Incarceration free essay sample

Incarceration is/is not a deterrent to crime? The major question that comes to my mind regarding crime statistics is Why is it that the number of people that are in the U. S. is rising at an unprecedented rate? Analyst say that the crime rate has remained relatively flat over the last 15 years, but today we are seeing the most rapid growth in our nations prison population since the first prisons were established in the 19th century. Some say that this incarceration increase is due to the crackdown on drug users. Others say that its due to the fact that sentenced offenders are more likely to be sent to prison for their crimes than ever before. I can only assume the reasons why our prisons are over-populated is because incarceration is no longer an effective crime deterrent. Years ago, prisons were a horrible place to be, you were forced to work all day. We will write a custom essay sample on Incarceration or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The prisoners did as they were told because if they didn’t, they would be physically beaten by other inmates or guards, or often killed. Today, work is an option and the most severe punishment while in prison is the taking away of privileges that they should not have in the first place. Years ago, citizens perceived prison as a horrible environment; they feared breaking the law and the prison population was extremely low. Today, the average citizen perceives prison as a lazy mans paradise, and prison population is at an all-time high. The incarceration of today is not stringent enough punishment to effective deter crime. Prisoners of today have too many rights and privileges that lead to ineffective incarceration. The justice system must bring the fear back into the system by enforcing stringent punishment as before in order to make incarceration an effective crime deterrent. The problem is that tougher policies dont occur random and is one of the oldest problems facing the U. S. Both the prospect of getting caught and the prospect of spending time in prison are supposed to deter offenders from criminal activities, encouraging more constructive actions like staying in chool. The FBI recently released data showing that serious crimes decreased in 1996, continuing a pattern that began in 1992. This might satisfy the statisticians who detect an improving trend, but it wont calm the fears of most Americans. Indeed, polls show that the average citizen worries a lot about crime. (Steve H. Hanke / professor of applied economics at Johns Hopkins University)

How Delegates to Presidential Conventions Are Selected

How Delegates to Presidential Conventions Are Selected In the summer of every presidential election year, political parties in the United States typically conduct national conventions to choose their presidential candidates. At the conventions, the presidential candidates are selected by groups of delegates from each state. After a series of speeches and demonstrations in support of each candidate, the delegates begin to vote, state-by-state, for the candidate of their choice. The first candidate to receive a preset majority number of delegate votes becomes the partys presidential candidate. The candidate selected to run for president then selects a vice presidential candidate. Delegates to the national conventions are selected at the state level, according to rules and formulas determined by each political partys state committee. While these rules and formulas can change from state-to-state and from year-to-year, there remain two methods by which the states choose their delegates to the national conventions: the caucus and the primary. The Primary In states holding them, presidential primary elections are open to all registered voters. Just like in general elections, voting is done through a secret ballot. Voters may choose from among all registered candidates and write-ins are counted. There are two types of primaries, closed and open. In a closed primary, voters may vote only in the primary of the political party in which they registered. For example, a voter who registered as a Republican can only vote in the Republican primary. In an open primary, registered voters can vote in the primary of either party, but are allowed to vote in only one primary. Most states hold closed primaries. Primary elections also vary in what names appear on their ballots. Most states hold presidential preference primaries, in which the actual presidential candidates names appear on the ballot. In other states, only the names of convention delegates appear on the ballot. Delegates may state their support for a candidate or declare themselves to be uncommitted. In some states, delegates are bound, or pledged to vote for the primary winner in voting at the national convention. In other states, some or all delegates are unpledged, and free to vote for any candidate they wish at the convention. The Caucus Caucuses are simply meetings, open to all registered voters of the party, at which delegates to the partys national convention are selected. When the caucus begins, the voters in attendance divide themselves into groups according to the candidate they support. The undecided voters congregate into their own group and prepare to be courted by supporters of other candidates. Voters in each group are then invited to give speeches supporting their candidate and trying to persuade others to join their group. At the end of the caucus, party organizers count the voters in each candidates group and calculate how many delegates to the county convention each candidate has won. As in the primaries, the caucus process can produce both pledged and unpledged convention delegates, depending on the party rules of the various states. How Delegates are Awarded The Democratic and Republican parties use different methods for determining how many delegates are awarded to, or pledged to vote for the various candidates at their national conventions. Democrats use a proportional method. Each candidate is awarded a number of delegates in proportion to their support in the state caucuses or the number of primary votes they won. For example, consider a state with 20 delegates at a democratic convention with three candidates. If candidate A received 70% of all caucus and primary votes, candidate B 20% and candidate C 10%, candidate A would get 14 delegates, candidate B would get 4 delegates and candidate C would get two delegates. In the Republican Party, each state chooses either the proportional method or a winner-take-all method of awarding delegates. Under the winner-take-all method, the candidate getting the most votes from a states caucus or primary gets all of that states delegates at the national convention. Key Point: The above are general rules. Primary and caucus rules and methods of convention delegate allocation differ from state-to-state and can be changed by party leadership. To find out the latest information, contact your states Board of Elections. 2020 National Nominating Conventions: Dates and Sites The 2020 Democratic National Convention will be held from July 13th to 16th, 2020, at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Since by tradition, the convention of the party currently holding the White House is held after that of the opposing party, the 2020 Republican National Convention will be held on August 24th to 27th, 2020, at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

How Delegates to Presidential Conventions Are Selected

How Delegates to Presidential Conventions Are Selected In the summer of every presidential election year, political parties in the United States typically conduct national conventions to choose their presidential candidates. At the conventions, the presidential candidates are selected by groups of delegates from each state. After a series of speeches and demonstrations in support of each candidate, the delegates begin to vote, state-by-state, for the candidate of their choice. The first candidate to receive a preset majority number of delegate votes becomes the partys presidential candidate. The candidate selected to run for president then selects a vice presidential candidate. Delegates to the national conventions are selected at the state level, according to rules and formulas determined by each political partys state committee. While these rules and formulas can change from state-to-state and from year-to-year, there remain two methods by which the states choose their delegates to the national conventions: the caucus and the primary. The Primary In states holding them, presidential primary elections are open to all registered voters. Just like in general elections, voting is done through a secret ballot. Voters may choose from among all registered candidates and write-ins are counted. There are two types of primaries, closed and open. In a closed primary, voters may vote only in the primary of the political party in which they registered. For example, a voter who registered as a Republican can only vote in the Republican primary. In an open primary, registered voters can vote in the primary of either party, but are allowed to vote in only one primary. Most states hold closed primaries. Primary elections also vary in what names appear on their ballots. Most states hold presidential preference primaries, in which the actual presidential candidates names appear on the ballot. In other states, only the names of convention delegates appear on the ballot. Delegates may state their support for a candidate or declare themselves to be uncommitted. In some states, delegates are bound, or pledged to vote for the primary winner in voting at the national convention. In other states, some or all delegates are unpledged, and free to vote for any candidate they wish at the convention. The Caucus Caucuses are simply meetings, open to all registered voters of the party, at which delegates to the partys national convention are selected. When the caucus begins, the voters in attendance divide themselves into groups according to the candidate they support. The undecided voters congregate into their own group and prepare to be courted by supporters of other candidates. Voters in each group are then invited to give speeches supporting their candidate and trying to persuade others to join their group. At the end of the caucus, party organizers count the voters in each candidates group and calculate how many delegates to the county convention each candidate has won. As in the primaries, the caucus process can produce both pledged and unpledged convention delegates, depending on the party rules of the various states. How Delegates are Awarded The Democratic and Republican parties use different methods for determining how many delegates are awarded to, or pledged to vote for the various candidates at their national conventions. Democrats use a proportional method. Each candidate is awarded a number of delegates in proportion to their support in the state caucuses or the number of primary votes they won. For example, consider a state with 20 delegates at a democratic convention with three candidates. If candidate A received 70% of all caucus and primary votes, candidate B 20% and candidate C 10%, candidate A would get 14 delegates, candidate B would get 4 delegates and candidate C would get two delegates. In the Republican Party, each state chooses either the proportional method or a winner-take-all method of awarding delegates. Under the winner-take-all method, the candidate getting the most votes from a states caucus or primary gets all of that states delegates at the national convention. Key Point: The above are general rules. Primary and caucus rules and methods of convention delegate allocation differ from state-to-state and can be changed by party leadership. To find out the latest information, contact your states Board of Elections. 2020 National Nominating Conventions: Dates and Sites The 2020 Democratic National Convention will be held from July 13th to 16th, 2020, at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Since by tradition, the convention of the party currently holding the White House is held after that of the opposing party, the 2020 Republican National Convention will be held on August 24th to 27th, 2020, at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Wildlife and Wind Energy. Leah Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Wildlife and Wind Energy. Leah - Essay Example The researcher did cover the topic well and broad enough. She discussed how wind energy is a great potential of cleaner and renewable source of energy but it will be more successful if further measures of conserving the habitat are embraced. The researcher concentrated mostly on the negatives of the energy production method and provided measures which if implemented could reduce fatality rate of wildlife. The methods discussed include radar technology, GPS tracking, Ultrasonic acoustics and design of the wind turbines. Studies have been conducted to determine the effect of industrial wind turbines on the environment. There are both positive and negative effects which provide clear evidence. Modern turbines are developed in a way that birds can’t rest on them. This still is not a proper solution because the birds still rest on the generators which have rotating blades that can slaughter them. Many nations are contemplating on methods of generating more sustainable, domestically available energy. Wind energy is seen as the most convenient method because it has economic benefits of development, lack of water consumption and emissions during operation and has low impact on humans. This can be the best method of energy production if it will cater for the wildlife

Business Policy and Strategic Management Research Paper - 2

Business Policy and Strategic Management - Research Paper Example The company makes sure that only the best quality beans are used. Starbucks maintains its standard and perform experiment in order to get appropriate balance of taste, and shape. Starbucks manages various roasting and distribution services. The coffee is baked in a strong gas-fired drum roaster for approximately 12–15 minutes. The computer notifies when beans are completely baked (Kotha & Glassman, â€Å"Starbucks Corporation: Competing in a Global Market†). Starbucks put much emphasis on the undertaking of various innovative and entrepreneurial actions with respect to its marketing aspects for making the firm more competitive in the market. Starbuck has set up cafes in hospitals, offices, banks, supermarkets and shopping centers, hotels, and airlines. Starbucks works directly with many countries which produce best quality green coffee beans. It always controls the distribution channel around the globe. It develops personalized customer service to make the customer†™s experience special. Starbucks launched packaged tea because of growing demand of tea in the year 1995. Starbucks coffee’s joint ventures with Pepsi launched a unique version of Frappuccino in 1996 (Kotha & Glassman, â€Å"Starbucks Corporation: Competing in a Global Market†).

Five Years Strategic Plan Essay Example for Free

Five Years Strategic Plan Essay Executive summary You are employed by a Swiss subsidiary of a transnational company in the processed food business whose products are sold via retailers and direct to the food service industry in a number of countries. Recently in Swiss subsidiary has been allocated responsibility for the Asia-Pacific Region and you have been assigned the task of spearheading the firm’s push into china and adjacent countries. In the light of opportunities and constraints to be awaited on the chinese market, the evaluation of alternative entry options showed that our best opportunity was on health food products related to the dairy products actual massive trend. We also decided to adress chinese cultural sensitivity issues by entering in long term close relationship with customers instead of being too focused on quick deals and to adapt our networking strategy to chosen entry strategy. We also examined how we should select a strategic partner, should the Chinese government advise us to do so, and how we should be adapting our global marketing processes to the issues raised by national sovereignty in China. Finally, we decided to include as adjacent market either Thailand or Vietnam in order to benefit from the existing trade relationship between them and China, even if countertrade obligations are to be met. INTRODUCTION The overall purpose of this paper is to present our five years strategic plan which objective is to enable our firm to become a major player in the processed food market adressed to retailers and food service industry. Among our very wide range of products, we will examine alternative market entry options in the light of potential opportunity and constraints, then examine the question of the influence of cultural sensitivity on negociations and on introduction of our product to chineses market. The next step of our analysis will be to examine the impact of adhesion of China to WTO on market environment and the consequences of cultural sensitivity to network and relationships. Our next field of investigation will be to examine the threat represented by a potential obligation to enter a strategic alliance with a local player and by our global company culture regarding national sovereignty issues. And we will finally include perspective of developping an adjacent market with eventually compulsory countertrade involved. Section 1 Alternative chinese market entry option for breakfast cereals and cereal bars in the light of potential opportunities and constraints. The recent huge success of dairy products in China, although a majority of the population is lactose intolerant and milk was never part of the traditional chinese food is showing that chinese market has become increasingly open to adopting foreign fooding habits. This is even reinforced by the success encoutered by Mc Donald’s and Starbucks. But one very interesting element of dairy products success is that its main reason and marketing idea is to value its good impact on health. This is what makes us think that the best way to introduce our firm’s product range is to be highly positionned on health benefits to be awaited from consuming our products, their total safety through high level controls. In terms of politics, China is a stable country, which has invested huge efforts into modernisation of its institutions and legal framework in order to enter the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in 2001. Contract enforcement and business matters involving foreigners are to be brought before high courts specifically trained. Intellectual property protection is still a broad problem through counterfaiting and brands like Starbucks are now facing parasite competitors who sell similar products to much lower prices. Chinese market is a huge opportunity but the country still lacks infrastructure and geographic entry has to be limited to main big cities, with a view of extending to the ever increasing number of middle sized cities growing all around the country. The idea of staying in urban areas is linked to two factors: our products are distributed through retailers networks, and food service industry which can only be found in big cities in China at the moment. As we work with retailers and food service industry, indirect market entry strategy through intermediary could prove worthy, at least at the beginning, as long as our products are not known. We could benefit from the intermediary’s network and his expertise on selling foreign products to chinese market. However, using and intermediary is not the prefered solution as it would increase our costs, and as chinese market is very price sensitive due to copycats, keeping good price/value ratio is a key strategic point. With direct market entry methods, we would have more control on market reactions and be able to lower our export costs. Alternative solutions to enter market range from specialised trade fairs (on dairy products, health products, breakfast and snacking products, etc) to a campain of trial gifts to be organised with either yoghurt or milk distributors, or by giving free samples in school, university and working areas cafeterias. We could also reach agreements with already installed foreign companies who would be interested in distributing our products on their shelves. Considering our objective of becoming a major player on processed food within the next 5 years, it would probably be worth it to make a large upfront investment to develop internal expertise in chinese market, in order to maintain our own relationships in the target market, which could be later used in order to introduce other product range on the same market. Therefore, and in the context of a long term investment, prefered market entry would be on health safe products targeting families and young working singles. SWOT Analysis Opportunities: Economic climate : a double digit economic development favourable to high quality trendy foreign food processed products with an attraction to health promising food. Demographic changes turning a rural population into city office working people whose life standards have increased dramatically over the last few years. Market opening through China’s entering WTO system and making legal and administrative environment more import friendly Threats: Competitive activity: other global firms are already on the market and Mc Donald’s, Vuitton and Starbucks experience of the market show that any brand valuation generates its army of copycat making it difficult to keep up with very low prices in a very price sensitive market. Culture: Reluctance to adopt new foreign fooding habits in a very traditional culture Pricing: chinese market is very sensitive to pricing and client segment will have to be chosen carefully and matched to pricing range. Strength: Health food image connected to dairy products Processed food in a booming ever increasing market Product adaptability: Cereals can be flavoured according to Chinese market tastes Networking: Company’s excellent ethic reputation Large target: Product attractive to kids and adult alike Weaknesses Not enough differentiation in products Need high advertising budget to gain trendy attracting image Section 2 How culture might impact on (i) negotiating in china and (ii) introducing your firm’s product into china. The usual tip when you prepare a business trip to China is to carry business cards, bring an interpreter, wear a conservative suit. These advice are easy to follow and have proven usefull, but they are too superficial to get you into the kind of association with chinese you need to be able to negociate agreements and introducing on a long term perspective the firm’s products in China. Graham and Lam (2003) have described the roots of chinese culture which have bound chinese people for 5,000 years and show through chinese business negociation: agrarism which superseedes business(survival depends on group cooperation and harmony, loyalty and obdience to familly hierarchy), confucianist morality (relations of ruler and ruled between husband and wife, parents and children, older and younger, and of equal between friends), being more concerned by means than by end in negociations, the fact that chinese tend to see easily the big picture, and finally that chinese people are very cynical about rule of law and rules in general, only trusting their families and their bank account. The elements that are important in chinese negociation are: have personal connections (friends, relatives and close associates), use an intermediary in order to avoid suspicion and distrust, be formal in order to show social status, pay attention to interpersonal harmony (smile, be nice and friendly), see the big picture and leave the detail to a later stage, be patient in order to get concessions on prices, never embarrass or provoque a lost of composure to a chinese (equivalent to loosing face), value endurant work more than talent. As a result of the above, introducing our products into China will probably require either a very long time necessary to build a trusted network, or the use of an intermediary. It is of first importance to try to establish close contact with significant actors of the retail and food service industry. The pricing of the products will probably also be of concern, as, if too low, it might not have the value effect, but, too high, it might repell consumers more tempted by a local copycat.    Impact of recent access of China to the WTO on other environmental variables which can be encountered when doing business in China and how it might benefit to our ability to establish worthwhile business in China. When China joined WTO in 2001, it made a transition from a centrally planned economy to a market driven economy. The institutional framework for foreign trade was inexistent, the information transparency culture still to be invented, existing judicial and administrative system inadapted. A tremendous amount of work was requested before China could integrate WTO system. China agreed with its major trading partners to open chinese market within 3 to 4 years to foreign companies in various sectors, including telecommunications, distribution and wholesaling, financial services, and banking and insurance. The change in laws included codifying existing administrative practices into written laws and regulations, therefore increasing transparency and predictability, covering around 200. Foreign trade law had to be modifyed. Regulations on international trade of goods and rules of origins were created. Regulations on transnational mergers and acquisitions and franchising were developped according to their new objectives. Anti-dumping, subsidy, countervailing and safeguard measures were prepared, and altogether, the capacity of the Government to provide legal information to the public was strengthened. Under the China’s central planning system, foreign trade was administered with both tariff and nontariff controls, including quantitative controls which WTO rules require to eliminate. To ensure that the WTO’s nondiscrimination principle is met in the judicial process, China issued an order that took effect on 1 March 2002 to elevate the jurisdiction over commercial cases involving foreigners from the primary courts to the higher level of courts, the question of training the judges to the appropriate regulation still being an issue at the moment. (Mitchell:2004). Altogether, when entering WTO system China had the tools to a market economy. These modifications created a foreign investment friendly framework, but the cultural reluctance to rules and the natural reliance to human bonds are still to be watched when doing business in China (Usunier Lee:2005). It had a great impact on having major competitors entering the chinese market with success and provides market with the stability and rules needed to establish worthwhile invesment. Section 3 Significance of the focus in China on relationship and network on our chosen entry strategy. As, in China, all business is subject to relationship and network, and as we have chosen to invest into a direct market entry strategy, we will have to rely on building our network with key players. Relationship marketing involves creating, maintaining and enhancing strong relationships with customers and other stakeholders. This type of marketing is moving away from focusing on individual transactions and moving towards to focusing on on building value-laden relationships and marketing networks. This type of marketing is long term oriented, very demanding as it is aimed at delivering long term value and satisfaction to customer (Kotler al:2005) It also involves building relationships at different levels: economics, social, technical and legal resulting in high consumer loyalty. Kotler (2005:476), distinguishes five different relationships that can be formed with customers: basic (sale is made but no follow up on satisfaction) Reactive (salesman encourages customer to come back if any question arises) Accountable (salesperson contacts customer shortly after the sale to check that product meets expectations) Proactive (salesperson or company person phones customer from time to time to suggest other products) Partnership (company works with its customers to discover ways to deliver better value) Considering that we intend to sell our product to a large number of customers with medium profit margin, the adapted relationship level would be â€Å"accountable†. Therefore, salesperson would phone retailer or food service company shortly after the sale to check if product meets expectations. Of course, identifying key customers and being more proactive with them would also enhance efficiency of such relationship marketing. Company would probably take advantage to using other marketing tools as giving special treatment and reward to good customers, or inviting them to special events. Chosen strategy network map and discussion on focal and subsidiary relationship involved. First step is to identify key player in retail networking and food service industry, like main wholesalers to be met at trade fair, mass retailers like supermarkets, trendsetters to be identified on TV or sports like football. Next step is to initiate contact with them with a focus on long term relationship and not on result. These relationship, due to their weight on market and the advantage that can be gained from being referenced with them have to be favoured at a first stage. Then, once this network is established, and in order to continue expansion, identify other distribution channels than wholesalers or mass retailers and initiate subsidiary relationship with them, as smaller restaurants, or hotels. Section 4 Adressing the issues related to rumour that Chinese government might request that we enter into a strategic alliance with a Chinese owned firm: selecting and managing strategic alliance partners in china. As in many asian country there is a rumour that we may have to enter a strategic alliance with a chinese partner in order to be allowed to market processed food in China. As Charles Revson, founder of Revlon cosmetics said once â€Å" I don’t meet competition, I crush it† and this should be remembered when entering a strategic partnership with a chinese partner. In fact, as cultural analysis hereabove showed, chinese only trust their family and their bank account, so, in order to enter a sound alliance, a few criterias must be met. Criterias for selecting strategic partner in China should be: good reputation of loyalty and integrity on the market, but also of product quality for reputation purposes natural feeling and common values, understanding of what our goals are and willingness to collaborate extensive network on our targeted customers, on the areas where we have the greatest growth or the most profitable areas proven synergy opportunity between our two companies instead of competition long term relationship seems possible through mutual cooperation (strategic alliance must be a win-win situation in order to be sustainable on the long term) Impact of the issues of national sovereignty in China on application of our standard marketing approaches in order to enhance global image and additional profits through economy of scale. China is very sensitive on the issue raised by separatist claims by   Taiwanese nationalists, Tibet and Xinjiang separatists. Our standard marketing approaches, designed to enhance global image and enable additional profits through economy of scale, mustn’t be a threat to our main objective which is to become a major player in dairy products in China. Therefore, our standard marketing approaches should be amended in order to avoid any differenciation between the average product sold within China and the ones sold in these three areas. The main market should be priviledged against the particularism of the three separatists areas. No marketing argument that our product would be specifically adressed to the separatists areas should be set forth and it should under no circumstances become a selling argument or even be mentioned, because it would probably cause us to loose main market. Section 5 Criteria to select an adjacent market between Taiwan, Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam The first criteria to take into account is capacity to use both markets to enhance presence on each other. Creating synergies in a market entry phase might be vital and the level of trade relationship already existing between China and that country is the right measurment. The second one is to choose a market which might be governed by the same cultural trends in order to be able to adopt the same marketing approach to both. A third criteria, maybe more operational, is distance and accessibility (custom tariffs, roads, etc) between both territories. This might enable to base product in one country and ship to the other from thereof. Fourth criteria might be existing trade relations with Switzerland which might make it easier for us to start networking, as the swiss image would already be a commercial advantage. Myanmar being subject to economic sanction from China due to compulsory labor is not a valid adjacent market, though it has entered the asian liberalisation trend and was even acknowledged by the UN Conference on Trade and Development in 2001 as a member that performed ‘well to better’ in the trade liberalisation process under the WTO’s principles It also does not have the right development stage to be interesting and human rights issues might be damaging our image. It has very little commercial bonds with Switzerland. Thailand had rather recent diplomatic relations with China (dating 1975) but shows since then a real will to become a partner of choice of China. Both nations have common roots and share common ancestors. The commercial agreement between the two countries (Sino Thai Free Trade Agreement) only covers fruits and vegetables at the moment but could possibly be extended. Thailand is also member of the WTO. Its main advantage is to already have strong network trade connections with Switzerland (on machinery, watches, etc), where we are based, which could be a decisive advantage for us in terms of network. Taiwan is actually administrated by China which makes it a priviledged area to invest in. It also has a long tradition of trade with China which makes it a good candidate due to the need for trade network to enhance each others, and as a little dragon, it also has the wealth to be interesting, but choosing it would probably not be the best in terms of advantage on chinese market as it does not really add anything different to being only present in China. Also it does not have any specific links with Swiss market. Vietnam has a common frontier with China and is following more or less the same path towards becoming a market economy and entered WTO in january 2007. Though it does not have the same laws, it has a similar development trend, close traditions and the close commercial links with China in all sectors that makes it a suitable adjacent market. It is also a so called little dragon, a booming economy that could be a very profitable market. The trading network between Vietnam and Switzerland is not too developped though Switzerland is present in Vietnam with a swiss embassy in Hanoi. Finally, in order to develop a global brand image in asia, it might be a good choice to choose between Thailand and Vietnam. How to turn the risk of being obliged to countertrade into a profitable trade More than 80 countries nowadays use or require countertrade exchanges. A concensus of experts opinions (Okaroafo, 1989) has put the percentage of the value of world trade volumes related to countertrade at between 20 to 25%. Counter trade usually occurs when countries lack sufficient hard currency. There are five main variants of countertrade which could be of different value to our firm. Entering a barter (exchange of goods or services directly for other goods or services without the use of money as means of purchase or payment) could eventually be interesting if we manage to find good quality bulk products that could be integrated in our products, like fruits or packaging. Using the switch trading practice (in which the country would exchange allowing our importations against an obligation to make a purchase on the domestic market) could also be of interest to us for the same reasons. A buyback (buying machinery necessary to our production in exchange for products) agreement is not a really interesting deal for us as it involves very heavy transportation. Finally, entering an offset agreement (offsetting a hard-currency purchase of an unspecified product) would be a very dangerous operation as we would have to cover currency exchange variations. Proactive strategy to trade profitably with the selected country In order to be ready when the ban on import occurs, we will implement a proactive strategy by identifying products that could be of use in our production process. Then we will start making contacts with producers of these products and gain market knowledge of prices and quality available, identify suitable suppliers that meet our quality requirements and are able to supply us with the adequate quantities. Therefore, when we will be forced to countertrade, we will already have our network in place. Conclusion: As stated in this document, our five year strategic plan on entering Chinese market involves: entering market with health food linked to dairy products mass trendiness with direct marketing tools Always keep in mind the cultural sensitivity of China in order to use it as a competitive advantage instead of a falling trap. Utilise the huge work done by China to be able to keep up with WTO entering necessary standards in terms of transparency and legal framework to our profit in developping our business Invest in developping extended network and long term relationship marketing in order to open the route to introducing our other products on the market later If needed, choose carefully strategic partners Amend global marketing policy in order to avoid sovereignty issues Choose between Thailand and Vietnam as adjacent market, even if countertrade is involved. Reference Table SunfaithChina Ltd,September 2006,†Market Analysis report on China Yoghourt industry†, http://www.mindbranch.com/listing/product/R521-158.html Chen, C, February 2003, â€Å"Got Milk?†, Wall Street Journal http://www.mindfully.org/Food/2003/China-Dairy-Drinks28feb03.htm John L. Graham and N. Mark Lam, 13 october 2003, â€Å"Negotiating in China†, Havard Business School, Excerpted with permission from The Chinese Negotiation, Harvard Business Review, Vol. 81, No. 10, October 2003 Mitchell, A â€Å"Implementing WTO rules: The Importance of Law Reform, Remarks of Arthur M. Mitchell, General Counsel Asian Development Bank, February 2004, apeC Workshop on Best Practices in WTO Capacity Building, http://www.adb.org/Documents/Speeches/2004/sp2004050.asp Vertariu, P., (1992), Trends and Developments in International Countertrade, Business America, (November 2), 2-6. Okaroafo, S., (1989) Determinants of LDC Mandated Countertrade, International Management Review, (Winter), 1624 â€Å"Interview: Thailand aims to further enhance Thailand-China strategic partnership† People’s Daily, Beijing, 28 June 2005, http://www.bilaterals.org/article.php3?id_article=2180 Swiss Federal State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, 2005, â€Å"Report on Swiss Economic Development Cooperation with Vietnam† Kotler,P, and al: (2005), â€Å"Principles of Marketing†, Pearson Education Ltd Usunier, J-C and Lee, J (2005) â€Å"Marketing across cultures†, Pearson Education Ltd Buksbaum, L (1999), â€Å"Choosing strategic partner that really partner†, press release on Inc.com, (http://www.inc.com/articles/1999/11/19511.html)

Personal Development Plan Business Essay

Personal Development Plan Business Essay Finance is a career which imposes high requirements on the overall qualities of a person. In this report, I am choosing finance as my career field. First, we will describe a career planning methodology in my personal career planning. There are several steps to the career planning process. These steps are: occupational exploration (know the career opportunity), self exploration (know who you are and what you want), decision making, and plan of action. Second, we will identify several job families in the field of finance and the difference between the different possible career paths. These include hedge fund manager, sales and trading, finance analyst, and etc. Then, we will make a decision, giving my career map and career plan as a finance analyst. Six consecutive jobs will be presented to allow me to progress towards my dream job. We will also reveal the KSAs and personal qualities required at each job. Finally, a personal development plan is given with recommendations for future gra duates on the different career they could have in a given field after they graduate. 1. Introduction Finance is an attracting and challenging area for youngsters. For a new comer into this field, just financial knowledge is not enough. Other qualities, such as team spirits, communication skills, and business intuition are equally important for a successful career. With regard to my career goals, I am determined devote myself into financial area. I have great interest in finance because of its importance in corporate development and economic development. Currently, China is relatively weak in its financial sector. I regard it as a huge challenge as well as a huge opportunity for myself entering this field. 2. Career Planning Theory The career planning process is composed of several steps. First it is the self exploration, which answers the question of who you are and what you want. Second it is the occupational exploration, which deals with the job opportunities. Then it is decision making, in which you make up your mind of your career. Finally, it is the plan of action, in which you will set up your goals and put it into action ( Barbara et al 2003; Brian et al 1988; Robert et al 2009;;Samuel et al 1993). 2.1 Self-Exploration Before any career planning, people should have a clear idea about themselves and their expectations of a career. They should ask the questions, such as where do I like to work, indoors or outdoors? Am I good at dealing with the public? Do I prefer to work as a team or do I like to work alone? The thing is that there are no right or wrong answers to these questions, just personal preference. By rethinking of these questinos, they are able to know more about themselves and match themselves to the right occupation. 2.2 Occupational Exploration Having knowledge of the possible job families is equally important. Details about the work carried out in various occupations can be learnt through a large number of methods that can be used to gather occupational information. Some of the methods are listed below, such as online research, personal observation, interview with employees working in the field, books, posters, and TV programs. Usually people use a combination of methods. In this way, they can also get knowledge of the potential income, working conditions, and employment prospects. 2.3. Decision Making After you get the information about yourself and the occupations, it is time to make a decision. From your personal preferences, you should have a good idea of the things that you want in your life. From the job exploration, the occupatinoal requirement, such as the education as well as the work experience you need, will be clear. You can then choose the occupations that will give you what you want. 2.4. Plan of Action From the above steps, the particular career is determined. Now it is time to set up a plan to help you achieve that goal. First, you should consider the needs and insufficiency of yourself, such as what kind of education and training is necessary; What type of interim jobs are required; Second, you should foresee the obstacles which hinder you to get to your career. And hence you will be able to come up with a plan to overcome these obstacles. All these can be used to form your plan of action. 3. Possible Career Path for Finance 3.1 Hedge fund manager A hedge fund manager will decide how to place the assets in different classes of securities. These include cash, bonds, stocks (domestic versus foreign) and etc. 3.2 Finance Analysts This involves the processing and servicing of a variety of operational, personnel, and financial transactions. Involves developing, interpreting and implementing financial concepts for financial planning, resource planning, and control of organizational budget. May analyze and prepare recommendations for financial plans, including annual resource allocations, future requirements, and operating forecasts. 3.3 Mergers and Acquisitions People doing mergers and acquisitions are similar to finance analysts. Only that their focus is on synergies, cost savings, and coinsurance effects that may result from combing firms in similar or dissimilar industries. 3.4 Sales and Trading Sales and trading encompasses a broad spectrum of jobs within an investment bank. Salespeople generate new business by obtaining clients for the firm. Traders concentrate on developing systems and strategies for executing orders to buy and sell securities. Knowledge of the operations of markets is essential to a good trader. 4. My Career Map During my study as a business graduate, I have taken courses in various business subjects such as macro and micro economics, accounting and math. In my free time, I read publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times and The Economist. I browse the financial websites everyday to get a update on the latest business markets. I am good at gathering information. I can understand the financial situation of a specific company from its balance sheet; I can read the economic situation of a country from its macropolicy. Moreover, I receive strict training in interpersonal relationships with others. I have skills in communication. Proposal writing and oral presentations is also my competence. Therefore, I consider myself to be fit for becoming a finance analyst. My career map is in Figure 1. Figure 1 Career Map 5. My Career Plan: Finance Analysts Job Title Assistant Finance Analyst Junior Finance Analyst Finance Analyst Level Entry Junior Experience General Description Entry-level professional; uses professional concepts to resolve problems of limited scope and complexity; works on assignments of limited variety and complexity, requiring limited judgment and decision making. Experienced-level professional who knows how to apply theory and put it into practice with full understanding of the professional field; Challenges Uses basic professional concepts. †¢ Applies campus policies and procedures to resolve routine issues. †¢ Works on problems of limited scope with moderate control and review. Follows standard practices and procedures in analyzing situations or data from which answers can be readily obtained. †¢ Cultivates internal and external contacts. †¢ Resolves a wide range of issues in imaginative as well as practical ways. Knowledge and Skills †¢ Basic knowledge of financial or accounting concepts, processes and procedures. †¢ Understanding of regulations and best practices concerning financial accounting and services. †¢ Familiar with department chart of accounts and related business processes. †¢ Effective written and verbal communication skills. †¢ Active listening, critical thinking, attention to detail, organizational skills, good interpersonal skills and the ability to multi-task. Basic knowledge in data collection and analysis techniques. †¢ Service orientation †¢ Leadership skills to provide coaching and mentoring to support staff. †¢ Knowledge of core software programs and systems. †¢ Thorough knowledge of finance policies, practices and systems including campus, state and federal rules and regulations. †¢ Knowledge of financial data management and reporting systems. †¢ Active listening, critical thinking, attention to detail, organizational skills, strong interpersonal skills, and ability to multi-task in a high-volume environment. †¢ Able to independently gather, organize, and perform financial analysis assignments. †¢ Advanced knowledge of software programs and systems. Responsibilities †¢ Analyzes financial and/or resource data; prepares and summarizes information. †¢ With supervision, reconciles, researches and resolves discrepancies in financial data. Monitors workflow and productivity in areas such as Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Collections, Purchasing and/or Cashiering. †¢ Coordinates and monitors operations of assigned functional area(s). †¢ May act as central resource for support staff. †¢ Assists with monitoring productivity with the goal of meeting or exceeding standard expectations for timeliness and quality. Identify systematic problems and propose solutions. †¢ Assesses compliance with regulatory agencies and internal policies. †¢ Triages and addresses customer inquiries as appropriate †¢ Ensures the delivery of quality customer service to various constituencies. †¢ Applies professional concepts to resolve issues and to perform moderate to complex analysis. †¢ Gathers and analyzes, financial and resource plans. (Continue) Job Title Senior Finance Analyst portfolio manager CFO / Partner of Company Level Senior Expert Senior Expert General Description broad job knowledge; deals with problems of diverse scopes Recognized expert. Has significant impact and influence on company policy and program development. assigned high level analytical duties that involve in-depth knowledge and understanding of numerous variables and interrelationships. Regularly leads projects of critical importance which carry substantial consequences of success or failure. Challenges †¢Must have good sense of judgment and have proper techniques for obtaining solutions. †¢ Applies wide-ranging knowledge and understanding of campus objectives to resolve complex issues with campus-wide impact in creative and effective ways. †¢ Works on most complex issues with little or no campus precedent where analysis of situations or data requires an in-depth evaluation of variable factors. †¢ May provide guidance to other personnel or supervise professional or clerical staff; may serve as team lead. †¢ May serve as subject matter expert or project manager. †¢ Internal and external contacts often pertain to broad-reaching plans and objectives. Knowledge and Skills †¢ Sophisticated written and verbal communication skills. †¢ Able to use good judgment and decisionmaking and to solve problems. †¢ Leadership skills to provide coaching and mentoring to professional and support staff. †¢ Expert knowledge of campus and systemwide financial processes, policies and procedures, as well as related accounting and regulatory compliance requirements. †¢ Analytical skills sufficient to assess, advise development, and implement financial data management and reporting systems. †¢ Able to communicate complex findings and recommendations †¢ Able to identify, analyze, and report on complex data. †¢ Sophisticated service orientation and ability to lead a team to deliver excellent customer service. †¢ Strong inter-personal skills and ability to work effectively across the organization at all levels. †¢ Skills in project management, leadership, and process re-design. †¢ Ability to multi-task effectively in a varied, high volume environment. †¢ Sound judgment, decision-making, critical thinking, and creative problem solving. †¢ Understands and anticipates different perspectives. †¢ Leadership ability both inside and outside of the department. †¢ Advanced knowledge of software programs and systems and the ability to use them strategically to achieve results. Responsibilities †¢ Ensures that financial processing functions are performed with accuracy and that daily operations run smoothly. †¢ May act as team leader for support and lower level professional staff. Train staff and create effective teamwork environment. †¢ May review, process, and approve financial data and transactions. Documents procedures for financial activities. †¢ Participates in internal audits and processes. †¢ Reads professional literature and attends seminars to keeps abreast of regulations and best practices. †¢ May serve as a project work leader, project manager or subject matter expert. †¢ Interprets policies and advises campus departments accordingly. †¢ Directs the initiation of and/or designs summary reports and background materials regarding a wide variety of internal and external policies and regulations to address a range of issues and the organized implementation of new services, procedures and/or policies. †¢ Coordinates the gathering of budgetary and resource information during planning stages. †¢ Independently performs highly complex financial or resource research and studies for both internal department and external constituents and makes recommendations to maximize financial or other resource outcomes †¢Analyzes and prepares recommendations for new services, systems or processes that have an impact outside of the school or department. †¢ Participates in audits of internal records and processes. †¢ Develops and implements financial transaction processes and procedures; may train campus staff on financial activities. †¢ Regularly leads analyses of industry approaches, trends and best practices. Develops and implements improvements and/or new approaches and services. †¢ Ensures timely and accurate financial activity capture and reporting. 6. My Personal Development Plan Following my career plan, I am going to present my personal development plan in order to prepare to the first job after graduation I need to begin with to reach my dream job. Floodgate and Nixon (1994) described a form of personal development plan with SMART goals. I will apply their format here. Focus Area Current State Desire State Activities Resource Timeline Language Skills English reading and listening is fair; weak in writing and speaking Sophisticated written and spoken skills Taking English courses; Practise English writing and speaking Online English Learning website; English mp3; English learning books 3 months Communication Skills Basic Communication Skills Active listening, critical thinking, organizational skills, good interpersonal skills Work with others; build up team spirit and team working Books on Communication and team work. 1 months Financial Knowledge Prepare for CFA Passing CFA Level 1 Taking CFA courses; CFA books and exercises 9 months Accounting Knowledge Prepare for ACCA Passing ACCA Part 1 Taking ACCA courses; ACCA books and exercises 6 months Data handling techniques elimentry knowledge in Excel Familiar with minitab, advanced Excel Practise data collecting and processing; Software(Excel/ Minitab); Online tutorial 1 month 7. Conclusion and Recommendation This report is about my personal development plan as a finance analyst. I follow the framework of career planning in developing my personal development plan. In career planning, we must identify our likes, dislikes, assets, and weaknesses. This helps us know what we want and who we are. Then we should identifying potential career opportunities. Finishing these steps, we will be able to choosing a career path. After making a decision, we should define targets and an action plan to achieve our goals. As new graduates, everyone wants to find his/ her perfect match job. Always remember, learning and building up your knowledge will provide you the opportunity to the dream job. On the other hand, youll need to develop the necessary knowledge to understand the working environment, tasks, and responsibilities. All these combined will prepare you for your career. But no matter what career path you are on, for your plan to work out, you must work hard and continuously learn more so that you can do more.

Aristotelian ethics Essay

Aristotelian ethics is focused on the search for happiness through virtue. Happiness functions as the chief and final end of man while virtue is a mediated state in between the irrational tendencies of man. The Aristotelian ethical system is primarily focused on the notion of virtue and value of the golden mean which focuses on practicality as a method of achieving happiness in opposition to self-realization. According to Aristotle, ethical knowledge is not precise compared to the study of mathematics or the sciences, but a practical discipline; that in order to be good or virtuous is not to quantify it as a study but to actually experience becoming good or virtuous. In the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle’s work breaks away from the reason-centered philosophies of his predecessors namely Plato and Aristotle concerning the reason-based pursuit of the highest form of good through an empirical and a goal-centered approach. The attainment of the ‘good’ is the foundation of Aristotelian ethical principles; ethics during the context of classical Greek philosophy is primarily concerned on living the ‘good’ life through the moderation of actions. This notion of good however is different from the hedonistic perspectives concerning the happiness. Hedonism centers its beliefs on pleasure as the purpose or final end of man while Aristotle’s ethics are primarily directed to the practice and experience of life through virtue and mediation. He argues that the rational and irrational tendencies of the soul such as aspirations, desires, wants, and needs, have an ultimate end. Happiness is the final end of such tendencies; however, the process in which happiness may be achieved may go against the dictates of the soul because of subjectivity. Contrary to Plato’s self-existing good, happiness is practical rather than an ideal; it can be attained in the sense that an individual must experience it. The highest form of good must be desirable in itself and not to function to some other self-serving purpose. For Aristotle, happiness is found in the everyday experiences of life and work that is unique to rationalistic human soul. The individual’s purpose is to act upon what is inherently human, that is, to attain happiness through experience. The fulfillment of such end leads to the state of eudaimonia, literally meaning happiness. Eudaimonia is a state of state of mind rather than an interpretative or emotive understanding of happiness per se. In order to achieve such, Aristotle first defines the distinct parts of the human soul, the notion of virtue and its function as part of experience. Happiness is subjective to the individual since there are many forms and concepts wherein happiness can be interpreted; pleasure leads to a state of temporal and physical happiness but does not eternally reside on the individual. The multitude of perspectives concerning the attainment of a universal idea of happiness is a dilemma; since experience provides a subjective interpretation of a phenomenon, there may be no existing ‘universal’ idea. As narrated in the Ethics: â€Å"And so the man who has been educated in a subject is a good judge of that subject, and the man who has received an all-round education is a good judge in general. Hence a young man is not a proper hearer of lectures on political science; for he is inexperienced in the actions that occur in life† (Aristotle 3). For Aristotle, experience and practicality are the foundations of ethical belief. In contrast with his predecessor’s mode of ethical discipline, Aristotle argues that ethics cannot be derived from an abstract notion such as Plato’s Theory of Forms where the self-existing good remains self-evident and unchangeable. This reason-based or rationalistic approach is refuted with Aristotle’s empirical standpoint. Experience, according to Aristotle, is a unique human condition and its uniqueness provides the basis for the formation of a practical ethical system of belief. In order to understand the concept of virtue, Aristotle first divides the parts of the human soul into two parts, the rational and irrational soul which is further subdivided into three categories, namely: the vegetative, appetitive, and calculative value. The irrational ‘part’ of the human person is related to the animalistic soul or instinct (nutritive value), while the rational soul is the distinguishing factor against pure instinctive tendencies. Thus, rational nature of the soul is the definition of the human persona humans has the ability to reason (calculative/appetitive) and impose control on irrational tendencies. The normative control over irrational desires is also a part of Aristotle’s biological differentiation between man and animal. Animals rely on instinct or desire which is irrational, to maintain their survival. The control of the irrational nature (appetitive) leads to the formation of moral virtue while the perfection of the pure rationalistic soul which provides intellect and reason (calculative) is known as an intellectual virtue. Thus, moral virtue falls under the middle ground between the intellect, which regulates it, and the passions, which virtue attempts to control. Virtue is defined as â€Å"a state of character concerned with choice, lying in a mean, i. e. the mean relative to us, this being determined by a rational principle, and by that principle by which the man of practical wisdom would determine it† (Aristotle 35). Virtue, in accordance with experience, is based from practical knowledge. Contradicting the notion of the self-existing good, practical knowledge replaces the notion of self-existing truths. The Platonic notion of understanding these truths is through self-recognition of ignorance as an obstacle of intellectual illumination. In contrast, the practicality of experience acts as the foundation of virtue that is learned through the uniqueness of human experience. Experience is then essential in acquiring these virtues rather than acknowledge the presence of such through the affirmation of doubt. Plato’s theory as exemplified in the Allegory of the Cave calls for the self-affirmation of ‘I know nothing’ in order to determine the absolute or ideal knowledge that exists in the realm of the forms. Aristotle deviates from this rationalistic approach as he emphasizes on practicality in determining truths. Further, Aristotle explains: â€Å"since things that are found in the soul are of three kinds – passions, faculties, states of character, virtue must be one of these† (Aristotle 43) The soul as expressed in its dualistic rational and irrational parts, contain passions, faculties, and other states of character. The passions consist of the emotional either accompanied by pleasure or pain (e. g. joy, sorrow). The faculties of the soul is the capability of these emotions (e. g. being happy, joyful, etc. ), while the states of character is the middle ground in-between the emotional opposites (e. g. consumed or weakened by anger). Virtue is then a mediation of the passions which acts upon the faculties of the soul and leads to the essence on the states of character. One of the important notions in Aristotelian ethics is the notion of the Golden Mean. The golden mean separates human action (e. g. passions) into virtue and vice. The mean, in context with experience, provides the avenue of practicing virtue in the process of attaining happiness. Virtues are either at mean or in opposition (virtue and vice). Vices are further categorized either in its extreme or deficient sense while moral virtue functions as the regulating principle situates action in moderation. For example, the virtue of modesty is the mean between the vice of deficiency (shamelessness) and extreme (bashfulness). The virtue of courage is the middle ground between rashness and cowardice. The concept of the golden mean is dictated by the functions of rationality wherein behavior is formed through experience. It however cannot be quantified through a mathematical or logical proposition; meaning to eat 100 times in excess means it cannot be justified by starving oneself in 50. This ethical system is solely dependent on the conception of rationality on the part of the individual in relation to the uniqueness of experience. The value of virtue is the understanding of mediation in action rather than performing in excess or deficiency. To understand the middle ground of opposite actions leads to intellectual calmness or realization; that to be in excess and deficient leads either through temporary happiness (pleasure) or the lack of it (pain). In addition, the task of finding the middle ground in vices is a difficult task. According to Aristotle: Hence also it is no easy task to be good. For in everything it is no easy task to find the middle, e. g. to find the middle of a circle is not for everyone but for him who knows; so, too, any one can get angry – that is easy – or give or spend money; but to do this to the right person, to the right extent, at the right time with the right motive, and in the right way, that is not for everyone, nor it is easy. (Aristotle 49) To easily determine the middle ground of vices cannot be applied for the totality of every individual since the irrational soul still acts upon its instinctive nature. In relation to the Platonic challenged posed by the Theory of Forms, the attainment of the good is solely dependent on the individual to countermand the irrational passions in order to redirect the soul and purpose in attaining its final end. Plato’s challenge is focused on the breakaway from ignorance to understand the ‘ideal’ world in which the world of illusions is based from. Aristotle on the other hand, focuses on the importance of experience and practical knowledge; to know happiness means we have to experience happiness. Aristotle’s happiness is attained through the practice of virtue and the regulation of the golden mean. However, Aristotle argues: â€Å"So much, then, is plain that the intermediate state is in all things to be praised, but that we must incline sometimes towards the excess, sometimes towards the deficiency, for so shall we most easily hit the mean and what is right† (Aristotle 50). In order to understand the mean, Aristotle again notes the importance of experience. The individual must therefore experience the extreme opposites of the passions (vice) in order to determine the golden mean. For example, one cannot know the virtue of courage if one does not become a coward (deficient) or be rash (excess) in actions. It is only after experience teaches the individual the value of virtue and virtue in turn, leads to the attainment of eudaimonia in which happiness is eternal. Reference Aristotle. Nicomachean Ethics (M. Ostwald, Trans. ) New York: Collier Macmillan. 1962

Human Nature in Shakespear’s Plays Essay

Topic- in Shakespeare’s plays how is his unusual detailed knowledge of nature as well as of human beings shown? Shakespeare was a man who deeply loved nature and the beauty of it. He was not just an author who experienced and enjoyed nature but also as someone who studied, understood and knew nature intimately. In this essay there will be discussions about how Shakespeare would often use examples from nature to describe the nature of human beings in his plays and how did he show a deep understanding and knowledge of human nature which he would put that deep knowledge in his plays and poems. Shakespeare’s greatest influences were the works of other great writers as well as from variety of books, and plays which he used as subject materials for his own plays. He got most of his ideas from existing written literature. All of his plays were based on British history, adjusted to suit the occasion. He also drew ideas from many things that he grew up with, like his love for nature gave him several ideas how to write some of his plays and poetry. Besides this, he got many ideas from his childhood as his father is known to have often told him ‘bedtime stories’. Shakespeare may have got inspirations from nature and some ideas of characterizations from real life experiences but his plots where never made from events that happened in his life. Two of his favorite writers were Geoffery Chaucer (1340- 1400) and Plutarch (46-120). Chaucer, who was the first poet ever to be buried at the â€Å"poet’s corner† in Westminster Abby was from a wealthy family where his father was as a deputy to King Edward the third’s butler. Chaucer’s poetry was in Middle English and he was known to be one of the finest poets in England. Shakespeare admired him and many of the sources of his plays came from Chaucer’s poems. Plutarch studied philosophy and he taught it as a teacher in Rome where he earned the admiration of the emperors Trajan and Hadrian. Plutarch’s work was translated by Sir Thomas North which had become very popular in Renaissance England. His translations were then used by Shakespeare himself as sources for many of his plays like Cleopatra, Julius Caesar, Coriolanus, Timon of Athens, etc. The way Shakespeare examined and admired nature was quite different from regular viewers. His way of seeing nature was deep and he would use it in many other forms as well. He would usually find ideas for his poems by what he saw and nature was the biggest part that inspired him how to write his poems and plays. For example in one of his plays named King Lear, the concept of nature is considered to be the groundwork of the whole play. From Kingship through to personal human relations, to the views of the empire, from the representation of human nature to the animal imagery, there was nature filling every line of King Lear. Nature is a socially constructed concept which is made in order to legitimize the existing social order. By drawing a brief sketch of the political and social beliefs of the Elizabethan and Jacobean ages, it will be at the same time outlining the arguments for believing that nature truly is the socially constructed concept. The Elizabethan and Jacobean age was a time of change and disorder. They were not known for their unity. Elizabeth had her subjects worry about who would succeed her as she was not married, therefore there was no heir to carry on with the throne. ‘Kings are justly called Gods for that they exercise a manner or resemblance of divine power on the earth. ’ This quote was taken from the speech of James I where he describes the divine rights of Kings. James I had succeeded Elizabeth I to be the first Stuart King. Although he had the Kingship, he still was not able to overcome the political and financial problems of the state. In order for the continuation of his reign, the unity and harmony of the state and nature was of great importance. He legitimized his power by naturalization. Therefore by ‘nature’ everyone has its place, and knows the duties and obligations to that place, and those who have power cannot be questioned which are the divine rights of Kings. The belief in the social order restricting from the natural order is an important concept to hold when probing the idea of nature being utilized to maintain the status quo. The interdependence of man and nature as a theme is explored in King Lear. Men are always represented in the relation to the divine hierarchy which is the physical world and the world of animals but they are never represented in isolation. It becomes easier to understand the actions of Lear with the almost constant references to nature, once the concept of correspondence between man’s nature and the natural world is understood in terms of legitimizing the social order. In King Lear, the tragedy shown in the play is when Lear tries attempting to overthrow the ‘natural’ social order by handing over his crown to his daughters. Once disorder is initiated by Lear’s revocation of his powers and rights as King, disaster in corresponding hierarchies follow. Lear’s abandonment of his power is in direct opposition to the concept of the Divine Right of Kings. According to the laws of nature, it was impossible for Lear to stop being a king, because that was his rightful position by divine ordination and in fact throughout the play he is still referred to as the King, even though he has divided his crown. Also Lear is unable to stop seeing himself as the King, which can be seen from his banishment of Kent, soon after he has relinquished his powers: Hear me, recreant, on thine allegiance, hear me: That thou hast sought to make us break our vows, Which we durst never yet, and with strained pride To come betwixt our sentence and our power, Which nor our nature, nor our place can bear, Our potency made good take thy reward. King Lear (1. 1. 169-173) In this speech Lear not only uses the power of the King which he no longer holds to banish Kent, but he also, unknown to himself, explains why he cannot or should not divide his kingdom, for it goes against both his ‘nature’ and his ‘place’ to divide his ‘power’ from his ‘sentence,’ which is exactly what he does, thereby attempting to deny his nature and position. Aside from the natural position of Kings the natural social order can also be seen in terms of power relations between characters: King over subjects, fathers over daughters, husbands over wives. This naturalization can be seen as being represented by the character of Lear. He possesses his daughters, because he controls over them, therefore it is only ‘natural’ that they should proclaim their love for him. Cordelia’s refuses this which is therefore shocking to Lear and he calls her ‘a wretch whom nature is ashamed’. (1. 1. 213-214) The animal imagery that is shown in King Lear indicates the unnaturalness of a character‘s behavior in comparison to how they should behave if they observed the natural social order. This contradiction again underlines the distinction between nature and the ‘natural social order’. Shakespeare was good in phycology and describing the human character. He did not state many new ideas of human nature in his place as much as he did on the personalities and behaviors that all human beings have. There still are experts that claim that Shakespeare was the ‘inventor of human nature. However, these were Shakespearean experts and not the experts in psychology or human personality. It was not that Shakespeare new more things around him than other people but it was how he saw and examined things and people around him. In many of his plays and poems he showed deep knowledge of human nature. The way in which we experience fear, love, hatred, jealousy, despair, or anything else one can name. The way he wrote it and staged it would leave many artists in the dust and that the meaning of his work would stay with readers and viewers while everything around them changed. Shakespeare managed to grasp what it took to shape the essence of human nature in many of its aspects and drop it into text and drama in a way that would draw our ears, our eyes and our hearts. Unlike psychology, Shakespeare tries attempting to understand why people do what they do. He simply outshone most others, in many times and many places, at drawing portraits of the mystery of human behavior. Shakespeare used to combine nature and human nature together in many of his plays and poems. He used to describe human behavior by relating them with nature. In one of his plays known as Troilus and Cressida, he quotes the following: Let not virtue seek Remuneration for the thing it was; For beauty, wit, High birth, vigor of bone, desert in service, Love, friendship, charity are subjects all To envious and calumniating time One touch of nature makes the whole world kin, That all with one consent praise new-born gawds, Though they are made and moulded of things past, And give to dust that is a little gilt More laud than gilt o’erdusted. (3. 3. 169–179) This quote was spoken by the character known as Ulysses where he says this to the great Greek warrior Achilles who did not participate in the Trojan War because he contained a broken pride and was in love with a Trojan. He did not understand why he was not liked by the other Greeks and Ulysses tried to get Achilles mind back into action by giving him an uncomplimentary lecture on human nature. In the seventh line of Ulysses’ quote, he speaks about the ‘touch of nature’ which means ‘natural traits’. These are vital characteristics that make us all in this world kin. The phrases nowadays used for our ‘touch of nature’ as warmth or generosity or any other romantic ideal is different from how Ulysses describes it. He sees unanimity in our gaudy originalities as our ‘touch of nature’ is a short memory. The past deeds of Achilles, like beauty, wit, love, and so on, are subject to the ravages of time. In other words, it is our nature to forget these types of faded glories because they do not seem important anymore as there are bigger things that should be remembered instead of wasting it on these small glories that will be slowly forgotten in the future. Shakespeare’s unusual yet deep ways of describing human nature through his characters in his plays were unique. From the way he wrote his plays and poems, it would almost feel like to the reader and viewer that he lived in another type of world and that he saw everything around him very differently from normal people. He was very good in describing what he felt through what he saw as well. In one of his well-known plays called Hamlet, one of Hamlet’s quotes he says as following: What a piece of work is a man, how noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god! The beauty of the world, the paragon of animals—and yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust? Man delights not me— nor woman neither, though by your smiling you seem to say so. (2. 2. 303–312). This passage exemplifies how Hamlet says that man is like an angel or god in apprehension. The ‘quintessence of dust’ states that from all God’s work, Man is one of the noblest. Despite all this nobility, Hamlet is not delighted by all this grace or beauty of man. This is one of the moments where his sincerity is genuinely in question as he explains this to two of the king’s followers or ‘parasites’ as he seems them as, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. He feels like there is nothing in Denmark for him and that it feels like a prison to him where he is stuck in following his uncle’s orders and wished that there was another choice for him to follow instead. Even though Man is described as the beauty of God’s works, from what he sees man as in his life gives him another image of human nature.

Comparison of hybrid vehicles with other types of power units The WritePass Journal

Comparison of hybrid vehicles with other types of power units 1 Introduction Comparison of hybrid vehicles with other types of power units 1 Introduction1.1 Investigation Purpose1.2   Methodology2 Hybrid Vehicle2.1 History2.2 How it functions2.3   Types of hybrids2.4   TechnologyWhy is it taking so long?Is hydrogen a safe fuel?Petroleum Dependency and Fuel Cell Vehicle’s3 Current Issues with Conventional Vehicles3.1   Fuel Capacity3.2 Environmental Issues4. Hybrid – Environmentally Friendly4.1 Benefits of a hybrid compared to a conventional4.2  Ã‚   Vehicle Emissions4.3 Buying a hybrid vehicle5.   Planning ScheduleRelated 1 Introduction 1.1 Investigation Purpose The times of low inflation have gone, especially in the resources centre and this is as a result of fossil fuels being capped with limit. Unfortunately, we can not reserve fossil fuels, such as coal and oil forever, though what we can do is introduce another power source for the likes of vehicles, whether this is a slowly but surely start, any positive impact on our fuel consumption as a whole and reduction of global warming. There is a vital need of this information to be distributed to individuals around the world, as whether it is our generation which faces the issue of green house gas emissions or the future generation, one way or another we have to deal with it. The idea is to make the world realise that term ‘hybrid’ is feasible and available to everyday consumers, of course at a price, but what isn’t? I will extract data from various research and development programs and compare it to the current hybrid’s which are available and observe the room for improvement. The contribution that will be put in has its limits, as I can not produce a new alternative or redevelop a current form, though it is my duty to identify and produce evidence of the type of hybrid and power units that can modernise today’s world effectively, safely and most importantly cleanly. I will determine how the new generation of hybrid cars, which uses a combination of two or more distinctive power units to move a vehicle. This will include the comparison with conventional power units, such as petrol and diesel engines. A thorough analysis will also be carried out, along with advantages and disadvantages, in relation to efficiency, resources, safety, performance emissions and other deriving factors. Hybrid vehicles are deemed to be the future for vehicle transportation, as fossil fuels are diminishing, whilst pollution is greater than ever. Technically, this is a resultant substitute for the conventional power source, though does this ultimately ridden the problem? If this is the case, would it a short or long term change? 1.2   Methodology I will extract information from various sources, including textbooks, internet and applying my common sense and literature towards it. I will firstly research in depth on the subject, and then followed by planning and structuring the report. I will use comparative arguments in order to review hybrid cars and other fuel types. 2 Hybrid Vehicle 2.1 History Since the early 1900’s, car designers have been experimenting with electric and hybrid power units. Hybrid vehicles were produced beginning as early as 1899 by Lohner-Porsche, who is best known for creating the first hybrid vehicle (gasoline-electric), the Volkswagen Beetle, the Mercedes-Benz SS/SSK, as well as the first of many Porsche cars. Early hybrids could be charged from an external source before operation; hence the term plug-in hybrid has come to mean a hybrid vehicle that can be charged from a standard electrical wall socket. While employed at Lohner Coach Factory, Ferdinand Porsche developed the Mixte; a 4WD series-hybrid version of System Lohner-Porsche electric carriage previously appeared in 1900 Paris World Fair. The Mixte included a pair of generators driven by 2.5-hp Daimler IC engines to extend operating range and it could travel nearly 40 miles on battery alone and it was presented in the Paris Auto Show in 1901. The Mixte broke several Austrian speed record s, and also won the Exelberg Rally in 1901 with Porsche himself driving. The Mixte used a gasoline engine powering a generator, which in turn powered electric hub motors, with a small battery pack for reliability. It had a top speed of 50  km/h and a power of 5.22  kW for 20 minutes. As a result of this, the internal combustion had reformed as the ‘best’ at the given time and inheriting the power source for automobiles for over a century. Between this time, petrol and diesel powered vehicles took the opportunity to boost their technological advancements, which included fuel injection and computer controlled systems that aided the fuel efficiency, safety and power. 2.2 How it functions As we know, a conventional car has a fuel tank, along with an internal combustion engine and a transmission, which ultimately work simultaneously to turn the wheels of the car, thus making movement. In saying so, the fuel tank allocates fuel, such as petrol or diesel to the engine and therefore, the engine processes the fuel through the transmission, causing the wheels to turn. Like all batteries, hybrid batteries have two electrodes (which collect or emit an electric charge) that sit in an ion-rich solution called the electrolyte. (An ion, by the way, is an atom or group of atoms with an electrical charge.) The electrodes are typically very close, so a polymer film, called a separator, prevents them from touching, which would create a short circuit. An on-off switch in whatever device is powered by the battery- your phone or laptop- bridges the cell’s electrodes to generate power. That’s when the electrochemical reaction begins. Keep in mind: What we commonly call â€Å"a battery† is actually a battery pack that houses many individual cells. Your mobile phone battery is just one single cell, but anything larger- even a laptop battery- uses multiple cells working together. Ionized elements in one electrode are in a chemical state where they are easily attracted to combine with other molecules, emitting electrons (energy) in the process. Those elements are tugged through the electrolyte and the separator toward the opposing electrode. The ions of the negative electrode (anode) give up electrons; the positive ions coming toward the anode accept them. The electrons released during this process travel through the external circuit (e.g. your phone), producing a flow of charge in the opposite direction to the flow of ions. During recharge, current is forced into the cell, reversing the process. As we take a tour of hybrid batteries, remember one thing: Total energy determines the vehicle’s electric range, whereas available power determines its acceleration.   (hybridcars.com/hybrid-car-battery ­) On the other hand, a hybrid vehicle consists of two parts, the internal combustion engine and the electric motor to form motion on the vehicle. Furthermore, the means of this is so that depending on the environment the vehicle is driving in, it will switch between the fuel engine and the electric motor, in order to maximise efficiency. Examples of this would be whether the vehicle was driving through urban or rural roads or even dependant on speed. This particular combination is called HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle) and is also important to note that is predominately used with diesel as the fuel 2.3   Types of hybrids There are many types of hybrids and whilst some are quite similar to each other, in terms of functionality, they are in fact two diverse designs. However, they are both built around improving fuel mileage and better the emissions to limit the harm to the environment. The Mild hybrid focuses more on the traditional fuel engine, whilst integrating the three major components. It is conveyed around the assistance of the electric motor’s function for the fuel engine. In the case of conventional vehicles, motion of the force is what makes it a fuel engine. In addition to this, the electric power only comes into the picture when further power is needed. Due to the fact that the vehicle is only using energy where essential, it is increasing fuel mileage. This design has enabled the electric motor to do more than one task, which is either charge the vehicles battery or use vital electricity to help boost the performance of the vehicle. Unfortunately, the design has limited the possibility of doing both tasks simultaneously. Honda is a prime example of Mild hybrid systems, developed in models such as the Civic and Insight. On the other hand, Full hybrid vehicles are designed differently, but the three key components are well and truly there. However, this is deemed to be more complex, in terms of benefiting the vehicle. The Full hybrid is able to utilise its electric motor independently under certain conditions of the fuel engine. The electric motor will take over, depending on certain models, which means if the vehicle is moving at a constant lower speed and will only have use of the fuel engine when acceleration is required. Though, if the fuel engine permits it, they can both work simultaneously. Periods of high speed, like in the case of highway passing is an example of the two engines working together. Full hybrid cars are capable of both charging and using energy from the battery at the same time. Ultimately, whether the vehicle is mid or full hybrid, they are both economically friendly, reducing emissions, whilst increasing whole life cost to include cost of manufacture. 2.4   Technology You can argue that, although the HEV is combined, the battery or electrical motor would still need to run on chargeable cells, thus being expensive. However, the defining feature the HEV has is its RESS (Rechargeable Energy Storage System), which productively allows the system to be recharged, from the actual process of operating the vehicle and does not need any form of ‘plugging in’. For example, the regenerative breaking converts the vehicles kinetic energy into energy, which is stored by the battery or capacitors. Hydrogen Fuel Cells: Hydrogen fuel cells consist of: Anode Membrane Cathode Electro engine Power electronics Batteries Hydrogen tank A fuel cell is a combination of electrodes sandwiched around an electrolyte. Oxygen passes over one electrode and hydrogen over the other, generating electricity, water and heat. There are two main hurdles that stand in the way of mass production and widespread consumer adoption of hydrogen fuel cells. One is the high cost of producing fuel cells, which cost $1million to produce one vehicle and Toyota and Honda are currently leasing to Japan and California. It is important to note that, although it seems very expensive to produce a vehicle right now, Toyota is hoping to reduce this cost to $50,000 by 2015. I believe that the current cost would not make a make a difference to society, as the same with the current hybrid of electric vehicles. The reason for this is because everything is in production and to be quite honest, the world is not ready for a huge step, especially when the acceptance of hybrid vehicles as a whole is still in acceptance and surge of demand still waits. The second issue, which of course is in relation to the first, typically consists of the lack of hydrogen refuelling stations. As we all know, it is safe to say that majority of vehicles on the road are under the influence of petrol or diesel applied engines. Therefore, oil companies may be reluctant to push the idea of hydrogen fuel, when they are perfectly indulging in their most profitable sector – petrol and diesel. And why not though? It is fairly logical to stand by your current business affairs when they are keeping yourself and shareholders happy. Though to be fair, Shell and BP have been promoting this idea and working with a dealership, which I will elaborate further down. There are many factors involved in which understandably fright oil companies, such as safety, cost and of course, lack of demand. However, one company which has an extremely good reputation with hydrogen being their middle name and this is the ‘California Fuel Cell Partnership’. They are a non-profit based company, who admire the concept of ending petroleum dependence and making a positive change to society. We can question whether this direction is possible or whether consumers will ultimately accept it, but without research and attempting to better the need for zero emissions as a whole, we will never know, right? As of now, we do not know any better, we isolate ourselves with the nature of life, believing that life today, will consist of the same resources in 50-100 years’ time – or do we know the truth about commodities and turn a blind eye to limited resources and let the future generation deal with it – perhaps. The California Fuel Cell Partnership is a public-private partnership to promote hydrogen vehicles (including cars and buses) in California. It is notable as one of the first initiatives for that purpose undertaken in the United States. In January 1999, two state government agencies- California Air Resources Board and California Energy Commission joined with six private sector companies- Ballard Power Systems, DaimlerChrysler, Ford Motor Company, BP, Shell Hydrogen and ChevronTexaco- to form the California Fuel Cell Partnership. The goal was to demonstrate and promote the potential for fuel cell vehicles as a clean, safe, and practical alternative to vehicles powered by internal combustion engines. Within a very short time, other government agencies and private businesses became members. In November 2000, the West Sacramento headquarters opened. The building includes a public gallery, offices, hydrogen fuelling station and indoor service bays for vehicle maintenance. At first, the automakers had just handful of cars all stationed in Sacramento. The goal was to see if these vehicles and fuel could be technically viable. If the answer was no, then CaFCP would close its doors in 2004. Before the first phase was finished, CaFCP members knew that the technology could succeed. The number of members grew to 33 and set a new set of goals for the next phase of operation, from 2004-2007. During this period, CaFCP members worked on project to prove or disprove the commercially viability- would the vehicles, fuels and public policies meet consumer expectations? In mid-2006, the members agreed that FCVs could be a commercial success. They agreed to a third phase through the end of 2012 to lay the foundations for a commercial market, which includes developing early retail stations, policies to enable the sale of retail hydrogen and necessary steps to building a supplier base for large-scale production in the future. CaFCP completed its first phase of operation in December, 2003. The second phase will conclude in December, 2007. In mid-2006, the members agreed to enter a third phase to encourage fuel cell vehicle commercialization that will continue through 2012. The California Fuel Cell Partnership is a unique collaborative of auto manufacturers, energy companies, fuel cell technology companies and government agencies. The members collaborate on activities that advance the technology, such as first responder training, community outreach and agreeing on protocols while standards are being developed. Automotive members provide fuel cell passenger vehicles that are placed in demonstration programs, where they are tested in real-world driving conditions. Energy members work to build hydrogen stations within an infrastructure that is safe, convenient and fits into the community. Fuel cell technology members provide fuel cells for passenger vehicles and transit buses. Government members lay the groundwork for demonstration programs by facilitating steps to creating a hydrogen fuelling infrastructure. What is the difference between a fuel cell and a battery? Fuel cells and batteries are similar because they use a chemical reaction to provide electricity. A battery stores the chemical reactants, usually metal compounds like lithium, zinc or manganese. Once used up, you must recharge or throw away the battery. On the other hand, a fuel cell actually creates electricity through reactants (hydrogen and oxygen) stored externally. The fuel cell will produce electricity as long as it has a fuel supply. In short, a fuel cell vehicle is refuelled instead of recharged. Why is it taking so long? Well, this is a question everyone wants to know the answer to, I mean if there, why not release it? The problem is, technology, especially being new takes many years to come to the market. Before selling anything, it is important to create and enforce regulations and standards, to ensure that consumers get what the pay for. The California Fuel Cell Partnership is a prime example of their members working together on the barriers which front us all and by doing so, they can streamline a process from years to months. Is hydrogen a safe fuel? The term ‘fuel’ is not to be taken lightly and when dealing with any type of fuel, it is important to handle with care, just as hydrogen is done. For more than 50 years, hydrogen has been produced and used for commercial and industrial purposes with an exemplary safety record. Like all fuels, hydrogen has high energy content and must be handled with care. CaFCP’s members are building fuel cell vehicles and fuelling stations that meet or exceed safety standards. In addition, our members are defining new safety measures. Like gasoline and other fuels, hydrogen is flammable. Unlike conventional fuels, it is very buoyant. With proper ventilation, hydrogen dissipates rapidly into the air, greatly reducing the chance of fire. Hydrogen is non-toxic, so if released it does not present a health hazard to humans and its effect on the environment is benign. Petroleum Dependency and Fuel Cell Vehicle’s Vehicles in the U.S. consume twice as much oil as the country produces. The number of vehicles on the road and the number of miles they drive increases every year, but U.S. oil production capacity remains about the same. In 2008, nation (U.S) consumed about 213,810 gallons of gasoline daily- 78 million barrels of oil in just one year. (A barrel is 42 U.S gallons.) The National Research Council projects that by 2050 they will consume about 1.5 billion gallons of gasoline a year, assuming that most of the vehicles on the road are highly efficient conventional, hybrid and flex fuel vehicles. If most of the vehicles are fuel cell and battery electric vehicles, gasoline consumption decreases by almost 70% to less than 50 million gallons a year- roughly half the current domestic oil production. 3 Current Issues with Conventional Vehicles 3.1   Fuel Capacity Fuel consumption and fossil fuels as a whole are again, diminishing is one of the reasons why hybrid vehicles and other power units are an opportunity cost.   On top of this, the annual fuel cost is increasing for conventional cars, whether it is petrol or diesel. Due to the environment we live in, it is impossible to rely on the fossil fuel itself to increase Miles Per Gallon, instead the only option is to render the current technology of the vehicle. Nevertheless, there are myths out there which try to better than conventional car with the likes of driving economically or using premium petrol, but how real are these myths? Well according to Susan Winlaw, co-author of the book, Car Advice for Women (and Smart Men says, â€Å"Unless you have a job that requires regular sessions on a racetrack, there is no legitimate need to ever put premium fuel in your vehicle. Using regular gas could cost you a few horsepower when you’re driving at higher speeds, but chances are you won’t notice the difference, and it definitely won’t hurt your car. Your engine’s fuel-management system is perfectly prepared to handle lower-octane fuel† says Winlaw. (Source:http://moneywatch.bnet.com/economic-news/article/6-myths-about-gas-mileage/317188/). Well, this is down to personal experience and most importantly, trial and error, unless this is a fact, as the norm would be, most individuals would not want pay the higher price to observe savings, when fuel prices are costly in the first place. So how do we be more economical? Do we drive with our air conditioning off or do we drive the road speed limit? In my experience, I was never fond of speed cameras being put left, right and centre and the daring part of being on the lookout for those cars with the flashing lights. Though I have to say, driving according to the road speed limit actually increased my MPG from A to B, which thoroughly surprised me to say that I do favour speed cameras and speed limits. In relation to this, it has been stated in reality ‘fuel efficiency doesn’t really start to drop until you reach speeds higher than 60. And how smoothly you drive makes much more of a difference on petrol mileage than how fast.’ 3.2 Environmental Issues Another major factor of changing our system is environmental factors. Global warming is amongst one of the major factors, for example just burning a gallon of petrol when combined with oxygen; it produces almost 20 pounds of Carbon Dioxide CO2. The idea from moving to a more ‘green’ vehicle from a conventional can literally reduce the number of greenhouse gases emitted by SI units. There have also been ways for awareness, such as energy rating for vehicles. The useful part we want is movement. We measure the weight of the vehicle and determine how much energy is being delivered to accelerate or maintain movement of the vehicle against external resistance. Then we could compare this to the amount of energy being put into the system. Useful power out over power input will give you the efficiency. As a result, the higher the CO2 emissions, the higher rate of road tax you will pay on the vehicle. Below is a diagram illustrating the CO2 emissions chart: Figure 1 At the end of the day, scientists and engineers are attempting to overcome obstacles, taking cars from the laboratory to the showroom, so that the first affordable and realistic car powered by hydrogen and pollution-free is driven by a child born today for their future. The government has pledged $1.7 billion in the U.S. for hydrogen research and development over the next five years, securing funding, however the objective is to overcome the obstacles involved in making hydrogen a viable energy source. There is a high significance of environmental benefits of hydrogen, whether individuals believe it or not, as facts are facts, hydrogen can be pollution-free and infinitely renewable through wind, solar and hydropower sources. Either way, the importance is high, I mean, how long can we keep surviving on ‘non-renewable’ sources for? However, the phrase ‘nothing is free in this world’ is true, in my opinion and you can not blame critics, who argue that the fuel source does have its environmental drawbacks; as they say, nothing is perfect. According to the National Hydrogen Energy Roadmap, it said that it requires up to 90 percent of all hydrogen has been refined from non-renewable sources, oil, natural gas and other fossil fuels. Does this mean we’re back to square one or is this just a stepping stone? So we agree that the extraction of hydrogen from fossil fuels may not be environmentally friendly, though once the hydrogen is in a fuel cell car, only water vapour and heat will be expelled from the exhaust. But it is the burning of the fossil fuels, which are used obtain the hydrogen and this releases carbon dioxide, which is the primary cause of global warming. Even some scientists say that the hydrogen which has been extracted from fossil fuels creates an impact of the environment by releasing carbon dioxide in the air, which defeats the point of a clean-energy provider. On the other hand, were bridges built with a perfect structure? Or were car engines primarily built efficiently? I think not, so my point is that we need to use current fossil fuels to perform trial and error, hence the term ‘hybrid’. But most importantly, this is all for the future and the main thing is that were making progressive now, whether it requires other sources of elements which contradict itself, though we just merely use it as a stepping stone. President Bushs 2004 budget asks for more than $22 million for hydrogen research and development to be devoted to coal, nuclear power and natural gas, and $17 million for renewable sources. Cutting RD for renewable sources and replacing them with fossil and nuclear doesnt make for a sustainable approach, said Jason Mark, director of the clean vehicles program for the Union of Concerned Scientists. A recent study warns of the danger of releasing hydrogen itself into the atmosphere. Los Alamos researcher Thom Rahn led a team of scientists from California universities and the National Centre for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo. Their study of the natural cycle of atmospheric hydrogen was recently published in the British science journal Nature, and finds that substantially increased hydrogen production has the potential to damage the upper atmosphere. Escaped hydrogen could build up, depleting the ozone layer near the North and South poles and triggering an increase in global warming. The study also warns that hydrogen may further contribute to global warming by aiding other chemicals in producing increased amounts of water vapour in the upper atmosphere. It is impossible to manufacture, store and transport hydrogen without at least some fractional loss (to the atmosphere), Rahn said. Researchers from the California Institute of Technology estimate that leaked hydrogen in a hydrogen economy could cause as much as a 10 percent decrease in the stratospheric zone. If hydrogen replaces fossil fuels as the worlds main energy source, the researchers believe that each year 60 trillion to 120 trillion grams of hydrogen could be released into the atmosphere. This is four to eight times the amount that is currently released. The impact of increased hydrogen production depends on how well the earth adapts to the change. John Eiler, assistant professor of geochemistry at CalTech, said, This man-made hydrogen will either be absorbed in the soil a process that is still poorly understood but likely free of environmental consequences or will react with other compounds in the atmosphere. Determining which of these two processes dominates should be a solvable problem. Tracey Tromp, another CalTech researcher, contends that early recognition of problems will mitigate hydrogen fuels environmental flaws. If hydrogen emissions present an environmental hazard, then recognizing that hazard now can help guide investments in technologies to favour designs that minimize leakage, Tromp said. The CalTech researchers, like other scientists looking at the environmental impact of increased hydrogen production, believe that the sooner such problems are identified, the easier it will be to find solutions to make a hydrogen economy truly feasible. 4. Hybrid – Environmentally Friendly 4.1 Benefits of a hybrid compared to a conventional The hybrid vehicle typically achieves greater fuel economy and lower emissions than conventional Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles (ICEV), resulting in fewer emissions being generated. These savings are primarily achieved by three elements of a typical hybrid design: Relying on both the engine and the electric motors for peak power needs, resulting in a smaller engine sized more for average usage rather than peak power usage. A smaller engine can have less internal losses and lower weight. Having significant battery storage capacity to store and reuse recaptured energy, especially in stop-and-go traffic, which is represented by the city driving cycle. Recapturing significant amounts of energy, whilst braking that are normally wasted as heat. This regenerative braking reduces vehicle speed by converting some of its kinetic energy into electricity, depending upon the power rating of the motor/generator. Other techniques that are not necessarily hybrid features, but that are frequently found on hybrid vehicles include: shutting down the engine during traffic stops or while coasting or during other idle periods; Improving aerodynamics; (part of the reason that SUVs get such bad fuel economy is the drag on the car. A box shaped car or truck has to exert more force to move through the air causing more stress on the engine making it work harder). Improving the shape and aerodynamics of a car is a good way to help better the fuel economy and also improve handling at the same time. Using low rolling resistance tyres were often made to give a quiet, smooth ride, high grip, etc., but efficiency was a lower priority). Tyres cause mechanical drag, once again making the engine work harder, consuming more fuel. Hybrid cars may use special tyres that are more inflated than regular tyres and stiffer or by choice of carcass structure and rubber compound have lower rolling resistance while retaining acceptable grip, and so improving fuel economy whatever the power source. Powering the A/C, power steering, and other auxiliary pumps electrically as and when needed; this reduces mechanical losses when compared with driving them continuously with traditional engine belts. These features make a hybrid vehicle particularly efficient for city traffic where there are frequent stops, coasting and idling periods. In addition noise emissions are reduced, particularly at idling and low operating speeds, in comparison to conventional engine vehicles. For continuous high speed highway use these features are much less useful in reducing emissions. 4.2  Ã‚   Vehicle Emissions According to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), the recommended level for a typical passenger should equate to 5.5 metric tons of CO2. However, the three most popular hybrid vehicles have set a new standard by consistently reducing their emissions and surpassing the recommended levels. The vehicles are the Honda Civic, which produces 4.1 tons SI units, the Honda Insight at 3.5 tons SI units and last but not least, the Toyota Prius also being 3.5 tons SI units of CO2 emissions. 4.3 Buying a hybrid vehicle A hybrid car gets a much higher mileage, up to ten percent in some cases, and emits 97% less toxins into the environment than the average car. They are lighter and have a gentler impact on roads and soft terrain. With the price of gasoline soaring, a car that can run on both gas and electricity, depending on the circumstance, is a big advantage. Most people who decide to buy a hybrid car, however, cite a feel-good factor as their main reason for buying the car. It is their small way to contribute to a greener world. Despite all the benefits cited above, a hybrid car also has some downsides. For starters, they are expensive. A hybrid car tends to be more on average of  £3000, which is sometimes more expensive than a traditional car. They cost more to register, and repair costs tend to be hefty, as the entire car systems are intrinsically connected, and only expert mechanics can handle repairs. Parts may not be readily available, which could mean being without a car for a longer period as you is waiting for it to be repaired. 5.   Planning Schedule Gantt chart: Conclusion: The information gathered can be elaborated excessively, though I will quantify the relevant information where necessary. This preliminary report demonstrates how much of a positive impact hybrid vehicles have and how fuel efficiency in various sectors, such as fossil fuels and   global warming can be significantly reduced. As for hybrid vehicles themselves, it illustrates their efficiency in major development, for years to come. They have proven to be more effective than conventional vehicles and although they may be more expensive now, the long term effects are more beneficial. References: ehow.com/how-does_4969688_hybrid-vehicles-function.html#ixzz17erGrIGx http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_electric_vehicle#Predecessors_of_current_technology http://news.carjunky.com/alternative_fuel_vehicles/how-hybrid-cars-work-ab410.shtml thegreencarwebsite.co.uk/blog/index.php/environmental-impact-information-tips-and-incentives-on-becoming-a-green-car-driver/#impact http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_vehicle#Fuel_consumption_and_emissions_reductions wisegeek.com/should-i-buy-a-hybrid-car.htm