2017, the CDC reported that a Washoe County resident in Reno, Nevada died in late September 2016 because she had an infection from a superbug that could not be cured by every available antibiotic in the United States (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 August 2017, para. 1-5). Posted on the Infectious Diseases Society of America website in 2007 by her mother was the story of how Rebecca Lohsen, a 17-year-old high school student and swimmer from New Jersey, died from an MRSA infection, an infection resulting from a superbug (Infectious Diseases Society of America, September 2007, para. 1). On that same website, posted by her parents, a 19-year-old college student, Meredith LittleJohn, died to a superbug after spending time in an intensive care un it in a hospital (Infectious Diseases Society of America, n.d., para. 1-3). And the list of those affected goes way on. So as we can see, superbugs are definitely a threatening and real issue that can affect almost anyone.Show MoreRelatedSuperbugs Informative Speech1243 Words   |  5 PagesChristian Lozada Dr. Menegatos HON 101 Informative Speech Manuscript This is Rebecca Lohsen. She was a healthy 17-year-old high school student and swimmer from New Jersey. In 2006, she died from a MRSA infection, and it’s an infection that’s really hard to cure because it’s caused by a kind of bacteria called a superbug. (Infectious Diseases Society of America, September 2007, para. 1). It’s important to understand what superbugs are and how they come about because they’re a present and ongoing

Analysis Of The Anthology Diving Into The Wreck - 1221 Words

Philosopher and writer, Jiddu Krishnamurti, says the following in a 1967 â€Å"Public Talk†: â€Å"when all authority of every kind is put aside, denied, then you can find out for yourself.† This statement characterizes authority -- â€Å"the ability to assert or influence† – as a governing force that ultimately supersedes identity, as its absence allows for one to â€Å"find out,† or create individual perceptions (OED). Similarly, this conflict of authority and identity manifests in the works of author, Adrienne Rich. Specifically, through its literary form, â€Å"Rape,† in the anthology Diving into the Wreck (1973), exposes the negative effects of a domineering male power by evaluating the deprivation of female identity that occurs as a consequence. It is†¦show more content†¦As such, these lines represent a loss of identity as â€Å"a unique self† in the speaker, by exemplifying the generalized female stereotype of submissi veness (OED). Rather than possessing an individual autonomy of the event’s details, the speaker â€Å"(has) to confess,† and so, loses the ability to command, or contain, the situation as they desire by instead having to â€Å"yield† the information (13) (OED). Moreover, the act of rape itself, serves as another example of the loss of female identity to a male influence. For instance, rape is â€Å"sexually forcing oneself onto another without consent† (OED). By acting without permission, a rapist effectively denies human rights to their victims, compelling them to a state of submission and dehumanizing them into the equivalent of physical property (OED). In her critical essay, Rich recognizes this idea of objectification by writing that, â€Å"Man’s power (is) to [†¦] choose or reject the woman,† just as one can choose or reject an item (Rich, 6). She extends this to the text through the line, â€Å"the maniac’s sperm still gre asing your thighs,† as the rapist has marked the speaker with a physical reminder of their essence to transform them from a person into the evidence of a crime (12). Hence, in the metaphor of predator and prey along with the conflict of dehumanization, a gender hierarchy within the poem emerges that promotes male control and as an effect limits the prominence of ‘self’

Globalizing Armenia essay Free Essays

Nowadays globalization is becoming more and more popular. It allows us to meet and experience different cultures, societies, technologies and many other things. It helps different countries to exchange useful information. We will write a custom essay sample on Globalizing Armenia essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now Globalization just unites people from all over the world. In the n present age globalization has also a great influence on Armenia, which can be seen from our cultural changes, educational changes and religious changes. Globalization allows us to experience different cultures in our country. Many foreign countries have spread their culture, lifestyle in Armenia. First example of these can be the mobile phones we use. They may have been created in China or Japan, but here we use them. Second example can be the cars we use on our streets, which may have been also created in foreign countries. Third can be American culture, which has been spread here through famous American companies such as Coca cola, McDonalds and so on. All we can do is accept cultural changes, which help us to live more comfortable. In Armenia globalization has also affected on our education. Today better and more advanced methods of education have spread in Armenia through globalization. First can be Bologna system, which is used by some Universities in Armenia. Second is learning English language, which makes easier to communicate with foreigners, because English is spoken in almost every country and everybody understand it. Globalization helps us to expand our teaching and learning experience. Today globalization has also a great influence on religion. Now many new religions and religious groups have spread in our country. A result of religious globalization can be different sects, which have been spread here from Europe and are protesting against a church. Globalization needs to be more widely understood by people, especially some of its aspects, which have negative results for our society. So globalization plays an important role in our life. It interferes with culture, education, religion and so on. Globalization helps us to learn more about different countries, their culture and lifestyle. It helps us to expand our knowledge and to live more comfortable and peaceful. Globalization also helps people to create new things but it`s very important to maintain our national values, identity and personality. How to cite Globalizing Armenia essay, Essays

Water has been used to fight f... free essay sample

Water has been used to fight fires throughout history in all types of environments, applications and methods. This is mainly because water in considered inert and has the scientific properties to make it a great fire suppressor (Liu Kin, 1999). Water has a high heat capacity, requires a large amount of energy to vaporize, can absorb large amounts of heat, and expands when it evaporates diluting the surrounding fuel and oxygen sources (Liu Kin, 1999). Water is also readily accessible in most parts of the world, environmentally friendly, and cheaper to uses than any other methods of fire suppression. This is why it continues to be the most sought after fire extinguishing agent. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standard on Water Mist Fire Protection Systems or NFPA750 defines water mist as a water spray for which the Dv0.99 [99%], for the flow-weighted cumulative volumetric distribution of water droplets is less than 1000 um within the nozzle operating pressure (NFPA, 2015, Definitions, para. 3. 3.22). The European Committee for Standardization defines water mist in its CEN/TS14972 as a water spray for which the 90% of the total volume of liquid (Dv0.90) is distributed in droplets with a diameter smaller than 1000 microns at the minimum design operating pressure of the water mist nozzle (VID, n.d.). These definitions are a little confusing but are attributed to an earlier time when droplet size was the only consideration for performance (VID, n. d.). The operation of misting systems is relatively simple. Pressure pushes water through a nozzle or series of nozzles to create a cool, fog-like mist. This mist is suspended in the air due to its small droplet size and is transported throughout the area by turbulent air. The mist performs much a like a gas in the sense it can move around objects and get into crevices and ventilation systems. Surface wetting is still the primary method of fire suppression and helps keep the fire from spreading but it is not a complete saturation like traditional sprinkler systems (Stanwick, 2003). This wetting is assisted by cooling of the surrounding areas, surrounding air, fire, and fuel source (Stanwick, 2003). Another benefit of water misting is the scrubbing effect. In simple terms, smoke is made of liquid and solid particles created through the combustion of the fuel source (Stanwick, 2003). These small particles stick to the water droplets cleaning the air from harmful particles (Stanwick, 2003). This can be an important factor in the ability of this technology to save lives. According to the NFPA, prior to 1999 smoke inhalation deaths outnumbered burn deaths three to one (Hall, 2011). After 1999, there is a two to one ratio for smoke inhalation versus burn deaths (Hall, 2011). Today there are a number of factors that affect water mist performance. As previously mentioned, the surface area of the spray being used has a direct effect on how it reacts with the fire (Hambling, 2001). A normal sprinkler droplet size of one millimeter has a water surface area of two square meters (Hambling, 2001). A mist spray of one-tenth a millimeter across can have a surface area of more than two hundred square meters (Hambling, 2001). To put this into perspective, in one test a fire temperature was decreased approximately five hundred degrees centigrade and extinguished in two seconds using a mist (Hambling, 2001). That is extremely efficient fire fighting and explains why previously droplet size was considered so important. Smaller droplets also have a much longer hang time in the air (Liu Kin, 1999). This can help them be carried to small crevices and other areas inaccessible by larger droplets (Liu Kin, 1999).Spray flux density is another factor that affects water mist. Spray flux density is the amount of water spray in a unit volume or unit area (Liu Kin, 1999). The spray flux density must be increased enough to remove heat from the fire, cooling it below the ignition point (Liu Kin, 1999). The more it increases the less effect it will have on oxygen in the area. This is why certain heads with spray patters are tested first prior to use. The correct equilibrium must be met for the situation and fuel to optimize the effects and the spray mist (Liu Kin, 1999). The mist must reach the fire to be effective and a fire that creates more heat than the cooling power of the mist will not be extinguished (Liu Kin, 1999). This can further be affected by spray momentum, spray angle, shielding of the source, size of the fire, airflow, size of the area and shape of the area (Liu Kin, 1999). The last factor affecting water mist performance is the spray momentum (Liu Kin, 1999). This is the spray velocity and its direction in reference to the fire (Liu Kin, 1999). This has a direct impact on the droplets ability to penetrate the fire and contact the fuel source (Liu Kin, 1999). The spray momentum produces air turbulence which helps circulate the water droplets (Liu Kin, 1999). This circulation helps reduce the amount of oxygen and fuel vapor which in turn helps extinguish the fire (Liu Kin, 1999). The factors that affect spray momentum are droplet size, droplet velocity, pressure, angle, nozzle spacing, airflow, area size, and area shape (Liu Kin, 1999). The history of misting systems can be traced back to around 1880 and the F.E. Myers company (Lakkonen, 2008). Their creation of the back-bag system included a lance utilizing small water droplets to fight forest fires (Lakkonen, 2008). The biggest drawback of the time was lack of pressure and it wouldnt be until the 1900s that further advancement would be made in this area (Lakkonen, 2008). As better sealing materials were improved and created, the ability to increase pressure advanced and by the 1930s there were multiple companies offering systems that utilized misting technology in their products (Lakkonen, 2008). They were promoted on the benefits of cooling effect, oxygen displacement and low water damages with use (Lakkonen, 2008). One such company marketed a multiple orifice nozzle called a water dust nozzle (Lakkonen, 2008). In the 1940s another company, Factory Mutual, carried out a series of tests with small droplet nozzles and their effectiveness on gasoline fires (Lakkonen, 2008). The results indicated that the performance was comparable to conventional sprinkler systems except flow rates were much lower (Lakkonen, 2008). During this period, fire fighting techniques with water mist were established and the USA and Europe adopted water mist techniques as a manual fire fighting strategy (Lakkonen, 2008). The effectiveness of misting during the period was well recognized but it was still not utilized for fixed applications (Lakkonen, 2008). This was mainly due to the lack of water pressure in the systems that supplied water if any where yet available (Lakkonen, 2008). For the next twenty years there was a period of independent research but no systematic trials (Lakkonen, 2008). The creation and investigation into gases and powder as a fire suppression agent became the mainstream focus (Lakkonen, 2008). These systems were integrated into or along with the conventional sprinkler systems (Lakkonen, 2008). Misting was only considered effective and used in a select portion of the industry, manual fire fighting (Lakkonen, 2008). Around 1970 there were breakthroughs with supporting technologies such as hydraulics, which helped increase the working pressure of the manual firefighting systems (Lakkonen, 2008). This helped create several research groups that were researching misting technologies in different parts of the world (Lakkonen, 2008). By 1980 there was some misting products installed in a number of industrial and public buildings such as the Leipzig Bowling center in Germany (Lakkonen, 2008). The biggest breakthroughs were from Sweden where researches developed new tactic for fighting fires (Lakkonen, 2008). Krister Giselsson and his partner Mats Rosander termed their new tactic offensive fire fighting (Lakkonen, 2008). This new tactic applied misting sprays to indoor fires in short bursts (Lakkonen, 2008). This helped to cool the combustion gases without large amounts of thermal imbalance and without large amounts of scalding hot steam (Lakkonen, 2008). The creators then took the information they collected from the offensive fire fighting and began creating one of the first fixed water misting systems (Lakkonen, 2008). They would co-operate with the company Electrolux Euroclean (Lakkonen, 2008). Electrolux Euroclean was in the business of industrial cleaning equipment and was inspired to join fire misting when their equipment was accidently used to put out an oil fire (Lakkonen, 2008). Electrolux Euroclean would carry out a number of tests at the Swedish research institute proving the performance of their product and to give baseline scientific references where previously there were none (Lakkonen, 2008). This unusual team organized several demonstrations and fire tests between 1981 and 1983 providing an increase in the general knowledge of misting in Sweden and surrounding areas (Lakkonen, 2008). In the 1980s the Montreal protocol was signed being finalized in 1987 (USDOS, n.d.). This global initiative protected the atmosphere by stopping the production and use of ozone depleting substances most notably chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and halons (USDOS, n.d. ). Halon was widely used at this time as a fire suppression agent and this started the search for viable alternatives (USDOS, n.d.). The Significant New Alternative program (SNAP) was started by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency helped develop a class of clean agents and renewed interest and funding for research in water misting systems (USDOS, n. d.). Another incident in 1990 would also help water mist technology. The ferry boat Scandinavian Star had a fire break out on the morning of April 7th 1990 (Scandinavian Star, n.d.). The cause of the fire is suspected to be arson but the loss of 159 people is what brought negative publicity on the marine industry (Scandinavian Star, n. d.). Experts franticly searched for fire suppression methods that did not have the weight, large piping requirements, or high water requirements of standard systems to be installed into ships (Lakkonen, 2008). This event also leads to the successful fire demonstrations in Balsta Sweden on 20 June, 1990 (Lakkonen, 2008). These demonstrations were attended by shipping companies, insurance companies, fire and rescue services, and other marine industry companies (Lakkonen, 2008). It is considered a major turning point for water misting systems and the first large marine installations are realized in 1992 onboard Motor Ship Danica, Motor Ship Festival, and Motor Ship Karneval (Lakkonen, 2008). The modern age of water mist technology had begun and was further supported by the International Maritime Industry (IMO) (Lakkonen, 2008). The IMO had multiple resolutions in the mid 1990s that would increase the support and use for this technology aboard ships (Lakkonen, 2008). These resolutions would require the latest safety technology and require features incorporated similar to that of a hotel or building (Wilmot, 2016). The National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) would create a technical committee on Water Mist development and release the first standard, NFPA750 Water Mist Fire Protection, in 1993 (Lakkonen, 2008). In 1998 the International Water Mist Association (IWMA) was formed with five corporate members (Lakkonen, 2008). Water misting systems have become even more popular through recent years and have been further investigated by all branches of the military (Lakkonen, 2008). The IWMA has swelled to over fifty corporate members and now holds an annual conference that supports the misting industry (Lakkonen, 2008). This old technology has had resurgence due to continued advancements and the events previous ly discussed. Misting is now common in a number of industries and is continuing to increase in popularity. Today water misting technology is marketed with advantages such as: immediate activation, high efficiency, minimized damage, environmentally friendly, and non toxic (ORR, n.d.). One of the most recent advances in misting technology is the PyroLance. The PyroLance is a portable, high pressure, fire fighting system utilizing misting technology (Schroeder, 2011). It consists of a high pressure lance, a high powered pumping unit and the hoses to connecting the two (Schroeder, 2011). It comes in three different models that can be operated by gas, diesel or power take-off and has a variety of options including: wireless controllers, wireless repeaters, upgraded hoses, extending hoses, mounting systems, water tanks, foam tanks, and abrasive material (Schroeder, 2011). Traditionally firefighters enter a structure to actually engage the fire (Roe, n.d.). This can risk the lives of those trapped inside and the firefighters by introducing more oxygen to the fire (Roe, n.d.). The situation can then escalate becoming more serious through flashovers, back drafts or an explosive type environment (Roe, n.d.). This product is unique because it changes traditional thinking on how to fight fires and can be used in situations that are difficult for fire fighter such as smoldering material between walls or structure panels. The PyroLance is held by the firefighter against the exterior wall or structure of the target and initiates the system (Schroeder, 2011). This activates the high pressure water stream mixed with aggregate which bores a 3mm hole through the target (Schroeder, 2011). The firefighter can then switch the aggregate off and initiate the high pressure water system (Schroeder, 2011). This provides a misting spray to the interior of the targeted location with water, foam, or combination of the two, cooling the targeted area and associated fire (Schroeder, 2011). The companys website claims a fire reduction of 900 degrees in less than one minute and that the boring is effective against any type material including steel, concrete, brick, stucco, and wood (Schroeder, 2011). The United Stated Air Force (USAF) conducted extensive testing on PyroLance to characterize the piercing and fire extinguishing capabilities of the system (Schroeder, 2011). Their testing was conducted in accordance with the NFPA 412 Standard for Evaluating Aircraft rescue and Fire-fighting Foam Equipment, Section 6.3.2 (3) (Schroeder, 2011). They evaluated flow rate, foam quality (not discussed here), throw distance, maximum piercing distance between two composite plates, multiple panel piercing ability, and ability to extinguish hidden fires between two panels (Schroeder, 2011). The finding of this testing concluded that this system is very easy to use to pierce an aircraft and apply water or foam to a fire (Schroeder, 2011). Throw tests were determined by placing a series of small fires at various distances and the then measuring to the furthest extinguished fire pan (Schroeder, 2011). The results indicated that the system was effective up to thirty-five and a half feet (Schroeder, 2011). Maximum piercing distance was completed by increasing the separation distance between two panels until they both could not be penetrated (Schroeder, 2011). This test concluded that the system could be used to pierce two aircraft panels separated up to eight feet (Schroeder, 2011). Multiple panel piercing ability was tested by organizing multiple panels at twelve inch intervals and seeing how many/how far the system could penetrate (Schroeder, 2011). This multiple panel piercing test concluded that the system is capable of penetrating five . 153 in thick aircraft panels separated by twelve inches in between (Schroeder, 2011). Ability to extinguish hidden fires between two panels was completed by following the Federal Aviation Association Aircraft Cargo Compartment Minimum Performance Standards for containerized fires (Schroeder, 2011). This test utilized an LD-3 container, eight thermo couples to monitor temperature and empty cardboard boxes stacked inside (Schroeder, 2011). There were also two twelve inch by three inch slots cut into the sides for ventilation (Schroeder, 2011). Two tests were conducted and the internal temperature was reduced to below 110-120 degrees Fahrenheit but the fire did continue to smolder and was not completely extinguished (Schroeder, 2011). This study concluded that the USAF should continue with additional studies to investigate effectiveness of the system to extinguish compartment fires using water, water foam and heat absorbing gels (Schroeder, 2011). The results of this test were primar ily designed to study the piercing ability and not designed for its firefighting success (Schroeder, 2011). There were also a number of recommendations made to help improve the system (Schroeder, 2011). Thos recommendations are: minimum flow rate of the system be at least 10 gallons per minute, the overall weight of the lance needed to be lowered due to the high firefighter fatigue sustained while using the system, the shoulder support should be modified to avoid conflict with the self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), install a power switch on the lance, install and alternator for automatic battery recharging, and lastly resolve the issue with aggregate mixing with water when not actuated (Schroeder, 2011). This study indicates that although the PyroLance system may not be ideal for all situations, it is an excellent tool that can advance the available options to the firefighter. It also supports continued research be conducted for this system to be further perfected. A number of high profile organizations have already added this tool to their firefighting capabilities including the USAF, United States Navy, Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, and many municipalities across the United States. It is extremely popular in other countries including Canada, United Kingdom, Sweden, Germany, Dubai, and is growing its fan base through exhibits and demonstrations at popular events. The advancement of misting technology has been continual since its inception and has increased with a better scientific understanding of how the technology works. Water misting is a viable alternative to traditional sprinkler systems and in areas where water damage from traditional systems is of concern. Currently, misting systems are designed for both solid fuel and liquid fuel fires and are continuing to challenge other portions of the fire protection market. The PyroLance is a great example of the versatility of this technology opening new markets and challenging traditional views. It is a fire fighters tool that should not be overlooked in the quest for saving lives and preventing injury. Does your municipality have this tool in their arsenal?

International Assignees to High Risk Places

Free Essays on A Dream Come True

My nights consisted of sweat beads falling down my fore head and fears of drifting back into sleep. I don’t think that my parents really ever understood how frightened I was when I woke up from one. I can specifically tell you how it smelled in some of my dreams, or what I might have been wearing. But every nightmare was the same, a dark bridge I’d fall from into murky rapids underneath. My hands would become clammy when I drove over a bridge. I’d clench onto the steering wheel and pray that I didn’t lose control. I wouldn’t dare change the direction of my eyes; for a single glimpse of the muddy waters below would fire pains to shoot threw my chest. Flashbacks of those thoughts swelled in my throat and the air passing through my lungs would become thinner and thinner. I would never consider myself a wimp. Ever since I could walk I had bruises and band-aids decorated in an assortment of colors on my legs, elbows and arms. I was a tomboy at its best w hen I was young, and still have a tendency to walk away from a game with the most amount of dirt on them. But when it came to a day on the river, I would have rather given a limb than surround myself with its terrifying pressure. It took a lot for me to give in to the invitation, but I decided to finally tag along one Sunday afternoon. I knew as soon as we got there I had overdressed. I had my swimsuit on underneath my wrinkled-free clothes, even though I was hoping a miracle would occur so that it would never saturate in river water. As we got closer to the dock, the sounds of rushing water rocked against the river bank. Just crossing over the walkway into the dock had my heart beating like a hollow drum. My friend’s hands held securely onto my own as I slowly, balanced my way onto the boat. Shocked by its swaying tranquility, I proceeded to find my seat and hold onto dear life, since Russ was known for showing off in his boat. As the day continued the pre-mature sunburn was ... Free Essays on A Dream Come True Free Essays on A Dream Come True My nights consisted of sweat beads falling down my fore head and fears of drifting back into sleep. I don’t think that my parents really ever understood how frightened I was when I woke up from one. I can specifically tell you how it smelled in some of my dreams, or what I might have been wearing. But every nightmare was the same, a dark bridge I’d fall from into murky rapids underneath. My hands would become clammy when I drove over a bridge. I’d clench onto the steering wheel and pray that I didn’t lose control. I wouldn’t dare change the direction of my eyes; for a single glimpse of the muddy waters below would fire pains to shoot threw my chest. Flashbacks of those thoughts swelled in my throat and the air passing through my lungs would become thinner and thinner. I would never consider myself a wimp. Ever since I could walk I had bruises and band-aids decorated in an assortment of colors on my legs, elbows and arms. I was a tomboy at its best w hen I was young, and still have a tendency to walk away from a game with the most amount of dirt on them. But when it came to a day on the river, I would have rather given a limb than surround myself with its terrifying pressure. It took a lot for me to give in to the invitation, but I decided to finally tag along one Sunday afternoon. I knew as soon as we got there I had overdressed. I had my swimsuit on underneath my wrinkled-free clothes, even though I was hoping a miracle would occur so that it would never saturate in river water. As we got closer to the dock, the sounds of rushing water rocked against the river bank. Just crossing over the walkway into the dock had my heart beating like a hollow drum. My friend’s hands held securely onto my own as I slowly, balanced my way onto the boat. Shocked by its swaying tranquility, I proceeded to find my seat and hold onto dear life, since Russ was known for showing off in his boat. As the day continued the pre-mature sunburn was ...

Strategic Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Strategic Human Resource Management - Essay Example However, this may not be achieved without taking into consideration the role of the HR department in the organization. Basically, strategic human resource management (SHRM) is concerned with the human resources, HRM systems and functions (Swanepoel , 2003). It is undoubtedly true that all aspects related to human resource management affect all facets of the organisational strategy formulation. Internal activities such as recruitment and training are part of the RBV model because they ultimately influence performance of the organization as a whole. It may be difficult to formulate and implement strategies in an organization without incorporating the relevant human resource related issues. It is the role of the HR department to identify strategies that can bring about positive development and growth in the organization through the efforts of other people such as the employees. Following the best course of action in the organization is commonly known as best fit and this determines the success or failure of the organization. HR policies that are designed to fulfil the needs of the employees as well as the organization are effective in contributing to its success. For instance, a company like SAB uses the RBV model to shape its operations. The company tries to balance its human resources as well as other external factors that can impact on its operations. Theme two: Strategic recruitment and competencies For each organisation to operate viably, there is need for recruiting the best talent in the first place since these employees would be capable of being developed to become valuable assets to the organisation. Strategic recruitment that is characterised by identification of competencies of skilled people can significantly contribute to the success of the organization in the long run. Basically, recruitment is a process that involves searching for and obtaining qualified job candidates and it gives the organisation the opportunity to select the most appropriate pers ons to fill its job positions (Carrell, et al, 1995).

Pricing strategy Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Pricing strategy - Article Example the nearby neighborhood, while a bigger retail chain can focus on its promoting towards neighborhoods in a larger city , while disregarding clients in different landmasses. Geographic Segmentation is imperative and may be viewed as the first venture to worldwide advertising, emulated by demographic and psychographic division. The utilization of national guests is the institutional utilization of geographic division, despite the fact that geographic sections may be grouped by recognized land districts. Demographic division is isolating markets into diverse gatherings as indicated by their epoch, sexual, pay, ethnic group or religion of the commerce segment and the life cycle of the family. The U.S. Evaluation utilizes demographic division to archive and fragment the individuals living in the U.S. Lifestyle division, which is some of the time called psychographics. This is measured by considering the exercises, investment, and assessments (Aios) of clients. By recognizing and comprehension buyer lifestyle, organizations can create limited time blends and product offerings, which tailor to their needs. In Sales Territory Management, utilizing more than one paradigm to portray the associations accounts, for example, fragmenting deals accounts by government, business, client, and so on and record size/term, in exertion to expand time proficiency and deals volume. A standout amongst the most widely recognized pointers of high-hazard clients is a drop off in utilization of the organizations administration. For instance, in the Mastercard business this could be motioned through a clients decrease in using on his or her car Peer Reviewed: Fruit and Vegetable Pricing by Demographic Factors in the Birmingham, Alabama, Metropolitan Area, 2004-2005. 2014. Peer Reviewed: Fruit and Vegetable Pricing by Demographic Factors in the Birmingham, Alabama, Metropolitan Area, 2004-2005. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2901576/. [Accessed 28

English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

English - Essay Example In the poem â€Å"I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud† a man described himself floating with the clouds in the daytime on the bank of a lake in a field of daffodils. The man wished to share a serene scene of peacefulness so the reader can understand his feelings. The reader can feel the inner contentment of the author. This poem paints the picture of peacefulness that can come from a simple view in one’s mind of a field of flowers once saw. The man of this poem imagined he is lonely, floating like a cloud. In his loneliness, the character found a multitude of golden daffodils by a lake underneath a grove of trees. The flowers waved in the wind, looking like they were dancing. From up above the daffodils looked endless. The water gleamed brightly, but the flowers out shone the water with its beauty. The man had to be elated at the sight of these daffodils. Whenever the man feels sad and alone, he thought of the dancing daffodils, immediately feeling better. William Wordsworth’s poem imbues the ideal of a character soothing their unrest with a image of nature. Although the man in the poem was lonely, he craved others. Yet if a person is depressed, lonely, hurt, or even angry the cause is normally another person. That makes this poem more sensible. There are no better friends than daffodils. Flowers cannot hurt you. Thus this beautiful dream helped the character to meditate into a better mood every time he imagined it.. â€Å"I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud† is an example of how the meditation allowed this man to cheer himself up in solitude. This poem is a prime example of fixating on an imagined time and place to make oneself feel better. A popular technique used by numerous people all over the world. This is what makes â€Å"The Daffodil† enjoyable to read. Most people can identify with the sentiments expressed by the author. Readers have experienced the feelings of bad, loneliness, and distrust of their fellow humans. William

The Social Contract Theory Philosophy Essay

The Social Contract Theory Philosophy Essay The term social contract describes a broad class of philosophical theories whose subject is the implied agreements by which people form nations and maintain a social order. In laymens terms, this means that the people give up some of their rights to a government in order to receive protection and social order. Social contract theory provides the rationale behind the historically important notion that legitimate state authority must be derived from the consent of the governed. The starting point for most of these theories is a heuristic examination of the human condition absent any social order, termed the state of nature or natural state. In this state of being, an individuals action is bound only by his or her conscience. From this common starting point, the various features of social contract theory attempt to explain, in different ways, why it is in an individuals rational self-interest to voluntarily give up the freedom of action one has under the natural state (their so called n atural rights) in order to obtain the benefits provided by the formation of social structures. Common to all of these theories is the notion of a sovereign will, which all members of a society are bound by the social contract to respect. The various types of social contract theory that have developed are largely differentiated by their definition of the sovereign will, be it a King (monarchy), a Council (oligarchy) or The Majority (republic or democracy). Under a theory first articulated by Plato, members within a society implicitly agree to the terms of the social contract by their choice to stay within the society and receive protection. Thus implicit in most forms of social contract is that freedom of movement is a fundamental or natural right which society may not legitimately require an individual to surrender to the sovereign will. The social contract theory has some basic features where it says- firstly. State is an artificial institution signifying that it is a means to an end, secondly, it is created by human beings with the help of a contract, thirdly, the contract must be based on the consent of one and all, and lastly that prior to formation of state me lived in a hypothetical situation known as state of nature. Thomas Hobbes (1651), John Locke (1689), and Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1762) are the most famous philosophers of the social contract theory, which formed the theoretical groundwork of democracy. Although the theory of natural rights influenced the development of classical liberalism, its emphasis on individualism and its rejection of the necessity to subordinate individual liberty to the sovereign will stands in opposition to the general tenets of social contract theory. According to Hobbes theory, without society, we would live in a state of nature (a hypothetical situation since it cannot be supported by historical data), where we each have unlimited natural freedoms. The downside of this general autonomy is that it includes the right to all things and thus the freedom to harm all who threaten ones own self-preservation; there are no positive rights, only laws of nature and an endless war of all against all. In other words, anyone in the state of nature can do anything he likes; but this also means that anyone can do anything he likes to anyone else. The state of nature according to Hobbes is presocial and pre political in nature and there is no scope for development to take place. To avoid this, we jointly agree to a social contract by which we each gain civil rights in return for subjecting ourselves to civil law or to political authority. In Hobbes formulation, the sovereign power is not a party of the contract but instead the sovereign is its c reation, and so is not bound by it. The command of the sovereign is law and the contract is irrevocable. Alternatively, some have argued that we gain civil rights in return for accepting the obligation to respect and defend the rights of others, giving up some freedoms to do so; this alternative formulation of the duty arising from the social contract is often identified with militia, or defense activity. State of nature is a term in political philosophy used in the social contract theories to describe the hypothetical condition of humanity before the states foundation and its monopoly on the legitimate use of physical force. In a broader sense, a state of nature is the condition before the rule of positive law and order comes into being. In some versions of social contract theory, there are no rights in the state of nature, only freedoms, and it is the contract that creates rights and obligations. In other versions the opposite occurs: the contract imposes restrictions upon individuals that curtail their natural rights. Hobbess philosophy English philosopher Thomas Hobbes in his famous work Leviathan first posited the concept of a state of nature in the 17th century. Hobbes described the concept in the Latin phrase bellum omnium contra omnes, meaning the war of all against all. In this state, any person has a natural right to do anything to preserve his or her own liberty or safety. Hobbes believed that human beings in a state of nature would behave with cruelty towards one another. Yet Hobbes argued that people had every right to defend themselves by whatever means necessary in the absence of order. He believed that such a condition would lead to a war of every man against every man and make life solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short. He believed that in the international arena, states behave as individuals do in a state of nature. Rousseaus theory Hobbess view was challenged in the 18th century by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who claimed that Hobbes was taking socialized persons and simply imagining them living outside of the society in which they were raised. He affirmed instead that people were born pure and good; men knew neither vice nor virtue since they had almost no dealings with each other. Their bad habits were the products of civilization specifically social hierarchies, property, and markets Natural rights are those universal rights that are seen as inherent in the nature of people and not contingent on human actions or beliefs. One theory of natural rights was developed from the theory of natural law during the Enlightenment in opposition to the divine right of kings, and provided a moral justification for liberalism. The concept of natural rights can be contrasted with the concept of legal rights: A natural right is one that is claimed to exist even when the government or society as a whole does not enforce it, whereas a legal right is a right specifically created by the government or society, for the benefit of its citizens. Thomas Hobbes was an English philosopher who influenced nearly all-western political philosophy. He is best known for his contribution to the social contract theory of origin of state. Hobbes was greatly influenced in his ideas by the English civil war that broke out in 1642. This led Hobbes to produce a book to set forth his theory of civil government in relation to the political crisis resulting from the war. It was based on an unpublished treatise of 1640. The State, it now seemed to Hobbes, might be regarded as a great artificial man or monster, composed of men, with a life that might be traced from its generation under pressure of human needs to its dissolution through civil strife proceeding from human passions. The work was closed with a general Review and Conclusion; in direct response to the war, which raised the question of the subjects right to change allegiance when a former sovereigns power to protect was irrecoverably gone. In addition, he criticized religious doctrines on rationalistic grounds in the Commonwealth. Hobbess Leviathan had immediate effects because of its secular nature and he had to appeal to the revolutionary English government for protection, which explains his fondness for monarchy and gratitude for royal patronage. Leviathan was written during the English Civil War; much of the book is occupied with demonstrating the necessity of a strong central authority to avoid the evil of discord and civil war. Any abuses of power by this authority are to be accepted as the price of peace. In particular, the doctrine of separation of powers is rejected: the sovereign must control civil, military, judicial, and ecclesiastical powers. Hobbes explicitly states that the sovereign has authority to assert power over matters of faith and doctrine, and that if he does not do so, he invites discord. Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a Genevan philosopher whose political ideas influenced the French Revolution, the development of socialist theory, and the growth of nationalism. Rousseau had lived a poor life full of hardship and travelled all over observing the inequalities among the rich and poor and the different lifestyles. This led him to write a famous book of his known as Discourse on the Origin and Basis of Inequality among Men. Rousseau saw a fundamental divide between society and human nature. He contended that man was neither inherently good nor bad when in the state of nature (the state of all other animals, and the condition humankind was in before the creation of civilization and society), but is corrupted by society. This idea has often led to the attribution to Rousseau the idea of the noble savage. He held that humans are good because they are self-sufficient and thus not subject to the vices of political society. He viewed society as artificial and held that the development of society, especially the growth of social interdependence, has been inimical to the well-being of human beings. He claims that as humans were forced to associate together more closely by the pressure of population growth, they underwent a psychological transformation and came to value the good opinion of others as an essential component of their own well-being. Rousseau associated this new self-awareness with a golden age of human flourishing. However, the development of agriculture, metallurgy, private property, and the division of labor led to humans becoming increasingly dependent on one another, and led to inequality. The resulting state of conflict led Rousseau to suggest that the first state was invented as a kind of social contract made at the suggestion of the rich and powerful. This original contract was deeply flawed as the wealthiest and most powerful members of society tricked the general population, and thus instituted inequality as a fundamental feature of human society. Rousseaus own conception of the social contract can be understood as an alternative to this form of associatio n. In his famous work The Social Contract, he begins by saying, Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains. One man thinks himself the master of others, but remains more of a slave than they are. Rousseau claimed that the state of nature was a primitive condition without law or morality, which human beings left for the benefits and necessity of cooperation. As society developed, division of labor and private property required the human race to adopt institutions of law. In the degenerate phase of society, man is prone to be in frequent competition with his fellow men while at the same time becoming increasingly dependent on them. This double pressure threatens both his survival and his freedom. According to Rousseau, by joining through the social contract and abandoning their claims of natural right, individuals can both preserve themselves and remain free. This is because submission to the authority of the general will of the people as a whole guarantees individuals against being subordinated to the wills of others and ensures that they obey themselves because they are, collectively, the authors of the law. While Rousseau argues that sovereignty should be in the hands of the people, he also makes a sharp distinction between sovereign and government. The government is charged with implementing and enforcing the general will and is composed of a smaller group of citizens, known as magistrates. Rousseaus ideas were influential at the time of the French Revolution although, since popular sovereignty was exercised through representatives rather than directly, it cannot be said that the Revolution was in any sense an implementation of Rousseaus ideas. In Thomas Hobbes book Leviathan- Parts One and Two, he presents a commonwealth ruled by a sovereign leader that is based on the laws of nature and the kingdom of God. At the root of the commonwealth is a social contract, which is a covenant binding the individuals of the society to wills and judgments of the sovereign leader. The contract explores the asociality of the human species and self- preservation, which is fundamental to the human drive. Influenced by Hobbes social contract, Jean Jacques Rousseau published On the Social Contract presenting his theory of the social contract that both expanded and differed from Hobbes principles. Rousseaus social contract presented the governing factor to be the general will. Although Hobbes and Rousseau have differing Social Contracts they each are represented by the phrase, A kingdom divided cannot stand; for, the former is a reference to a monarchy and the latter is a reference to the general will. In Hobbes Leviathan, he presents the asociality of human nature. Because, he notes, human kind is equal in both the body and the mind, men are in a constant state of war with one another. For, from equality arises the desire to attain our goals, which leads to competition between men who are seeking the same end. Thus, out of equality develops diffidence and war. In this state of war men, live without any common power and thus, every man is enemy to every man. Their only security is their strength compounded with the strength of their associates. Because man has no common strength or power, there are no governing laws; hence, there are no injustices. Accordingly, there is no place in the state of war for rights and wrongs. Hobbes notes, Force and fraud are in war the two cardinal virtues, both of these virtues are unjust. He concludes that the only motivation man has to seek peace is the fear of the consequences of war. The motivation of fear does not connote social tendencies of the human specie to aid one another; instead, it clearly notes humankinds selfish disregard of each other. In addition to humankinds tendency towards asociality, Hobbes presents people as being inclined towards self-preservation above all other concerns. The theme of self-preservation is presented in what Hobbes calls the right of nature. He explains this fundamental concept to be, the liberty each man has to use his own power, as he will himself, for the preservation of his own nature- that is to say, of his own life, meaning that any man can go to whatever lengths necessary in order to preserve his own life. Furthermore, an additional law of nature notes that, as a rule, a man is prohibited from behaving in a manner that is destructive to his life. Hobbes also supports what the Christian bible has entitled the golden rule, or the declaration that one should behave, as he or she would wish to be treated. This is a law of self-preservation, which, if ardently followed, would greatly increase peace. Yet, the golden rule is not often followed in the state of war; for, one is disinterested i n any other mans desires besides his own. Thus according to Hobbes, in a state of war man is allowed to behave in any manner he wishes; however, his primary interest and natural guide are the rules of self-preservation. Both humankinds nature of asociality and tendency towards self-preservation are incorporated into Thomas Hobbes social contract. His social contract presents a commonwealth in which there is one sovereign leader, to which all of his subjects have pledged a covenant to surrender their judgments to those wills and judgments of the sovereign. The covenant between the subjects and the sovereign entails very specific rules of conduct. First, the subjects are bound to maintain the same form of the government. They cannot lawfully make a new covenant among themselves; nor, can they break their covenant to the sovereign in any form. For, if one man dissents all of the other subjects should leave the commonwealth and return to a state of war, but this is a great injustice. In addition, they cannot try to replace their covenant to the sovereign with a covenant to God, for a covenant with God must be a lie, unless God, himself, contacted a subject, which, one must admit, is highly unlikely. Sec ond, a sovereign cannot break the covenant with his subjects. Thus, none of his subjects can be freed from his discretion and will. Third, the subject is never endowed with the power to punish the sovereign. Fourth, the roll of the sovereign is to perform whatever is necessary in order to maintain a state of peace and to defend for all of his subjects. In addition, the sovereign determines what doctrines are appropriate to teach his subjects. Fifth, the sovereign is endowed with the right to create governing rules. According to such rules, subjects must lead his life. Furthermore, he has the right to declare peace or war. Lastly, he develops a hierarchy within the subjects, pending on their level of honor. Thus, the sovereign has ultimate control. Hobbes believed that the sovereign ruler must be endowed with utter control; for he believed, a kingdom divided in itself cannot stand. He recognized that often the dissolution of a commonwealth occurs due to the division of the sovereign power. For instance, if two states join, yet each maintains their previous rulers, the subjects will never have a definitive ruler or social code. Dissolution of the commonwealth is also spurred by abuse of power, monopolies, conquering of a state during wartime, and private judgments of good and evil. Although it is always an injustice if a subject questions the rulings of the sovereign, Hobbes occasionally acknowledges that it is necessary. Thus, the premise of Hobbes social contract lies in a single leader with entirely obedient subjects. It is clear that Hobbes Leviathan influenced the social contract put forth by Jean-Jacques Rousseau entitled On the Social Contract. At the onset of his book, Rousseau presents the fundamental problem for which he has developed his social contract: Find a form of association which defends and protects with all common forces the person and goods of each associate, and by means of which each one, while uniting with all, nevertheless obeys only himself and remains as free as before. Rousseau presents the predicament of an association, which protects each associate, while heeding the common good, yet still obeys each associates judgment and will. To this, he proposes a social contract, which is composed of clauses defined by the nature of the act. These clauses are generally accepted and thus sprout from ones reasoning. A violation of this social contract leads to each person regaining their liberty established prior to that association, but losing the liberty the association provided. Rousseau further simplifies his social contract by explaining that these clauses are reducible to one clause. This simplified clause states that the man who breeches the contract from each associate in the community, shall incur alienation from all associates. Rousseau finally condenses his social contract into one statement: Each of us places his person and all his power in common under the supreme direction of the general will; and as one we receive each member as an indivisible part of the whole. Rousseau is concluding that each man places his power under the control of the general will or the balance of the sum of private wills with the sum of general interests. The largest difference between Rousseaus social contract and Hobbes is the state of nature. For, as previously stated, Hobbes state of nature between men was that of war and diffidence. Additionally, Hobbes believes that social order is a state of nature. Yet, Rousseau diverts from Hobbes on this matter. At the onset of his book, Rousseau notes that although the social order is sacred it is not a natural order. In addition, Rousseau explains that the state of war cannot exist solely between individuals, but a private war is one between two states. In such a case, individuals are enemies only due to the nature of war, not due to the nature of mankind. This gap is the primary reason that Rousseau and Hobbes social contracts differ. For, Hobbes social contract is pendent on the natural, perpetual state of war between men. Because of such a state, Hobbes feels that it is necessary to implement the strongest form of government, Monarchy. Accordingly, because Rousseau does not believe in t his natural state of war, he finds the people more capable of reasoning the publics best interest. Thus, he relies on the general will of all to determine the actions of the governing body. Despite this difference, Rousseaus social contract is very similar to that of Hobbes. They each are rooted in the principle of a divided kingdom cannot stand. It is clear that Hobbes social contract upholds said principle for it is based on the premise of the one sovereign leader. Additionally, Rousseaus social contract unifies the kingdom differently. For, according to Rousseau, the unity of the citizens lies in their general will. Thus, the government will act in a manner favorable to the general will and accordingly, the public is united. Hobbes Leviathan: Parts 1 and 2, presents a moral code of conduct established through prudence and science. His proposed commonwealth attempts to protect men from one another by unifying a group of subjects under one sovereign leader. His theory, however, does not account for potential lunatic dictators who incur mass genocide on their people or develop a state of divided classes, with an extremely impoverished lower class and an unnecessarily wealthy upper class, or overall misuse of their ultimate control. Yet, Rousseaus social contract has its negative points too. As Rousseau admits, the public does not have the intellectual capability to rationalize the general good. Individuals may maintain the best intentions of determining the general will, yet each response will be skewed. Thus one needs to take into account only their intentions; yet, it is impossible to accordingly determine the general will. Hence, neither Hobbes nor Rousseaus social contract is perfect.

Humanity and Reason in Othello Essays -- Othello essays

Humanity and Reason in Othello  Ã‚  Ã‚      In Othello Shakespeare probes deeply into the human condition by creating characters, who, by their inability to think rationally, surrender what sets them above animals. Before he succumbs to Iago's poisonous innuendoes, Othello himself expresses his clear understanding of this role of the human intellect. He initially refuses to listen to Iago's suggestions that Desdemona cannot be trusted, "Exchange me for a goat/When I shall turn the business of my soul/To such exsufflicate and blown surmises" (3.3.194-96). Othello feels that he would be acting like an animal if he became irrationally jealous because someone would say "my wife is fair, feeds well, loves company" (3.3.198). He tells Iago that he will not blindly fall into jealousy, especially when he never has had reason to suspect Desdemona, "I'll see before I doubt; when I doubt, prove;/And on the proof, there is no more but this--/Away at once with love or jealousy" (3.3.205-07). Othello is at this point a confident man, both in his wife's faithfulness, and in his ability to think rationally. However, Shakespeare shows that this confidence is often not enough. In his Sonnet 129, Shakespeare describes lust as another force that destroys the ability to reason effectively. The poet depicts lust as desire that is Past reason hunted, and no sooner had, Past reason hated as a swallowed bait On purpose laid to make the taker mad: ... All this world well knows, yet none knows well To shun the heaven that leads men to this hell. (7-8,15-16) In his sonnet, Shakespeare laments that even when we know that lust is dangerously irrational, most people cannot resist falling under its spell. Othello finds the same to be true ab... ...mplete Works of Shakespeare . Ed. David Bevington. 4th ed. NY: Longman, 1997. Soellner, Rolf. Shakespeare’s Patterns of Self-Knowledge . N.p.: Ohio State UP, 1972. OUTLINE Thesis Statement: When the characters in Othello cease to use reason they lose their humanity and are associated with animal imagery. Roderigo Irrationally in love with Desdemona Wants to drown himself like "cats and blind puppies" Iago calls him a snipe Iago Irrationally jealous of Othello and Cassio Equates love with animalistic lust Encourages others to "be a man" A man is decisive A man looks out for himself A man loves himself Roderigo calls him an "inhuman dog", Lodovico a "Spartan dog" Emilia implores him to tell the truth "if thou be'st a man" Othello Irrationally jealous of Desdemona and Cassio Equates lack of reason with animals Refers to himself as a dog.

Mandated Minimum Staff Ratios Essay

In the past several years, there has been a growing need for more registered nurses in hospitals due to rising acuity of patients. The safety and quality of patient care is directly related to the size and experience of the nursing workforce. Nursing working conditions have deteriorated in some facilities because hospitals have not kept up with the rising demand for nurses. Legislatures, health care providers, and the public are demanding adequate staffing ratios for nurses, particularly RN’s to patients in an acute care setting (Huston, 2010, p.165). These measures assign some minimum level of staffing that all hospitals must meet regardless of the types and severity of patients. A study was done that included over 10,000 nurses and over 230,000 patients in 168 hospitals; the study showed hospitals with a higher patient to nurse ratio had a higher percentage of surgical patients dying in the 30 days of admission (Huston, 2010, p.167). This study suggest that having an inadequate number of RN’s in the acute care setting places the public at risk for complications and even death. I am writing this topic because I believe that patient to nurse ratio should represent the acuity level and not the number. As a nurse, I have worked in facilities that designate patient care according to the number of patients and not the acuity. The nurses are overwhelmed because some are assigned 6 high acuity patients. When the acuity level is not considered, the patients are put at a higher rate for complications. Greenberg argued that the implementation of staffing ratios improves nurse satisfaction and eventually retention (Huston, 2010, p.169). Who wouldn’t want to go to work to a full nursing staff? The mandated minimum staff ratio would prevent nurses from working short by pulling resources from somewhere else or use contracted nurses. The end result will be patient satisfaction and happy nurses. There are several states and some countries that has adopted this legislation. Some legislatures have even established a law that goes a little further by establishing a hospital wide nursing care committee. This committee will recommend a nursing service staffing plan according to the facility’s assessment of patient care needs (Huston, 2010, p. 173). Other states call for at least an annual evaluation of the staffing plan. These are just some of the alternatives. All states should consider the effect of how this will impact the nurses and the patients. If the patients and nurses are satisfied, the health care system will benefit. References Huston, C.J., (2010). Professional issues in nursing: Challenges and opportunities (2nd ed.). Baltimore: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

The Body Shop International Essay Example

The Body Shop International Essay Example The Body Shop International Paper The Body Shop International Paper The Body Shop International presents the case of a company whose business model strength initially relied on its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), but that afterwards faced problems and challenges, due to mismanagement of internal resources, stakeholders conflicts, and the unawareness of external changes. The model created advantages but also limited growth, as the organization was not prepared for expansion due to the lack of corporate structure required for a global strategy. Anita Roddick believes in the power of businesses and in the use of success as a force of social change, therefore Body initial mission was to make profit with principles, that is, being especially responsible for employees, society, Third World development and the environment. This innovative, radical and daring approach became Body Shops competitive advantage (Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility); and according to this strategy defined a unique marketing approach: desirable and environmental products, moderated prices and relaxed shop environment in order to attract and educate customers (humanistic, environmental conscious). CSR pay offs to Body Shop were clearly appreciated through the 80s when it grew 50% yearly; media attention and customer awareness resulted in boost sales, shop openings, increases in stock value, etc. Exhibit 1 shows Body Shops stakeholders and the strategic outcome or value created by the companys CSR behavior by means of the centrality, specificity, voluntarism and visibility of its actions. Special emphasis and success were obtained in the Visibility dimension, as Body Shop was not always able to practice its social vision, but always was very good at promoting it. Anita is a great PR (loud and quotable) and during her management always made sure the firm gained recognition from internal and external stakeholders. Other keys for Body Shops success were Anitas leadership, charisma, influence and management style; very convenient for an Entrepreneurship venture. She created a corporate culture based on communication, informality and break the rules mentality that resulted in employees loyalty, commitment and productivity. Nevertheless, at the beginning of the 90s Body Shop seemed to have lost its magic growth formula. The main problems faced by the company were its inability to align and prioritize stakeholders interests, as well as its lack of agility and flexibility to evolve and adapt to external changes. One of the main causes was the companys low Proactivity. An initial opportunity was pursued by Body Shop due to its leader believes, vision, anecdotic and lucky events, but afterwards the company was never able to plan its behavior in anticipation of emerging trends and threats (competition, globalization, expansion) and therefore leverage its first mover advantage in the CSR field. Body Shops principal conflict of interest was with Franchises, one of its main partners and stakeholders. The company adopted this model of expansion which was initially appropriate due to its low risk (self financing), but failed in improving and controlling the network. Headquarters was not capable of implementing a control system over franchises, critical during an expansion stage, although a strict and time consuming selection was made. Some franchises were becoming unhappy, not aligned with the companys principles and unmotivated with the business and the concept. Some expressed concern about Anitas ethical and political blowups, but the bottom line was they were not profitable and felt they didnt received support and attention from headquarters. This was especially the case of independent franchises, which to date still represent 29% of the shops, who complained they were discriminated in favor of company owned ones. Body Shop is subcontracting its main asset (relationship with customers) to franchises, so they must align them. They contribute with important start up investments and royalties (5%), as well as with their knowledge and expertise about customers and markets. Vertical integration (buying back unmotivated franchises) is an alternative, but the basic problem will not be solved until they can regain control over the network and exercise legitimate authority over them, by means of implementing rules, standards, and hierarchies (Bureaucracy). Conflicts also started with other stakeholders, such as customers, investors, and even employees (complacency), mainly due to Anitas increasingly political actions. Body Shops brand and image started to deteriorate as consequence of public debates about the companys 100% natural products, best practices, thirst for publicity, hypocritical attitude and populist campaigning. That is, the companys real CSR intentions were questioned and there was a tendency to believe Body Shop expressed social concern just for selling. Potentially, customers could be lost and sales affected, as well as shareholders interests in terms of value creation (dividends, capital gains). Anita was over focusing on social activism and was indifferent to businesses bottom line: Profitability. Some of the key issues not addressed correctly by the company were their unawareness of industry changes and competitors reaction, as well as their failure in preparing an international expansion. Premium competitors such as Aveda, Lush and Origins began offering natural products, exercising pressure over Body Shop, who was not successfully innovating anymore and whose products were starting to be perceived as low end with premium price. The companys decision to expand internationally was a sensible one due to economies of scale (it was depending to much on the UK) and scope and to position itself as a global player in the cosmetic industry with the best CSR practices. However, they neither performed detailed market researches nor prepared the organizations structure for such an expansion. The U. S. market was a different one, with a diverse consumer base less concerned with environmental issues but product and price driven, less brand loyal and in where there was a tough competition, especially through advertisement; a bigger and less controllable market with few common characteristics with the English one. The Body Shop has two alternatives for international expansion: full penetration in the U. S. market with previous market segmentation, offering tailored products and services through convenient channels (gain support and capture malls) or a strategy of light penetration in the U. S. combined with focus in other potential foreign ventures, although not with the same size as the American one (Asia Pacific, Continental Europe, etc). In each case, Body Shop must train intensively to local staff, keep their values, refine their marketing strategy locally (strong advertisement in U. S. arket for example), meet local regulatory demands and continuously monitor and control implementations. In order to successfully transit to the next stage of its organizational life cycle, the Collective Stage, Body Shop should have changed its Roddicks centered organization, in were decision making was only a matter of its leaders. An informal organization was suitable when having few shops; size increase and global expansion demands a formal organization with defined control systems, strict acc ountability, increased bureaucracy and suitable information technology for information flow. A regional structure with decentralized decision making is necessary for gaining international advantage by means of national responsiveness (Multinational Corporation) and future global integration (Global Corporation). Knowledge transfer, headquarters planning, formalization and global teams coordination are key elements. Finally, leadership changes are necessary in order to avoid the organization dependency on Anita and to bring refreshing ideas and industrys best practices. Once a company is public, it needs to operate in its shareholders benefit, so focus should be profits over passion, and agency problems should be avoided, although founders legacy and best practices should be kept. Adrian Bellamy, an ex director who entered the company through a joint venture, is the actual CEO of the Body Shop, after the Roddicks stepped down due to investor pressures. Actually Anita is a consultant, and Bellamy should use Anitas knowledge and expertise in marketing and product development issues in favor of the company; let her continue travel and innovate! Body Shop should maintain its CSR advantage but also refocus its efforts in product development and retailing (franchises), taking into account characteristics of individual markets (adaptive vs. global). Cost reductions, new product launches and packaging, extension of successful ranges, promotions, refreshing store formats, new channels of distribution (Internet), I/T systems support (actually implementing SAP), are some suggested actions in order to re position the brand as one offering credible products at affordable prices. Will Body Shop achieve Sustainable Growth? Anitas legacy (CSR, innovation), together with good business management could make the company return to the success path. Although managing stakeholders relationships is not an easy and straightforward task, the company has still an important network of key partners (franchises) and a brand with global reach, within a sector (personal care) with potential and in were there are still opportunities for expansion.

The eNotes Blog Check Out the New Teacher Resources in eNotes StudyGuides!

Check Out the New Teacher Resources in StudyGuides! All of the helpful tools  for your classes are now available in one place: find the Teacher Resources you need in study guides. Plus, grab a discount to the Teachers Edition with the 15% off coupon included  in this post! Read on for more details. Recently, we received feedback from an customer to let us know that teachers needed an easier way to find the resources they were looking for on the site items such as lesson plans, response journals, and quizzes in the given titles they teach. So, we listened! study guides now contain an area devoted just to teachers, meaning its easier than ever to find exactly what youre looking for to help you teach smarter. An English teacher covering To Kill a Mockingbird, for example, can now find lesson plans and a variety of quizzes listed in one place. This gives quick and easy access to two kinds of lesson plans: original documents, which include our own lesson plans and extensive response journals, and lesson plans available from other publishers in document store, many of which are free. Download unlimited lesson plans for one discounted rate lesson plans are expert, teacher-created resources that can be purchased individually or downloaded for free by subscribers to the Teachers Edition all-access pass. And now  you can grab that special edition pass with a great discount! Use the coupon code LESSONS  for 15% off your subscription. Offer valid until May31st. With your subscription youll receive unlimited downloads of lesson plans, more of which are added monthly, plus credits to ask questions in Homework Help, and complete access to hundreds of annotated eTexts and quizzes. Find out more about the Teachers Edition right here or  sign up at this link. quizzes also come in two forms for targeted testing in your classroom: Choose our multiple-choice quizzes for a quick test of your students progress through their assigned reading. Each multiple-choice quiz contains 5-10 questions. The quizzes on a single topic can range from general overview tests to chapter- and character-based quizzes. Plus, all multiple-choice quizzes are available to all visitors to take online for free and available to download in PDF form (with an accompanying answer key) for Teachers Edition subscribers. Just look for the PDF icon beneath each quizs title to save it to your computer. Select our short-answer quizzes  for a more thorough test of your students comprehension of a text. Each short answer quiz contains 10 questions per chapter or scene. These questions are designed to elicit answers one sentence to one short paragraph in length, thereby testing students understanding of plot and characters as well as recollection of important details. These quizzes are available to print or download exclusively to Teachers Edition subscribers.   Check out the new Teacher Resources area of study guides to find expert help for your classroom and prepare for the 14-15 school year!

Describe the relivance of the material covered in chapter 19_32 to Research Paper

Describe the relivance of the material covered in chapter 19_32 to your current career ambitions.Begin the assignment describing - Research Paper Example In light of the topics in these fourteen chapters, this paper seeks to evaluate how my career ambitions get shaped. Introduction My career ambitions incline towards being an Electrical and Electronics Engineer. This is a technical career that will place me in charge of designing, developing, testing and supervising of electrical equipment which includes power generation equipment, communication systems, radar and navigation systems and electric motors as cited by the US Bureau of Labour Statistics, BLS. The work primarily involves employment in research and development, electric power generation firms, manufacturing firms and engineering services firms. Of these, I look forward to securing employment in an electricity generating firm. Out of the practising Electrical and Electronics Engineers, 10% work in industries dealing with generating, transmitting and distributing electric power, which is where I belong. Though this work generally involves being indoors, site visits would be un dertaken as need be so as to solve problems in complex equipment. The textbook, Physics, by James Walker provides an appropriate guideline into facts about energy from the perspective of physics. But the fourteen case chapters, starting from chapter 19 through to chapter 32 concern electricity, basically giving in-depth discussion into electric charges and forces, gradually developing on this to subsequent chapters. Being an interrelated topic, the author appreciates its relationship with magnetism. Chapter 22 explains how electric charges cause the creation of electric fields which result in magnetic flux, the basis of magnetism. This also informs the introduction of electromagnetic waves in chapter 25 that mandates the discussion on optics in subsequent chapters. Since electricity has varied sources, Walker (2420) introduces atomic physics in chapter 31 that culminates with a discussion on nuclear physics in the last chapter. Therefore, as a prospective Electrical and Electronics Engineer, I get all-round knowledge on electricity and its relation to other fields in physics. As indicated by BLS, designing and developing electrical equipment partly constitutes the task of an Electrical and Electronics Engineer. Therefore, it would be paramount to know how electricity is sourced, generated, measured and distributed so as to determine the design of these equipments. The basis of this understanding lies in the knowledge of action of electric charges covered in chapter 19 so as to understand how their electromagnetic interaction would affect equipment assembly. For instance, since Walker (2076) appreciates that friction causes electrification, then, such action should be considered when designing electrical equipment. When designing electricity measurement instruments, I now know that what in essence would be measured would be the electric charges, whose SI unit is the coulomb, C, though Serway and Jewett (768) observe that a majority of electrical engineering ins truments would use the ampere-hour, Ah units. Similarly, the knowledge on charges will play a critical role when testing electrical equipment and when supervising, these being other core responsibilities of an Electrical and Electronics Engineer. The static electricity that exists when objects of different equilibriums are brought close to each other according to Walker (2089) should guide in choosing which objects should come into contact with each other. Tribolectric effect, which describes the electrical charging of materials as a result of coming into

Freedom in Colonial American Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Freedom in Colonial American Society - Essay Example The American civil war went on until 1865 when it was unanimously declared through the emancipation proclamation that stated that all slaves in the confederate states were free. Through state action and through the thirteenth amendment to the American constitution all slaves in the union and the Border States were freed. The American civil war transformed societies not only in the 'union' but also in the confederate states as well as in Canada. This was because all persons of all walks of lives in the three regions were affected. It is claimed that the civil war claimed more than 600,000 lives. On top of this, millions of people were wounded; more millions were left homeless especially in the confederate states, as well as massive destruction of properties in the confederate states. The American civil war also led to wide changes in the American as well as the Canadian way of life. Since slavery, was the backbone that had supported the south's political and social elites, the destruction of it thus meant a backdrop in economic activities To the average southerner the results of the war were poverty, homelessness, and emotional trauma as almost all economic and agricultural infrastructures was destroyed. In addition, the south would have to adopt the north's mode of production specializing in mechanics and industrialization. On the part of the federal state, the outcome of t

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Marketing - Essay Example Moreover, it has also established low ratings in aspects such as the satisfaction of customers, how loyal customers are and consumers behaviours through word-of-mouth. Significant, positive relationships have been found between customer satisfaction and each of the aspects of service quality that were discussed above; as well as between satisfaction with service and customer loyalty; and word-of-mouth consumer behaviours with customer loyalty. There was no significant correlation found between cultural values and service quality assessments. To measure the degree to which customers uses word of mouth in line with the services provided by the Saudi Telecom Company. To analyse and examine the relationship that is present between customer satisfaction and the quality of service in Saudi Telecom Company. To analyse the relationship between the satisfaction and the loyalty of customers in Saudi Telecom Company. To analyse the relationship that has developed between word-of-mouth and custo mer loyalty in Saudi Telecom Company. ... Is the loyalty of customers and their satisfaction related in Saudi Telecom Company? Are customer loyalty and word-of-mouth linked in Saudi Telecom Company? The model presented above serves as the present study’s theoretical framework. It has been influenced by the studies conducted by Parasuraman et al. (1988). Upon the formulation of the framework, the hypotheses would be tested for validity purposes (Parusaraman, Zeithamal, Berry, 1985; Newman & Benz, 1998). 8.2.1. Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction Mittal and Kamakura (2001) stated that an individual’s satisfaction is the general assessment of a performance of a particular item or service at present. The significance of the role of customers in business is emphasized by Kassim (2001) through stating that 75 percent of a firm’s budget allocated for marketing purposes should be allotted for strategies that would retain customers, as well as to build and reinforce relationships with profitable ones. Mitta l and Kamakura (2001) discussed that a customer’s satisfaction towards an item, service or the company, is in accordance with the degree of relationship that will be formed between the consumer and the company, as satisfaction is tantamount to one’s predilection to repurchase (Kassim, 2001; Mittal and Kamakura, 2001). The hypotheses for the research questions above are: H1aa: A positive relationship exists between the level of customer satisfaction and tangibles in relation to the services that are provided by the Saudi Telecom Company. H1a0: There is no relationship present between tangibles in the services that Saudi Telecom Company provides and the amount of customer satisfaction. H1ba: Customer

Alcoholism Essay Example for Free

Alcoholism Essay Alcoholism is an issue that affects a person as well as the society at large. Despite me not being an alcoholic, I have had friends and relatives who have had to deal with the issue. Alcoholism is a personal issue; however, it also affects the society in many ways. The society is directly and indirectly affected by people who overindulge and constantly abuse alcohol. Furthermore, people become alcoholics because of personal as well as societal issues. For example, a personal can become an alcoholic because of losing a close person; however, he can still become an alcoholic because of living in a society that has a poor economy which leads to frustration and depression. Alcoholism is a personal issue when it does not affect anyone else but the alcoholic; however, it becomes a social issue when it affects the society in various ways. The society becomes victim to alcoholism due to a number of reasons. For instance, many accidents are caused as a result of drunk driving. In addition, alcoholics can commit crimes such as theft in order to get money for drinking. Alcoholism can be solved when alcoholics address their personal issues instead of avoiding them through drinking. In addition, they can also go to rehabilitation centers where they can get treatment and be counseled on ways of dealing with their issues and how to avoid drinking. Solving the issue from a personal perspective also helps in solving it from a societal level. Alcoholism from a social standpoint can be treated by creating awareness and sensitization about the issue and the negative effects that it has on society.

Strategies to Meet Energy Demands in the UK

Strategies to Meet Energy Demands in the UK 1.0 Introduction The question of how Britain will be able to meet its energy demand in the next 10 10 years is a matter of concern for the British Government. With aging nuclear plants, replacing these with cleaner and more energy efficiency plants is going to be a challenge. This dissertation aims to investigate the governments proposals to construct a new generation of nuclear plants and rely more on renewable technologies, whilst meeting the energy demand in next 10 20 years and cutting C02 emissions. 1.1 Aims If Government proposals for new nuclear plants and renewable technologies will be able to meet Britains energy demands 1.2 Objectives Is the current proposals the only answer Can they meet their targets of cutting C02 emissions whilst meeting demand Will they be able to construct the nuclear plants on time Have all issues been addressed, such as safety concerns when considering constructing the nuclear plant. Should renewables have a bigger contribution 1.3 Rationale The British Government have been concerned with the gap of meeting the British demand in the next 10 20 years. With aging nuclear plants and questions surrounding what is going replace these, and the commitment of meeting targets to cut C02 emissions. The government has proposed to build a new generation of nuclear power stations and rely more on renewable energy to meet these demands. The conversational decision on this issue has raised further questions on whether this will be enough to make sure Britain does not suffer power black outs in the medium term. Experts in the nuclear sector have also questioned the proposals in terms of are these nuclear plants going to be build on time, who is going to pay for these plants and will the design be right to avoid any health and safety issues. Other plans that the government proposes includes relying more on renewable energy to meet demand. Heavy investment will be needed to meet this target and it remains to seen if this will be enough to meet the demand. 2.0 Literature Review 2.1 World Energy Demands Energy is fundamental in how we all lead our lives. As the years goes by and the higher the world population grows, this means that global demand for energy can only increase. The UN has predicted that as of 2005, 6.5 billion made up the worlds population, and this could grow up to 9.1 billion within 45 years (Asif and Muneer 2007). If the worlds population reaches this figure, then the world is going to face a challenge to meet the energy needs of all of these people, especially with the emerging nations such as China, India and Brazil. 2.2 Energy Usage We use energy in all ways of life and we use them in a number of ways. Areas that energy is used includes Buildings Industry Trasport Buildings Buildings consume over 60% (International Energy Outlook, 2009) of energy produced around the world. Buildings are split into domestic householders and commercial buildings. Domestic buildings usage includes space heating, lighting, air conditioning, ventilation, and general electrical appliances. The volume of the property will determine its final energy consumption. The bigger the property, the more heating and lighting it will need to make it into comfortable surroundings. For residential buildings, the physical size of the structures is one key indicator of the amount of energy used by their occupants (International Energy Outlook) Commercial buildings can include offices and government buildings such as schools and hospitals. Commercial buildings are of a similar nature to domestic buildings, but will be to a much bigger scale. For example, an office could consist of a dozens or even hundreds of computers, compared to maybe one in a domestic house. Industry Industry consumption uses around 29% (International Energy Outlook) of the total energy produced around the world. Industry energy usage includes manufacturing metals, chemicals, materials and agriculture. The industry uses the energy it receives to operate manufacturing assembly lines, processing, space heating and lighting. Transport Transport uses the vast majority of oil that is consumed around the world. Transport energy accounts for cars, trains, planes and lorries. In comparison with the other energy sectors, the transport is largely constricted to oil and cannot operate with the other fuel options. In IEA (International Energy Agency) countries, the transport sector is taking an increasing share of oil demand (Taylor) 2.3 Threats to World Energy Supply As the demand for energy grows, the threat of not producing this energy increases. 2.3.1 Fossil Fuels Fossil fuels currently produce the majority of our energy needs and take many forms. Developed countries use oil, gas and coal and all of this fossil fuel usage heavily contributes to climate change because of the C02 emissions that they produce. Developing countries will use firewood etc and in comparison to the developed countries, the developing countries will produce alot less C02 because of their methods of producing energy. As well as the effects of the fossil fuels, the fuel reserves will decrease as the years and decades go on, particular since the demands for fuels will only rise. The security of getting these fuels is also a concern because of the political divides in the Middle East, where the biggest oil fields are. The political differences between the EU and Russia are also a concern because Russia is biggest exporter to the EU. The energy policies of Britain and France take these threats into account and are putting in place measures to reduce the threat. The threats t hat Britain and France predict is the increasing importation of these fuels, at the same time as demand goes up and the political strains increase. Our increasing reliance on imports of oil and gas in a world where energy demand is rising and energy is becoming more politicised (Meeting the energy challenge, 2007). 2.3.2 Oil Out of all of the fossil fuels, oil is the most precious and scarce. It is the primary source that we use to power our transportation system, to produce energy and used to make many different types of products. The worlds energy demand is expected to grow by 45% in the next 20 years; therefore, the demand for oil is expected to rise by 26% over the same period. Even if we do maintain the optimum amount of oil production over the next 20 years, it is very unlikely that the energy demands will be meet by oil. Oil Prices The issue of the oil peak production and its decline is much debated and opinions vary from a number of sources. One thing that is certain is that oil is not a re-newable fuel and as demands for energy increases year by year, production for oil will increase and this will deplete oil reserves more quickly. The steady growth of spot oil price exploded suddenly in the second halve of 2007: in only twelve months, the price of oil nearly double from $74/barrel on July 2007 to $147.27/barrel on July 2008 (Matutinovic, 2008.) This was a huge hike in a short space of time, caused by the demand from China and India, together with unrest in the Middle East were the main reasons. This increase in price however was short lived and to the present day is back to a manageable price. However, in the future the price will increase and stay there due to a number of factors. Energy demand going up, meaning that supply and demand will be squeezed. The political unrest in unstable regions where the largest oil reserves are As the price of oil increases, so will the price of energy and we this may become uncontrollable over the long term. Security of Oil As mentioned before, the majority of oil reserves are contained within unstable regions or countries and countries that have political issues with the most developed countries. This includes the Middle East, which holds the most of the oil reserves and is almost always unstable. As the developed countries own oil reserves decrease, the importation of oil will increase from these regions and if the regions were to decline further, this may affect security of supply of the energy needs of these countries. The most important implication of such distribution of proven oil reserves is that future oil increasingly dependence on politically instable Middle East (Matutinovic) 2.3.3 Gas In the past natural gas was not used globally to produce energy and by domestic householders. It is becoming increasingly important to meet energy demands around and in particular, the EU region. As with the issues with oil, gas reserves in the European Union and USA regions are dwindling and these regions are fast becoming increasily reliant on Russia and Middle East for their supplies. The UK in particular as a large proportion of its power produced by gas power stations and this has been addressed within their energy policy of the intention to decrease the importation of gas in the long term. However, in the short medium term it is anticipated that Europes dependence on gas will go from 36% up to in 69% (Weisser H, 2005) even with the issue of climate change, as natural gas is less pollutant than coal and oil. Looking at Russia, by far the biggest supplier, for analysing the security of supply equation one has to account for the fact that this countrys energy policy is not only d etermined by economic interest but a least equally by geopolitical, foreign policy and security consideration (Weisser). Political Issues The country with the most natural gas reserves is Russia. As each year goes by, the EU will have to import gas from Russia more and more. The political relationships between Europe and Russia are not the best. This was brought about by the dispute between Russia and the Ukraine over the gas supply. This in turn reduced the supply to Europe, as the pipe goes through the Ukraine to supply Europe. This brought tensions between the EU and Russia, since then Russia has threatened the supply to Europe and dramatic price increases. Apart from the Russia, the Middle East is the second biggest exporter and like oil, is vulrable to political unrest and this may affect supplies to their customers. Gas Prices Gazprom is the biggest gas provider in Russia and world. With demand for gas going to increase in the coming years, this will give the power to increase prices to the EU and other regions. If this were to happen, this would lead to higher costs for the UK to produce power and this would lead to higher power costs for domestic householders. The price of gas will also have to increase to fund investments to find new gas fields and pipes that transport the gas. The main reason for dual gas pricing has been to provide a gas subsidy to the Russian economy. (Spanjer A, 2007) 2.3.4 Coal Coal was the first significant fossil fuel to be used by humans and was the spearhead for the industrial revolution. It is used by both developed and developing due to its availability and value Consumption Developing countries use 55% of the world consumption of coal, which includes China and India. It is predicted that this is going to rise to over 65% in the morelonger term. The availability of coal is vast, which is the primary reason why it is used so much. It is found all over world, including vast reserves in the UK. It is predicted that if the current trend of excavating coal were to continue, it may take up to a few hundred years to exhaust the earths supply. As the coal reserves are spread all over the world, this gives an advantage to the other fossil fuels of providing a greater security of supply. Because of the inevitable decline in world reserves of petroleum and natural gas and rising demand for energy, coal is a major alternative along with nuclear power to meet these meets. (Yilmaz A O, Uslu T, The role of coal in energy production Consumption and sustainable development of Turkey, Energy Policy 35, 1117 1128, page 1, 2007) Cleaner Coal In the future, it is anticipated that cleaner coal power stations are to be constructed as coal is seen as a fuel that will meet the energy demand for the medium term. This is seen as a way of meeting the energy demands because of the reserves of coal offering a much higher security of coal, but also a way to reduce the emissions that coal gives off when used to produce energy. 2.4 Climate Change The issues that are associated with climate change go back over one hundred years when scientists were discovering that greenhouse gases were interfering with the atmosphere. Over the course of history to this present day, the understanding of climate change has jumped dramatically over the past 10 years and scientists are beginning to see the potential effects that may have on the earth if we do not tackle the roots of the problem. 2.4.1 Energy Production Energy production accounts for the vast majority of the green house gases that is produced. Energy accounts for over 80% of the global anthropogenic GHGs (Quadrelli R, The energy-climate challenge: Recent trends in CO2 emissions from fuel combustion, IEA, Elsevier, page 2, 2007). These green house gases are a direct result from using fossil fuels in producing energy. The world energy supply is still very much dependant on fossil fuels to produce the energy needs for the world population, even with the growth of renewable energy. As stated before, the worlds energy demand is expected to grow significantly over the next 20 30 years as a direct consequence of a rising world population and the rapid development of China and India. 2.4.2 C02 Emissions All fossil fuels contribute to green house gases, some more than others however. Coal is the biggest contributor of C02 emissions and this will just increase as coal becomes more popular, especially with China and India. An Energy production accounts for the vast majority of the green house gases that is produced. Energy accounts for over 80% of the global anthropogenic GHGs (Quadrelli R, The energy-climate challenge: Recent trends in CO2 emissions from fuel combustion, IEA, Elsevier, page 2, 2007). These green house gases are a direct result from using fossil fuels in producing energy. The world energy supply is still very much dependant on fossil fuels to produce the energy needs for the world population, even with the growth of renewable energy. As stated before, the worlds energy demand is expected to grow significantly over the next 20 30 years as a direct consequence of a rising world population and the rapid development of China and India. 2.4.2 C02 Emissions All fossil fuels contribute to green house gases, some more than others however. Coal is the biggest contributor of C02 emissions and this will just increase as coal becomes more popular, especially with China and India. An increase of C02 emissions in the last 35 40 years has been substantial and the total amount of C02 emissions due to burning of fossil fuels reaches to about 26 billion tons. (Saito S, Role of Nuclear Energy to Future Society of Shortage of Energy Resources and Global Warming, Journal of Nuclear Materials, Elsevier, 2009). These countries will have to find a guaranteed supply and this fuel will become cheaper than oil and gas over the longer term. These countries will have to look to coal to meet its energy demands for its growing population. If the projections are correct, coal will become more popular amongst the developed nations. This will increase green house gases and that is with the policy of constructing clean coal power stations. The oil and gas sectors will still have a very important part to play in the long term, but it is projected that dependence on these fuels will decrease slowly as the price goes up and the security of supply is not guaranteed. 2.4.3 Biggest C02 Producers The biggest polluters seem are the countries with the biggest economic development, the rapid development of some countries meaning a higher energy demand and the countries population. The United States was the biggest polluter due to its economic power and industrial size. However, as China has grown rapidly, this has pushed it to become the worlds biggest polluter. This is because China has seen significant economic growth and has required it to increase its energy production to meet its industrial growth. 2.4.4 Affects of Climate Change The affects of climate change will be catastrophic if the current trend of C02 emissions continues. Climate Change threatens the basic elements of life for people around the world access to water, food production, health and use of land and the environment (THE STERN REPORT, Executive Summary (Long), page 6, 2006). Rise in sea levels The affect of the earth heating up will mean the two polar ice caps melting, making the global sea levels rising. This will mean that countries or regions with a low altitude could mean land being lost. Global sea rises will mean millions of people being displaced and having to find alternative areas to live. Vegetation areas These areas could change the whole global landscape, in terms of the areas where crops could be grown. This could mean areas where crops are grown just now, will not able to grow in the future and this again may displace millions of people, especially in the more developing regions such as Africa. Weather systems There is current evidence that the weather pattern is already changing. The likelihood of this worsening is very real if climate change is not tackled. This includes an increase in category 5 hurricanes, increased flooding and an increase in heat waves due to temperature rises. Temperature rises will also lead to sever forest fires in regions such as Australia and California. 2.5 Financial Implications of Climate Change As well as the physical implications of climate change, the financial consequences may well be as bad for all countries if climate change is not tackled and heavy investment put in place 2.5.1 STERN REPORT The STERN report was produced to assess the potential damage that climate change could inflict on economies around the world. The evidence shows that ignoring climate change will eventually damage economic growth (THE STERN REPORT, Executive Summary (Long), page 2, 2006). The report consists and focuses on a number of issues The affects of climate change on the economies The costs of putting in control measures to reduce the affects of climate changes The investment needed to change to an infrastructure that omits less C02 emissions The report highlights the relation of GDP in relation to the increase in temperatures. There seems to be a trend in that for every one degree that the temperature goes up, then 1 per cent of GDP is lost. As well as the GDP, the biggest affect that climate change could have on is the developing countries, particular Africa. The report highlights that the ability to grow crops will reduce and water supplies will decrease dramatically and this will displace millions of people. 2.5.2 Investment The STERN report also points out that investment is now needed to prevent much higher costs being incurred in the longer-term. The report comments that such investment should include the acceleration of cleaner and renewable energy. 2.6 Energy Policies Energy policies are produced by governments to help them plan their countries energy production for the long term, set targets for cutting C02 emissions and evaluating their methods of producing energy. 2.6.1 Contents of Energy Policies The contents of energy policies will wholly depend what country it is, how much GDP it produces and how confident they will be in making sure that they can meet their targets Energy Policies will usually contain the following Security of supply Evaluation of their current energy production methods Methods of making sure that they have sufficient ways in meeting demand Outline any new ways in producing their energy Ways in which they will tackle climate change Their policies of using renewable energy to produce power. 2.7 Renewable Energy Policies Renewable energy is essential for meeting the commitment to cut C02 emissions, to ensure the world can meet the energy demands, security of supply and eventually leading to cheaper energy in the long term in comparison with fossil fuel produced energy. Renewable energy technologies have increased dramatically in the last 5 years. Its essential to have renewable energy in a countries energy policy to help meet all these commitments. To the present day, 73 countries are thought to have included a renewable strategy within their policy. Between 2004 and 2008, over $120 billion of investment has put in place to increase the usage of renewables. Although this investment is substantial, it is predicted that that this type of investment will have to be spent every year to help renewables get to a level to produce energy to a stage where it can compete with coal and gas. While most renewable fuels are free, renewable energy projects have high up-front costs (Sawin J L, National Policy Documents, International Conference for Renewable Energies, page 5, 2004). Renewable Energy types include Solar Power Wind Power Hydro Geothermal Biomass Tidal Power 2.7.1 Wind Power Out of all of the renewable technologies, wind power is by far the most used around the world. Wind power was the largest addition to renewable energy capacity (Renewables Global Status Report 2009, REN21, page 11, 2009). Wind power comes in two forms either on shore or off shore. Wind power is particularly used throughout the EU due to its climate. Wind power production percentage throughout the EU varies, with Germany being the most productive country within the EU. 2.7.2 Solar Power At the end of 2007, solar power production accounted for around 0.5% of the power produced. As with the wind power restrictions, solar power is more effective where countries are better situated to get sun on a regular basis. Also as solar power is expensive to build in comparison to the more conventional power stations, this currently makes it unviable to construct until capital costs come down. 2.6.3 Other Renewables The other options of renweables make up a tiny proportion of energy production, in comparison to the wind and solar. Heavy investment is needed to bring these up to level where they will be seen as a potential energy source as the other options. 2.8 Nuclear Energy Nuclear power has is fast becoming one of the main sources of power for a few countries within the EU and the USA. Apart from the Western countries, nuclear power is fast becoming the one of the major sources of producing energy. There over 100 hundred power stations currently being built in Asia and alot more are being planned. Nuclear Power alone wont get us where we need to be, but we wont get there without it. (Abu-Khader M M, Recent Advances in Nuclear Power: A Review, Nuclear Energy 51, 225 233, Elsevier, 2009) 2.8.1 Production Nuclear power currently accounts for around for 14 per cent of the power produced around the world. It is expected that this will grow rapidly over the longer term as the worlds most developed countries construct more plants to meet energy demands. 2.8.2 Why Nuclear Nuclear power has big advantages over the current main sources of power production. Security of Supply Nuclears raw material is more readily available than other fossil fuels. This gives it a more guaranteed security of supply of generating the energy needed. Importing uranium is expensive to import, however it can be stored for several years and makes it less of a concern. Price Rises Nuclear power is less of risk of being the subject to a large price rise. This is because it is cheaper to run the power plant in comparison to gas and coal power stations. 2.14 Bar Chart Showing Predicted Price Rises for Each Fuel Type (Adamantiades A, Nuclear Power for Sustainable Development: Status and Future Prospects, Energy Policy 37 5149 5166, 2009) A doubling in the price of Uranium would cause a 5-6% increase in the total cost of generation, while a similar increase in the price of natural gas would lead to 65% increase in gasfired costs. ((Adamantiades A, Kessides I, Nuclear Power for Sustainable Development: Current Status and Prospects, Energy Policy, Elsevier, page 2, 2009). Climate Change As with renewable energy, nuclear plants produce little or no C02 emissions. As the world is becoming increasily concerned with climate change, severe cuts of C02 emissions are being set and nuclear is seen a key player in reducing these emissions. 2.8.3 Safety Concerns After the tragic accident at Chernobyl, it was understandable that nuclear power got a bad reputation around the world, with some countries even banning it altogether. However, since safety factors in constructing and operating a nuclear plant have improved greatly and the idea of nuclear power is taking off again. During the past two decades, nuclear power plants have also achieved increasingly higher capacity factors with the same or greater levels of safety (Adamantiades A, Kessides I, Nuclear Power for Sustainable Development: Current Status and Prospects, Energy Policy, Elsevier, page 12,2009). 2.15 Bar Chart Showing Fatalities by Fuel Type (Adamantiades A, Nuclear Power for Sustainable Development: Status and Future Prospects, Energy Policy 37 5149 5166, 2009) The most obvious risk of operating a nuclear plan is exposing the public to radiation poisoning, with Chernobyl being the best example. Strict measures are now in place to greatly reduce such a tragedy happening again. This includes conducting risk assessments and putting in control measure to reduce the risks. 2.8.4 Nuclear Waste The debate of nuclear waste was one the biggest obstacles for the new generation nuclear plants being constructed. Although the storage of nuclear is major concern, the technology is in place to manage safely and effectively. In comparison with the waste that fossil fuels produce, it is signifcently less. 3.0 Methodology My method of research was to use a mixture of both quantitative and quantitative research methods. 3.1 Quantitative and Qualitative Research The method of using quantitative is and will be limited, in comparison with the other forms of data collection. This has used up to this point for comparing statistics, figures and forecasts. This is based on using journals, government reports and reliable websites being used to gather this information to allow me to compare the above. It will be my intention to continue this form data collection when completing my dissertation The method of using qualitative will be the form of research that the bulk of dissertation will be based on. This is based on sources from journals, books, government reports, reliable websites, interviews and case studies. It will be my intention to continue with this form data collection when completing my dissertation. Journals This form of gathering data has helped me gather the majority of my information. I have gathered peoples perceptions, thoughts and opinions of this subject. Information gathered was mostly opinions in the form of text, graphs and diagrams. Government Reports This has allowed me to focus on the subjects that I need to concentrate to be able to answer my aims and objectives. Information gathered included factual statistics and text. Websites This form of sourcing of information allowed me to gather some of quantitative and qualitative information. I made sure that these websites were reliable websites and that the information was as accurate. Information gathered included graphs, statistics and text. 3.2 Interviews My intention is to organise three interviews with three different organisations. This is to allow 3 different opinions based on the subject of my dissertation. This will include getting opinions on people who are involved with the nuclear programme, the renewable sector and an organisation that represents somebody/something for which the nuclear plants or the rapid construction of renewables may have negative consequences. 3.2.1 Initial Contact and Organisations My initial contact to arrange interviews was via e-mail. I asked them for an interview by introducing myself, the reason for the interview and the topic of my dissertation. My first contact was Mr David Cameron, of the Scottish Renewables trust. He kindly agreed to an interview in his Glasgow based office and agreed that I would be in touch when I am ready to conduct the interview. My agenda for this interview is to get his views on the developments of the renewables sector, the developments of the nuclear sector and will this be able to meet the energy demand My second contact was Mr Peter Dobson, of Scottish and Southern Energy who are directly involved with the nuclear program within the UK. My contact with him came about because of the close relationship that my employer and SSE have. My agenda for this interview will be similar to my first contact My third contact I hope to be the Scottish Wildlife trust. I have still to make contact with this gruop. My agenda for this interview will be to get the developments on both nuclear and renewables development in the UK and how this could affect the British ecosystem. When it comes to conducting the interview, I will stress the confidentially is the most important issue when conducting this interview and will ask them to make me aware that a particular question can not be answered without their confidentially being breached. 3.2.2 Interview Technique and Agenda My intension is to make the interview semi-structured. This will allow me to prepare a set of questions that I will ask all three participants, with the possibly of other questions being prepared depending on the organization. By having a semi-structure interview, it will allow me to get the information that I will require, while allowing any other questions or conversations to happen during the interview, as some topics may come to light during the interview. I shall prepare the questions before the interview takes place and sent the interviewees the prepared question paper and the agenda beforehand. 3.3 Case Studies It will be my intention to focus on two case studies. One will be in the form of concentrating on one of the chosen nuclear sites. I will give information on the suitability of the site, the energy that will generated, the benefits of having this plant and the health and safety implications of having the plant at this location. The form of collecting data will involve the use of journals, construction information, site location, government reports on this site and information coming from interviews. My other case study will focus one of a key renewable project that has been constructed in recent times. I will give information on the characteristics of the site, the e Strategies to Meet Energy Demands in the UK Strategies to Meet Energy Demands in the UK 1.0 Introduction The question of how Britain will be able to meet its energy demand in the next 10 10 years is a matter of concern for the British Government. With aging nuclear plants, replacing these with cleaner and more energy efficiency plants is going to be a challenge. This dissertation aims to investigate the governments proposals to construct a new generation of nuclear plants and rely more on renewable technologies, whilst meeting the energy demand in next 10 20 years and cutting C02 emissions. 1.1 Aims If Government proposals for new nuclear plants and renewable technologies will be able to meet Britains energy demands 1.2 Objectives Is the current proposals the only answer Can they meet their targets of cutting C02 emissions whilst meeting demand Will they be able to construct the nuclear plants on time Have all issues been addressed, such as safety concerns when considering constructing the nuclear plant. Should renewables have a bigger contribution 1.3 Rationale The British Government have been concerned with the gap of meeting the British demand in the next 10 20 years. With aging nuclear plants and questions surrounding what is going replace these, and the commitment of meeting targets to cut C02 emissions. The government has proposed to build a new generation of nuclear power stations and rely more on renewable energy to meet these demands. The conversational decision on this issue has raised further questions on whether this will be enough to make sure Britain does not suffer power black outs in the medium term. Experts in the nuclear sector have also questioned the proposals in terms of are these nuclear plants going to be build on time, who is going to pay for these plants and will the design be right to avoid any health and safety issues. Other plans that the government proposes includes relying more on renewable energy to meet demand. Heavy investment will be needed to meet this target and it remains to seen if this will be enough to meet the demand. 2.0 Literature Review 2.1 World Energy Demands Energy is fundamental in how we all lead our lives. As the years goes by and the higher the world population grows, this means that global demand for energy can only increase. The UN has predicted that as of 2005, 6.5 billion made up the worlds population, and this could grow up to 9.1 billion within 45 years (Asif and Muneer 2007). If the worlds population reaches this figure, then the world is going to face a challenge to meet the energy needs of all of these people, especially with the emerging nations such as China, India and Brazil. 2.2 Energy Usage We use energy in all ways of life and we use them in a number of ways. Areas that energy is used includes Buildings Industry Trasport Buildings Buildings consume over 60% (International Energy Outlook, 2009) of energy produced around the world. Buildings are split into domestic householders and commercial buildings. Domestic buildings usage includes space heating, lighting, air conditioning, ventilation, and general electrical appliances. The volume of the property will determine its final energy consumption. The bigger the property, the more heating and lighting it will need to make it into comfortable surroundings. For residential buildings, the physical size of the structures is one key indicator of the amount of energy used by their occupants (International Energy Outlook) Commercial buildings can include offices and government buildings such as schools and hospitals. Commercial buildings are of a similar nature to domestic buildings, but will be to a much bigger scale. For example, an office could consist of a dozens or even hundreds of computers, compared to maybe one in a domestic house. Industry Industry consumption uses around 29% (International Energy Outlook) of the total energy produced around the world. Industry energy usage includes manufacturing metals, chemicals, materials and agriculture. The industry uses the energy it receives to operate manufacturing assembly lines, processing, space heating and lighting. Transport Transport uses the vast majority of oil that is consumed around the world. Transport energy accounts for cars, trains, planes and lorries. In comparison with the other energy sectors, the transport is largely constricted to oil and cannot operate with the other fuel options. In IEA (International Energy Agency) countries, the transport sector is taking an increasing share of oil demand (Taylor) 2.3 Threats to World Energy Supply As the demand for energy grows, the threat of not producing this energy increases. 2.3.1 Fossil Fuels Fossil fuels currently produce the majority of our energy needs and take many forms. Developed countries use oil, gas and coal and all of this fossil fuel usage heavily contributes to climate change because of the C02 emissions that they produce. Developing countries will use firewood etc and in comparison to the developed countries, the developing countries will produce alot less C02 because of their methods of producing energy. As well as the effects of the fossil fuels, the fuel reserves will decrease as the years and decades go on, particular since the demands for fuels will only rise. The security of getting these fuels is also a concern because of the political divides in the Middle East, where the biggest oil fields are. The political differences between the EU and Russia are also a concern because Russia is biggest exporter to the EU. The energy policies of Britain and France take these threats into account and are putting in place measures to reduce the threat. The threats t hat Britain and France predict is the increasing importation of these fuels, at the same time as demand goes up and the political strains increase. Our increasing reliance on imports of oil and gas in a world where energy demand is rising and energy is becoming more politicised (Meeting the energy challenge, 2007). 2.3.2 Oil Out of all of the fossil fuels, oil is the most precious and scarce. It is the primary source that we use to power our transportation system, to produce energy and used to make many different types of products. The worlds energy demand is expected to grow by 45% in the next 20 years; therefore, the demand for oil is expected to rise by 26% over the same period. Even if we do maintain the optimum amount of oil production over the next 20 years, it is very unlikely that the energy demands will be meet by oil. Oil Prices The issue of the oil peak production and its decline is much debated and opinions vary from a number of sources. One thing that is certain is that oil is not a re-newable fuel and as demands for energy increases year by year, production for oil will increase and this will deplete oil reserves more quickly. The steady growth of spot oil price exploded suddenly in the second halve of 2007: in only twelve months, the price of oil nearly double from $74/barrel on July 2007 to $147.27/barrel on July 2008 (Matutinovic, 2008.) This was a huge hike in a short space of time, caused by the demand from China and India, together with unrest in the Middle East were the main reasons. This increase in price however was short lived and to the present day is back to a manageable price. However, in the future the price will increase and stay there due to a number of factors. Energy demand going up, meaning that supply and demand will be squeezed. The political unrest in unstable regions where the largest oil reserves are As the price of oil increases, so will the price of energy and we this may become uncontrollable over the long term. Security of Oil As mentioned before, the majority of oil reserves are contained within unstable regions or countries and countries that have political issues with the most developed countries. This includes the Middle East, which holds the most of the oil reserves and is almost always unstable. As the developed countries own oil reserves decrease, the importation of oil will increase from these regions and if the regions were to decline further, this may affect security of supply of the energy needs of these countries. The most important implication of such distribution of proven oil reserves is that future oil increasingly dependence on politically instable Middle East (Matutinovic) 2.3.3 Gas In the past natural gas was not used globally to produce energy and by domestic householders. It is becoming increasingly important to meet energy demands around and in particular, the EU region. As with the issues with oil, gas reserves in the European Union and USA regions are dwindling and these regions are fast becoming increasily reliant on Russia and Middle East for their supplies. The UK in particular as a large proportion of its power produced by gas power stations and this has been addressed within their energy policy of the intention to decrease the importation of gas in the long term. However, in the short medium term it is anticipated that Europes dependence on gas will go from 36% up to in 69% (Weisser H, 2005) even with the issue of climate change, as natural gas is less pollutant than coal and oil. Looking at Russia, by far the biggest supplier, for analysing the security of supply equation one has to account for the fact that this countrys energy policy is not only d etermined by economic interest but a least equally by geopolitical, foreign policy and security consideration (Weisser). Political Issues The country with the most natural gas reserves is Russia. As each year goes by, the EU will have to import gas from Russia more and more. The political relationships between Europe and Russia are not the best. This was brought about by the dispute between Russia and the Ukraine over the gas supply. This in turn reduced the supply to Europe, as the pipe goes through the Ukraine to supply Europe. This brought tensions between the EU and Russia, since then Russia has threatened the supply to Europe and dramatic price increases. Apart from the Russia, the Middle East is the second biggest exporter and like oil, is vulrable to political unrest and this may affect supplies to their customers. Gas Prices Gazprom is the biggest gas provider in Russia and world. With demand for gas going to increase in the coming years, this will give the power to increase prices to the EU and other regions. If this were to happen, this would lead to higher costs for the UK to produce power and this would lead to higher power costs for domestic householders. The price of gas will also have to increase to fund investments to find new gas fields and pipes that transport the gas. The main reason for dual gas pricing has been to provide a gas subsidy to the Russian economy. (Spanjer A, 2007) 2.3.4 Coal Coal was the first significant fossil fuel to be used by humans and was the spearhead for the industrial revolution. It is used by both developed and developing due to its availability and value Consumption Developing countries use 55% of the world consumption of coal, which includes China and India. It is predicted that this is going to rise to over 65% in the morelonger term. The availability of coal is vast, which is the primary reason why it is used so much. It is found all over world, including vast reserves in the UK. It is predicted that if the current trend of excavating coal were to continue, it may take up to a few hundred years to exhaust the earths supply. As the coal reserves are spread all over the world, this gives an advantage to the other fossil fuels of providing a greater security of supply. Because of the inevitable decline in world reserves of petroleum and natural gas and rising demand for energy, coal is a major alternative along with nuclear power to meet these meets. (Yilmaz A O, Uslu T, The role of coal in energy production Consumption and sustainable development of Turkey, Energy Policy 35, 1117 1128, page 1, 2007) Cleaner Coal In the future, it is anticipated that cleaner coal power stations are to be constructed as coal is seen as a fuel that will meet the energy demand for the medium term. This is seen as a way of meeting the energy demands because of the reserves of coal offering a much higher security of coal, but also a way to reduce the emissions that coal gives off when used to produce energy. 2.4 Climate Change The issues that are associated with climate change go back over one hundred years when scientists were discovering that greenhouse gases were interfering with the atmosphere. Over the course of history to this present day, the understanding of climate change has jumped dramatically over the past 10 years and scientists are beginning to see the potential effects that may have on the earth if we do not tackle the roots of the problem. 2.4.1 Energy Production Energy production accounts for the vast majority of the green house gases that is produced. Energy accounts for over 80% of the global anthropogenic GHGs (Quadrelli R, The energy-climate challenge: Recent trends in CO2 emissions from fuel combustion, IEA, Elsevier, page 2, 2007). These green house gases are a direct result from using fossil fuels in producing energy. The world energy supply is still very much dependant on fossil fuels to produce the energy needs for the world population, even with the growth of renewable energy. As stated before, the worlds energy demand is expected to grow significantly over the next 20 30 years as a direct consequence of a rising world population and the rapid development of China and India. 2.4.2 C02 Emissions All fossil fuels contribute to green house gases, some more than others however. Coal is the biggest contributor of C02 emissions and this will just increase as coal becomes more popular, especially with China and India. An Energy production accounts for the vast majority of the green house gases that is produced. Energy accounts for over 80% of the global anthropogenic GHGs (Quadrelli R, The energy-climate challenge: Recent trends in CO2 emissions from fuel combustion, IEA, Elsevier, page 2, 2007). These green house gases are a direct result from using fossil fuels in producing energy. The world energy supply is still very much dependant on fossil fuels to produce the energy needs for the world population, even with the growth of renewable energy. As stated before, the worlds energy demand is expected to grow significantly over the next 20 30 years as a direct consequence of a rising world population and the rapid development of China and India. 2.4.2 C02 Emissions All fossil fuels contribute to green house gases, some more than others however. Coal is the biggest contributor of C02 emissions and this will just increase as coal becomes more popular, especially with China and India. An increase of C02 emissions in the last 35 40 years has been substantial and the total amount of C02 emissions due to burning of fossil fuels reaches to about 26 billion tons. (Saito S, Role of Nuclear Energy to Future Society of Shortage of Energy Resources and Global Warming, Journal of Nuclear Materials, Elsevier, 2009). These countries will have to find a guaranteed supply and this fuel will become cheaper than oil and gas over the longer term. These countries will have to look to coal to meet its energy demands for its growing population. If the projections are correct, coal will become more popular amongst the developed nations. This will increase green house gases and that is with the policy of constructing clean coal power stations. The oil and gas sectors will still have a very important part to play in the long term, but it is projected that dependence on these fuels will decrease slowly as the price goes up and the security of supply is not guaranteed. 2.4.3 Biggest C02 Producers The biggest polluters seem are the countries with the biggest economic development, the rapid development of some countries meaning a higher energy demand and the countries population. The United States was the biggest polluter due to its economic power and industrial size. However, as China has grown rapidly, this has pushed it to become the worlds biggest polluter. This is because China has seen significant economic growth and has required it to increase its energy production to meet its industrial growth. 2.4.4 Affects of Climate Change The affects of climate change will be catastrophic if the current trend of C02 emissions continues. Climate Change threatens the basic elements of life for people around the world access to water, food production, health and use of land and the environment (THE STERN REPORT, Executive Summary (Long), page 6, 2006). Rise in sea levels The affect of the earth heating up will mean the two polar ice caps melting, making the global sea levels rising. This will mean that countries or regions with a low altitude could mean land being lost. Global sea rises will mean millions of people being displaced and having to find alternative areas to live. Vegetation areas These areas could change the whole global landscape, in terms of the areas where crops could be grown. This could mean areas where crops are grown just now, will not able to grow in the future and this again may displace millions of people, especially in the more developing regions such as Africa. Weather systems There is current evidence that the weather pattern is already changing. The likelihood of this worsening is very real if climate change is not tackled. This includes an increase in category 5 hurricanes, increased flooding and an increase in heat waves due to temperature rises. Temperature rises will also lead to sever forest fires in regions such as Australia and California. 2.5 Financial Implications of Climate Change As well as the physical implications of climate change, the financial consequences may well be as bad for all countries if climate change is not tackled and heavy investment put in place 2.5.1 STERN REPORT The STERN report was produced to assess the potential damage that climate change could inflict on economies around the world. The evidence shows that ignoring climate change will eventually damage economic growth (THE STERN REPORT, Executive Summary (Long), page 2, 2006). The report consists and focuses on a number of issues The affects of climate change on the economies The costs of putting in control measures to reduce the affects of climate changes The investment needed to change to an infrastructure that omits less C02 emissions The report highlights the relation of GDP in relation to the increase in temperatures. There seems to be a trend in that for every one degree that the temperature goes up, then 1 per cent of GDP is lost. As well as the GDP, the biggest affect that climate change could have on is the developing countries, particular Africa. The report highlights that the ability to grow crops will reduce and water supplies will decrease dramatically and this will displace millions of people. 2.5.2 Investment The STERN report also points out that investment is now needed to prevent much higher costs being incurred in the longer-term. The report comments that such investment should include the acceleration of cleaner and renewable energy. 2.6 Energy Policies Energy policies are produced by governments to help them plan their countries energy production for the long term, set targets for cutting C02 emissions and evaluating their methods of producing energy. 2.6.1 Contents of Energy Policies The contents of energy policies will wholly depend what country it is, how much GDP it produces and how confident they will be in making sure that they can meet their targets Energy Policies will usually contain the following Security of supply Evaluation of their current energy production methods Methods of making sure that they have sufficient ways in meeting demand Outline any new ways in producing their energy Ways in which they will tackle climate change Their policies of using renewable energy to produce power. 2.7 Renewable Energy Policies Renewable energy is essential for meeting the commitment to cut C02 emissions, to ensure the world can meet the energy demands, security of supply and eventually leading to cheaper energy in the long term in comparison with fossil fuel produced energy. Renewable energy technologies have increased dramatically in the last 5 years. Its essential to have renewable energy in a countries energy policy to help meet all these commitments. To the present day, 73 countries are thought to have included a renewable strategy within their policy. Between 2004 and 2008, over $120 billion of investment has put in place to increase the usage of renewables. Although this investment is substantial, it is predicted that that this type of investment will have to be spent every year to help renewables get to a level to produce energy to a stage where it can compete with coal and gas. While most renewable fuels are free, renewable energy projects have high up-front costs (Sawin J L, National Policy Documents, International Conference for Renewable Energies, page 5, 2004). Renewable Energy types include Solar Power Wind Power Hydro Geothermal Biomass Tidal Power 2.7.1 Wind Power Out of all of the renewable technologies, wind power is by far the most used around the world. Wind power was the largest addition to renewable energy capacity (Renewables Global Status Report 2009, REN21, page 11, 2009). Wind power comes in two forms either on shore or off shore. Wind power is particularly used throughout the EU due to its climate. Wind power production percentage throughout the EU varies, with Germany being the most productive country within the EU. 2.7.2 Solar Power At the end of 2007, solar power production accounted for around 0.5% of the power produced. As with the wind power restrictions, solar power is more effective where countries are better situated to get sun on a regular basis. Also as solar power is expensive to build in comparison to the more conventional power stations, this currently makes it unviable to construct until capital costs come down. 2.6.3 Other Renewables The other options of renweables make up a tiny proportion of energy production, in comparison to the wind and solar. Heavy investment is needed to bring these up to level where they will be seen as a potential energy source as the other options. 2.8 Nuclear Energy Nuclear power has is fast becoming one of the main sources of power for a few countries within the EU and the USA. Apart from the Western countries, nuclear power is fast becoming the one of the major sources of producing energy. There over 100 hundred power stations currently being built in Asia and alot more are being planned. Nuclear Power alone wont get us where we need to be, but we wont get there without it. (Abu-Khader M M, Recent Advances in Nuclear Power: A Review, Nuclear Energy 51, 225 233, Elsevier, 2009) 2.8.1 Production Nuclear power currently accounts for around for 14 per cent of the power produced around the world. It is expected that this will grow rapidly over the longer term as the worlds most developed countries construct more plants to meet energy demands. 2.8.2 Why Nuclear Nuclear power has big advantages over the current main sources of power production. Security of Supply Nuclears raw material is more readily available than other fossil fuels. This gives it a more guaranteed security of supply of generating the energy needed. Importing uranium is expensive to import, however it can be stored for several years and makes it less of a concern. Price Rises Nuclear power is less of risk of being the subject to a large price rise. This is because it is cheaper to run the power plant in comparison to gas and coal power stations. 2.14 Bar Chart Showing Predicted Price Rises for Each Fuel Type (Adamantiades A, Nuclear Power for Sustainable Development: Status and Future Prospects, Energy Policy 37 5149 5166, 2009) A doubling in the price of Uranium would cause a 5-6% increase in the total cost of generation, while a similar increase in the price of natural gas would lead to 65% increase in gasfired costs. ((Adamantiades A, Kessides I, Nuclear Power for Sustainable Development: Current Status and Prospects, Energy Policy, Elsevier, page 2, 2009). Climate Change As with renewable energy, nuclear plants produce little or no C02 emissions. As the world is becoming increasily concerned with climate change, severe cuts of C02 emissions are being set and nuclear is seen a key player in reducing these emissions. 2.8.3 Safety Concerns After the tragic accident at Chernobyl, it was understandable that nuclear power got a bad reputation around the world, with some countries even banning it altogether. However, since safety factors in constructing and operating a nuclear plant have improved greatly and the idea of nuclear power is taking off again. During the past two decades, nuclear power plants have also achieved increasingly higher capacity factors with the same or greater levels of safety (Adamantiades A, Kessides I, Nuclear Power for Sustainable Development: Current Status and Prospects, Energy Policy, Elsevier, page 12,2009). 2.15 Bar Chart Showing Fatalities by Fuel Type (Adamantiades A, Nuclear Power for Sustainable Development: Status and Future Prospects, Energy Policy 37 5149 5166, 2009) The most obvious risk of operating a nuclear plan is exposing the public to radiation poisoning, with Chernobyl being the best example. Strict measures are now in place to greatly reduce such a tragedy happening again. This includes conducting risk assessments and putting in control measure to reduce the risks. 2.8.4 Nuclear Waste The debate of nuclear waste was one the biggest obstacles for the new generation nuclear plants being constructed. Although the storage of nuclear is major concern, the technology is in place to manage safely and effectively. In comparison with the waste that fossil fuels produce, it is signifcently less. 3.0 Methodology My method of research was to use a mixture of both quantitative and quantitative research methods. 3.1 Quantitative and Qualitative Research The method of using quantitative is and will be limited, in comparison with the other forms of data collection. This has used up to this point for comparing statistics, figures and forecasts. This is based on using journals, government reports and reliable websites being used to gather this information to allow me to compare the above. It will be my intention to continue this form data collection when completing my dissertation The method of using qualitative will be the form of research that the bulk of dissertation will be based on. This is based on sources from journals, books, government reports, reliable websites, interviews and case studies. It will be my intention to continue with this form data collection when completing my dissertation. Journals This form of gathering data has helped me gather the majority of my information. I have gathered peoples perceptions, thoughts and opinions of this subject. Information gathered was mostly opinions in the form of text, graphs and diagrams. Government Reports This has allowed me to focus on the subjects that I need to concentrate to be able to answer my aims and objectives. Information gathered included factual statistics and text. Websites This form of sourcing of information allowed me to gather some of quantitative and qualitative information. I made sure that these websites were reliable websites and that the information was as accurate. Information gathered included graphs, statistics and text. 3.2 Interviews My intention is to organise three interviews with three different organisations. This is to allow 3 different opinions based on the subject of my dissertation. This will include getting opinions on people who are involved with the nuclear programme, the renewable sector and an organisation that represents somebody/something for which the nuclear plants or the rapid construction of renewables may have negative consequences. 3.2.1 Initial Contact and Organisations My initial contact to arrange interviews was via e-mail. I asked them for an interview by introducing myself, the reason for the interview and the topic of my dissertation. My first contact was Mr David Cameron, of the Scottish Renewables trust. He kindly agreed to an interview in his Glasgow based office and agreed that I would be in touch when I am ready to conduct the interview. My agenda for this interview is to get his views on the developments of the renewables sector, the developments of the nuclear sector and will this be able to meet the energy demand My second contact was Mr Peter Dobson, of Scottish and Southern Energy who are directly involved with the nuclear program within the UK. My contact with him came about because of the close relationship that my employer and SSE have. My agenda for this interview will be similar to my first contact My third contact I hope to be the Scottish Wildlife trust. I have still to make contact with this gruop. My agenda for this interview will be to get the developments on both nuclear and renewables development in the UK and how this could affect the British ecosystem. When it comes to conducting the interview, I will stress the confidentially is the most important issue when conducting this interview and will ask them to make me aware that a particular question can not be answered without their confidentially being breached. 3.2.2 Interview Technique and Agenda My intension is to make the interview semi-structured. This will allow me to prepare a set of questions that I will ask all three participants, with the possibly of other questions being prepared depending on the organization. By having a semi-structure interview, it will allow me to get the information that I will require, while allowing any other questions or conversations to happen during the interview, as some topics may come to light during the interview. I shall prepare the questions before the interview takes place and sent the interviewees the prepared question paper and the agenda beforehand. 3.3 Case Studies It will be my intention to focus on two case studies. One will be in the form of concentrating on one of the chosen nuclear sites. I will give information on the suitability of the site, the energy that will generated, the benefits of having this plant and the health and safety implications of having the plant at this location. The form of collecting data will involve the use of journals, construction information, site location, government reports on this site and information coming from interviews. My other case study will focus one of a key renewable project that has been constructed in recent times. I will give information on the characteristics of the site, the e