Environmental in Business

Introduction While the word â€Å"biofuel† became an instant catchword, expectations were high that a solution for the ever-inflated oil prices and environmental troubles had been found. Unfortunately, politicians, environmentalists, cultivators, and consumers are slowly accepting that the condition remains a bit unchanged. While the possibility of plant energy might perhaps be eco-friendlier, the fossil fuel that goes into planting, fertilising, and transporting biofuel plants and products smudge this image1.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Environmental in Business specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In addition, even though biofuels started partly as a way of assisting consumers burdened with high oil costs, large-scale production of biofuels might give way to high food costs. Whereas numerous corn and soy farmers are gaining from the biofuels trade, other industries are hurting on the other hand. The pric es for grain have stepped up as growing quantities of soy, sugarcane, and corn are redirected to the energy industry instead of being used by farm animals and in the food industry. The drawbacks of biofuels emerge at first glimpse nearly to overshadow the gains after considering the quantity of fossil fuel required in generating biofuels, outcomes of deforestation, emission of greenhouse gases, and consequential increase in the prices of foods,. Even though the contemporary sources of biofuels are not promising, there is a practicable cause to pursue biofuels because sustainable and extra proficient biofuel alternatives are on the scope2. Husks, algae, waste products, and grasses are the flaunted sources of fuel for the future. The only problem lies in the fact that, the requirements for expertise and costs incurred in processing these substances render the present mass-production quest impracticable. The most biting question currently is how to make use of biofuels and at the same time not hurt the environment or consumers. Legislation ought to be thoughtful of the present and future actualities of the biofuels sector. This paper discusses arguments and counterarguments concerning biofuels from economic and environmental perspective, coupled with the way to assess the sustainability of biofuels. Arguments and counterarguments of biofuels The debate on biofuels centres on an investigation of the merits and demerits of making use of plants to generate fuel3. The arguments in favour of using biofuels might comprise decreased dependence on foreign oil, cutback of pollution, generation of a by-product that livestock might consume, and economic gain to farmers in the U.S. The counterarguments might comprise deforestation, vehicle safety concerns, soil erosion, augmented pollution, and augmented food costs. Arguments Decreased dependence on foreign oil Dependence on foreign oil may be decreased if biofuels form even a small proportion of the gasoline utilised nowada ys. Theoretically, this move might give the U.S. a special advantage when coping with nations in the Middle East. Nevertheless, the degree of the ability to which biofuels substitute fossil fuels is fairly low4. For instance, a report presented by the United Nations disclosed that, biofuels presently constitute just 0.9 percent of the fuel utilised for transportation.Advertising Looking for essay on environmental studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Yet, further distressingly, by the year 2015, the International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts this proportion to move progressively to merely 2.3 percent. By the year 2030, the proportion of fuel obtained from biofuels employed in transportation will just be 3.2 percent. These figures are greatly lesser than the anticipation of the public, derived from the gleaming stories, concerning biofuels, obtained from the media industry5. The proportion of fuel obtained from biomass seems small; nonetheless, even a 3 percent dislocation of foreign fossil fuel would have a considerable impact on the relationship of the U.S. with oil-rich nations. Decreased pollution It is likely that an augmented use of biofuels might decrease pollution, since biofuels are actually biodegradable, in addition to not being detrimental when discharged in the environment. The latency for cutback of greenhouse gasses is noteworthy, especially when the benefits of advanced biofuels like different kinds of cellulosic ethanol are deemed. Adding ethanol to fossil fuel creates gasoline that assists in reducing air pollution as it gives out less lead, sulphur oxide, and other kinds of polluting elements into the atmosphere, while the fuel is burning6. Generation of a by-product that livestock might consume A by-product in the process of making corn-obtained ethanol is Distiller’s Dried Grains (DDGs) or Grain Solubles (DDGS), which might be utilised as a feedstock for livestock such as pi gs, cattle, and poultry due to their high-protein content. Given that the common requirement for corn hails from the necessity for feedstock, the application of ethanol might provide meat-producing animals with feedstock. A study found that, DDGs supply an extra feed for livestock and thus farmers use it in counterbalancing higher corn prices as well as decreased availability, because corn is taken to ethanol industries7. If farmers could make use of DDGs and DDGS, then the elevated costs of corn could not distress them severely. In addition, consumers could also gain, as the price of meat could become less than it could when livestock farmers incur a much higher cost for corn. Economic gain to farmers in the US Farmers in the US will keep on enjoying economic gains from requirement for corn by biofuels manufactures for a time. If demand for biofuels in other parts of the world escalates, nations like the US would benefit from even more export returns. The US is not a direct competi tor to Brazil in the market of biofuels, since the beneficial biofuel crop of Brazil is sugarcane, whereas the beneficial biofuel crop of the US is corn. Both these crops (corn and sugarcane) are utilised in the manufacture of biofuels. The requirements for biofuels are extremely vast that none of these nations is in trouble of being locked out of the market8.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Environmental in Business specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Counterarguments The disadvantages of the use of biofuels like latently higher food costs, vehicle safety concerns, augmented deforestation, and pollution have forced the public to re-analyse the drive for a greater utilisation of biofuels. Increase in food costs One of the concerns concerning ethanol is the possibility of an increase in food costs. A steady move to corn past other crops reveals the high intensities of household corn-founded ethanol generation and in crease in exports that maintain corn demand and generation returns sturdy9. Whereas the corn ethanol bonanza results into great returns for farmers, this kind of ethanol pushes up food costs. While more corn is redirected to the generation of biofuels, the requirement for corn as foodstuff is strained by a reduced supply. Increasing food costs upset consumers in general, and they upset underprivileged consumers above all. The underprivileged are in particular susceptible to harm via hiking food costs, since the poor have a tendency of using bigger proportions of their profits on food items. Vehicle safety issues There are numerous performance and security issues associated with the application of biofuels in vehicle and aircraft engines. Whereas the utilisation of flexible fuels in vehicle seems trouble-free in the short-run, the long-term consequences on engines making use of biofuels are yet to be established. A number of antagonists to augmented utilisation of biofuels argue that , engine performance might be considerably affected by the utilisation of a high proportion of biofuels10. A safety issue concerning the utilisation of biofuels in business airliners is that, biofuels are more liable to freezing if exposed to low temperatures when judged against fossil fuels. Governments in various nations are presently undertaking studies intended to discover more concerning the consequences of biofuels on vehicle and aircraft engines in the end. Despite the fact that pilots have been on successful flights on biofuel-fuelled flights, most airlines are not set to utilise pure biofuels in flights pending gathering of more research. Augmented deforestation and pollution Sarcastically, one drawback of biofuels might be pollution. Biofuels could cause an augment in a number of pollutants since fossil fuels are utilised in the making of biofuels. The emission of greenhouse gases tops the list of environmental issues. High ethanol utilisation might give rise to transforma tions in land utilisation that could easily augment the release of greenhouse gases11. Biofuels decrease reliance on imported oil, to some extent.Advertising Looking for essay on environmental studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Additionally, the ethanol bonanza has generated rural employments and enriched a number of farmers and agribusinesses. However, the fundamental setback with the majority of biofuels is remarkably straightforward, viz. making use of land to produce fuel gives way to the ruin of grasslands, wetlands, and forests that store huge quantities of carbon. Regrettably, researchers have overlooked this aspect so far. Analysis This part comprises considerations of the arguments and counterarguments on biofuels. It also comprises an analysis of the officially authorised structures enclosing biofuels. As it will be discussed, the arguments in favour of biofuels outweigh the counterarguments of the same12. Although present legislations offer a helpful policy for the essential advancement of biofuels, expertise is yet to get closer to the legislative ambitions. Bringing in more expertise might be essential to conquer the status quo of corn-obtained ethanol. This could be pleasing as cellulosic eth anol is much environmentally pleasant than corn-obtained ethanol and causes less risk to food costs. Enquiries are still a commonplace regarding the effectiveness of biofuels, even as the world requires a substitute to fossil fuel. The traditional corn-obtained ethanol heaps special setbacks concerning fertiliser, land utilisation, and energy required for production. In addition, redirecting corn for fuel might cause increased human food and livestock feed costs13. The long run and short-run consequences of making use of biofuel are an additional and vital part of the biofuel debate. Biofuel plans, in the short-run, do not appear almost as eco-friendly as proponents initially anticipated. Fossil fuels are essential to the generation of biofuels at numerous phases, viz. sowing, fertilising, reaping, carrying, and processing. Inserting soil-erosion and deforestation to the formula makes biofuels appear catastrophic. The short-run consequences of biofuel production might be distressing ; nevertheless, the long-run gains might justify the unconstructive effects of the short-run original venture in biofuels. For example, most of the fuel (presently petroleum) utilised in the generation of biofuels might be prepared from plants. This could rely on the advancement of expertise making vehicles able to run on high proportions of biofuels. Although soil erosion and deforestation would still be pertinent issues to address, petroleum might not be required to generate biofuels. Ultimately, in future, making of biofuels might probably be eco-friendlier than today for fossil fuel that presently goes into producing biofuels would be substituted by biofuels14. Biofuels will be cleaner and eco-friendlier after substituting fossil fuel with other eco-friendlier fuels in the production of biofuels. When thinking of creating a biofuel world, corn-obtained ethanol, cellulosic ethanol, and waste-obtained ethanol should be analysed independently. Corn-obtained ethanol seems the cruddi est form of biofuel from both economic and environmental standpoints. Large quantities of petroleum-derived fertilisers and specific soil types are required to grow corn. In addition, corn could cause shortage of food supply resulting to price hikes. The attractiveness of corn-obtained ethanol is that, farmers are set to grow enormous quantities of corn and the expertise to make corn-obtained ethanol green exists. Waste-obtained ethanol and cellulosic ethanol cause strong short-run difficulties, but present considerable long-run benefits. Once the expertise turns the making and processing of biofuels green, their use will be both economically and environmentally friendly. Cellulosic ethanol possesses numerous economic and environmental benefits. Given that algae and grasses can grow in lands set aside for cultivation, they will prevent the need of using agricultural land for fuel production, thus evading the difficulty of increasing prices of food15. With new advancements in experti se daily, there is no cause to discard the biofuel idea. In fact, after the inactiveness of fossil fuel and vehicle industries is conquered, actual environmental development will be attained. In addition, when the fuel burned to form biofuel is itself biofuel, the energy sequence will turn into a more constructive one. Assessment Evaluation of the sustainability of biofuel is possible through application of new devices that permit users to carry out a self-evaluation, alongside the standards of the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels (RSB) and a self-hazard evaluation16. Online devices as well determine biofuel emission of greenhouse gases for every lifecycle generation stride, from cultivation to ultimate fuel supply; this computation can be carried out in accordance with different methodologies in new devices, which are directly available online and some are at no cost17. The RSB offers the best tool for this assessment. The RSB device has twelve standards for sustainable productio n of biofuels, comprising environmental and economic principles like food prices. Under the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission standard, operators in every step in the production of biofuel should compute the GHG emissions of their processes. Such computations necessitate knowledge of life cycle assessment (LCA) of biofuels. Diverse GHG computation methods applied include the RSB standard, and the European Renewable Energy Directive (RED) standard. The assessment tools are aimed at every stakeholder in the biofuels industry; for instance, crop farmers, traders, and biofuel producers that desire showing the sustainability of what they produce. Conclusion Different arguments in favour of biofuel and counterarguments have been discussed in this paper as well as analysis and stand in the debate concerning biofuel. More research is required to decide the economically and environmentally friendly ways to make use of biofuel and devise the expertise required in processing these fuels, since dec isions concerning biofuels will directly influence the environment and the economy18. Cellulosic biofuels cause fewer impediments to food supply and prices, and are greener than corn-obtained ethanol. Although biofuels have the likelihood of decreasing pollution, it is essential to think about their influences on economy and the environment. The utilisation of corn-obtained ethanol must reduce in ratio to the accessibility of other current biofuels with less environmental drawbacks. Once the essential expertise is built to utilise these more recent biofuels, the venture in biofuels will be exceedingly satisfying. Bibliography Ajanovic, Amela. â€Å"Biofuels versus food production: Does biofuels production increase food prices?† Energy 36, no. 4 (2011): 2070-2076. Brueckner, Martin. The business with the environment: A (different) reader. South Melbourne: Cengage Learning Australia, 2011. Gasparatos, Alexandros, Per Stromberg, and Kazuhiko Takeuchi. â€Å"Biofuels, ecosystem services and human wellbeing: Putting biofuels in the ecosystem services narrative.† Agriculture, Ecosystems Environment 142, no. 4 (2011): 111-128. Gomiero, Tiziano, Maurizio Paoletti, and David Pimentel. â€Å"Biofuels: Efficiency, Ethics, and Limits to Human Appropriation of Ecosystem Services.†Journal of Agricultural Environmental Ethics 23, no. 5 (2010): 403-434. Hochman, Gal, Deepak Rajagopal, and David Zilberman. â€Å"The Effect of Biofuels on the International Oil Market*.†Applied Economic Perspectives Policy 33, no. 3 (2011): 402-427. Holleman, Hannah. â€Å"Energy Policy and Environmental Possibilities: Biofuels and Key Protagonists of Ecological Change*.† Rural Sociology 77, no. 2 (2012): 280-307. Huang, Jikun, Jun Yang, Siwa Msangi, Scott Rozelle, and Alfons Weersink. â€Å"Biofuels and the poor: Global impact pathways of biofuels on agricultural markets.† Food Policy 37, no. 4 (2012): 439-451. Karlen, Douglas, and Brian Kerr.  "Future Testing Opportunities to Ensure Sustainability of the Biofuels Industry.† Communications in Soil Science Plant Analysis 43, no. 2 (2012): 36-46. Lin, Jolene. â€Å"Governing Biofuels: A Principal-Agent Analysis of the European Union Biofuels Certification Regime and the Clean Development Mechanism.† Journal of Environmental Law 24, no. 1 (2012): 43-73 Rajgor, Gail. â€Å"Biofuels bottleneck: With an increased focus on biofuels as an energy solution, have policy makers been too optimistic about how soon second-generation biofuels can be developed?† Renewable Energy Focus 12, no. 6 (2011): 66-71. Romppanen, Seita. â€Å"Regulating Better Biofuels for the European Union.† European Energy Environmental Law Review 21, no. 3 (2012): 123-141. Snow, Allison, and Val Smith. â€Å"Genetically Engineered Algae for Biofuels: A Key Role for Ecologists.† BioScience 62, no. 8 (2012): 765-768. Vimmerstedt, Laura, Brian Bush, and Steve Peterson. â€Å"Eth anol Distribution, Dispensing, and Use: Analysis of a Portion of the Biomass-to-Biofuels Supply Chain Using System Dynamics.† PLoS ONE 7, no. 5 (2012): 1-18. Footnotes 1 Gail Rajgor, â€Å"Biofuels bottleneck: With an increased focus on biofuels as an energy solution, have policy makers been too optimistic about how soon second-generation biofuels can be developed?† Renewable Energy Focus 12, no. 6 (2011): 66-68. 2 Jikun Huang, Jun Yang, Siwa Msangi, Scott Rozelle, and Alfons Weersink, â€Å"Biofuels and the poor: Global impact pathways of biofuels on agricultural markets,† Food Policy 37, no. 4 (2012): 439-451. 3 Gal Hochman, Deepak Rajagopal, and David Zilberman, â€Å"The Effect of Biofuels on the International Oil Market,† Applied Economic Perspectives Policy 33, no. 3 (2011): 402-427. 4 Jolene Lin, â€Å"Governing Biofuels: A Principal-Agent Analysis of the European Union Biofuels Certification Regime and the Clean Development Mechanism,† Jour nal of Environmental Law 24, no. 1 (2012): 43-73. 5 Hannah Holleman, â€Å"Energy Policy and Environmental Possibilities: Biofuels and Key Protagonists of Ecological Change,† Rural Sociology 77, no. 2 (2012): 280-285. 6 Laura Vimmerstedt, Brian Bush, and Steve Peterson, â€Å"Ethanol Distribution, Dispensing, and Use: Analysis of a Portion of the Biomass-to-Biofuels Supply Chain Using System Dynamics,† PLoS ONE 7, no. 5 (2012): 1-11. 7 Allison Snow, and Val Smith, â€Å"Genetically Engineered Algae for Biofuels: A Key Role for Ecologists,† BioScience 62, no. 8 (2012): 765-768. 8 Alexandros Gasparatos, Per Stromberg, and Kazuhiko Takeuchi. â€Å"Biofuels, ecosystem services and human wellbeing: Putting biofuels in the ecosystem services narrative,† Agriculture, Ecosystems Environment 142, no. 4 (2011): 111-128. 9 Tiziano Gomiero, Maurizio Paoletti, and David Pimentel, â€Å"Biofuels: Efficiency, Ethics, and Limits to Human Appropriation of Ecosystem Serv ices,† Journal of Agricultural Environmental Ethics 23, no. 5 (2010): 403-410. 10 Gomiero, Paoletti, and Pimentel, 411-434. 11 Douglas Karlen, and Brian Kerr, â€Å"Future Testing Opportunities to Ensure Sustainability of the Biofuels Industry,† Communications in Soil Science Plant Analysis 43, no. 2 (2012): 36-46. 12 Seita Romppanen, â€Å"Regulating Better Biofuels for the European Union,† European Energy Environmental Law Review 21, no. 3 (2012): 123-126. 13 Rajgor, 69-71. 14 Holleman, 286-307. 15 Amela Ajanovic, â€Å"Biofuels versus food production: Does biofuels production increase food prices?†Energy 36, no. 4 (2011): 2070-2076. 16 Romppanen, 127-141. 17 Martin Brueckner, The business with the environment: A (different) reader, (South Melbourne: Cengage Learning Australia, 2011), 35-56. 18 Vimmerstedt, Brian Bush, and Steve Peterson, 12-18. This essay on Environmental in Business was written and submitted by user Harlow Hebert to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

buy custom American Airlines Research Plan essay

buy custom American Airlines Research Plan essay American Airlines, Inc. is the third largest airline in respect to operating revenues as well as in passenger miles transported (Capozzi, 2001). Headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, AA (American Airlines) operates an extensive domestic and international network, a factor that has enormously contributed to brand awareness among the customers (Reed, 1993). Wikinvest (2012) the net income of the firm rose by $1 billion to $ 470 million in loss in 2011 as compared to 2010 (Forty, 2007). As at February 17, 2012, the prevailing share price of AA at the NYSE was $ 0.51, with the total number of shares traded being 3,121,989 (Wikinvest, 2012). With a market share of 32.1% in the U.S. and annual sales revenue of $22.16 billion, Kawai (2011) attributes the recent growth of AA, domestically and internationally, to the firms effort to lower operational costs, hence offer reduced fare prices to its customers. Further, it is notable that due to the firms growth and expansion strategies, AA was listed at position 120 on the Fortune 500 list in 2010, hence raising investors confidence (Rushe, 2011). As a result of reduced profitability of the firm over the last three years highly attributable to the recent global recession, AA has started to promote its products and services using social media, such as Twitter, Facebook, blogs and MySpace, which are becoming popular, especially among the younger generations globally. This way AA has been able to gain an advanced competitive edge over its rivals, such as Delta Airlines, South West airlines among others (Bedwell, 2009). Currently, AA is negotiating with airline makers Boeing Company, to enable the firm to replace all its domestic fleets with A320 Airbus, which is more environmentally friendly in comparison to the current airplanes being used (Rushe, 2011). In conclusion, AA is one of the successful airline companies in the 21st century, despite the reduced profitability levels. Buy custom American Airlines Research Plan essay

Software Liability Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Software Liability - Essay Example We need to know more about software liability and know who should be held liable. Issues It is therefore helpful to know what should be protected to be able to make sure that software users are sheltered unintended consequences for any malfunction. Every piece of software comes will a license agreement which strips off the creator for any liability that may result using their product (Tompkins, 2000). We cannot just let the companies sell their products and then by just a click of the license agreement, the programmers are not liable anymore. What if the software is used in medical fields where lives are at risk? What protection should be provided for the end users? Do we have existing protection for the software users? Are the creators, programmers, owners protected too? Discussion Software users should therefore be protected with the contract that they had agreed with the providers, developers or programmers. Each software user enters into a contract or license agreement with the p roviders believing that all the statements regarding the product they wanted to buy or use are true. Thus, any defects and malfunctions of each product or software should be given utmost attention and reparation. According to Kaner (1997), there are a lot of theories which a software consumer is protected and software developer can be sued. The software developer or programmer can be held liable for criminal act and intentional tort, which includes intentional tampering of the consumer’s computer or loading viruses (Kaner, 1997). A consumer can also sue for strict liability and negligence which a defective product caused injury and damage to the consumer since each company has duty to take reasonable measures to make the product safe (Kaner, 1997). Kaner (1997) also included fraud, negligent misrepresentation, unfair deceptive trade practice, unfair competition, and FTC enforcement to cover for misrepresentation of product and other fraudulent and deceptive acts of the progra mmers regarding the software. Lastly, a programmer or company can be sued for breach of contract when in each software transaction, a user and a provider engages in a contract which gives obligation to each other (Kaner, 1997). These protections should not be expanded anymore. Venters (2007) stated that we also need to consider the types of failures that happen. As he explained, there is a big difference between intentional failure and accidental failure (Venters, 2007). Even if we say that consumers can greatly be affected by the malfunctions or defects of the product, we must also consider that the providers such as programmers or developers also did their best to provide the best product with good intention. The software producers, programmers, developers and owners are also protected. The scope of protection and likelihood of enforcement of protection varies by country (International Legal Protection for Software, n.d.). They are protected by Trade Act and other intellectual pro perty and copyright laws in several countries. They are also protected by the license agreement that the consumers or users and providers agreed into. Every time the users agree into license agreement, they are agreeing to the contract and therefore waiving their rights to complain regarding the products they are using. The consumers agreed to purchase the product stating that providers are not liable for any problems that may arise after such transaction. This is their

Insider Threat- Employer Rights and Liabilities Research Paper

Insider Threat- Employer Rights and Liabilities - Research Paper Example Employeestheotherhandhavebenefiteditimprovedaccurateandmorereliablesystemscomingplace However, despite these benefits, these employers need to create a warm environment one where the employee does not have to worry every time that is watching them. The latter behavior may greatly impact on the performance of the employee and significantly cripple the talent factor in the organization. A monitoring regime that is effective should motivate the employers to put in place good practices that will better how the institution performs than it is currently. That should also include how employees behave since it will impact on quality of performance by the individual and the team collectively (Ciocchetti, 2011). Excellent ways of doing things are pertinent to use of technology in monitoring and the likeliness of invading the privacy of the employees. In establishing the norms of the institution, employers try to ascertain the necessity of monitoring, suitable control techniques for the organization and how the process of monitoring may be misused by individual employees. Further, it involves management explaining the practices they are using for monitoring through the required notice channels. In addition, it covers the legal factor when there is a failure on the part of management in implementing the policy on monitoring. Some institution cares about the issues at stake a nd takes monitoring of employees seriously. However, some companies do not consider the psyche of their workforce or the factor on invading their privacy. The law has a duty to establish basic standards that will guide organizations, but it is the responsibility of the management in check to enforce the policies on employees morale and monitoring schemes in use. A regime that effectively monitors employees is one that constitutes best practices and gives employers an opportune to implement these practices in the quest for achieving the core purposes of

Pedro Paramo by Juan Rulfo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Pedro Paramo by Juan Rulfo - Essay Example Thesis statement: The close examination of the novel Pedro Paramo proves that the writer’s diction is interconnected with his aim to portray the difference between past and present, symbolism is related to the symbols like rain and fertility, usage of imagery is related to air, water and stone, and figurative language is related to the development of magical realism as a specific genre in world literature. Plot summary The novel’s plot is related to the lives of the narrator (Juan Preciado), his father Pedro Paramo, and his (the narrator’s father’s) lover, Susana San Juan. One can see that Comala, the imaginary town, is the background of the novel. In the beginning of the novel, the narrator decides to conduct an expedition to Comala to find out his father. But he did not try to stick on to his decision. Later, he was forced to start his journey to the town of Comala. Within this context, the narrator portrays the present situation in Comala. Now, the situ ation is different because most of the people who live in this town are spirits/ghosts. In the work by Rulfo, Sacabo, and Peden, the narrator made clear that â€Å"Nothing but abandoned houses, their empty doorways overgrown with weeds† (19). ... In the end, the people of Comala were forced to die by starvation. Examination: This section includes topics like diction, which portrays the difference between past and present, symbolism or the usage of symbols in the novel like rain and fertility, the usage of imagery like air, water and stone, and the usage of figurative language which represents the development of the genre of magical realism. A. Diction One can easily identify that the novelist’s ultimate aim in the novel is to make use of the story telling technique (first person and third person narrative technique) to portray the difference between past and present. For instance, the opening of the novel deals with the present condition in Comala, which is described by the narrator. On the other side, after the narrator’s untimely death, the narration suddenly shifts from first person to third person. In this way, Juan Preciado becomes unimportant in the following sections of the novel. From a different angle o f view, both the son and the father are no more and narration is handed over to the novelist. At the same time, this technique does not hinder the development of the plot because the same revolves around Pedro Paramo’s adventures. In this way, the novelist fulfils his aim to portray the difference between past and present. B. Symbolism The symbols like rain and fertility are interconnected because rain is symbolic of life/fertility. In the novel, the element of rain is made use by the novelist to portray the problems faced by the people of Comala. To be specific, the present condition in Comala is related to the lack of rain and the negative attitude of the leader (Pedro Paramo). Here, the leader is symbolic of rain which provides all to the living world. On the other

Coca-Cola Management Assignment

Coca-Cola Management Assignment Coca-Cola Management Executive Summary Coca-Cola is one of the leading manufacturers of carbonated drinks all over the world. Over the past decades, Coca-Cola remained on top of the industry. The company was able to withstand the World War II, and even took it as a business opportunity rather than a liability. It was able to surpass the Asian Financial Crisis and even gained better access in markets that it was not able to fully enter. Coca-Cola exhibited the efficient change management as part of the strategic management process. Change management is the process in which it manages the change in the side of people. There individual change management and organisational change management are the theories of change management. Aside form the theories there are also four strategies of change management which are the Empirical-rational, normative-reeducative, power-coercive and environmental-adaptive. This paper examines the various changes that occurred in Coca-cola. Moreover, this paper also discusses the management styles that managers of Coca-cola have adopted. The paper talks about management strategies and analysis will be given on Coca-cola. In addition, there is also a discussion on theories of change and change management. Introduction Over the past years people, systems and the environment have evolved. Change is the only thing that is constant in this ever changing world. From the physical attributes of individuals, up to the environment, change is very evident. Just like the environment and people, businesses also undergoes changes, it can be either massive or minimal. Often times, changes occur in the management of the corporation, in order to keep up with the competition. According to MacCalman and Paton (2000) the people who went home winners and on top have the common characteristics of effectively handling the changes in the situation. Changes in management is a process that any organisation must undergo, a business will not be complete if it never experienced change. Prior to discussing change management, the word change must be first defined. According to Davidson (2001) â€Å"change is the significant difference in what was before.† In business it means accomplishing tasks in a new format, following new directions, acquiring new technologies, new management procedures, acquisitions and merging and other important events in corporations. Moreover, Davidson described the characteristics of change. According to him change is significant, prolonged and disruptive and change is a continuous process of alignment. Davidson (2001) argued that change is significant, prolonged and disruptive. In this attribute, change in an organisation includes venturing into new areas of business, such as entering new products in the new market, facing an unexpected event such as economic crisis and redirection of the company. According to Kudray and Kleiner (as cited by Davidson), an aligned organisation must have a continuous synchronisation of the important management levers such as strategy, operation, culture and reward. Kudray and Kleiner discussed that in these management levers, the managers, chief executive officers and supervisors are responsible for manipulating and rearranging both the human and non-human elements. In addition, MaCalman and Paton discussed that change is an important aspect in the business world especially in technology and innovation, from simple technologies and procedures up to more complex operating environments, nowadays technologies and products are coming together to achieve a common conclusion or objective. Organisations that resist changes will inevitably face wider exposure to risks and losses. There are a number of situations in which change is necessary within the organisation such as technological advancement that is being utilised by different companies in order to cope up with the competition. Aside from what was mentioned earlier, there are still many issues and concerns that are necessary for change in the organisation, however the most substantial thing is that organisations acknowledge that changes happen constantly for different reasons and the management must address these changes as soon as possible to prevent great losses. In relation to the discussion of management issues, this paper will be discussing the business strategies of Coca-Cola Company in accordance to change process. Change Management Theories Nickols (2006) has four basic definitions of change management, according to him it is a task of managing changes, a field of professional practice, a body of knowledge and information and a control mechanism. Task of Managing Change- Nickols (2006) defined managing changes as â€Å"the devising of transformation in a planned and systematic fashion.† He stated that the main objective of managing change is to efficiently implement new techniques and methods within the organisation, moreover the changes to be handled depends upon the control of the organisation. Area of Professional Practice- in what way professional practice came into managing changes? Are there any relations between the two? Years ago, managing changes in a corporation is done by the management, supervisors, and CEO of the company, but nowadays with the constant change in the concepts of business and evolution of new theories a number of people have developed firms that particularly addresses the issues regarding managing changes. According to Nickols (2006), there are a number of individuals and consulting firms that declare they engaged in activities that involves planned change and that the firm exercises change management practices. A Body of Knowledge- The body of knowledge in change management according to Nickols (2006) includes the following, models, methods and techniques, tools and various forms of knowledge that constructs the change management practice. Moreover, Nickols discussed that the content of change management is influence by sociology, psychology, business administration, industrial engineering, economics, systems engineering and human and organisational behaviour. Control Mechanism- over the past years groups and individuals handling the information systems of organisation have tried to control and direct changes to the applications and systems of the company, however, in recent years people working in this particular area have referred this mechanism of control as â€Å"Change management.† Perception regarding change management has evolved over the past years. Change management is utilised in new procedure, structures, and technologies in order to overpower the resistance to change, however as studies and ideas regarding change management evolved over the past years, the view on change management switched from a tool in overcoming resistance to developing strength and involvement in transformation. Due to this change management is now regarded as leadership ability than a responsive instrument in handling resistance. Coca-Cola Corporation Management Strategies Coca-Cola was established on May 8, 1886 by Dr. John Stith Pemberton, a local pharmacist in Atlanta, Georgia. It was first sold in Jacob’s pharmacy for five cents per glass. Initially Coca-cola was sold as a drug, Pemberton during that time considers Coca-cola as a cure for diseases such as dyspepsia, morphine addiction, headache and impotence (North America Operating System, 2008). In the year 1985, due to the aggressive campaign of its rival Pepsi, the Coca-Cola Company reformulated the popular carbonated drinks to suit the preference of the consumers which is sweeter soda. However, the New Coke became a commercial failure which leads to the adverse reaction of the public. Protests from different sectors of the society emerged. Due to these events the company return the original formula and named it Coca-Cola Classic. Despite returning the original formula, the company still received accusations from different groups. In the year 2005 the company launched and announced their upcoming products which are the Diet Coke and Coca-Cola Zero (The Coca-Cola company case n.d.). Coca-cola Company is clearly one of the most popular companies in the world. Aside from the fact that it is also one of the oldest corporations that was able to withstand World War II and other changes in the economy over the past years. The fact still remains that it is one of the most famous brands of Cola in the world (The Coca-Cola company case n.d.). The Coca-Cola Company was able to resist the hindrances that occurred; the company was able to utilised change management as efficiently as possible to withstand the obstacles. As mentioned earlier, changes in management is caused by three different factors which are the external environment, internal changes and the proactive reaction to possible threats and difficulties. External Environment Evaluation- over the past decades, the Coca-Cola Company has faced a number of changes in the external environment that have transformed the management of the company. One of the best examples is during the World War II. The company was able to maintain the status of the company, at the same time, was able to enter new markets despite the environment. Instead of lying-low because of the war, the company became more aggressive through providing free drinks for the GIs during the World War II. Through this the corporation was able to hit two birds at one stone. First, because the carbonated drinks sent by the company, it became a patriotic symbol by the United States soldiers in which led to consumer loyalty. Second, the company was able to take advantage of the situation and established the product in newly-occupied countries by the Ally forces and because of that the company established plants in various locations worldwide paving the way for its post-war expansi on. Another aspect in the external environment is the change of taste and expectations of the consumers. During the mid-1980s wherein the Americans favoured the sweet taste of the rival product, the company created its counterpart but became a commercial failure; however instead of backing down, Coca-Cola changed its management strategy and returned the old formula, and just renamed it as Coca-Cola Classic. And with the rise of obesity in the United States and consumers became health conscious the company released new versions of Coke in order to address the needs of these type of consumers, such products include Diet Coke and Coca-Cola Zero. In addition, according to Bool (2008) companies such as Coca-Cola are compulsory to transform due to trends that have a huge impact on their business, and one of these trends is the health and fitness. A number of people are noe investing more in their health, and in order to keep up with the trend, Coca-Cola introduced their new product which is a calorie burning soft drink, the Enviga. Moreover, Coca-Cola is collaborating with the Swiss company Nestle. Coca-Cola is dealing with innovation and change. During the Asian Financial Crisis, Coca- Cola was also triggered to change its course of management in that particular region. The responses and reactions of Coca-Cola with the external environment are its internal changes. Internal Changes- as mentioned earlier, Asia experienced its financial crisis in 1997. According to Barton, Newell and Wilson (2002) as the financial crisis swept the Asian region, the chief executive officer, Douglas Daft responded to this by mobilising his executives to workshops about how Coca-Cola would seize new growth opportunities. Barton et al, stated that Coca-Cola gave emphasis on acquisition opportunities, Coca-Cola bought acquired bottling business in South Korea which gave more access in retail stores in South Korea, as well as, better entry in China, Japan and Malaysia. Coca-Cola disregarded its country-defined market perspective and focused on regional strategic view and acquired local brands of tea and coffee. In the case of health trends and changing taste of the consumers, Coca-Cola responded to this through innovation and change. Innovation is accomplished through development of new products such as the Enviga, Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Zero, and other variants of Coke. The change is incited by the trend in health and fitness and consumer tastes which had an impact on the business of Coca-Cola. During World War II, the response of Coca-Cola to the situation is to provide free drinks to the GIs in order to access new markets in which the company was able to do. Risk Management- Companies whether it is small or large are already acting in advance in order to combat the possible risks that may arise in the future. According to Neville (2005) in the wake of 911, the insurance market have changed, big companies reconsider the possible risks and how are they going to use insurance, in Coca-Cola after the prices increased the company look past the typical path of buying insurance directly but instead Coca-Cola considered wholesale insurance through captives. In the year 2000, The Business Wire, reported that Coca-Cola changed its senior management team and organisational structure for the purpose of facing the opportunities, threats and challenges as the company enters the new phase of management. Moreover, Coca-Cola North America is decentralising its organisation, as well as, pushing accountability and authority into the field of the organisation. The change in the senior management is one change management step that Coca-Cola have undergone in order to increase the efficiency of the company. The appointed individuals are seasoned beverage bottling executives; therefore Coca-Cola sees consistent increase in the revenues of the company. The change in the senior management has been effective because the sales of Coca-Cola in North America have been consistent. In addition, according to North America Operating System. (2008), the company undertook a significant change in which an organisational structure was developed to respond to the needs of consumers through incorporating the North American bottle and can, fountain and juices in a single unit of operation. Through this change it enhanced the way beverage choices are created, and it unifies the system of the supply chain, procurement and distribution in which it increased the efficiency of services to consumers. Individual Change Management- According to Hiatt and Creasey (2002) individual change management is the process in which the company provides tools and training to its employees to be able to handle their personal transition through change. The ADKAR Model, according to Hiatt and Creasey is a model that can be use as an individual change management. The ADKAR model shows five stages an individual undergoes during the process of change (Hiatt and Creasey 2002): Awareness of the need to change- in Coca-Cola employees, stakeholders and even consumers are informed in the changes, especially in the management, just like in the case of appointing Shaun B. Higgins as the new president of the Coca-Cola Company in 2005. Desire to participate and support the change- the employees in Coca-Cola especially the ones in the management positions participate in the changes that the company must undergo, like in the case of changing the packaging of Coca-Cola. Knowledge about how to change- the senior managers of Coca- Cola have adequate knowledge regarding the changes that must take place within the company, an example is in the case of Daft in which he had knowledge on changes that must be done in order to counter the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997. Ability to implement new skills- Coca-Cola has a long history of changes, some are failures, but most of the time it is effective, therefore the company has the ability to put into action the changes that the company have developed, take the case of Daft, together with his team, they were able to implement the changes, not just in one country but a whole region successfully. Reinforcement to keep the change in place- Coca-Cola is an established company and has already made a mark not just in the lives of Americans but most people in this world. The successful implementations of the changes in the company are due to the strict reinforcement of changes in the company. Organisational Change Management- this theory presents a general procedure for managing the change in the side of the people at an organisational level (Kotter, 1996). According to Hiatt and Creasey, the organisational change management is consists of three phases, which are, preparing for change, managing change and reinforcing change. The theory of organisational change management was effectively utilised by Coca-Cola. Different managers in various parts of the world have used organisational change management in order to address the issues that the Coca-Cola faced. From the case study (The Coca-Cola company case n.d.) these people are: One of the most notable CEOs of Coca-Cola Company is Mr. Gouzueta, he was the chief executive officer of Coca-Cola for seventeen years. He was able to determine the problem against other manufacturer of carbonated drinks. Mr. Gouizetta played a huge role in measuring the operation of Coca-Cola and developed strategies that aided the Coca-Cola to defeat competition. In addition, Mr. Gouizetta played important roles in planning and leading the tasks in achieving the goals and objectives. In addition, Mr. Gouizetta also appointed Mr. Ivester whom transformed the weakness of Coca-Cola into opportunities and strengths (The Coca-Cola company case. n.d.). Furthermore, the paper of Pigseye, the following organisational management changes that occurred in Coca-Cola over the past years. Coca- Cola has distinguished various forms of its advertisements in order to target different forms of consumers instead of focusing on one group. The company changed the packaging of Coke. Coca- Cola also developed new products such as Gatorade and it extended globally which is composed of the African group, Middle and Far East group, the Latin America group and the European Group (The Coca-Cola company case. n.d.). Conclusion Change management is a process in which all companies undergo. This is an important procedure because it enables the organisation to make decisions that will be advantageous and beneficial to the company. In addition, organisations that are open to change are generally more successful compare to companies that resist it. In a globalise market, new technologies and procedure are emerging rapidly, in order to keep up with this progress a company must be willing to adapt to management changes. The international, as well as, the local market has a very stiff competition, therefore in order to be on top change management must be utilised by companies. Coca-Cola is one of the best examples of companies that utilised change management efficiently and have yielded positive results. The evidence is the dominance of Coca-Cola in the soft drink industry not just in the United States but all over the world. References: Barton, D., Newell, R. Wilson. G. 2002, When Is a Good Time to Make Strategic Advances? during a Crisis, of Course. The McKinley Quarterly, pp. 77+ Bool, H. 2008, Change and Pressures to Innovate- The Coca Cola Case. Ezine Articles, viewed 30 January 2008, http://ezinearticles.com/?Change-and-Pressures-to-InnovateThe-Coca-Cola-Caseid=328921 Business Wire 2000, Coca-Cola Enterprise Inc. Announces Management Changes and North America Group Reorganisation. Davidson, J.P. 2001, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Change Management, Alpha Books Hiatt, J. Creasey, T. 2002, The Definition and History of Change Management, viewed: 30 January 2008, http://www.prosci.com/tutorial-change-management-history.html. Kotter, JP. 1996, Leading Change, Harvard Business School Press MacCalman, J. and Paton, R. 2000, Change Management: A Guide to Effective Implementation, Sage Publications Inc. Neville, L. 2005, Insurers Seek New Role in A Changing World, Global Finance, viewed 30 January 2008, http://www.gfmag.com/2005/Apr/c_ci/fe_art06.php Nickols, F. 2006, Change Management 101: A Primer, Distance Consulting, viewed 30 January 2008, http://home.att.net/~nickols/change.htm. North America Operating System. 2008, Coca-Cola Company, viewed 30 January 2008, http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/investors/annualandotherreports/2003/opseg.shtml The Coca-Cola company case. n.d., Pigseye, viewed 30 January 2008, http://pigseye.kennesaw.edu/~jmburu/case2.html

Stem Cell Research - Genetically Unstable Stem Cells Essay -- Genetic

   A new study of problems in cloning suggests that embryonic stem cells are "surprisingly genetically unstable" in mice and perhaps in humans as well. This "may complicate efforts to turn the cells into cures," and interfere with efforts to produce all-purpose cell lines that could reliably become tissue of any desired type. "You may have to establish hundreds of lines to get the few you'd want to have," Dr. John Gearhart of Johns Hopkins University now says. Establishing hundreds of these cell lines could require destroying many thousands of human embryos, and replenishing them with thousands more when the original cell lines become too unstable for further use. Perhaps most troubling is the news that these researchers deleted from their final paper a reference to this problem, believing that any public acknowledgment of such setbacks has become too "politically sensitive." We can only wonder how much of this kind of information is being withheld without detection. We have reache d a stage in this discussion where, on the side supporting destructive embryo research, science is becoming subservient to politics.    Most Christians have grave concerns on this critically important issue of embryonic stem cell research. In our view, conducting research that relies on deliberate destruction of human embryos for their stem cells is illegal, immoral and unnecessary.    It is illegal because it violates an appropriations rider (the Dickey amendment) passed every year since 1995 by Congress. That provision forbids funding "research in which" human embryos (whether initially created for research purposes or not) are harmed or destroyed outside the womb.(1) National Institutes of Health guidelines approved by the Clinton Admini... ...ency (SCID)-X1 Disease," 288 Science 669-72 (28 April 2000).    16. K. Foss, "Paraplegic regains movement after cell procedure," The Globe and Mail (Toronto), June 15, 2001 at A1.    17. E. Ryan et al., "Glycemic Outcome Post Islet Transplantation," Abstract #33-LB, Annual Meeting of the American Diabetes Association, June 24, 2001. See: http://38.204.37.95/am01/AnnualMeeting/Abstracts/NumberResults.asp?idAbs=33-LB.    18. M. McCullough, "Islet transplants offer hope that diabetes can be cured," Philadelphia Inquirer, June 22, 2001 at A1.    19. D. Woodbury et al., "Adult Rat and Human Bone Marrow Stromal Cells Differentiate Into Neurons," 61 J. of Neuroscience Research 364-70 (2000) at 364 (emphasis added).    20. D. Prockop, "Stem Cell Research Has Only Just Begun" (Letter), 293 Science 211-2 (13 July 2001)(citations omitted).