Criminology In The Future Essay

This world is constantly changing every day. When the world changes, the people change, and new technology populates, and so does the crime rates. Criminals will try to create new ways to commit crimes. The criminal justice system should pay close attention to these new technologies to keep the people safe. Law officials have to follow the law while using these technologies. Future advancement will allow criminology to determine civil liberty and ethical violations, as technology as and will become more of a vital element for law industry. Technology has always been a reliable source to law officials. Technology has included several tools such as: computers, cameras, maps, DNA systems, and many more that have benefited to law enforcements. New technology will not only solve cases current or conclude why a person murdered a relative of six, but also solve cold cases and also provide a more in-depth look at the causes of people committing murder and how their brains operate. Robots are being used continuously to help law enforcement prevent crimes. Robots are trained machines that operate faster than a human. The thoughts and practices in criminology will further expand as different crime-fighting methodologies and the directions of crime fighting provide different methods of finding criminal activities. New technologies have provided criminals with a whole new class of crimes and have also made it extremely difficult for them to get caught. The problem is with new high-tech crime is that criminals are already ahead of law officials. It fair to the people to know what kind of new technologies will be used in fighting against crimes. Law enforcement should have a more close relationship to their people since these new technologies are keeping them safe. Law enforcements across the globe are developing ways to use more new technology to fight crime. The idea of using these new technologies will  ensure that law enforcers are meeting the demands of fighting crimes. In the future to come, the crime rate should demonstrate a huge difference if these technologies are benefiting law enforcemen t. GPS monitors are becoming an everyday use for law enforcements because it displays how to get the exact location. Law enforcement are now required to use body cameras. Body cameras will display up close actions made by law enforcers and the criminal. If these new technologies do not benefit then the result will be that law enforcement failed to do their job. The government can only provide so much money to aid to law enforcement. These new technologies are very expensive and should be properly used. Law enforcers will not have to put in as much work to investigate crimes. They will not have to stress about having a heavy workload with the existence of these new advancements. Crimes will be solved much faster because of the speed of these new advancement. It is a good idea that more new technologies are becoming popular because people will no longer have to stress about these criminals. With these new technologies existing, law enforcers are figuring out how to outsmart these criminals. Law enforcers will have the chance to probably gain a better relationship with the people living the communities. It would not be beneficial to only rely on technology because the people are also important to prevent crimes. Crime is a product of human behavior and criminals will commit crimes in various categories. Many states have merged agencies and have become more efficient in the way of service, but many more are slow to realize the benefits of merging when it comes to fighting globalized crimes. With the help of the people, and the new advancement in this world the crime rate should drop tremendously. The new advancement should be tested and train to use accurately. Technology is making possible better surveillance and monitoring, as well as more comprehensive and accessible databases, which raise concerns about information security and privacy. Although, no one knows for sure how long the crime rate will remain low, but creating more advancement should solve the problem. Criminals will no longer be able to get away with murder, stealing, or doing anything that is considered a crime. To promote police accountability and to provide more objective evidence of law-breaking, it is necessary that the computers and databases should be accurately setup. These technology specific goals, if coupled with attention to the obstacles and challenges inherent in organizational  technology adoption, could lead to more effective use of technology by law enforcement organizations nationwide which has the potential to contribute significantly to public safety, long-run cost reduction, and justice. If criminals are caught and punished due to these new technologies then law enforcers should feel ecstatic about their new improvement to the criminal justice system.

How Complex Is Hunter-Gatherer Technology Essay

Erik O’Neal How complex is hunter-gatherer technology It’s funny how we as a people can take for granted and deem certain clichà ©s such as â€Å"man’s work† or â€Å"woman’s work† as being sexist and derogatory and they can be within context. These terms have been the foundation for a century long battle of epic proportions between the male and female sex within the workplace in the societies of the western world. But what’s not understood is that the â€Å"division of labor† between the sexes appears to be the very engine that is driving the process of technological innovation among the human race. â€Å"Man’s work† and â€Å"woman’s work† or the â€Å"division of labor† in essence, is the root for the specialization of certain tasks such as the foraging for edible roots, and berries; or the ability to hunt or fish. These specialized skills helped to create a system of exchange or trade amongst hunter gatherer groups that have been going on for over 80-100,000 years. This phenomenon of exchange of ideas and creations is thought to have begun with hunter/gather societies and is considered a unique trait among all humans. The archaeological record shows the development of specialized tools and the separation of certain groups to divide tasks into tribal specializations to obtain precious resources among the hunter gatherer groups displays the ability for â€Å"collective intelligence.† The â€Å"collective brain† or â€Å"collective intelligence† as defined by Matt Ridley is the interchange of ideas; the meeting and mating of ideas between them that is causing technological progress. And this technological progress can be seen among the fossil records which contain stone tools, hand axes, spears, and bows and arrows, and technology each specially designed to do a job specific to the environment of which it was created for. Let’s take the Inuit for example; they split into two different ethnic groups the Nanamuit and Taramuit each with its on specialization. The Nunamiut’s main focus is the Caribou which the men hunt with bows and arrows and the women butcher and skin, while the Taramuit’s hunt whales and seals which they have developed boats for fishing salmon, harpoons with balloon floats for killing whales, and spears for killing seals through their blow holes. With the creation of these specialized groups the Inuit were able to satisfy the resource needs of their people through exchange and trade with items such as Caribou skins for clothing, salmon, whale fat, meat, and bones. Exchange and specialization within human societies is the basic concept that is required to develop â€Å"collective intelligence.† Without exchange and specialization the idea of technology starts to deteriorate within a society that lacks the ability to create

The Tempest and Solibo Magnificent Comparative Literature Essay

The Tempest and Solibo Magnificent Comparative Literature - Essay Example To this plan, Stephano accedes with utmost pleasantness. â€Å"Monster, I will kill this man: his daughter and I will be king and queen--save our graces!—and Trinculo and thyself shall be viceroys† (Stephano cited in Shakespeare). Stephano particularly approves of the presence of noise making spirits on the island for they would play music for him when he would become the king. The characters discussed above see that island as a place where they would be free to exercise any rights they would want to. Despite the fact that colonial impulse is represented by numerous characters in the play, there is just one representative of the truly colonized, i.e. Caliban. Caliban offers Stephano to kill Prospero in order to gain control and power, yet for him, it means nothing more than the change of a ruler! Every one makes plans but no one succeeds. â€Å"I am afraid our eyes are bigger than our bellies, and that we have more curiosity than capacity; for we grasp at all, but catc h nothing but wind† (Montaigne 1). On the other hand, in Solibo Magnificent, colonial impulse is represented by the police who exercise a series of undue abuse on the suspects of Solibo’s fatal collapse, and there is no one to keep a check on their investigation. Colonialism may not necessarily be exercised over state, it can also be exercised over people, like it is done in the case of Solibo Magnificent. The excessive colonialism of police can be estimated from the fact that they beat Doudou Menar to death, who had been considerate enough to be the first to make the police aware of Solibo’s assassination. â€Å"They manhandle Congo without pity. Jambette and Diab-Anba-Feuilles twist his arms behind his back, slam him onto a chair, face under a lamp's incandescence† (Chamoiseau 139) The difference between the colonialism discussed in The Tempest and that in Solibo Magnificent is that the former offers rule over land while the latter offers rule over publi c. Slavery: In The Tempst, Ariel plays the role of a slave to Prospero. He has been slave to Prospero ever since he was rescued by him after he was caged in a tree by Sycorax. Throughout the play, Prospero uses Ariel to play the magic tricks on various characters that form part of the story. It is the Ariel who originally sets storm in the sea so that all of the people in it find their way to the island. Ariel is not let free until the end of the story when Prospero plans to leave with his siblings. Even then, Prospero instructs Ariel to look after the seas and make sure that the waters stay calm. Slavery has been a common element both in The Tempest and Solibo Magnificent, though the latter has mixed slavery with racism unlike the former. â€Å"Their African Purity had seemed a defect in the middle of our mixed population, and one said â€Å"Congo† with as much disdain as â€Å"Negro†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Chamoiseau 142). Also, slave in The Tempest enjoys all privileges wi thin the limits imposed by his master unlike Solibo Magnificent, in which slavery is associated with Africans or African Americans as is done in the most traditional settings. People who look like Africans are commonly stereotyped as slaves in the literature. â€Å"In this society education and money and cultured Frenchness matter, but Negro blood is like an ineradicable commonness, a mark of slave ancestry†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Naipaul 205). Language: There is a great difference of the language in which The

Discuss how the credit crunch could affect corporate decision making Essay

Discuss how the credit crunch could affect corporate decision making over the next few years - Essay Example Taking the Asian example, in the years succeeding 1997, both the demand and supply were determined to have been affected by the credit crunch. Demand for credit declined as consumption and investment were sharply reduced due to uncertainty, overcapacity, weakening economic conditions, and the negative wealth effect arising from a fall in asset prices. The borrowers lost credit worthiness, which made banks reluctant to lend, even at higher interest rates. The financial system will also be affected in such a situation, resulting in the decline of supply of credit, which further weakens its demand (Lindgren, 1999, p. 24 - 25). According to Jubak (2007), in a credit crunch, lenders stop lending and credit becomes tough to obtain. Credit crunch is a crisis that feeds on fear and uncertainty. A lender can compensate for fear by raising interest rates, tightening credit standards or writing more protective covenants into the terms of a loan. But if the size of the losses is uncertain enough, lenders cant compensate for the additional risk because lenders dont know how large that risk might be. Credit crunch is characterized by extremely depressed liquidity and deteriorated balance sheet positions for households, corporations and financial institutions; sharply increased interest rates as all sectors scramble for remaining available funds; rising yield differentials as investors sell risky investments and switch to safe assets; a severely depresses stock market; and the inability of many borrowers to obtain funds at any cost (Wolfson, 1994, p. 22). The supply of funds is restricted not only because of the tight monetary policy by reducing bank reserves, but also due to smaller deposit inflows to financial institutions and reduced savings flows (Wolfson, 1994, p. 22). In order to study the causes of credit crunch, Clair and Tucker (1993) focus on the Texas banking industry and the credit crunch phase of seven years starting 1986. The authors

Organisational Transformation in Practice ( Reflective writing) Assignment - 1

Organisational Transformation in Practice ( Reflective writing) - Assignment Example The opening focuses on reflections of the event of the negotiation activities within a virtual learning environment (Lewicki, Saunders, Minton, & Barry, 2003; McKeachie & Svinickie, 2011; Oxford Brooks University, 2009). It is argued that the negotiations course was successful in preparing the learner for further leadership roles (Brookfield, 1995; McKeachie & Svinickie, 2011). Further comments focus on the learner’s style of negotiation and reactions to others during the negotiation process (Antelo, Prilipko, & Sheridan-Pereira, 2010; Balez, 2008; Changingminds.org, 2011, Dunn, 1989, Hudson, 2002-03; Lewicki et al., 2003; Myers, 2009; Shockley-Zalabak, 2002; Shepard, 2010; Verderber, 1990). This report explores how success was achieved in the project, reflected upon, and based on that success, the literature, and personal insight from the reflection further recommendations are made. I sat down to review what I knew so far. My plant was responsible for manufacturing and assembling parts that were suffering from a high incidence of quality issues with massive rejection rates at the customer site. The quality issues had not been resolved and my quality inspectors had uncovered that the problems were, at least in part, due to another division’s parts that were supplied to my plant. I had gotten word that the other plant’s staff and their plant manager had refused to take responsibility. I thought the other plant manager was unfairly and inaccurately interpreting the term â€Å"95% level of quality approval†. The thought of my and my plant’s staff being unfairly blamed for a serious problem at the customer site infuriated me. I have a lot of pride in my work and the work of my staff and I do not take well to others insulting work that has been performed in good faith. I quickly made the assumption before negotiations even started that I w ould have an uphill

Partnership between FedEx and Environmental Defence Fund Dissertation

Partnership between FedEx and Environmental Defence Fund - Dissertation Example Presently the governmental sector and the NGOs have realised the potential significance of incorporating businesses within the worldwide process of growth and development. Businesses with the capability and necessary funding to affect stakeholders positively may not be well adapted to the requirements necessary to maintain corporate social responsibility. It has been observed that often business firms aiming at being socially more responsible, lack adequate training and knowledge to implement various developmental plan and program. On the other hand, the various NGOs that are adept at carrying out developmental programs globally, lack funds (owing to persistently decreasing governmental support from the public funds in context of the recent economic crisis) and other resources to implement effectively their projects on a long-term basis (Bobenrieth and Stibbe, 2010). Owing to these requirements as observed in both the entities that have led to increasing instances of co-operation bet ween the profit and non-profit making sectors, that often move â€Å"beyond basic philanthropy to ‘win-win’ partnerships†¦ [and generate] strong business, social and environmental benefits† (ibid, 1). Further accelerated by worldwide economic crisis, the trend amongst the NGOs and the corporates to work in collaboration and achieve sustainable social development, is fast turning into a reality in many nations. Many of the international institutions that work in social and economic development and fund raising activities have acknowledged the significance of cooperation between the two entities for sustainable and effective global development. Agenda 21, a 1992 UN action plan for sustainable development, first created the framework for institutionalising governing processes in the form of collaborative arrangements (Glasbergen, 2007, 1-25). Later in December 2005, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution known as â€Å"Toward Global Partnerships,† w here collaboration between corporates and NGOs are shown as significant for a nation’s development and poverty removal. This resolution noted that â€Å"in regard to developing partnerships through the provision of greater opportunities to the private sector, non-governmental organizations and civil society in general so as to enable them to contribute to†¦the pursuit of development and the eradication of poverty†(UN General Assembly Resolution 62/211, Toward Global Partnerships, 2005). Therefore, it is quite evident that there is an increasing importance being attached to such collaborative activities for the general social welfare, worldwide. Although there are many principle/ethical based functional differences between a NGO and a corporate house, in the modern context, it is important for such partnerships to exist, for three primary reasons. The first reason is the fast-paced globalisation and modern innovative technology have resulted in a better-connected w orld; however due to the same globalisation now local problems have also acquired a global face and become

How do authoritarianism and sultanism differ, and which type of Essay

How do authoritarianism and sultanism differ, and which type of authoritarianism defines Arab monarchies Give contemporary exam - Essay Example The whole of the twentieth century has gained importance in history for creating more authoritative regimes that include Hitler’s rule of Germany, Stalin’s regime in the then USSR, Pol Pot’s reign in Cambodia and Mao’s brutal rule in China, than for democratic transformations. It is easy to relate non-democratic regimes as historical and political anomalies in the twenty-first century, especially after the collapse of the communist USSR during the late 1980s and the dramatic revolution in the Middle East (also known as the Arab Spring of 2011); however, it would be overly optimistic to view non-democratic authoritative bodies as outdated. Such perspectives fail to take into account the possibilities that forcibly removing one authoritarian leader may simply lead to another one taking his/her place, or it may also lead to foreign invasion, or even a failed state. A study of literature showed that the breakdown of the USSR and the subsequent collapse of comm unism did not bring democracy to countries such as Uzbekistan, neither does the ousting of authoritative heads in Yemen, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt guarantee stable democracies in all these states. In this context, Way claimed that when the collapse of the USSR and the Arab Spring of 2011 are compared, it reveals the likelihood of the survival of authoritative regimes, ‘and that those [Arab] countries which do witness authoritarian collapse will be less likely to democratize than their European counterparts were’ (2011: 17). It is noteworthy that the Middle East has singularly remained steadfast in maintaining a non-democratic authoritative regime in power in the form of monarchy or sultanism. Sultanism is a type of  authoritarian regime, where  a ruler is present in all aspects of governance. Sultanism  is a term derived from the Arabic word sultan, which denotes an absolute monarch in Muslim societies. In the context of authoritative regimes, as seen in the Middle East and North Africa, Belling said: While the number of electoral democracies [in Middle East and North Africa] has nearly doubled since 1972, the number in this region has registered an absolute decline. Today, only two out of twenty-one countries qualify as electoral democracies, down from three observed in 1972. Stagnation is also evident in the guarantee of political rights and civil liberties. While the number of countries designated free by Freedom House has doubled in the Americas and in the Asia-Pacific region, increased tenfold in Africa, and risen exponentially in Central and East Europe over the past thirty years, there has been no overall improvement in the Middle East and North Africa. Aggregate scores in 2002 differ little from 1972. Fifteen countries are designated not free, five partly free, and only one free. While a few countries, notably Morocco, Jordan, Bahrain, and Yemen, have registered noteworthy progress toward political liberalization in the past decade, o verall the vast majority of countries has failed to catch the wave of democratization that has swept nearly every other part of the world (2004: 139). This essay will make a study of the available literature to find out the differences between authoritarianism and sultanism regimes, and the type of authoritarianism that defines Arab monarchies. Discussion Non-democratic regime in the general sense relates to the rule by a political body or a government in a manner that does not

The impact of exercise on mental health Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The impact of exercise on mental health - Essay Example It is important for an addict to seek a particular exercise to be able to break the vice as this will also be able to finish the urge or reduce it.an addiction leads to becoming a habit for the victim and therefore for one to break a particular habit through exercise to break the monotony. An addiction has been described as a chronic disease because it affects the brain activity to be able to specify the notion of the body as a particular activity that needs to be done. Exercise can also be used to boost dopamine. In this it helps fight the stimuli effect or the urge back in the mind of the user of the particular addiction taking back to the brain and the user can view a particular activity as not important and this will lead to more inconsistency and lead to freedom. The challenge of quitting an addiction with one day is that the hypothalamic pituitary gland is thrown off balance as it was already used to the habit. The withdrawal affect comes over and this might lead to o ne to seek more of the addicted substance if they come into contact with it. The need for exercise is that it boosts dopamine which elevates the need for mood and also reduces drowsiness for the patient leading to boost of morale for the user. Exercise helps in rebuilding the mind by increasing neurogenesis. When this is done the urge of the addiction is almost brought to zero therefore enabling one to perform more alert and to be tolerant with the withdrawal symptoms. It is this aspect that exercise increases the neurogenesis and therefore helps in breaking the addiction. Exercise battles the anxiety and depression that comes with withdrawal. When one stops to indulge with an addiction there is a gap to his/her day activity and for it to be properly filled one has to replace with a new positive habit for

Hotel Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Hotel Management - Essay Example As such, the organization does not have to deal with food problems that may arise; the problems can be solved by the company providing services. The other reason why the outsourcing food service has become a common phenomenon is because an organization can have expertise at providing food services while the other can be an expert at the management of cafeteria. Food services have also become the commonly outsourced function because back up support is provided for the program, as well as the food service team. For example, the company contracted to outsource can provide extra services at no extra cost; this includes expertise for a special function that an organization needs. Organizations in the hotel industry also outsource food services because the company contracted to provide such services provides high quality food at an affordable price. Food service outsourcing has also become common since the manufacturer guarantees production of nutritionally safe food, high quality products, and food of a high standard. Cost savings and labor efficiency, which comes with outsourcing food services, can be regarded as another reason why the outsourcing of food services has become common. The other reason for outsourcing food services is that it allows for price flexibility. Food services are also outsourced since they allow for increased information for nutrition, especially with regard to menu offerings. There are several advantages of outsourcing food services, which accrue to the management contractor. First, contract manufacturing of food services allows clients to have access to up-to-date processes and infrastructures involved in manufacturing. The other advantage is that it helps the management contractor in the management of day-to-day schedules, packaging, production, and management of labor services. The outsourcing of food services also gives the management contractor an opportunity to diversify, as well as evaluate

ASPECTS OF COUNSELING Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

ASPECTS OF COUNSELING - Research Paper Example The cognitive aspect of counseling looks into how an individual reasons and processes information. In behavioral aspect the counselor looks into a person’s overt behavior and how learning has and can affect it. In affective aspect the counselor looks into what an individual is experiencing inside themselves. The spiritual aspect deals with a person’s religious affiliations or beliefs that affect their social life, emotions and physical well-being. A counselor therefore needs to know a client’s cognitive, behavioral, affective, and spiritual aspects before taking a specific counseling approach. Spiritual, Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Aspects of Counseling Introduction Counseling has been in existence for thousands of years, but it is one of the most misunderstood concepts in psychology. In the past, counseling was performed by wise elders in the communities with the family unit at its core. These elders counseled people on the various norms that existed an d how to follow them. This trend has continued to grow, but now it is parents and other community members such as teachers, coaches, and religious leaders that find themselves in the counseling field. These community leaders have the role of counseling inherently embedded in their duties. As time passed, counseling took new approaches that were more scientific although the ancient ones also depicted some level of science and ethics. The transformation of counseling has primarily been based on the need for it to suit different people from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and lifestyles. Ironically, as the world has become more informed and technologically savvy, the breakdown of the family unit is on the rise. This brings about a generation of people who have not developed the emotional, mental, behavioral, and spiritual skills needed in our complex and changing society. This and more reasons have contributed to the development and spread of modern techniques and theories in counseling . The misunderstanding gap in relation to counseling in the past has been also reduced with more people seeking formal counseling services. In addition, counseling today does not have the stigma it once held in the past. In actuality, many theories used today consider counseling as a process where the client and the counselor come up with solutions or plans together. Today’s counseling has taken an integrative approach with the incorporation of spiritual, affective, behavioral and cognitive aspects in treating the client through individual or group counseling. Cognitive Aspect of Counseling: Rational Emotive Behavior Theory (REBT) The cognitive domain is basically a domain that focuses on how an individual thinks and reasons. Every individual has mental processes which include knowledge, comprehension, problem solving, and critical thinking or analysis. It is crucial for the counselor to understand how the client can process information. To elaborate this, a client may have t heir reasoning blurred by emotions rendering them incompetent to develop conclusive, decisive or sound solutions. Clients can be illogical and can exhibit irrationality in their judgment and attitudes (Hollon, Stewart and Strunk, 2006). The counselor should in turn replace these by logic and rationality in the client’s ideas and attitudes. The client through cognitive aspect is able to gain self-actualization, thereby attaining some level of happiness (Kenardy, 2011). If a client can identify the element(s) in their environment that they struggle with, self- awareness and self-discovery may commence. Eric Berne for example developed Transactional Analysis that aimed

Chinese Nationalist Party Essay Example for Free

Chinese Nationalist Party Essay On 1 October 1949, Mao Zedong, leader of the Chinese Communist Party declared victory over the Nationalist Party (Guomindang) and brought an end to four brutally long years of Civil War. The Communist victory in the Civil War has however, created significant debate among historians, namely: was a Communist victory inevitable and if so is it more sensible to see the Chinese Civil War as a Communist victory or as a Nationalist defeat?When researching these questions it becomes blatantly obvious that the Guomindang government led by Chiang Kai-Shek was riddled with problems and they are very much the cause of their own downfall. Widespread government corruption, spiraling inflation, loss of public confidence and intractable poverty are just a few of the failings the Guomindang afflicted upon the Chinese people. These monumental failings make a Communist victory seem almost inevitable, in that they just happened to be there to assume power as the Nationalists lost support and drowned in their own mistakes. In this sense it is more sensible to view the Civil War as a Nationalist defeat, rather than a Communist victory. On the other hand, the Communists were able to turn dismal rural poverty and the Japanese invasion into assets, using them to convince villagers that radical change was imperative and that the Communist Party was best qualified to bring about this change. Seen in this light, superior strategy and organisational methods allowed the Communists to achieve victory and not just move into a vacuum as suggested by Barnett (Barnett, 1965: 1). There is certainly an element of inevitability with regard to the Communist victory, however, in this essay I will argue that not only was the outcome of the Chinese Civil War not preordained, but I will also critically evaluate the reasons the Guomindang lost the Civil War and explain that given their policy mistakes, the Civil War should be seen as a Nationalist defeat rather than a Communist victory. If the Nationalists had been willing to adapt and had they initiated some changes in their strategies, the Communist Party, no matter what its internal organisation or external strategies, would not have been able to bring revolution to China. This theory is not supported by Kubek, who argues that the cause of the  Nationalist defeat was due to a lack of aid from the United States, declaring sovietisation of China and Manchuria could be the only logical outcome of post-war United States policy in China (Kubek, 1965: 62). This view point is unduly simplistic and overvalues Americas role in China, an opinion supported by Chang, who believes the Guomindang governments failure was due not so much to lack of American support, but to its inherent defects (Chang, 1965: 40). Before analysing these inherent defects and the reasons that the Nationalist Party lost the Civil War, it is important to understand the fundamentals of the situation in China at the end of World War Two; specifically the consequences of the eight year war with Japan that totally exhausted the Guomindang militarily, economically and spiritually. Hsu argues that the war with Japan is the single most important cause for the downfall of the Nationalists and had there been no Japanese war, the situation in China would have been very different (Hsu, 1990: 734). Many of the Guomindangs problems such as factionalism, corruption and leadership were prevalent prior to the Sino-Japanese War; however it was during the last phases of the Sino-Japanese War that these problems reached crisis proportions and in hindsight it seems impossible that the Guomindang could have overcome these problems to defeat the Communists (Service, 1965: 29). Chang also believes that the Guomindang faced insurmountable problems prior to the Civil War, stating that the government of Chiang Kai-Shek was built on quicksand and clay. How can it stand? Is it any wonder that it fell like a house of cards when it had to face the Communist crisis? (Chang, C. 1965: 41). Westad, (2003: 7) however argues that in spite of the Guomindangs weaknesses, the outcome of the post-war conflict with the Communists was no way predetermined in 1945. At the end of the Sino-Japanese War the Guomindang held significant advantages over the Communists, with its widely recognised legitimate government controlling China, giving it the power to tax and conscript. On the other hand, the Communists could not match the Guomindangs troops in terms of training and equipment and could be  outgunned and outmanoeuvred in all major regions of the country (Westad, 2003: 8). Furthermore, the Communist party was hardly represented in the cities at all, which of course was the power base of the Guomindang. However, the Communists also had successes resulting from the war with Japan including increasing their area of control and practiced evolving their strategies of protracted guerrilla warfare against the Japanese which in turn generated public support. Despite this the partys main forces were still located in North-west China and they were not in such a powerful position that a civil war with the Guomindang would be a mere formality in securing control of the country. The Civil War is therefore simply not a case of the imminent decline of the Guomindang and the Communists irresistible rise. Rather the Sino-Japanese War provided the framework for the decisions and strategies that would ultimately lead to Nationalist defeat. The war with Japan left the Guomindang decimated and they did need to undergo reform in order to survive; however the factionalism and corruption within the Guomindang resulted in increasingly repressive controls being implemented upon the war weary Chinese people. At a time when new strategies were needed, the government instead continued its repressive controls and when war again broke out, the government lost even more support and collapsed with cataclysmic speed. This was due in no small part to the leadership of the Guomindang, whose perpetuation of their own power dominated over all other considerations (Service, 1965: 28). The arrogance and mismanagement of the Guomindang alienated the Chinese people and caused a loss of public confidence and respect. This loss of respect not only resulted in the Nationalists losing influence in their own power bases, but made it easier for the Communists to exploit this public disharmony and encourage the Chinese people to think that a change in administration would bring about a change in their fortunes. An example of the Guomindangs poor leadership strategies can be seen in their occupation of former Japanese colonies (Service, 1965: 29). The Chinese citizens within these Japanese occupied territories had waited eight  years for the return of Nationalist rule, but instead of being treated as victims of war, they were exploited. The Guomindang leaders did not return their land but acquired it as their own property; moreover, they virtually eliminated the monetary assets of these people. This was caused by the currency in the occupied territories going through extreme inflation as the government only offered the exorbitant exchange rate of two hundred to one; when a more reasonable rate would have been half that much (Phillips, 1996: 158). Furthermore, the puppet leaders that had been installed by the Japanese often kept their positions or became members of the Guomindang. Poor policy decisions such as this would lead to the downfall of the Guomindang, as it is impossible to fight a n effective war without the support of the people and the economic policies of the government alienated millions of suffering people. The Guomindangs economic problems were not limited to the territories formerly occupied by the Japanese. All over China inflation was an exceptionally large problem, for as the increases seen during the Japanese War were allowed to spiral out of control during the Civil War. Service, (1965: 29) argues that this is a direct result of corruption within the Guomindang, and that they refused to take any effective steps to check inflation or implement agricultural reforms for fear of losing the support of the landlord class in China. In view of this, the Guomindang developed urban industry at the expense of agricultural and financed this by simply printing more bank notes. Their economic mismanagement was disastrous for the majority of the Chinese people and meant that by 1948 government expenditure had become thirty times larger when compared to its pre-war level; the budget deficit had also blown out to thirty times it pre-war level and inflation was increasing at the rate of thirty per cent a month (Chang, K. 1965: 23). The Nationalist government faced imminent financial doom and the Chinese people were becoming aware of the selfish nature of their government whose economic policies and financial mismanagement destroyed the livelihood of hundreds of millions of Chinese. The failings of the Guomindang would provide the Communist party with ample opportunities to exploit the discontent of the Chinese people. This was one of the reasons for the Communist victory in that they were able to gain the support of people from the rural areas who the Guomindang had alienated. An example of this can be seen in the rural land reforms implemented in newly gained territories. In these areas the Communists promoted production and ensured supplies by creating a self-sufficient economy. To rouse the productive enthusiasm of the peasants, they launched a campaign to reduce rent and interest. Peasant associations and other organisations were urged to demand and enforce a 25 percent rent reduction, with a rent ceiling set at 37.5 percent of the crops. The interest rate on loans was limited to 1.5 percent a month, or 18 percent a year, much lower that the excessive rate formerly charged by the landlords (Westad, 2003: 11 and Fielding, 1999: 134). They were able to achieve these reforms without confiscating large amounts of land, as considerable redistribution of land to the peasants was accomplished by impo sing graduated taxes in such a way that larger landholders voluntarily sold land because it was no longer profitable. It is arguable that the Communists had no intention of eliminating the economic power of the landlords, but instead they showed the peasants that they could exercise their power locally and play an active role in the war against a government that some had come to despise. The Communists gave the peasants what they wanted: an army of friendly troops who not only did not steal their crops but helped them bring in the harvest and who implemented popular but gradual economic reforms (Ebrey, 1996: 289). This is in stark contrast to the Guomindang who did not understand the peasants and showed no interest in aiding them. They failed to see the revolutionary potential of the peasant masses and unlike the Communist Party never attempted to organise them. This situation was best summarised by Hsu: the stone that one builder had rejected became the cornerstone of the others house (Hsu, 1990: 738). However, many of the most important cause of the Nationalist defeat during the Civil War were military ones. Despite emerging from the Japanese War better equipped and trained, the Nationalist Army was a tired force (Hsu, 1990: 734). This war-weariness was felt throughout China and there was  widespread recognition that full scale civil war would be a tragedy for the country. It is therefore, not surprising that the Guomindangs persistence in military aggression towards the Communists, who were Chinese after all, failed to arouse the same patriotic loyalty as when the enemies were Japanese (Stuart, 1965: 19). Given this situation the Nationalist Army needed good leadership and to gain the support of the people; they were unsuccessful on both counts. This was largely due to the leadership system created by Chiang Kai-Shek that was a congerie of conservative political cliques concerned primarily with maintaining their own power (Service, 1965: 30). Furthermore, the highest military posts were reserved for those who like Chiang Kai-Shek had graduated from the Whampoa military academy and this often meant that more talented officers were turned away. General Barr of the United States said of the Guomindang leadership in 1949 that, their military debacles in my opinion can all be attributed to the worlds worst leadership and many other morale destroying factors that lead to a complete loss of will to fight (Barr, 1949: x quoted in Bianco, 1971: 180). In fact, many battles were lost by the Nationalists without a fight, as hundreds of thousands of troops simply defected or surrendered to the Communists (Barnett, 1965: 5). An example of this may be seen during the Huai-Huai Campaign, where poor military leadership caused the Nationalist troops to become surrounded and resulted in an irreparable loss of manpower without a fight (Phillips, 1996: 158). Rather than undertaking offensives to seek out and destroy the main mobile guerrilla units of the Communists, they holed up for the most part in isolated, vulnerable, defensive positions allowing the Communists to concentrate their forces and attack and overwhelm Nationalists positions one by one (Barnett, 1965: 5). This strategy played into the hands of the Communists whose primary goal was to reduce the numbers of the Nationalist army. They were not concerned with holding specific geographic areas and this allowed them to be a lot more flexible in their attacks. Moreover, the Communist troops were ordered to avoid large battles and to engage the enemy only when there was a high probability of victory. Mao Zedong argued that the only way guerrilla warfare could succeed  is if the army had the support of the people, and the Communists certainly had this (Mao Zedong, 1940: x cited in Bianco, 1971: 184). The Communists successfully achieved this through the use of propaganda. They portrayed themselves as defenders of the nation and the Guomindang as enemies of all levels of society, from peasant to scholar (Chang, C. 1965: 40). Chiang Kai-shek himself admitted that the Nationalists failure in propaganda was a major defect in our struggle against Communism (Kai-shek, 1965: 77). Despite this, the Nationalist army had many opportunities to seriously weaken the Communists. However, their leadership too often committed crucial tactical mistakes, which were the result of lack of communication and disputes within the party caused by the factionalism that riddled the Guomindang leadership (Westad, 2003: 11). Clique politics and factionalism would eventually lead to the situation where unified action to either solve the problems in Nationalist held territory or to fight against the Communists became virtually impossible (Barnett, 1965: 6). This is in stark contrast to the leadership of the Communist armies, whose generals were not concerned with personal gain, but instead co-operated with each other and gained the support of the Chinese people and worked towards a united goal (Westad, 2003: 9). These superior military tactics and aforementioned economic reforms brought the Communists wide spread support and ultimately victory. However, this victory would never have been achievable were it not for the military, economic and social failings of the Guomindang. Chiang Kai-Shek himself admitted major defects in organisation and technique in the Nationalists war against Communism, however he argued that these defects were remediable, so long as our strategy and policy were correct, I believe we still could have won (Kai-Shek, 1965: 82). It is in this light that the Chinese Civil War should be viewed not as a Communist victory, but as a Nationalist defeat. There is no doubt that the war against Japan was a crushing blow to the Nationalists economic and military power, however it was not fatal. The  Nationalist government could have continued to consolidate its power and authority by the sheer weight of its military strength and financial resources (Tsou, 1965: 28). Even though the Nationalist government was far from popular, it was the most powerful military and economic force in China and could have survived if it had been willing to regain the support of the people. Defeat to the Communists was therefore, far from inevitable, and the Nationalists were very much the engineers of their own demise. BIBLIOGRAPHY Barnett, A. (1965), Multiple factors, in Pichon Loh (ed.) The Kuomintang Debacle of 1949: Conquest or Collapse? D.C. Heath Company, BostonBianco, Lucien. (1971), Origins of the Chinese Revolution, 1915-1949 Stanford University Press, StanfordChang, Carsun. (1965), Chiang Kai-shek and Kuomintang dictatorship, in PichonLoh (ed.) The Kuomintang Debacle of 1949: Conquest or Collapse? D.C. Heath Company, BostonChang, Kia-Ngua. (1965) War and Inflation in Pichon Loh (ed.) The Kuomintang Debacle of 1949: Conquest or Collapse? D.C. Heath Company, BostonEbrey, Patricia. (1996), Cambridge Illustrated History: China, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, EnglandFielding, Mark Morcombe, Margot. (1999), The Spirit of Change China in Revolution McGraw Hill Book Company, Roseville, NSWHsu, Immanuel C.Y. (1990), The Rise of Modern China Oxford University Press, New YorkKai-shek, Chiang 1965, Communist designs and Kuomintang blunders, inPichon Loh (ed.) The Kuomintang Debacle of 1949: Conquest o r Collapse?, D.C. Heath Company, BostonKubek, Anthony 1965, Communist subversion and American appeasement, inPichon Loh (ed.) The Kuomintang Debacle of 1949: Conquest or Collapse?, D.C. Heath Company, BostonPhillips, Richard. (1996) China since 1911 St Martins Press, New York. Service, John S. 1965, The enthronement of reaction, in Pichon Loh (ed.)The Kuomintang Debacle of 1949: Conquest or Collapse?, D.C. Heath Company,BostonStuart, John L. (1965), Popular Discontent and Creeping Paralysis, in Pichon Loh (ed.)The Kuomintang Debacle of 1949: Conquest or Collapse?, D.C. Heath Company,BostonTsou, Tang 1965, Contradictions between program and practise, in PichonLoh (ed.) The Kuomintang Debacle of 1949: Conquest or Collapse?, D.C. Heath Company, BostonWestad, Odd Arne 2003, Decisive Encounters: the Chinese Civil War 1946 -1950, Stanford University Press, California

Internal combustion engine Essay Example for Free

Internal combustion engine Essay MGMT425 Spring 2013 – Haisu Zhang Marketing Research: Green Marketing Are Hybrid Cars Worth The Money? By Josh Nottingham Tyler Alberson Lei Ye James Chimitt Introduction: Over the course of the past few decades, Hybrid cars have slowly been multiplying on the road. General Motors sold 11,000 Chevrolet Volts in 2010 and are expecting that number to rise to 70,000 by next year (J. D. Power and Associates, 2012). The total percentage of Hybrid cars that cruise the road only makes up 3% of the entire automobile industry, but is expected to triple by the year 2015. There has been an immense debate over whether it’s worth spending the money to purchase a Hybrid car over a standard vehicle. What is a Hybrid Car? First built in the early 1900s, Hybrid vehicles are defined as a car that runs on two sources of power. The most common Hybrid vehicle combines a gasoline engine with an electric motor, which is known as a Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV). While most people consider this to be a recent invention, the technology has been around since the development of the first car. In fact, the first Hybrid car was created in 1899. The Beginning of Hybrids: The first Hybrid car was created by an engineer Ferdinand Porsche, which was named the System Lohner-Porsche Mixte. This vehicle used the combination of a gasoline engine to supply power to an electric motor. Surprisingly, the Mixte had over 300 produced, but once Henry Ford started the first assembly line in 1904, the demand for Hybrids slowly diminished. The main reason the demand decreased was due to the fact that Ford was able to sell gasoline engine vehicles for less and they produced more power. The Rebirth of Hybrids: After almost fifty years later, the United States congress introduced legislation that encouraged using more electric vehicles to attempt reducing the air pollution in the 1960s. Over the next thirty years, auto manufacturers spent billions of dollars researching the development of Hybrid cars and the technology that was needed. Sadly, only a few cars were produced which would both reduce our world’s dependence on oil and be able to compete with the historic gasoline vehicles price and performance. These vehicles failed to attract consumers and were eventually dropped from the production line. It wasn’t until the Toyota Prius, which released in 1997; Hybrid cars were finally starting to gain popularity in the automotive industry. From there, numerous Hybrid cars were released into the United States. For example, the Honda Insight became the first mass-produced HEV in the United States, which was a a small two-door car. The Toyota Prius is known as the â€Å"Hybrid† to many people, because it gave the Hybrid technology the consumers were hunting for. This particular vehicle has been the most popular HEV ever produced and auto manufacturers have used the technology as the platform for their Hybrid vehicle models. In this era of being environmentally friendly, auto manufacturers have shifted their production lines toward offering more Hybrid models to their customers. Toyota still offers the Prius, but Chevrolet and Honda have high expectations for their newest family members, the Volt and second generation Insight. We can expect auto manufacturers to continue shifting their production in the field of Hybrids. The Future of Hybrids: Since there is an increasingly demand for Hybrids, we can expect the future of Hybrids to be near. The next biggest change consumers can expect is to phase away from Nickel-Cadmium battery packs. Virtually every Hybrid on the road today has these battery backs. They are great for durability and proven to work well, but they have disadvantages since they are nearly six-teen years old. Nickel-Cadmium batteries do not charge as fast as other batteries and they are very heavy, because nickel is very heavy. By finding an alternative to these heavy batteries and reducing the weight, cars will be more efficient and have the ability to charge faster. There have been rumors of switching HEVs to Lithium-Ion Technology, which is both lighter and charges faster. Another report indicated the transformation of using a diesel engine combined with electric, which would increase the fuel economy of the vehicle. All these changes the future hold are the next stepping stones of the Hybrid era.

Study Of A Renewable Energy Of Photovoltaic System Engineering Essay

Study Of A Renewable Energy Of Photovoltaic System Engineering Essay Besides, the guidelines to Account for and Report on Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Removals for Buildings (Commercial, Residential or Institutional Purposes) in Hong Kong 2010 Edition of EMSD and EPD report that climate change has become a challenge to the international community. The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is committed to working closely with the international community in formulating measures to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Being a service economy without any major energy-intensive industries, electricity generation is the major source of GHG emissions in Hong Kong, accounting for over 60% of the total local emissions. The second largest GHG emission source is transport sector (16%), followed by waste (12%). Among various end uses of electricity, buildings account for some 89% in Hong Kong. Therefore, red ucing electricity consumption for building operations is instrumental in bringing down our GHG emissions. It will also have the co-benefits of reducing operational costs and improving the local and regional air quality. GHG emissions associated with the electricity purchased based on a territory-wide default value of 0.7kg/kWh in Hong Kong and these specific emission factors are available from the 2 nos. of electric companies (CLP The China Light Power Company Ltd. HEC The Hong Kong Electric Company Ltd.) from years 2002 to years 2007 in Hong Kong as following: Photovoltaic System More renewable energy sources may help containing fossil fuel use, thereby reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Solar energy is one of the renewable energy being widely used over the world mainly due to its clean and emission free properties. Solar energy can be used in many ways which can provide the heat energy, mechanical power and electrical power. One of the most common methods is to convert solar radiation into electricity through the use of photovoltaic (PV) technology. The sunlight will converted to electricity using photovoltaic solar cells. The photovoltaic cells are usually bundled together in panels and modules to produce the increased power. The PV panel advantages are no pollution, quiet operation and require a little maintenance. Over the past few years, photovoltaic technologies have been developed rapidly. To promote greater adoption of renewable energy technologies in Hong Kong, the Energy Efficiency Office (EEO) of the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) always seeks opportunity to promote the use of new renewable energy technologies. Attention is now being paid to the flexible amorphous thin-film technology in view of the increasing popularity for applications in overseas countries Renewable energy is ready to be inexhaustible, harnessed and more importantly is a clean alternative to fossil fuels. Photovoltaic System is the type of the renewable energy in Hong Kong and aim to have 1 and 2% of Hong Kongs total electricity supply met by power generated by the year 2012. The world population of 10 billion by the year 2050, the worlds fossil fuel resources will advance more depletion rapidly according to the increasing global energy demand at the world. Photovoltaic is a method of generating electrical power by converting solar radiation into direct current electricity using semiconductors that exhibit the photovoltaic effect. The photovoltaic power generation employs solar panels composed of a number of solar cells containing a photovoltaic material. Photovoltaic device directly and silently convert light energy to electricity. No-post installation energy input other than the light source virtually. The sun is required normally. Materials presently used for photovoltaic include monocrystalline silicon, polycrystalline silicon, amorphous silicon, and cadmium telluride and copper indium gallium selenide/sulfide. Due to the growing demand for renewable energy sources, the manufacturing of solar cells and photovoltaic arrays has advanced considerably in recent years. Many solar photovoltaic power stations have been built which mainly in Europe region. As of December 2011, the largest photovoltaic power plants in the world are the Golmud Solar Park (China, 200MV), Sarnia Photovoltaic Power Plant (Canada, 97MV), Montalto di Castro Photovoltaic Power Station  (Italy, 84.2 MW),Finsterwalde Solar Park  (Germany, 80.7 MW),  Ohotnikovo Solar Park  (Ukraine, 80  MW),  Lieberose Photovoltaic Park  (Germany, 71.8  MW),  Rovigo Photovoltaic Power Plant  (Italy, 70 MW),Olmedilla Photovoltaic Park  (Spain, 60  MW) and the Strasskirchen Solar Park  (Germany, 54  MW) Advantages of Photovoltaic System For the renewable energy, solar power is pollution free during use. Production end wastes and emissions are manageable using existing pollution controls. End of user recycling technologies are under development and policies are being produced that encourage recycling from producers. PV installations can operate for many years with little maintenance or intervention after their initial set up. So that, after the initial capital cost of building any solar power plant, operating costs are extremely low compared to existing power technologies. Grid-connecting solar electricity can be used locally thus reducing transmission and distribution losses. Compared to fossil and nuclear energy sources, Very little research money has been invested in the development of solar cells, so there is considerable room for improvement. Nevertheless, experimental high efficiency solar cells already have efficiencies of over 40% in case of concentrating photovoltaic cells and efficiencies are rapidly rising while mass production costs area rapidly falling. 1.5 Environmental Impact of PV System The most important feature of solar PV systems is that there are no emissions of carbon dioxide the main gas responsible for global climate change during their operation. Although indirect emissions of CO2 occur at other stages of the lifecycle, these are significantly lower than the avoided emissions. PV does not involve any other polluting emissions or the type of environmental safety concerns associated with conventional generation technologies. There is no pollution in the form of exhaust fumes or noise. Decommissioning a system is unproblematic. Although there are no CO2 emissions during operation, a small amount does result from the production stage. PV only emits 21,65 grams CO2/kWh, however, depending on the PV technology. The average emissions for thermal power in Europe, on the other hand, are 900g CO2/kWh. By substituting PV for thermal power, a saving of 835879 g/kWh is achieved. The benefit to be obtained from carbon dioxide reductions in a countrys energy mix is dependent on which other generation method, or energy use, solar power is replacing. Where off-grid systems replace diesel generators, they will achieve CO2 savings of about 1 kg per kilowatt-hour. Due to their tremendous inefficiency, the replacement of a kerosene lamp will lead to even larger savings, of up to 350 kg per year from a single 40 Wp module, equal to 25kg CO2/kWh. For consumer applications and remote industrial markets, on the other hand, it is very difficult to identify exact CO2 savings per kilowatt-hour. Recycling of PV modules is possible and raw materials can be reused. As a result, the energy input associated with PV will be further reduced. If governments adopt a wider use of PV in their national energy generation, solar power can therefore make a substantial contribution towards international commitments to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and their contribution to climate change. By 2030, according to the EPIA-Greenpeace Solar Generation Advanced Scenario, solar PV would have reduced annual global CO2 emissions by just over 1,6 billion tonnes. This reduction is equivalent to the output from 450 coal-fired power plants (average size 750 MW). Cumulative CO2 savings from solar electricity generation between 2005 and 2030 will have reached a level of 9 billion tonnes. Carbon dioxide is responsible for more than 50% of the man-made greenhouse effect, making it the most important contributor to climate change. It is produced mainly by the burning of fossil fuels. Natural gas is the most environmentally sound of the fossil fuels, because it produces roughly half as much carbon dioxide as coal, and less of other polluting gases. Nuclear power produces very little CO2, but has other major safety, security, proliferation and pollution problems associated with its operation and waste products. 1.6 Energy Payback A popular belief still persists that PV systems cannot pay back their energy investment within the expected lifetime of a solar generator about 25 years. This is because the energy expended, especially during the production of solar cells, is seen to outweigh the energy eventually generated. Data from recent studies shows, however, that present-day systems already have an energy payback time (EPBT) the time taken for power generation to compensate for the energy used in production of 1 to 3.5 years, well below their expected lifetime. With increased cell efficiency and a decrease in cell thickness, as well as optimized production procedures, it is anticipated that the EPBT for grid-connected PV will decrease further. The figure hereafter shows energy payback times for different solar cell technologies (thin film, ribbon, multicrystalline and monocrystalline) at different locations (southern and northern Europe). The energy input into a PV system is made up of a number of elements, including the frame, module assembly, cell production, ingot and wafer production and the silicon feedstock. The energy payback time for thin film systems is already less than a year in southern Europe. PV systems with monocrystalline modules in northern Europe, on the other hand, will pay back their input energy within 3.5 years. Figure Energy payback times for range of PV systems (rooftop system, irrad. 1700 resp. 1000 kWh/m2/year) 1.7 Future Markets of PV System International Energy Agency Photovoltaics Power Systems Programme (IEA PVPS) newsletter issue35, 2011/09/01, Page 6 report that The PV market continues to grow faster than expected and prospects for the future remain strong as long as policymakers encourage a stable and sustainable approach to market development. The global PV growth trend in recent years has been astonishing. In 2010, growth was higher than 100%, with capacity additions close to 17 gigawatts (GW) from 7.2 GW installed in 2009. At the start of 2011 the total installed world capacity was close to 40 GW, producing some 50 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electrical power every year. Most of that increase was due to the rapid growth of the German (7.4 GW) and Italian markets (2.3 GW), though other countries also showed significant development. However in many countries the rapid price decreases have led PV close to competitiveness. With PV system prices down in certain market segments to around à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬2/ Wp ($2.8), the cost of generation of electricity from PV went down in sunny countries to less than à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬0.15/ kWh. There are few doubts about the ability of PV prices to drop significantly and bring electricity costs below 10 eurocents ($0.14) in the five coming years. Chapter 2 Literature Review This part of the thesis summaries the related work by other researchers. The focus is on those researches that the related to my own area directly which is the study of the photovoltaic system. 2.1 PV Technology Photovoltaic technology is the direct conversion of the electricity from the sun light. The first PV cells, it was only realized in year 1954 after the development of material science and manufacturing of solid state devices. Nowadays, it is extensively accepted as a good technology to generate electricity directly from sun light with minimal environment pollution and as one of the possible alternatives to fossil fuel energy sources. At photovoltaic system, it has many ways to apply the PV to obtain the solar energy. Solar electricity, year 2004, Markvart. T. report that in the development of semi-conducting devices manufacturing, it mainly consist of silicon, the development of PV cells from the by-products of semi-conductor industry lower the cost and made civil application of PV feasible. Throughout the history of development of PV, its dominating applications have long been the stand -alone applications. In a stand-alone photovoltaic system, PV is the only way and source of energy powering the electrical load. It has not other external electrical power sources. To supply for the demand when there is no sunlight such as deep in the night. The PV system has not enough sun light to transform into the electricity. It requires some kinds of energy storage such as battery, fuel cells, and water tanks and so on. These types of systems are widely used for the rural area and the faraway area which power network is not more maturity. IEA PVPS trends in photovoltaic application, survey report of selected IEA countries between 1992 and 2010, T1-20:2011 show that these stand alone photovoltaic system fell below about 4% of total world-wide photovoltaic installations. Nowadays, the dominating type of photovoltaic application is the grid connecting photovoltaic system producing the clean power for supporting the electricity grid. From year 2000 to 2010, the percentages of gird connected in the reporting countries are from about 55% to 95%. IEA PVPS T1-20:2010, percentages of grid-connected and off-grid PV power in the reporting countries. The operational principle of the grid-connecting photovoltaic system is used the cells to convert the solar radiation into electricity. When the light shines on the cell it creates an electric field across the layers, causing electricity to flow. The direct current (DC) electricity from the PV modules to alternating current (AC) with sophisticated power electronic devices and then supplies the power to the loads in conjunction with the utility grid. It services as a supplementary power source to main stream generation with fossil fuel, nuclear or other conventional means from the utility. Effectively the grid-connecting photovoltaic systems use the grid power as the storage and also the complementary source. It would supply the loads together with the gird when there is not enough from the sun, and would generate excess power into the grid when the PV system could provide more than the loads is needed. This is the fastest uptake type of PV application and became the dominant type by the end of 1999 (IEA PVPS T1-11:2002, P4). Luther et al. (2003, p.98) argued that this type of PV system will be contributing to the main-stream power production towards the reduction of CO2 emission in industrialized countries. Hence the course of change in PV application indicates a development of its role in supplying power to remote areas where no other means of electricity could be easily available and then to supporting the modern society in reducing the adverse effect of burning fossil fuels. The grid-connecting photovoltaic system is the most popular type of solar PV system for homes and businesses in developed areas. Connection to the local electricity network allows any excess power produced to feed the electricity grid and to sell it to the utility. Electricity is then imported from the network when there is no sun.   An inverter is used to convert the direct current power produced by the system to alternative power for running normal electrical equipment. 2.1.1 Grid-Connected Domestic Systems This is the most popular type of solar PV system for homes and businesses in developed areas. Connection to the local electricity network allows any excess power produced to feed the electricity grid and to sell it to the utility. Electricity is then imported from the network when there is no sun.   An inverter is used to convert the direct current power produced by the system to alternative power for running normal electrical equipment 2.1.2 Grid-Connected Power Plants These systems are also grid-connected, produce a large quantity of photovoltaic electricity in a single point. The size of these plants range is from several hundred kilowatts to several megawatts. Some of these applications are located on large industrial buildings such as airport terminals or railways stations. This type of large application makes use of already available space and compensates a part of the electricity produced by these energy-intensive consumers. 2.2 Crystalline Silicon Crystalline Silicon is the most mature photovoltaic industry technology. It has been developed since the 1950s which had the relatively high conversion efficiency of about 11% to 15% at Standard Test Conditions. Standard Test Conditions (STC) is the convention adopted by the photovoltaic industry benchmark for the performance of a PV cell under the particular testing circumstances. This way of characterization of PV modules has its limitations. Crystalline silicon is still dominating the PV market and is expected to do so for the near future. Meanwhile, in its crystalline form, pure silicon has a grey color and a metallic luster. Like a germanium, silicon is rather strong, very brittle and prone to chipping. The crystal structure of the silicon is resembles the diamond cubic crystal structure. The structure is very stable and less susceptible to degradation due to the heat and light. It also used in a high efficiency photovoltaic applications. In terms of charge conduction, silicon i s an intrinsic semiconductor which means that unlike metals it conducts electron holes and electrons which may be released from atoms within the crystal by heat and thus increase silicons electrical conductance with higher temperatures. This particular property enables crystalline silicon PV to last for over 20 years and remain functional. Some of the PV manufactures are offering the warranty of over 20 years. Crystalline silicon can subdivided into 2 types. It is mono-crystalline silicon (m-Si) and poly-crystalline silicon (p-Si). On the mono-crystalline silicon, it is the earliest commercialized technology for applications. It requires the high energy input to produce the raw materials for m-Si cell by single crystal growth. A less energy demanding casting procedure of Silicon crystal was therefore developed to lower the production cost. IEA PVPS trends in photovoltaic application, survey report of selected IEA countries between 1992 and 2010, T1-20:2011 show that due to its lower module price, the p-Si of photovoltaic system is becoming popular gradually. These two manufacturing technologies dominate the market of PV system and in year 2003 accounted for over 85% market share. The thickness of crystalline silicon PV cells is from 0.13mm to 0.3mm. It needs the suitable protection for the relevant mechanical reason. So, to provide the relevant mechanical protection, the most common method of the PV modules for crystalline Si is the cells embedded in the glass layers. This enables a natural integration with building since glass is one of the most widely deployed building materials. The manufacture process of the Crystalline Silicon photovoltaic cell (Picture from EPIA European Photovoltaic Industry Association) 2.3 Amorphous Silicon Amorphous is the term describing the characteristics of silicon atoms grouped together forming the PV cell. The amorphous literally means formless. The structure contrasts with its crystalline counterpart which is much more stable and high efficiency. One of the main reasons for developing amorphous silicon (a-Si) PV technology is the lower production cost. The lower production cost is brought about by the lower energy input for the deposition of silicon layer onto the substrate instead of high temperature crystal formation (Luther et al., 2003, p55) and the significantly less amount of silicon required for the cell production (Deng and Schiff, 2003, p.508). The thickness of silicon coating on the substrate is usually in the range of about 0.001mm. That is less than one-hundredth of that of crystalline silicon PV cells. The significant decrease in raw material used enable a-Si module to be sold at a much lower price per unit area than that of crystalline silicon modules especially at the time of ever increasing price of silicon due to the competition between manufacturing of computer chips and PV modules. In its amorphous state, the photo-electric property of silicon is subjected to light-induced degradation. The effect was reported by Staebler and Wronski, therefore known as the Stabler-Wronski effect (Goetzberger and Hoffmann, 2005, p.60). After an initial degradation of about 10% 20% decrease in conversion efficiency, the electrical properties of the a-Si cells will be stabilized. It is now a common practice for the manufacturers to publish the stabilized efficiency. The stabilized STC efficiencies of commercial a-Si PV modules are around 4% 8%. In order to improve the conversion efficiency of the a-Si modules, some manufacturers stack layers of Si depositions to capture more photons. Although with lower efficiency, a-Si PV cells are widely applied in indoor applications for small electronic appliances attributing to its better response to weak light. It is the third most widespread type of PV technology after crystalline silicon the a-Si has been used as a photovoltaic solar cel l material for devices which require very little power such as pocket calculators and toys. Since the thin layer of a-Si can be deposited onto various types of substrate. This enables the form of PV modules made of a-Si having a much greater variety. Furthermore, silicon in its amorphous form does not have the limitations of thickness or mechanical strength as in crystalline form. These special properties facilitate its application in a flexible form. This is very suitable for producing PV modules for building applications. Together with its performance being less affected by the heat built up in the modules, it can be a good candidate for applications in hot climates. The a-Si PV modules area commercially available for installation onto the roofs of buildings either applied onto the finished roof or integrated into the roof covering. The advantage over traditional PV panels is that they are very low in weight. It is not subject to wind lifting and can be walked on. The comparable disadvantages are increased cost and reduced efficiency. Flexible a-Si PV modules can made as roofing material 2.4 Other Thin-Film Technologies Thin-film is the general term for PV cells produced other than those thick layers of crystalline silicon. Amorphous silicon is the earliest commercialize thin-film technology. Its development was mainly from the drive to lower production costs by using significantly less rea material and energy input during the manufacturing process. Other new comers comprise Copper Indium Diselenide (CIS), Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) and so on. In 1975, a Copper Indium Diselenide (CIS) cell of 12% efficiency was successfully demonstrated at the USAs Bell Labs and work at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) developed the technology under the US department of Energys thin film program during the 1980s, consolidating the technologys promise (Zweibel, 1990, pp.161-180). Due to the collapse of research funding in the US it was almost another 10 years before Siemens Solar Industries (SSI) produced the first commercially CIS modules in late 1990s. A family of similar compounds has also been developed such as CuInSe2, CuGaSe2, CuInS2, Cu2 and so on. the coating of thin film CIS onto substrate was found to be more flexible and easily manipulated (Goetzberger and Hoffmann, 2005, p.65). Therefore CIS is the major material used within this family of compounds. Similar to a-Si, CIS can be coated into many types of substrate. The choices of CIS modules are wider. For example, flexible CIS modules and modules on polymer back sheets can be found on the PV market. However, due to the rapidly evolving technology, the manufacturing process and even the compound used for CIS modules are ever changing. Second generation CIS modules was reported by Palm et al. (2004) and more development is imminent. With the flexibility in manufacturing the modules, CIS can be one of the candidates for building integration. These can further be divided into ordinary Building-Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) system and Photovoltaic (PV) systems and the solar cells in the market can be classified into two main categories: Crystalline Silicon Cells and Thin-Film Cells. PV cells are generally made either from crystalline silicon, sliced from ingots or castings, from grown ribbons or thin film, deposited in thin layers on a low-cost backing. The performance of a solar cell is measured in terms of its efficiency at turning sunlight into electricity. A typical commercial solar cell has an efficiency of 15% about one-sixth of the sunlight striking the cell generates electricity. Improving solar cell efficiencies while holding down the cost per cell is an important goal of the PV industry. Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) has a similar long history in the whole group of thin-film PV modules. Due to its tolerance to defects and grain boundaries, simple and easy to handle deposition process is possible for this material (Luther et al. 2003, p.70). Technology wise this type of material should have been booming. The major hurdle now is the market acceptance since both Cadmium and Telluride are toxic materials although CdTe itself is stable and harmless to the environment. Furthermore, different countries have different regulations regarding Cadmium containing materials (Deb, 2002). This uncertainty might increase the risk factor in investing production plant for CdTe and BP Solar was reported to have closed their CdTe plant (Luther et al. 2003, p.72). Synergising with the technology advancement in device handling and manufacturing process in semi-conductor industry, there are emerging technologies for thin film PV cell (Sopori, 2003, p.308). These include crystalline silicon thin film (m-SiTF), micro-crystalline silicon (ÃŽÂ ¼m-Si) and so on. However, they are still new technology and even not yet commercialized. Due to the longer history of development, crystalline silicon PV modules are still the more common to apply for the building envelope nowadays. But due to the PV modules brittleness, it have to be well protected by the glass layer and backing. It is this intrinsic nature of crystalline silicon that determines the formation and hence limits its applications on buildings. On the other hand, the thin film photovoltaic technology can be applied on many more substrate and the flexible film modules are available for thin film besides glass-glass modules and glass film modules that are common in crystalline silicon technology. The different size, form, material used can apply to the different building design. Hence, the applications of thin film photovoltaic modules are better than the crystalline silicon nowadays. 2.5 Electrical Characteristics and Performance PV modules can serve as the building envelope to keep out the weather and control heat gain. To analysis the electrical performance of a PV module, both the instantaneous power output and the energy yield over the time period under investigation has been considered. Instantaneous power has been normalized to per unit power under Standard Test Condition (STC) for easy comparison between different types of technology. Each PV panel is rated under industrial STC of solar irradiance of 1,000W/m2 with zero angle of incidence, solar spectrum of 1.5 air mass and 25à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ cell temperature. Electrical characteristics from manufacturers include maximum rated power, open circuit voltage, short circuit current, maximum power voltage, maximum power current and the temperature coefficients .Also, the energy yield has been normalized in a similar manner. The methodology of evaluation of performance has been based on the Standard IEC 61724 (1998). 2.6 Photovoltaic Simulation In the photovoltaic system simulation, the prediction of the PV module performance is the core part of the simulator. Normally, the modeling is based on the physical characteristics of the photo electric effect at the semi-conductor. The simulation is calculated the photo-current generated by a certain amount of the irradiance at the surface of the semi-conductor at specific physical conditions. Nowadays, the most of the commercial photovoltaic system simulation programs is the temporal series of data being simulated such as RETSCREEN, PVPSYST, PVSOL, PV-Design Pro, Hybird2 HOMER and so on. 2.6.1 RETSCREEN The RETScreen software is a program developed by Natural Resources Canada for evaluating both financial and environmental costs and benefits for many different renewable energy technologies. RETScreen has a specific Photovoltaic Project Model that can model PV array performance for many locations around the worldncludes a climatic database including average measurements for 4700 ground stations, compiled from over 20 different sources, and covering the period 1961-1990. These data are presented as a unique coherent database, and present numerous parameters including Irradiation, air temperature and wind velocities. 2.6.2 PVSYST PVsyst software has been developed at the University of Geneva in Switzwerland. This is an excellent package for design and analysis of a solar photovoltaic system. It is widely used due to the many parameters available for the user to modify. This software is oriented towards architects, engineers, researchers and holds very helpful tools for education. Both stand-alone and grid-connected PV as well as solar water pumping system could be designed by using PVsyst. 2.6.3 PVSOL The PVSol program is photovoltaic system analysis software developed by Valentin Energy Software in Germany with an English language version distributed by the Solar Design Company based in the UK. The first version of PVSol was released in 1998. 2.6.4 PV-Design Pro PVDesignPro software is a commercially available software model developed by the Maui Solar Energy Software Corporation (MSESC) and SNL for photovoltaic systems modeling. The software incorporates algorithms from both of SNLs PV array and inverter performance models as well as SNLs database of PV module and inverter parameters. NIST uses a custom version of PVDesignPro for comparing different PV technologies and predicting PV module performance for BIPV applications. The program uses an hourly time-step for modeling system performance. 2.6.5 Hybird2 Hybrid2 is described as a probabilistic time series computer model for evaluating the performance and economics of hybrid electricity generating systems. It was developed by the Renewable Energy Research Laboratory (RERL) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst with support from NREL. This program is an engineering design model for hybrid systems consisting of PV, wind, generators and battery storage for both on-grid and off-grid systems 2.5.6 HOMER HOMER is a hybrid system model developed at NREL in 1993 for both on-grid and offgrid systems. A unique capability that HOMER offers is the ability to find the optimal configuration based on price estimates as well as perform sensitivity analysis to help understand tradeoffs between different technologies and economic considerations. The software has the ability to compare multiple system configurations as well as different battery types. HOMER uses the KiBaM code for battery life modeling as described below in Section 4.2.1. The model can incorporate the following componen

The Horror of Dystopia Revealed by Neuromancer Essay -- Neuromancer Es

The Horror of Dystopia Revealed by Neuromancer When William Gibson's futuristic novel Neuromancer   was first published, it seemed farfetched that technology could reach the level of sophistication he described. Science fiction movies have since repeated and expanded upon this theme, portraying corporate anxieties and paranoid fears of people to be controlled by aliens, man-made machines and artificial intelligence. Neuromancer takes us into the subculture of cyberpunk, a dystopia of an amoral society ruled by abstract powers. Gibson creates a world of fear and terror where technology permeates this futuristic world into its smallest detail and instead of serving humanity, rises to become its ruler and God. The futuristic historical context, into which Neuromancer is embedded, suggests syntactically a World War III between the presence and the time of the novel.The reader is introduced to the new world power Japan throughout the novel, while a remnant of european/western power and culture resides in the space colony Freeside as well as in the scattered pieces of artwork in the office of a criminal Chiba boss, Julius Deane. The novel plays on the audience's fear of an asian take-over of the world and the destruction of Europe. The American reader, rooted in western cultural values, will therefore sympathize with the expatriates in the Chatsubo bar in Chiba, attracked and repelled at the same time by this frightening environment. The novel takes the reader into "Night City" (pg. 4), the decayed inner part of Chiba, which lives at night and is "shuttered and featureless" (pg. 6) during the day," waiting, under the poisoned silver sky" (pg. 7). The author uses techno images to describe the natural environment, "the sky... ...ty of the human brain utilized as a computer modem to operate multi- national capitalistic corporations shows frightening possibilities for the future of everyday human life. The main issues of this dystopia, exaggerated and distorted as they are in the novel, originate from existing problems in our society. Discussions about cloning and genetic engineering, as well as robotics places our society at a crossroad, how to develop future strategies for an appropriate technology. The other concept imbedded in Neuromancer dates back to Plato's idea of dualism, prioritizing mind over body, men over women and logic over emotions. Gibson shows us a possibility of a future, certainly not one we want, but the dangers of which we have to consider in order to create a better world and not to destroy it. Works Cited: Gibson, William. Neuromancer. New York: Ace Books, 1984. The Horror of Dystopia Revealed by Neuromancer Essay -- Neuromancer Es The Horror of Dystopia Revealed by Neuromancer When William Gibson's futuristic novel Neuromancer   was first published, it seemed farfetched that technology could reach the level of sophistication he described. Science fiction movies have since repeated and expanded upon this theme, portraying corporate anxieties and paranoid fears of people to be controlled by aliens, man-made machines and artificial intelligence. Neuromancer takes us into the subculture of cyberpunk, a dystopia of an amoral society ruled by abstract powers. Gibson creates a world of fear and terror where technology permeates this futuristic world into its smallest detail and instead of serving humanity, rises to become its ruler and God. The futuristic historical context, into which Neuromancer is embedded, suggests syntactically a World War III between the presence and the time of the novel.The reader is introduced to the new world power Japan throughout the novel, while a remnant of european/western power and culture resides in the space colony Freeside as well as in the scattered pieces of artwork in the office of a criminal Chiba boss, Julius Deane. The novel plays on the audience's fear of an asian take-over of the world and the destruction of Europe. The American reader, rooted in western cultural values, will therefore sympathize with the expatriates in the Chatsubo bar in Chiba, attracked and repelled at the same time by this frightening environment. The novel takes the reader into "Night City" (pg. 4), the decayed inner part of Chiba, which lives at night and is "shuttered and featureless" (pg. 6) during the day," waiting, under the poisoned silver sky" (pg. 7). The author uses techno images to describe the natural environment, "the sky... ...ty of the human brain utilized as a computer modem to operate multi- national capitalistic corporations shows frightening possibilities for the future of everyday human life. The main issues of this dystopia, exaggerated and distorted as they are in the novel, originate from existing problems in our society. Discussions about cloning and genetic engineering, as well as robotics places our society at a crossroad, how to develop future strategies for an appropriate technology. The other concept imbedded in Neuromancer dates back to Plato's idea of dualism, prioritizing mind over body, men over women and logic over emotions. Gibson shows us a possibility of a future, certainly not one we want, but the dangers of which we have to consider in order to create a better world and not to destroy it. Works Cited: Gibson, William. Neuromancer. New York: Ace Books, 1984.

Is This Really Happening To Me? :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One bright early morning at around 7:00 A.M. I woke up. After waking up I proceeded to use the restroom then took a shower. After showering I then ate breakfast then began to brush my teeth and got dressed for school. Finally, I was done with my morning routine and then I headed out for my day at school.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On my way to school I followed the speed limit to avoid getting a ticket. When I got to school I proceeded to go to my first class which is Sociology. When class was let out I went to the quad where I smoked a cigarette and did home work for my classes for the next day. Then at approximately 12:00 P.M. I met up with my friend Tonya then we walked to our next class, Theatre, which we had together. While in our Theatre class we joked around and criticized different movies, and the bad acting in several of those movies. When that class ended my friend Tonya and I decided to got to the mall.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When we got to the mall we parked at the food court so we could get something to eat at Chick-Fil-A after our long day at school. On the way walking to Chick-Fil-A we decided to stop at Abercrombie and Fitch, our favorite store. While in Abercrombie and Fitch I saw this really fine outfit but I only had enough money on me for me to eat that day. So my friend told me that I should just steal it so I could wear it when we went out that weekend. But I knew better I knew it would be wrong so I decided we should just leave and go eat and I would go back and get the outfit once I had enough money for the outfit on me. After we ate we decided to leave the mall. While I was bringing her back to her vehicle another friend of mine, Kenny, called. He called to invite me over before work because he was going to be cooking and few people were going to go over. So I told him I would but I had to go home and get dressed for work before I went out there to meet them. I then went home and got dressed for a long night at work.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After I took my shower and got dressed I left and went to Kenny’s.

Dual Narration in Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness Essay examples --

Dual Narration in Heart of Darkness      Ã‚  Ã‚   Joseph Conrads novella Heart of Darkness not only dwells on interesting and thought provoking issues that relate to society today, it is also told in an interesting manner in the form of a "story within a story". This serves not only to show increased levels of mental development from all parties involved, that is Marlow, the frame narrator and the reader - but distances Conrad from the text in such a way that he can promote revolutionary issues without necessarilty being attached to them. The character of Marlow does just this - he is far from neutral and is employed by Conrad to position the reader by offering a double-dose of psychological development from Marlow, and the framed narrator. Perhaps the best way to comprehend Marlow's involvement is through an understanding of his journey through the four thematic stages of his travels. These are the darkness of the river which surrounds him (the Thames), the darkness within Kurtz, and with the city of Brussels, the impe niterable darkness within the Congo, and the darkness present within each individual. Through these aspects of the novella can we as readers comprehend the true value of Marlows character.    Initially, Marlow and his audience find themselves within the picturesque setting of the river thames in London. The frame narrators description of such a scene (paralleled to his final description) offer some of the only comment he gives throughout the novel. This is especially important for we as readersare able to comprehend his psychological journey (if not the other men in the boat) forwards, an enlightened state similar of that to Marlow. A "buddah preaching in European clothes". Most noteable however is the phenomin... ...rlow, and the frame narrators position as commentator, their journies - both physical and psychological, position the reader to such an extent that possibilities become infinitely clearer. The darkness evident initially, including the overpowered Kurtz and the gloom encompassing the stark nature of man underneath "ornaments" and "rags" are all portrayed in such scenes by the narrators. Futhermore Conrad envisages the reader being successfully positioned - recognising their own true heart of darkness - and that of the materialistic, possession driven "civilisation" they live in.       Bibliography    Conrad, J. (1995). Heart of Darkness. London: Penguin Group.    Kingsley, Widmer. Dictionary of Literary Biography: British Novelists 1890-1929. Tulsa: 1984    Hayes, Dorsha. "Heart of Darkness": An Aspect of the Shadow," Spring (1956)   

Human Resource Case Study Essay

1. I think his request is reasonable. Nancy should have the time to address Mark’s request to develop an appropriate structure to deal with the growth of both companies. She will be able to present the possible strategies to overcome a shortage of employees. As well, she can discuss reasons why Family Distribution has experienced such a drastic fallout of staff over the past two years. Another topic she should have time to research are the complaints about the hiring practices at Family Manufacturing, whether they have genuine merit, and if so, what can be done to correct the situation. She should also be able to address the concerns of the vice president’s of both companies. . 2. I would not recommend one comprehensive plan for both companies because they are both experiencing different challenges that require separate action plans. Family Medical Distribution is making far less profit than it did at its peak in 1989 and has had to evolve into a specialty distributor of high end supplies just to stay afloat. Family Medical Manufacturing, on the other hand, is continuously exceeding its growth and profit projections yearly. They have the potential to grow the company even further but do not currently have the human resources to do so. . 3. Sam is a person who has been with the company for quite a long time. He has served in various positions and moved his way up the ranks, so he would have a good understanding about how the business is run. I think that Nancy should befriend him to understand his point of view and unique insights on how the company has evolved over time. . I think that Sam understands that a plan needs to be implemented to turn the company around. He has spent time and resources trying to evaluate his marketing department, sales, and operations. He’s even expressed that the staff need to work â€Å"smarter† not â€Å"harder†, but has given no specific direction on what could be done to make this a reality. His skepticism towards the value of HR seems to be based on the results of a department that has been running without a manager for the past 13 months. Even though the HR associate, Claire Jackson, has done a great job trying to keep things afloat, she simply does not have the time or expertise to run the entire department by herself. His judgment of the results is fair in the sense that HR is not particularly useful in its current incarnation, but he doesn’t seem to have the insight to understand how much it could accomplish if it were running smoothly with competent leadership. . Nancy should explain to Sam that the best way to make the company more efficient and to work â€Å"smarter† is by appreciating how important a structured, secure working environment is to people. In order to make the company more profitable, she needs to convince him that the most important thing to do right now is to sort out how best to utilize people to achieve quality performance while at the same time promoting a business plan that will encourage growth. . 4. One glaring challenge is that there are four past complaints about hiring practices. Trust among the employees for the hiring process has been diminished, and the damage has already been done. Even though Mark Olsen seems to understand the importance of a strategic HR program, he has made some critical mistakes and shown a lapse in judgment in three ways. . Firstly, he has shown a bias in hiring people from his former employer in all cases of formal complaints made against the company. It is doubtful that the interview and selection process for these positions was done in a fair, unbiased manner. . Secondly, he has ignored the resources he already had at his disposal by hiring employees externally. In all formal complaints the employees had the education and training do the job they were applying for. Most people want a sense of purpose and accomplishment from their careers, and ignoring that basic desire will only create discontent among the workforce. . Finally, he disregarded and disrespected the entire hiring process by promising a position to someone before the opening had even been posted. In my opinion, this type of favoritism is one of the fastest ways to demoralize people. . At the upcoming meeting for Nancy’s presentation of her human resource plans, she needs to address these mistakes and explain to Mark how important it is to follow procedure, respect the hiring process, and moreover to respect his own employees. . 2. When Nancy present’s her plan, she needs to explain the different challenges that both companies are dealing with. There are pressures and opportunities to be found in both cases. Family Medical Distribution is a well respected company but has undergone significant downsizing due to government cutbacks. The opportunity here is to create an efficient supplementary business that will complement its manufacturing counterpart. Family Medical Manufacturing has plenty of room to grow, but not enough qualified personnel to help develop its upcoming products. . Next, she should state what goals of the company are to get clear about where they want to be in a five year time frame and what it will take to get there. Mark has said that his goal is to enter the home nursing market, so the plan needs to account for what needs to be done to achieve this goal from a HR perspective. . I think the most important issue that both companies need help with is in utilizing the talents and skills of their workforce in a way that compliments the needs of both divisions. The best solution is to consider both companies as one working unit from a HR standpoint. The deficiencies in staffing at Manufacturing could feasibly be satisfied by transferring the appropriate staff from Distribution. This would be an elegant way of taking care of the staffing needs of both companies while at the same time improving employee relations with upper management, an important first step in regaining a sense of trust and security. Nancy should also suggest that some of the money and employee benefits invested in Manufacturing’s new facility be put into effect at Distribution’s plant. It’s important to show genuine equality to employees and this would help to impart the understanding that both businesses are important for continued success.