Evaluation of the Financial Statements of Ford and General Motors Research Paper

Evaluation of the Financial Statements of Ford and General Motors - Research Paper Example The company manufactures cars worldwide, which includes countries like Canada, Mexico, United States, China, UK, and many other countries. General Motors was among the top auto-makers of the world and one of the most well-known in America. The objective of the company was to be the most successful automaker in a span of 5 years and also ensure that the marketing strategies such as e-commerce technologies are utilized for the overall growth of the organization. The mission of the company was to become the most respected automakers in the world. General Motors was indeed successful in moving towards its goals. We would be presenting a comparative analysis of the financial statements of both the companies to evaluate the financial status of both General Motors and Ford. The financial analysis would include evaluation of the financial statements of Ford and General Motors, which would assist in understanding the revenue and profitability of the two companies and the operating expenses that the company has to bear. The financial data for the last 2 years has been studied for such purpose. We would be considering the financial highlights of General Motors after its restructuring. The market share of General Motors has increased by 0.4 percent in 2011 from 11.9 percent in the year 2010. Even a hike of 13 percent has been recorded in sales than the last year. General Motors had to downsize due to bankruptcy, so after restructuring the company created 17,500 jobs in America. The company also added around 3,400 dealerships more in US alone to provide better services to customers and a wonderful sales experience. In the Asian market such as China, General Motors has again gained its leadership position. The revenue in 2011 has been recorded to be $ 150 billion, which was $ 135.6 billion in 2010. Similarly, the net income was $ 4.7 billion in 2010, which has increased to $ 7.6 in 2011.  

Organizational Development application concepts to introduce change at Term Paper

Organizational Development application concepts to introduce change at Old Navy - Term Paper Example The company tends to offer its customers with denim, sunglasses, blouses, shirts, handbags and other fashion products at cheaper prices than its competitors in its physical stores and through its websites. Customers have been observed to prefer its fashionable style and the prices at which the company offers its goods and services to a large extent (WhaleShark Media, 2011). Issues Likely to be Faced by Old Navy Retailer Stores There might be losses to the retailers in the form of external threats such as theft, damage or loss of merchandise along with transaction fraud which is considered to hamper the Old Navy Retailer Stores at large. It has been noted by Aberdeen research reports that approximately 60% of the retailers experienced a write-off of nearly 1.75% of the total inventory (Aberdeen Group, â€Å"Retail Loss prevention System†). ... For instance, it might consist of part time or temporary employees’ related issues, including employees’ dissatisfaction with the working conditions resulting to high turnovers of the employees which can hinder the successful operation of the organization in its long-run. These problems in conjunction to poor performance may prove to be quite problematic for the retailers since such employees tend to be in direct contact with the customers. This may further impact on the brand image of the company influencing the aspect of customer loyalty as well (Purpura, â€Å"Security and Loss Prevention: An Introduction†). With the rising trend of use of the information technology, the maintenance cost for the companies is surmounting day by day. Maintenance cost is considered to be an important factor in the profitability of the organization (Haroun & Duffuaa, â€Å"Maintenance organization†). Rewards systems are considered to be another issue for the retail organiza tions. The main objective of the reward system is to attract potential employees and retain the productive ones, to draw out good performance and to maintain commitment to the organization (Koala Consulting and training, â€Å"Reward Systems†). Each organization must have reward systems as without such systems, companies will not be capable of having talented staffs in the organization. At times it has been noted that an incentive scheme which is capable of enhancing the sales of the organization and motivating the staffs may as well have a negative impact upon the teamwork within the organization. Therefore, this can be considered as an issue for the retail organization. With the increasing effect of globalization, more and more companies are coming up with their product offerings which are giving rise to

Can Torture Of Terrorist Suspects Be Justified?

Can Torture Of Terrorist Suspects Be Justified? In advancing into this essay, I shall discuss the history of prohibition of torture, the Utilitarian approach to torture which would include arguments and debates in favour of justification of torture by taking account of the ticking bomb hypothetical, a case study of Guantanamo Bay and the result of torturing terrorist suspects in recent times. This essay would also examine the deontology approach to torture and make recommendations on other means of getting information and truths from terrorist suspects. BACKGROUND TO PROHIBITION ON TORTURE Torture and other cruel or inhumane treatment has been internationally outlawed since the end of the Second World War and the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights stated that No one shall be subjected torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. It allows for no exceptions under any circumstances. This prohibition can also be found in Article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the American Convention on Human Rights, Article 5 (2) of the American Convention on Human Rights which are both binding on the United States. In addition, Geneva Conventions III, IV and Optional Protocol I in Articles 17, 32 and 75(2) respectively prohibits physical or mental torture and any forms of coercion against a prisoner of war, they also prohibits an occupying power from torturing any protected persons and torture of all kinds and any other outrages on personal dignity, against anyone under any situation. Also the 1984 Convention against Torture takes these general duties and conventions and codifies them into a more specific rule. It criminalizes torture and tries to prevent any exemptions for torturers by disallowing his access to every possible refuge. The convention states categorically that there will be no circumstances peace time, war time, or even war against terror where torture would be permissible. Importantly even before September 11, the International Convention Against Torture (Art 2.2) states that no exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or a threat of war, internal political instability or any other public emergency, may be invoked as a justification of torture. The word torture is clearly a subject matter in which International Law is clear about. It does not matter who the person or persons involved are whether criminals, combatants, members of the Taliban or terrorist suspects, the rule is torture is not permissible for any reason. Anyone who threatens or participates in torture would be treated as a criminal before the law. Sands (2004: 208) furthermore explained that absolute prohibition is related to a second set of rules that deals with the status of the terrorists- whether they are to be treated as combatants or criminals. If he is a member of a regular armed force then he is a combatant and must be treated as such and is entitled to protection under International Humanitarian Law. But if he is a member of an Insurgency group such as Al- Qaeda, who is thought to have planned or is planning a suicide attack, International Law regards such people as criminals. The United States, Britain and over a hundred states support this approach. The 1997 International Convention for the suppression of Terrorist Bombings followed that analysis and made it a criminal offence to attack a government structure or facility, a public place or a state with the aim of causing death or damage. State parties to the 1997 Convention have consented to subject anyone who is thought to have been involved in terrorist activities to criminal procedure, by either prosecuting them or extraditing them to another state that will eventually prosecute them. The convention explicitly guarantees fair treatment to anyone who is taken into custody under its provisions which includes rights provided both under the International Humanitarian Law and the International Human Rights Law. Unfortunately, Lawyers in the Department of Justice and in the administration of President Bush had provided detailed legal advice to the US government on International Torture Rules. According to Sands (2005:205) they suggested that interrogation practices could be defined without mentioning the constraints placed on the United States as a result of its international obligations and that so long the practice was in accordance with the US law, it would be fine. This advice categorically ignored the 1984 Convention against Torture and all other international treaties and rules in which the US was bound. It plainly ignored the prohibition against torture in all circumstances, definition of torture, the classification of detainees either to be combatants entitled to prisoner of war status or criminals. Sands (2005: 222)notes the following: Over time a great deal more information will emerge. But even at this stage it seems pretty clear that the legal minds which created Bushs doctrine of preemption in the use of force and established the procedures at the Guantanamo detention camp led directly to an environment in which the monstrous images from Abu Ghraib could be created. Disdain for global rules underpins the whole enterprise. The deontologist-utilitarian debate over torture provides a useful background and reflects common reasoning when faced with this dilemma. Our immediate focus is on the inhumanity of torture (emphasized by deontologists) and the numerically greater threat to innocent people (emphasized by utilitarianism). However, the situation is presented deceptively simply; the next section will examine its flaws. THE DEONTOLOGY APPROACH AND ARGUEMENTS AGAINST TORTURE Deontology would appear to prohibit torture in all cases. This approach invoking Kant as the traditional torchbearer of this approach, Kay (1997:1) describes Kants theory as an example of a deontological or duty-based ethics: it judges morality by exploring the nature of actions and the will of agents rather than goals achieved. Roughly, a deontological theory looks at input rather than result. Kay (1997:1) noted that this is not to say that Kant did not care about the outcomes of our actionswe all wish for good things. Rather Kant insisted that as far as the moral evaluation of our actions was concerned, consequences did not matter. Deontologism is an approach which seeks to create universal rules for the morality of human action; its ideas of common humanity and fundamental human rights were very influential in the banning of torture. (Turner, 2005: 7, 15) Kants deontological approach creates two universal rules by which moral questions can be addressed: Act as though the maxim of your action were by your will to become a universal law of nature, and Act so that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in that of another, always as an end and never as a means only. (in Turner, 2005: 14) Under the first rule, the act of torture cannot be justified as we would not accept it being universalized and potentially used against ourselves. Under the second, torture is wrong because torturing a person for information is to use them as a means only. (Turner, 2005: 15) Thus Kants logic leads to the conclusion that torture cannot be justified under any circumstances. The individual who chooses not to torture makes the correct moral decision regarding their actions despite the terrible consequences that might result. By torturing a captive, we are treating him as a means only (towards the acquisition of information) as he is definitely not being treated in a way to which he would consent. Torture fails to respect him and treat him inhumanely. Kershnar (1999; 47) believes in some cases utilitarianism would support torture and that because Kantian deontologists would, in all cases, reject it, torture has the position of being a very interesting concept for ethical inquiry. People no doubt have their commitments to utilitarianism or deontology but, given the conflict, there is at least something to talk about and some debate within which to advance opinion to maintain one conclusion or the other. Posner (2004:296) clearly states that if legal regulations are propagated authorizing torture in definite situations, officials are bound to want to explore the outer limits of the rules and practise, once it were thus regularized, it would likely become a norm, in other words, taking an extra step outside the approved situation which would result in abuse of the system. THE UTILITARIAN APPROACH AND DEBATES JUSTIFYING TORTURE The utilitarian approach to torture according to Fritz (2005: 107) argues that the right action is the one, out of those available to the agent, that makes the best use of total aggregate happiness. We might to a certain extent simply imagine a situation in which the disutility of torturing a captive (his pain, the discomfort of the torturer, expense, permanent effects to both, chance of negative events causally connected to torture, etc.) is outweighed, or even dramatically outweighed, by the utility of torture (information is provided that saves many lives and therefore acquires all of the associative utilities). This utilitarian approach is exemplified by one of the most controversial debates on torture which is the ticking time-bomb scenario. This scenario has been thoroughly discussed by Michael Levin and Alan Dershowitz (2002:150) where they have both argued that torture is obviously justified when it is the only way to prevent a serious and impending threat and must regulated by a judicial warrant requirement. The ticking bomb hypothetical tries as much as possible to depict torture as an exception in an emergency. This scenario arises where law enforcement officials have detained a person who supposedly knows the location of a bomb set to explode, but who refuses to disclose this information. Officials could apply to a judge for a torture warrant based on the absolute need to immediately obtain information which will save lives. In other words to avert a greater evil, a lesser evil needs to be done. Another school of thought under the utilitarian approach proposes retaining absolute ban on torture while executing off book torture (ex post). Gross (2004:238) argues that in exceptional situations officials must step outside the legal structure and act extra-legally and be ready to accept the legal implication of their acts, with the likelihood that extra-legal acts may be legally (if not morally) excused ex post. Elshtain(200: 77) in the same way advised that in conditions where we suppose that a suspect might have crucial information, it is usually better to act with harsh inevitability. To condemn torture is to lapse into pietistic rigour in which moral torture of terrorist suspects purity is ranked over all other goods. The primary justification for the torture warrant proposal is that it is compulsory to protect the public. On this view Saul (2004:657) notes that violating the human rights of the individual is essential to safeguard the human rights of the many. Without considering if the information extracted from a tortured terrorist suspect is relevant or not, evidence obtained under torture is inadmissible in court under Article 15 of the UN Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (1984). Article 15 reads: Each State Party shall ensure that any statement which is established to have been made as a result of torture shall not be invoked as evidence in any proceedings, except against a person accused of torture as evidence that the statement was made. Dershowitz is of the opinion that there should be an exception to torture which would justify the actions of interrogators as essential to avert greater evil to world. To him, it made no difference whether cases are real or imagined; all that matters is the theorys commitment to the moral obligation to torture in cases of imminent evil. Perhaps the general adherence to the rule torture is wrong is more likely than its negation to maximize happiness. Dershowitzs proposal was fortified by Fritz Allhoff in his article Terrorism and Torture Fritz (2005:17) concluded that: The conditions necessary to justify torture are: the use of torture aims at acquisition of information, the captive is reasonably thought to have the relevant information, the information corresponds to a significant and imminent threat, and the information could likely lead to the prevention of the threat. If all four of these conditions are satisfied, then torture would be morally permissible. Efforts to justify torture are often accompanied by rejection of any adverse physical condition effects of the selected torture methods used by interrogators. The ticking bomb scenario makes for great philosophical dialogue, but it rarely arises in real life, at least not in a way that avoids opening the door to persistent torture. In fact, interrogators hardly ever learn that a suspect in custody knows of a particular, impending terrorist bombing. Intelligence and information is rarely if ever good enough to display a particular suspects knowledge of an imminent attack. Instead, interrogators tend to use inferred evidence to show such knowledge, such as someones relationship with or apparent membership in a terrorist group. Moreover, the ticking bomb scenario is a dangerously expansive metaphor capable of embracing anyone who might have knowledge not just of imminent attacks but also of attacks at undetermined future times. After all, why are the victims of only an imminent terrorist attack deserving of protection by torture and mistreatment? Why not also use such coercion to prevent a terrorist attack tomorrow or next week or next year? And once the taboo against torture and mistreatment is broken, why stop with the alleged terrorists themselves? Why not also torture and abuse their families or associates or anyone who might provide lifesaving information? Dershowitzs arguments were faulted by Saul (2004:659) for various reasons which include the threshold of suspicion whereby it is unfeasible for law enforcement officials or judges to know with any legally acceptable height of conviction that the suspect actually possesses the intelligence and information, or whether the suspect is in anyway involved with a terrorist activity. Dershowitzs standard of probable cause is much lesser than the benchmark of evidence essential in a criminal case which requires that you can proof beyond reasonable doubt and more relaxed than the civil benchmark that is based on the balance of possibility. This means that a person may be tortured because of unproven evidence which still poses a risk that countless innocent people will be tortured. Saul (2004:659) notes that the uncomfortable probability of collateral damage is poorly dealt with by Dershowitz. Officials are faced with multiple unknown variables, including the existence of a bomb, interval of bomb explosions, the chances of neutralizing it, the identity of the terrorist suspect, the probability of the suspect being knowledgeable about the explosion, and the truthfulness intelligence gathered from the suspect. Speculation, guesswork, and supposition will unavoidably play a part in law enforcement judgments at every level due to the fact that accuracy of the information is not certain. The Geneva Convention IV (art3 (1)(a), for example, require that a person be definitely suspected of threatening State security before exceptional powers can be implemented. Saul (2004:1) believes that the border for error drastically multiplies in the pre-trial phase, where any available evidence is imperfect and unproven. The atmosphere of tragedy and emergency surrounding the incident may encourage errors, inaccuracy or dependence on weak evidence, by law enforcement agencies and courts under pressure which may eventually produce false results. Another major fault noted by Saul(2004:1) is the threshold of anticipated harm in which he seeks to question how many lives justify torture. Dershowitz limits his torture warrant proposal to the much-fantasized ticking bomb scenario. But he still acknowledges that very rare cases of actual ticking bomb scenarios have ever taken place. Benvenist(1997) try to give a concrete Israeli example, but the harm averted was the prevention of the killing of a single kidnapped Israeli soldier which is not even close to the exemplary ticking bomb case hyperbolically referred to by Dershowitz as involving the prevention of thousands civilian deaths. Apart from trying to prevent thousands of deaths, Dershowitz provides few parameters for the ticking bomb scenario. How dangerous must a bomb be before torture is justifiable? Does it only refer to weapons of mass destruction, or also conventional weapons? Is the danger supposed to be quantified by the number of lives threatened as Dershowitz appears to suggest? If so, how many thousands must be at risk before torture should proceed, and why is it thousands rather than hundreds of people, or less? What if the bomb causes major economic loss, but does not actually kill people? It is certainly very difficult to identify a ticking bomb scenario or to place limits on the utilitarian calculation necessarily involved in torturing one to save many. The Isreali Supreme Court (1999) noted that the so called necessity defence could not be justified and prohibition of Torture is absolute and there is no room for balancing. Dershowitzs argument is built largely on faith that forcing torture into the open would reduce its use. Furthermore, given the decentralized nature of modern terrorism, it might be possible for law enforcement agents to dispute or conclude that every suspected terrorist act can be likened to ticking bomb, thereby justifying widespread preventive torture. A terrorist is likely to target any location, within an unknown time interval, causing an indefinite number of casualties. There has not been any particular set of rules guarding issue of torture warrants to immediate ticking bomb scenarios. Torture warrants is open to flexible interpretation of the probable and expected harm to be done by the strike of terrorist suspects. Dershowitz also appears to emphasize that the consent of a democratic public are relevant to the justifiability of torture in a particular case and that torture should not be ruled out universally. In reality, we can say that torture has not been seen to give excellent intelligence and results. This would be discussed in the next section. RESULT OF TORTURING TERRORISTS IN RECENT TIMES The issue of the efficiency of torture is complicated to conclude, since there are minute consistent and trustworthy facts accessible on the number of terrorists that have been tortured and of this number, how many offered information or intelligence that was subsequently useful in preventing deaths and a greater evil or gratifying the reason for conducting the interrogation. As a result of this we can say that torture has done more harm than good and its outcome over time has not been tangible enough to justify it. Payes and Mazzetti (2004:A1) reported that in July 2004, an Army investigation of detainee operations in Iraq and Afghanistan exposed ninety-four cases of alleged abuse, as well as thirty-nine deaths in U.S. detention. Twenty of the deaths were suspected homicides. The military was reported to have probed into, fifty-eight deaths in Iraq, which comprising nine cases of justifiable homicide, seven homicides, and twenty-one deaths from natural or undecided causes. In one case of a detainee death, several soldiers have been charged with abuse rather than homicide due to inadequate evidence. In a different case, two soldiers were charged with intended murder. (Eric Schmitt, 2004:A7). He also reports that a Navy SEAL, whose identity has not been released, is being court-marshalled in connection with the beating of Manadel Jamadi, who was later killed, allegedly by CIA interrogators, in Abu Ghraib (and who was photo-graphed there, packed in ice). Realistically, the abuses of detainees at Abu Ghraib, Baghram, and Guantanamo pale by comparison with the death, maiming, and suffering in collateral damage during the Afghan and Iraq wars. Bombs crush limbs and burn peoples faces off; nothing even remotely as horrifying has been reported in American prisoner abuse cases. Yet as much as we may regret or in some cases decry the wartime suffering of innocents, we do not seem to regard it with the special abhorrence that we do torture (Luban 2005:5) Accounts have been given according to Wall Street Journal (2005: A16) which accuses United States interrogators to have used various interrogative techniques ranging from water boarding which was agreed to be most coercive technique ever actually authorised by U.S officials involves the submerging of victims face in water or wrapping it in a wet towel stirring up drowning feelings. Luban (2005:12) sees the principal scenery for torture to always be military triumph. In which the conqueror captures the enemy and tortures him. Torture to an illiberal state as he is noted is not only to get and an extract information and intelligence but also to humiliate the loser, to terrorize the victim to submission and to punish the suspect. Whereas Torture to a liberal state is a tool used to gather or extract information and intelligence from a suspect who has refused to disclose information. This may seem to be the same with torture used by an illiberal state to extract confession but the fundamental variation lies in the reality that confession is retrospective as it concentrates on acts of the past while intelligence gathering is futuristic as it aims to gain information to avert prospect evils. Moreover, coercive interrogation creates a less safe environment by effectively preventing criminal prosecution of the detainees. Once a confession is gotten forcefully, it becomes extremely difficult to prove, as due process requires, that a subsequent prosecution of the suspect is free of coercion. As a result, Jehl(2005) believes that the Bush administration finds itself holding some suspects who clearly have joined terrorist conspiracies and might have been criminally convicted and subjected to long prison terms, but against whom prosecution has become unfeasible. In February 2005, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) began to worry openly about the problem. What happens, it worried, when continuing to detain suspects without trial becomes politically untenable, but prosecuting them is legally impossible because of taint from coercive interrogation? Slippery slope arguments also address the wider implications of justifying torture. They are concerned with the gap between theory and practice; arguing that the theoretical limits imposed upon the use of torture would never work in practice. It is well documented that torture spreads from one class of prisoner to others, from one type of treatment to harsher types, and from one emergency situation to routine use. (Shue, 1978: 141; Saul, 2005: 3; Pfiffner, 2005: 21) The Israeli experience demonstrates these dangers. In 1987, the Landau Commission advised that coercive interrogation of Palestinian terror suspects should be legalised in extreme cases. For moderate physical pressure to be used the interrogators would have to demonstrate a necessity such as a ticking bomb situation. (BTselem, 2006) However, by 1999, the evidence that this ruling was being abused had become so overwhelming that the practice was outlawed by the Supreme Court. (Bowden, 2003) It was estimated that during this period 66% to 85% of all Palestinian suspects were ill-treated and that in many cases this amounted to torture. Supposed ticking bomb cases were pursued on weekdays but were not severe enough to warrant weekend interrogation; torture had become routine, systematic, and institutionalized (BTselem, 2006). Though returning to a complete ban, the legal repercussions for potential torturers are able to act as a deterrent. Another consequence that is little considered is the impact that becoming a torturer would have on the individual responsible. Torture is not possible without the brutalisation of the torturer; you must lose your soul if you are to save the victims. (Pfiffner, 2005: 20; Meyer, 2005) To torture requires us to overcome our socially conditioned abhorrence of violence and to accept the psychological repercussions. Shue argues that torture carries a much greater moral stigma (and therefore requires greater brutalisation) than killing in war, for example, as it constitutes an act of violence against an entirely defenceless being. (Shue, 1978: 130) The argument for legally sanctioned torture in some situations overlooks the secondary source of suffering it requires; the harmful psychological and social consequences endured by people who must train in and practice torture. To require this of someone is morally very problematic. A further adverse consequence of allowing torture in some cases is the impact it would have upon the judicial system. The US has experienced this problem in relation to its practice of extraordinary rendition. Secretly sending suspects for interrogation in countries known to use torture may occasionally provide useful information but torture evidence cannot be used in any reputable court. US government refusal to allow some of its prisoners to testify in criminal trials has led many to believe that the US is hiding the evidence of torture. As a result, the trial of Zacarias Moussaoui in relation to the 9/11 attacks was stalled for four years and, in 2004, Mounir Motassadeq, the first person to be convicted of planning the attacks, had his sentence overturned because the allowable evidence against him was too weak. (Meyer, 2005) CONCLUSION Dorfman(2004: 17) expressed his opinion by saying I can only pray that humanity will have the courage to say no, no to torture, no to torture under any circumstance, no to torture no matter who the enemy, what the accusation what sort of fear we habor, no to torture, no matter what kind of threat is posed to our safety, no to torture anytime, anywhere, no to torturing anyone- no to torture. Torturing terrorists is a cruelty in which many prefer not to be faced with in the media. Some will counter it, some will openly justify it, and others will secretly go along with it providing that it is not sadistic and serves a useful, although unheralded, early-warning function in the war on terrorism. Those arguing for the justification of torture on terrorist suspects say it has helped prevent attacks. This cannot be asserted as evidence is unreliable and subjectively sketchy In all likelihood, Dershowitzs proposals will remain only proposals and Allhoffs arguments, as convincing as they seem, will not change existing laws. If Deshowitzs proposal works, then judges would oversee the permission to torture while politicians pick judges. If politicians accept torture, judges would accept as well. Though we cannot be sure of the accurate motivation of the terrorists, one thing we know for sure is that violations of human rights and gathering of information through torture will not extinguish the threat they pose. Justifying torture is just replacing a respect for human dignity with an accommodating, excusatory retort to abuse. The ticking bomb case provides perhaps the most convincing justification for torture that we have, the erosion of the torture prohibition that could be caused by justifying and legalising the practice, and the slippery slope from exceptional to routine use of torture, would have very wide implications and could lead to the torture of many individuals across the world. There would undoubtedly be innocent victims faced with long-term suffering as a result, and these victims would include those required to carry out torture. Further, the use of torture makes it impossible to use any evidence collected in a criminal trial and the US has already begun to see key suspects being acquitted as a result. These arguments lead me to believe that torture is unjustifiable, even in extreme cases. However, because the immediate choice is so difficult and because the person making it is possesses human emotions and instincts, I would not absolutely condemn the decision to torture provided it was made in an emergency situation and with the correct intention. To make prior judgment that torture is justified in some circumstances is dangerous and wrong torture must be prosecuted as a crime wherever it occurs. However, it is also important to recognize the mitigating circumstances when it occurs.

Ancient Greece :: Ancient Greece Essays

I found chapter two particularly interesting because it deals with the ancient Greek culture and life. It is so different than the American way of living, yet there are some similarities that are strikingly close. I feel this is especially relevant in their religion. They had oracles, who were these people who delivered messages from the Gods. I think that is kind of like a priest or minister of some sort, but in the Greek world the oracles were the say all ? be all. Apollo was one of the most well known and respected Oracles. I interpreted this as him being like the pope. Everyone respects what the Pope says, and everyone in the ancient Greek world respected what Apollo said. They also had decorative doors to the religious places. Today, many doors to churches are very decorative or have symbols. The way the Greek people justified the world was through their gods and goddesses. They had a god or goddess for everything ? love, war, trouble, sun, the world, the moon, and many other s. My favorite goddess is Pandora. You always hear about Pandora?s Box when someone is about to get into some trouble. To me, she was the rebel goddess. The ?black sheep? if you will. I feel like everyone can relate to her in some way or another. I know there are many times I feel like the odd one out. Or that I am always getting in trouble. Poetry and really good fiction started to flourish in the times of the Greeks. They were very into the whole entertainment thing. Some great pieces of literature came from their time period. For example The Odyssey, The Iliad, and the Trojan War. Homer is the most well known author from the era.

3 Levels of Society Essay

Society consists of three levels: the upper, middle, and lower class. This was established by philosophers Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx. Marx stated his views, known as the Marxist Theory. The Marxist view of scientific socialism was based on the short writings and views from two social scientists. The theory conceived by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels provided theoretical basis for the struggle of the working class to gain a higher class in society. â€Å"They viewed crime as function of social demoralization, caused by the Capitalist society. While Karl Marx himself did not write much on the topic of crime, his views on the relationship between the concept of social conflict, this concept was first applied to criminology by three distinguished scholars: Willem Bonger, Ralf Dahrendorf, and George Vold.† (Pg. 269 Seigel Larry J.). Willem Bonger had the belief that society was divided into two groups, the â€Å"have’s† or â€Å"the ruling class† and the â€Å"have not’s† or â€Å"the inferior class†. The law is supposed to protect all classes of society, but in reality the law serves the will of the ruling class. Unless a situation is in a potentially harmful way of the ruling class, no actions are taken. But when actions such as crime affect the people of power and something has to be done, the legal system discriminates against the poor because of the capitalist society. Being the lower class, people are deprived of materials and are still monopolized by the upper class, they now are more likely to commit crime. Ralf Dahrendorf argued that society of today was organized into imperatively coordinated associations. There are two associations who make up society, the people who have authority and us it for social domination and then there’s those who lack authority and are dominated. He says that society needs to step away from the ruling of classes and adhere to the idea of authority. Ralf states that society is made up of competing interest groups and formed his own theory on human behavior called the â€Å"conflict theory†. This theory is based off of a few ideas, such as, social change is everywhere, social conflict is everywhere, and every element in society iis a contribution to its own change. George Vold argued that the laws are made to help politically orienteered groups, who seek aid by the government. They need help protecting their rights and interests so they need someone with forceful power to help. He feels that a law can be created be enough people who share the same view and interests. In the end every case and criminal situation involves conflict of some sort. Crime is viewed as a social demoralization, as stated earlier. All three of these distinguished scholars had their own theories, overlapping in belief or not, on how society and crime worked. Willem Bonger believed society was divided into two groups, the â€Å"haves† and the â€Å"Have nots†. Ralf Dahrendorf argued that society was organized into imperatively coordinated associations. And George Vold said that the laws were/are made to help politically orienteered groups, who seek aid by the government.

Ability of Humans to Think Essay

As people rely more and more on technology to solve problems, the ability of humans to think for themselves will surely deteriorate. As people rely more and more on technology to solve problems, the ability of humans to think for themselves will surely deteriorate. Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should consider ways in which the statement might or might not hold true and explain how these considerations shape your position. In the era of advanced technology, technology has undoubtedly changed the way people live. With the use of calculators, people gradually get rid of mental arithmetic. Due to this fact, some people argue that the ability of humans to think for themselves will undoubtedly decline. This is because when relying excessively on instruments, people may hardly figure out the right number without calculators if the calculation becomes somewhat complicated. Admittedly, it is true that human’s ability of calculation might diminish to some extent. However, technology decidedly facilitates humans to think deeply for themselves through freeing them from trivial things. This is an indisputable fact that with versatile and state-of-the-art computers, especially mainframe, scientists no longer take pains to deal with complex and numerous formulas. Therefore, these talented scientists can spend their time and energy in doing more meaningful things by avoiding being bogged down with trivial computations. For instance, engineers who major in aerodynamics, can use the latest computers to simulate how the attitude of airplane will change with respect to different levels of wind. Thus, due to the assistance of modern instruments, these engineers can focus more on how to design planes to fly more safely and efficiently. See more: Strategic Management Process Essay In contrast to the statement, we can see that people begin involving themselves in some more complex problems that did not occur in the past, which motivates humans to think assiduously for themselves. By utilizing technology, for example, people build large dams to store the water as well as preventing devastating floods. However, this approach also has led to consequences people never thought of. The Three Gorges Dam in China is an excellent instance of this point. After construction of this huge and marvelous dam, some unpremeditated problems emerged, such as undue fluctuations in temperature in local areas and sediments and silt deposited excessively under on the bottom of the Yellow River. As a result, this phenomenon forced experts in China to contemplate whether altering the local topography might negatively influence climate and to what extent. Therefore, humans’ ability to think for themselves has improved rather than deteriorated In addition, technology also inevitably leads humanity to think of moral questions that did not appear in the past. One of the most profound and contentious moral questions is cloning. While cloning will definitely help sick people with deteriorating organs by cloning new ones, this technology is also likely to raise a debate of whether cloning is illicit or not. Will cloning finally crumple up our established morality, or must scientists stop doing research on cloning even if the advantages of cloning far exceed the disadvantages arising from this advanced technology? By answering these controversial questions, we, human race, are unquestionably engaged in thinking for ourselves. All the evidence put forward supports an unshakable conclusion that although some human abilities, such as computation, are slightly worse because of reliance on calculators, the ability of thinking is expected to improve rather than deteriorate. On one hand, people, especially sophisticated scientists, will have more time to focus on significant as well as knotty problems. On the other hand, new questions that pop up appear as a result of technology involve humans in more profound contemplation.

Seven Weeks War through the Lens of Clausewitzs Paradoxical Trinity Concept

Seven Weeks War through the Lens of Clausewitzs Paradoxical Trinity Concept Introduction Attention step: Despite the decisive victory at the Battle of Kà ¶niggrtz, Prussia offered Austria generous peace terms. Austria did not lose any territories, except Venice. The Seven weeks’ War must be one of the most famous conflicts in the world history; while it cannot be judged on par with the WWI or WWII, it still left an important mark in the development of the world’s greatest states and helped define the world’s further leaders, as well as line up the forces. However, when reconsidering the details of the Seven Weeks’ War, one will possibly notice several peculiar issues about it. One of the most interesting facts is that, in spite of their victory, Prussia and Italy did not claim any of Austrian lands except Venice. Analyzing the Seven Weeks’ War from the perspective of Clausewitz’s paradoxical trinity concept, one can possibly reveal a couple of peculiar issues concerning the Seven Weeks’ War outcomes.Advertisi ng We will write a custom essay sample on Seven Weeks’ War through the Lens of Clausewitz’s Paradoxical Trinity Concept specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Thesis During Seven Weeks’ War between Austria and Prussia, Moltke believed that tactical military victory was conflicting with Bismarcks strategy and policy objectives. Bismarck considered Austria as a potential ally and there were no need to waste combat power when the object was to neutralize the force of Austria, which followed the principles of Clausewitz’s paradoxical trinity exactly, since it demanded reason in considering Austria as an ally, using the chance to reinforce the power of the state and passion for the well-being of the state. As Parkinson explained, â€Å"The conflict arose from Austria’s determination to block Prussia’s governing power in Central Europe.†1 Bismarck believed that Austria with its powerful army would be a good ally in the further conflicts. Considering Moltke’s point of view, one must mention that the latter opposed to Bismarck’s decision. Prussia had to make the influence of Austria less significant for the sake of unification of Germany under Prussia Apart from being an obstacle on Prussia’s way to entering Europe, Austria also hindered the unification process that was going on in Prussia under the guidance of Bismarck. Incorporating the elements of the paradoxical trinity, Bismarck paid a special attention to the moods within Prussia. Noting that the Achilles’ heel of Prussia was the dispersedness of its lands, Bismarck conducted the policy of unification. However, Austria was standing in the way a completing the process: â€Å"The task of unification was not yet complete, however. Venetia in the north was still held by Austria†2. Hence, Austria had to be subdued to Prussia. Bismarck planned and prepared the war with Austria for 3 years; ho wever, destroying Austria was not his intent. Prussia had amicable diplomatic relation with Russia by supporting Russia on Polish-Russia War in 1863 Unlike one might have expected, the war with Austria has actually been an elaborate plan and a well thought-out political decision. Thus, one of the key postulates of Clausewitz’s paradoxical trinity, probability, was used in the design of the political actions for Prussia.3 Bismarck met with Napoleon III to ensure that France would not get involved in any future actions between Prussia and Austria. Thus, Bismarck could make sure that Austria would not get help from allies and stand in the way of Prussia unification. Though there were considerable debates in the Prussian government concerning the efficiency of Bismarck’s actions, the results were incredible. Capturing Austria and even its king, Prussia once again proved the genius of Bismarck. Crashing down the Second French Empire, Bismarck also made sure that France woul d never stand between Prussian and Austria.4Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Politically and diplomatically prepared Prussian military defeated Austria decisively in the Seven Weeks’ War Despite the fact that Austria had a prevalence of military forces, with the help of Clausewitz’s ideas, Prussia managed to take over. Prussia did not pursue the Austrians. Austria rapidly agreed to peace terms and did not lose any territories, except Venice Seeing that Prussia was doubtlessly stronger than Austria, the latter subdued to the conditions offered by Prussia. The major result of the war was a shift in power away from Austria and towards Prussia for the German unification initiatives Demoralizing Austria, Prussia managed to take the lead and continue the consolidation of the German lands. Main strategy Bismarck used in Seven Weeks’ War was â€Å"policy† o f Clausewitz’s paradoxical trinity With three key ideas, i.e., using the right policy, calculating the probability and putting all his passion into the plan, Bismarck managed to defeat Austria. Bismarck had clear policy goals that extended the influence of Prussia of the unified German Empire by expelling Austria with competing initiative of German reunification with Prussian As it has been mentioned, Bismarck’s goals were to not only make Austria the future ally of Prussia, but also consolidate German lands. It was quite possible for Prussia to occupy Austria by military power. However, their goal was not to make a permanent enemy but rather a potential ally. According to the existing evidence, Prussia had enough power not only to defeat Austria, but also to destroy the state’s military forces, economic system and political structure. However, Prussia preferred to leave Austria relatively unharmed, which meant that the Prussian leaders were going to build the r elationships with the defeated state on another principle than â€Å"veni, vidi, vici.† Analyzing the choices that were made by the Prussian government, one must mention that the strategy of imposing rather light reparations on Austria was chosen by a very narrow margin. While the state conducted the policy approved of by the Prussian Minister President, Otto von Bismarck, there was another point of view on the situation. Some people believed that Prussia should have taken its toll on Austria:Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Seven Weeks’ War through the Lens of Clausewitz’s Paradoxical Trinity Concept specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This policy of restraint was achieved by some effort on Bismarck’s part, against the desires of the king and some of his advisers. Bismarck realized, as the king did not, that the work of German unifications was not yet completed, and a humiliated and bitter Austria would be a potential ally for the new obstacle that now stood in Prussia’s way, France.5 Since Prussia lacked its own resources and military forces to fight France in the future, Bismarck wisely decided to use the help of the Austrian government. In the given decision, the elements of Clausewitz’s theory can also be traced. For example, it is obvious that Bismarck had to come up with a sophisticated policy towards the opponent, at the same time calculating the probability of having the need to resort to Austria’s services. Finally, one needs great passion towards the state and its political success to make the king himself change his mind concerning the relationships with Austria. Conclusion In the light of the above-mentioned acts, it must be admitted that the conflict between Austria and Prussia was solved rather wisely. Analyzing the results of the war, as well as the actions that were undertaken in the course of the war, one can trace the element of Clausewitz’s theory in the decisions that were made by Bismarck. Incorporating the appropriate policy, accurate calculations of probability, as well as the passion about the conflict, Bismarck managed to defeat the opponent. Reference List Brams, Steven J. Theory of moves. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press, 1993. Duiker, W. J. and J. J. Spiegelvogel. World history: since 1500. Stamford, CN: Cengage Learning, 2012. Hartmann, U. Carl Von Clausewitz and the Making of Modern Strategy. Stoughton, WI: Books on Demand, 2002. Parsinson, Roger. Encyclopedia of modern war. New York, NY: Taylor Francis, 1979.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Spiegelvogel, J. J. Western Civilization: Since 1789. Stamford, CN: Cengage Learning, 2011. Footnotes 1. Roger Parsinson, Encyclopedia of modern war (New York, NY: Taylor Francis, 1979), 48. 2. William J. Duiker and Jackson J. Spiegelvogel, World History: Since 1500 (Stamford, CN: Cengage Learning, 2012), 564. 3. Uve Hartmann, Carl Von Clausewitz and the Making of Modern Strategy (Stoughton, WI: Books on Demand, 2002), 36. 4. Jackson J. Spiegelvogel, Western Civilization: Since 1789 (Stamford, CN: Cengage Learning, 2011), 681. 5. Steven J. Brams, Theory of moves (Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press, 1993), 81.

Free Essays on Christianity V. Paganism In Beowulf

Beginning with a richly adorned burial at sea and ending with an equally elaborate funeral pyre, with plenty of killing and gore in between, Beowulf is an epic poem about the warlike ways of the Northmen and the monsters they encounter. Yet despite its obviously pagan roots, Beowulf has a Christian overtone that is impossible to ignore. Just as the poem’s contemporary readers were thrown into a neurotic state by analyzing the pull of a pagan past against the new teachings of Christianity, the poet himself was put to task to successfully blend these religious ideologies in a complex yet effective plot that appealed to his audience precisely because they were attempting to reconcile their own beliefs. When Christian missionaries introduced their beliefs to the Anglo-Saxons, it was clear that the two could not coexist; therefore, they must abandon these ancient icons to hold a more monotheistic view. In Beowulf exists the quiet battle between the two, and several examples fr om the text support either side. The dramatic warrior culture, the religious ceremonies practiced, and the superhero image of Beowulf himself all point to a classic pagan society. In fact, the poem is often compared to the original heroic epics, Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, tales of honor, adventure and bloodshed. Logically, Achilles and Odysseus, the noble heroes in the Homeric epics, would then share much the same qualities as beast-slaying Beowulf, and for the most part they do. The two earlier heroes even seem to be momentarily reincarnated in him when he declares, â€Å"Let whoever can win glory before death.† There is all emphasis on winning glory in this life with no thought of what happens after death. However, Christian qualities, some blatant and some subtle, can be highly attributed to both the storyline and the characters as well. The ultimate comparison is that of Beowulf to Jesus. If this statement needs support to prove the overwhelming infl... Free Essays on Christianity V. Paganism In Beowulf Free Essays on Christianity V. Paganism In Beowulf Beginning with a richly adorned burial at sea and ending with an equally elaborate funeral pyre, with plenty of killing and gore in between, Beowulf is an epic poem about the warlike ways of the Northmen and the monsters they encounter. Yet despite its obviously pagan roots, Beowulf has a Christian overtone that is impossible to ignore. Just as the poem’s contemporary readers were thrown into a neurotic state by analyzing the pull of a pagan past against the new teachings of Christianity, the poet himself was put to task to successfully blend these religious ideologies in a complex yet effective plot that appealed to his audience precisely because they were attempting to reconcile their own beliefs. When Christian missionaries introduced their beliefs to the Anglo-Saxons, it was clear that the two could not coexist; therefore, they must abandon these ancient icons to hold a more monotheistic view. In Beowulf exists the quiet battle between the two, and several examples fr om the text support either side. The dramatic warrior culture, the religious ceremonies practiced, and the superhero image of Beowulf himself all point to a classic pagan society. In fact, the poem is often compared to the original heroic epics, Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, tales of honor, adventure and bloodshed. Logically, Achilles and Odysseus, the noble heroes in the Homeric epics, would then share much the same qualities as beast-slaying Beowulf, and for the most part they do. The two earlier heroes even seem to be momentarily reincarnated in him when he declares, â€Å"Let whoever can win glory before death.† There is all emphasis on winning glory in this life with no thought of what happens after death. However, Christian qualities, some blatant and some subtle, can be highly attributed to both the storyline and the characters as well. The ultimate comparison is that of Beowulf to Jesus. If this statement needs support to prove the overwhelming infl...

Alternative-Fuel Vehicles Essay Example for Free

Alternative-Fuel Vehicles Essay Atmospheric pollution is a major problem nowadays. So it is important that we should immediately find alternative fuel sources for petroleum and reduce the emission of harmful gases in the atmosphere. This has been the dream of many scientists because this will significantly reduce the emission of carbon dioxide, a green house gas, to the atmosphere. Most of these fuels can be manufactured domestically so I cut the costs of importing from other countries. Some are even derived from renewable sources. Electric cars are now being manufactured globally. Unknown to many, electricity-powered cars came into the automotive scene before its diesel and petroleum counterpart. But due to the limitations of the technology in the past, its development was stopped and diesel cars became the standard car. Most of the problems electric cars faced points to the battery. Batteries were heavy and required recharging. But there are new developments in this technology. A battery now has longer life and comes in much lighter forms. The main drawback of this car is the distance it can travel before the batteries run out. If there are enough recharging stops, like gas stations, the electric car will prove itself as a fuel-efficient and environment-friendly car. Natural gas cars are also gaining popularity. The promise of being able to fuel the car at one’s own home is hard to deny. Honda calls it a personalized solution to the fact that gasoline stations don’t sell natural gas. The Honda model Civic GX is coined as the cleanest internal combustion engine-powered vehicle ever tested by Environmental Protection Agency. However, natural gas is not renewable. A potential advantage of Hydrogen cars is that it can be used over and over again by the process of electrolysis. Although the supply hydrogen is not limited as fossil-fuels, production of such cars doesn’t come at a cheap price. Hydrogen has many advantages if used to fuel cars, but currently it is very expensive. Some car companies offer to convert diesel cars into hydrogen cars, but most of the time the price of conversion is much more expensive than the original price of the car. Also, hydrogen in normal temperature is gas and to be used as fuel it should be squeezed in high pressures so it is somewhat difficult to contain. Fuel cell cars are definitely a technology to watch for. It has the potential to minimize the use of energy while reducing harmful emissions at the same time. What sets it above the others is that it can make its own energy through certain chemical processes. Also, fuel cell cars don’t emit pollutants. But the price is almost the same for hydrogen cars, if not higher. The developments in fuel cells is rather young, it is not yet tested as compared to other alternative fuels, so it would be a risk if we utilize this technology right away. Among these alternative sources of energy, I choose natural gas. The other alternatives may score a higher grade in terms of energy advantage and minimal emission, but they are too expensive. The economy will suffer as we save the environment using Hydrogen, Electric, and Fuel Cell cars. Natural gas is widely distributed around the world. New natural gas reserves are discovered as time pass, it is just waiting for us to harness fuel from it. Most countries will be able to tap their own resources and strengthen one’s economy. The production of cars and fuel supply for natural gas cars is also very feasible compared to the other alternatives. Atmospheric pollution is increasing during each day. And since natural gas is the cheapest, we can immediately put it to use. This is the realistic approach concern the threat of global warming. We put into use something that works and will be a benefit for both the economy and environment. And after we became successful in harnessing natural gas, and the economic condition permits it, it is the time to upgrade to hydrogen or fuel cells and completely eliminate harmful emissions from vehicles. Alternative-Fuel Vehicles. (2017, Feb 19).

What is visual arts Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

What is visual arts - Assignment Example The paper "What is visual arts" analyzes the phenomenon of visual arts. Pearls, money, gold – embody the wealth and vanity, everyday pleasures of life. Scales in the woman’s hand is a semantic and geometrical approach to composition. Such scales could be found in every house of Nederland. Every province had its currency and weight measures. In order to determine the value of coin, the sellers bit it to economize. Scales were very often associated with conscience like flaring heart. â€Å"A shimmering blue cloth, open boxes, two strands of pearls, and a gold chain lie on the sturdy table. Soft light comes in through the window and illuminates the scene. The woman is so pensive that the viewer almost hesitates to intrude on her quiet moment of contemplation†. There is a big picture of the Last Judgment, the one picture is in another picture that is tool often used by Vermeer. The scales are empty, the gold is just patches of light. A woman weighs neither pearls nor gold or her own deeds waiting for the Last Judgment. She is establishing the balance between the pleasures of life and the rules set by the Church. â€Å"Vermeer emphasized this message through his superbly refined composition and lighting. The hand holding the balance, for example, occupies a position directly in front of the frame’s dark corner, while the scales are set off against the bare plaster wall—an effect that Vermeer created through subtle spatial manipulation†. Black Lines by Vasiliy Kandinsky is another perfect example of visual art.

Choose one of the eight schools of criticism. Choose a poem from part Essay

Choose one of the eight schools of criticism. Choose a poem from part two of your english 1302 textbook. Craft an argument through the lens of your chosen schools criteria or focus on that poem - Essay Example This serves as a challenge for the reader to try and relate the author’s events with that of a historical event. It is here that he reader is curious as to which race in history is known for martyrdoms? If the first of the reader’s guesses is the Jews, then this answer is conveyed in the latter parts of the poem. One cannot help but sympathise with the state of hopelessness of the author in the second stanza. This is evidenced in the lines: ‘nothing serves me to assuage the agony of our age.’ 1The second part of the poem which is at the beginning of the third stanza is also an emphasis on the hopelessness of the author that her life will not become better with time. We get to know of her obsession with redemption from the life she is living at that time. Short terse and compact lines compel he reader to sympathise with the author’s situation. The reader can feel the sorrow and agony of someone in despair from the use of such short and emotional lines. The reader also is constantly in question as to who is the cause of such misery to the author but a good historical background may serve well to inform the reader that he setting of the poem was in Nazi Germany, where the Germans oppressed the people of Jewish origin. From the line, ‘The Jew of ghetto crawls,’ the reader is given a distinct imagination ox the deplorable living condition of the Jews as they were living in the Holocaust. 2The reader sympathises with the author for the horrors that she experiences of her teenage years after reading the following stanza: â€Å"Like every living Jew I have in imagination seen the gas-chamber the mass-grave the unknown body which was mine and found in every German face behind the mask the mark of Cain I will not make their thoughts my own by hating people for their race.†2 Gershon says that ‘Here and there a Jew lifts an individual face, a man for the sake of his gifts

The Greenest Preservred Historical Places in New Orleans Essay

The Greenest Preservred Historical Places in New Orleans - Essay Example These attractions therefore, greatly attract a large numbers of tourists who come to visit various places all over the country. The country has good tourism and hospitality hence enjoy a lager number of tourists every season. In this country tourism is one of the largest and most vital sectors in the economy (Poesch, 49). It is proud to amongst one of the states with several historic structures and districts. In order to uphold this status, New Orleans has come up with history preservation law which allows for designation of properties with or without the owners consent. This has been made much easier as the owner have been compensated through TDR law that facilitates the transfer of unused rights in development from properties having historical rights to those in other locations with historic landmarks(Poesch, 342). Back in 2007, New Orleans established the preservation salvage store with the sole aim of preserving the identity and architecture of the state. The store is used as a p lace to keep donated material from demolished structures. These materials are then resold to other people at low and affordable prices. Through this initiative, numerous architectural features have been reused into the famous housing store in New Orleans therefore ensuring the preservation of the rich multicultural inheritance. New Orleans is known world over of its outstanding, unique architectural designs ranging from cottages made of Creole to huge mansions on the St. Charles Avenue. Several architectural styles ranging from baroque cabildo to the considered modernist skyscrapers found in the central business district (Poesch, 276). The stores have other importance in New Orleans in that it plays a greater role in â€Å"greening† of New Orleans. For instance those materials salvaged from sand fills are environmentally safe and therefore advisable for use in rebuilding and renovation of homes. Instead of constructing new structures, the store provides an option of reinvesti ng in the cities’ present housing stock (Poesch, 92). Many might be wondering why New Orleans has been so much into advocating for building new â€Å"green† structures instead of utilizing those that are already built. It has been proven that reusing an old water bottle is a great idea instead of buying a new one. For this reason the question of why not using the old building then instead of constructing new ones? Because of this, different line of thoughts (new Orleans city council and Vieux carre commission-a conservationist group, have clashed over the idea of installation of solar panel on the roof tops in the French quarter. The council recommended that the solar panels are to be black and be placed at an angle which will blend best with the roof color. This idea was welcome by most residence who said that it was in line with objective of making French quarter an exciting, habitable community. The solar panel to be installed would in deed provide energy that can b e utilized by the residence and thereby reducing their cost of living in terms of electricity cost, this was the point being posed by the city council (Poesch, 187). According to Alter, a professor at the school of interior design, Ryerson University, best way forward to combat problems resulting from climate change is by focusing less on the â€Å"green gizmo†

Compare and contrast the Piagetian,Vygotskian and information Essay

Compare and contrast the Piagetian,Vygotskian and information Processing theories of cognition. To what extent can these theorie - Essay Example Piaget believed that the wrong answers revealed by children had significance differences between the reasoning of adults and children. Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934) was the founder of the Vygotskian framework of cognitive development. The elements of Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development include the role of social interactions, the More Knowledge Other, and the Zone of Proximal Development. The Vygotskian theory stresses that social interactions are critical in the cognitive development of children. Information-Processing frameworks are based on the perspective that mental processes undergo maturational changes during children’s development (McCartney & Phillips, 2011). Different cognitive theories of development bear diverse propositions about cognitive stages of development; however, these theories share some similarities concerning cognitive development of children during school years. The Piagetian Theory The Piagetian theory argues that children have the ability to construct and understand the world around them, and experience the difference between their existing knowledge and new information they acquire in the environment (Smith, 2008). The fundamental believe held by Piaget is that reality is a dynamic system characterized by a continuous change. This implies the conception of reality is viewed differently across the ages of development. Some stages of development are filled with imaginations of unreal world, while other stages of development consist of children having the real sense of the world. According to Piaget, the concept reality involves transformations and states. Transformation constitutes the manners of changes that a person undergoes during various stages of development (Smith, 2008). States are the conditions and appearances that characterize developmental stages as they are viewed between transformations. Piaget developed six stages of cognitive development that change as children grow (Bremner and Lewis, 2006). The stages include sensory motor (birth to 2 years), pre-operational stage (2 to 5 years), concrete operational stage (7 to 11 years) and formal operational stage (above 12 years). Children develop various cognitive activities as they undergo these stages. The Concepts of Assimilation, Accommodation, Equilibration and Conservation in Piaget’s Theory Assimilation Assimilation describes the process through which the human mind perceives and adapts to new information. Human beings take in their environment and the new information available and attempt to fit it into the pre-existing cognitive schemas. The human mind tries to make sense of the new learning by referring to be previously acquired information in order to make sense of it (Bekoff, Allen & Burghardt, 2002). The concept of assimilation declares learning a continuous process. The theory also reveals that prior information is crucial in understanding new information. This implies that children who have some concepts of knowledge fi nd it easier to acquire additional knowledge than those who do not have any knowledge. Accommodation According to Johnson, Munakata and Gilmore (2009), accommodation involves taking new information from the environment and adjusting the current schemas to fit in the new learning. Accommodation describes the ways through which human beings continue to interpret new theories, frameworks, and schemas. The mind is adaptive enough to allow proper mental adjustments to accommodate the new learning

Social Interactions (for Social Psychology) Essay

Social Interactions (for Social Psychology) - Essay Example On February 22, 2007, groups of people from Rangoon started to stage protests in the local markets. These people were only a minority, though. They started by putting up posters and shouting about the apparent abuse of the military government. The people protested on the oil price hike. They also clamored for continuous supply of electricity in the country. However, a few hours after commencement of the protests, the activists were sent to jail. However short-lived their protests were, they were able to ignite the minds of other Burmese people (Heart, 2007). The Burmese government has been run by their military forces since 1962. The country was then led by a military man named Ne-Win. The said military official enforced a Burmese version of Socialism. The government took control of major industries in the country. He argued that it was the best way to establish a economic stability for the country. The government policy worked on the concept of self-sufficiency. Soon, almost all he key positions in the local industry were occupied by military men. However, after just a few months the Burmese people found their economy falling even further. It was evident that their military men were not doing god in their new-found jobs .By 1988, Burmese people could no longer tolerate the state of their economy vis-Ã  -vis the increasing corruption brought about by monopolies and red tape in the government. The Burmese people staged protest actions in the hope of producing change in the government during those times.. They were not successful, howeve r. Shortly after the period of instability, the Burmese government which as still led by military men started to invite foreign investors to their country. After the era of being almost self-sufficient, the Burmese government decided to approach economic and political matters from the other side of the fence. However, military men still held key

The Greenest Preservred Historical Places in New Orleans Essay

The Greenest Preservred Historical Places in New Orleans - Essay Example These attractions therefore, greatly attract a large numbers of tourists who come to visit various places all over the country. The country has good tourism and hospitality hence enjoy a lager number of tourists every season. In this country tourism is one of the largest and most vital sectors in the economy (Poesch, 49). It is proud to amongst one of the states with several historic structures and districts. In order to uphold this status, New Orleans has come up with history preservation law which allows for designation of properties with or without the owners consent. This has been made much easier as the owner have been compensated through TDR law that facilitates the transfer of unused rights in development from properties having historical rights to those in other locations with historic landmarks(Poesch, 342). Back in 2007, New Orleans established the preservation salvage store with the sole aim of preserving the identity and architecture of the state. The store is used as a p lace to keep donated material from demolished structures. These materials are then resold to other people at low and affordable prices. Through this initiative, numerous architectural features have been reused into the famous housing store in New Orleans therefore ensuring the preservation of the rich multicultural inheritance. New Orleans is known world over of its outstanding, unique architectural designs ranging from cottages made of Creole to huge mansions on the St. Charles Avenue. Several architectural styles ranging from baroque cabildo to the considered modernist skyscrapers found in the central business district (Poesch, 276). The stores have other importance in New Orleans in that it plays a greater role in â€Å"greening† of New Orleans. For instance those materials salvaged from sand fills are environmentally safe and therefore advisable for use in rebuilding and renovation of homes. Instead of constructing new structures, the store provides an option of reinvesti ng in the cities’ present housing stock (Poesch, 92). Many might be wondering why New Orleans has been so much into advocating for building new â€Å"green† structures instead of utilizing those that are already built. It has been proven that reusing an old water bottle is a great idea instead of buying a new one. For this reason the question of why not using the old building then instead of constructing new ones? Because of this, different line of thoughts (new Orleans city council and Vieux carre commission-a conservationist group, have clashed over the idea of installation of solar panel on the roof tops in the French quarter. The council recommended that the solar panels are to be black and be placed at an angle which will blend best with the roof color. This idea was welcome by most residence who said that it was in line with objective of making French quarter an exciting, habitable community. The solar panel to be installed would in deed provide energy that can b e utilized by the residence and thereby reducing their cost of living in terms of electricity cost, this was the point being posed by the city council (Poesch, 187). According to Alter, a professor at the school of interior design, Ryerson University, best way forward to combat problems resulting from climate change is by focusing less on the â€Å"green gizmo†

Social Interactions (for Social Psychology) Essay

Social Interactions (for Social Psychology) - Essay Example On February 22, 2007, groups of people from Rangoon started to stage protests in the local markets. These people were only a minority, though. They started by putting up posters and shouting about the apparent abuse of the military government. The people protested on the oil price hike. They also clamored for continuous supply of electricity in the country. However, a few hours after commencement of the protests, the activists were sent to jail. However short-lived their protests were, they were able to ignite the minds of other Burmese people (Heart, 2007). The Burmese government has been run by their military forces since 1962. The country was then led by a military man named Ne-Win. The said military official enforced a Burmese version of Socialism. The government took control of major industries in the country. He argued that it was the best way to establish a economic stability for the country. The government policy worked on the concept of self-sufficiency. Soon, almost all he key positions in the local industry were occupied by military men. However, after just a few months the Burmese people found their economy falling even further. It was evident that their military men were not doing god in their new-found jobs .By 1988, Burmese people could no longer tolerate the state of their economy vis-Ã  -vis the increasing corruption brought about by monopolies and red tape in the government. The Burmese people staged protest actions in the hope of producing change in the government during those times.. They were not successful, howeve r. Shortly after the period of instability, the Burmese government which as still led by military men started to invite foreign investors to their country. After the era of being almost self-sufficient, the Burmese government decided to approach economic and political matters from the other side of the fence. However, military men still held key

Attitudes Towards Jewish Migration to Australia in the 1930s Essay Example for Free

Attitudes Towards Jewish Migration to Australia in the 1930s Essay Describe and account for attitudes towards Jewish migration to Australia in the 1930s (distinguishing between political and public attitudes). Did Australian policy towards Jewish refugees change significantly during and after war from what had prevailed in the 1930s? How would you explain the policy continuity or change? Throughout the 20th Century, the policy adopted by Australia towards Jewish migration can best be described as one of restriction and limitation. Australian political and public attitudes during the 1930s were influenced by fears of the Jewish community’s inability to assimilate into Australian culture, the threat that they may have posed on job security and standards of living as well as the potential for their arrival to stimulate extreme anti-Semitism problems within Australia. The outbreak of war and the publication of Jewish persecution in Europe did little to alter the feelings of insecurity towards Jewish communities in Australia. While there were some attempts to increase the arrival of Jewish people after World War II, the sentiment of the majority of the Australian population remained unchanged and restrictions on immigration were still enforced. This theme of underlying racial prejudice continued to shape Australian policy throughout this entire period. During the 1930s, it is evident that the Coalition Government, comprised of the United Australia Party and Australian Country Party, made attempts to restrict the immigration of Jews into the country. First and foremost, the recent Australian struggle through the Depression meant that the Government was intent on protecting the job security and living standards of the Australian populace. The migration of any foreign immigrants was therefore unpopular due to the threats it placed on the Australian worker. This policy became an excuse for limiting the number of Jewish refugees accepted into Australia and resulted in an increase of the amount of landing money required to five hundred pounds for alien immigrants. This requirement was difficult for the majority of Jewish refugees to satisfy, making their entry into Australia virtually impossible. This policy remained in place until 1936 when the amount required was reduced to two hundred pounds or fifty pounds with a guarantor. Due to the poor economic conditions that had been experienced in Australia throughout the 1930s, the Government was reluctant to increase Jewish migration when so many of the migrants were impoverished, meaning that they would place a further strain on the Australian economy. The Government was also reluctant to permit the entry of a significant number of Jewish refugees due to the belief of their inability to assimilate into Australian society compared with some other cultures. The Government believed that the Jews were a separate race due to their distinctly different religious beliefs and customs and that this would significantly inhibit their assimilation into the Australian population. Australia’s political attitude towards Jewish migration was made clear at the Evian Conference, a meeting for the discussion of Jewish refugees, in June 1938. Australia realised the importance of attending the meeting so as not to gain a bad reputation, however the outcome showed that the Government was unwilling to increase the number of Jewish immigrants into the country. At this international meeting, the Australian representative Colonel T. W. White stressed the idea that Australia did not suffer from internal racial problems and its desire to maintain these peaceful conditions meant that allowing ‘undesirable’ migrants into the country was not an option. Colonel White also made it clear that the Australian Government felt that as a young nation, the importance of maintaining a strong connection with its Anglo-Saxon roots was vital for the growth of the Australian population. At the conference, the nations present most often put forward the case that they had already done what they felt was enough in response to the refugee crisis without undermining the standards of living within their own countries. It was felt however, that due to the vast amounts of free space and low population compared to some other nations, Australia should take a greater role in accepting refugees as the economy would not be as degraded and these refugees had the potential to provide workers needed in primary and secondary industries. Despite the prevalence of this resistance to Jewish migration, it is evident that there was at least one politician who pushed for the Australian Government to accept more refugees. Stanley Bruce, a former Australian Prime Minister who moved to London and became the Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom was well known on an international platform due to his appearance at numerous world conferences and meetings as an Australian representative. He pressed for Australia to take a more humanitarian approach to the issue of refugee migration, especially after the Kristallnacht in Germany and Austria in November 1938. He appealed for the Government to increase its quota to 0,000 refugees over a three year period, thereby doubling the 15,000 quota suggested by the Australian Government. With a large increase in the number of applications being made to Australia House for entry into Australia after the Kristallnacht, this number seemed reasonable to Bruce. Instead it was decided in December of 1938 that Australia would accept 15,000 refugees over three years. In comparison with the number of refugees that had been accepted over the past five years, this was a significant increase, however not enough to satisfy the humanitarian plight of Bruce. It is also evident that this quota was never reached as the outbreak of war in 1939 saw the termination of immigration and by this time only 7-8,000 refugees had been accepted into the country. While the Government was developing its policy regarding migration during the 1930s, politicians were under a significant amount of pressure from the Australian public to limit the growth of the Jewish population in Australia. Interestingly, this sentiment was felt from groups in both non-Jewish and Jewish communities in Australia. The Australian Jewish community were opposed to the large influx of Eastern European Jews due to the difference in language spoken which they felt would make it difficult for them to assimilate easily into Australian society with the help of the already established Jewish community. Another fear was that due to the impoverished state of the Jewish refugees, the Australian Jewish community would be burdened by the arrival of the poor refugees and thus their status within society would be diminished. It was also hard to convince the majority of the Australian populace of the benefits of a large migrant intake. It is evident that many Australians felt that the Jewish population would undermine the standards of living as well as pose threats to the security of their jobs, a prominent issue after the hardship of the Depression. There was belief that the Jews were far too distinguishable from the normal ‘Australian way of life’ through the way they dressed, their general behaviour and their religious customs. This sentiment was particularly strong amongst religious groups within Australia. For example a particular Anglican group felt that the Jewish community should not be welcomed on a large scale as their beliefs would challenge the traditional Christian teachings of many Australians. It was also feared that the establishment of a larger Jewish community in Australia may lead to the development of a strong anti-Semitic . movement within Australia. The Australian community was aware of the problems this had created in other nations and was fearful that the same problem would face Australians. Therefore, the preference of the public was for the migration of smaller numbers of Jews, as it was felt they could be more easily assimilated into Australian culture this way. The public resistance to migration was further evinced by the fact that members of the public made requests to the Government to create specific application requirements and toughen selection procedures in order to restrict the numbers of migrants who were able to meet these requirements. Throughout this period Australians were unaware of the atrocities that were to follow during the war period and so their priorities lay with the protection of the economy, maintaining standards of living and ensuring peaceful relations between members of society. Despite this widespread public sentiment, there was some pressure from the media to increase Jewish migration for humanitarian reasons. The Sydney Morning Herald and the West Australian both stressed the need to make a larger contribution to the refugee problem and expressed that Australia was in fact not doing enough to assist the refugees. It is also evident that within some professions, there was encouragement of refugee migration, for example some architects in New South Wales welcomed the arrival of Jewish migrants with an architectural background as they had the potential to bring with them new ideas and thus add to the cultural identity of Australia. However, such opinions were in the minority and there is increasing evidence that the majority of Australians, along with their political counterparts, were sceptical of the Jewish arrival and wished for only particular migrants to be allowed into the country that were non-intrusive and therefore able to assimilate easily. While Jewish migrants that entered Australia during the 1930s did their best to quickly assimilate into Australian society, the outbreak of war in 1939 prevented this from occurring as once more Jewish migrants were seen as aliens who threatened the security of Australia. Throughout the first few months of the war, newspapers around Australia detailed some of the atrocities occurring in Europe against the Jewish population. However by 1940 the large publication of this murderous activity had declined significantly. While the papers still published stories about the treatment of Jews in Europe, the Australian public was largely unaware of the extent of the persecution. With the world at war, Australians were fearful of people who had previous ties with Germany and the Nazis and therefore refugees were termed ‘enemy aliens’. In Britain this led to harsh internment policies of these potential spies, however in Australia the internment policy was more relaxed. It is evident however that even if the refugees were not interned during the war period they were often treated with hostility by other Australians. Jewish communities in Australia also had to deal with frequent police checks and restraints on their freedoms, such as the ability to own a radio. There is evidence to suggest that post-war attitudes to Jewish persons in Australia in many respects mirrored those of the pre-war years. After the direct attack on the Australian mainland during the second half of World War II, Australian Government policy was directed towards increasing the population so as not to leave the vast unoccupied lands in Northern Australia unprotected. For the first time, Australia began to look further than Britain for prospective migrants, although it is apparent that regardless of this, Jewish migration was still looked upon unfavourably. After World War II, both of the major political parties shared a similar view in relation to Jewish migration; that the emphasis should be placed on the arrival of British migrations in preference to any others. The newly appointed Minister for Immigration, Arthur Calwell’s policy in the early post-war years implied a restriction on Jewish migration. While he had introduced a family reunion scheme in which 2,000 survivors of the Holocaust could be united with family in Australia, this only lasted for a period of twelve months, after which time limitations on Jewish migration were increased. One such example was the limitation of the number of Jewish migrants per ship arriving in Australia to 25% of the total number of people travelling on the ship. The Liberal party policy under the Opposition leader Robert Menzies followed along the same lines as the pre-war policy in that Jewish migration should be kept at a minimum due to the potential for extreme anti-Semitism to develop in Australia and the impact that the migrants may have on Australian standards of living. Under the direction of Calwell, migrants were accepted through the Displaced Persons Scheme. Under this scheme there were 34,890 arrivals into Australia in 1946, of which only 187 were Jews. Of these 187 Jewish arrivals, only 156 were permanent migrants. This is an incredibly low number given the large number of Jewish people that would have been seeking respite after the end of the Holocaust in Europe. A statement regarding the migrant intake in 1946 by Calwell expressed his feelings that the Australian Government had done all that it could at the present time to assist with the post-war refugee problem. He also expressed that the Government was only able to accept refugees that already had family living in Australia with whom they could settle with due to the housing shortage being experienced at the time. The post war attitude of the Australian public towards Jewish migration attitude was also reminiscent of the 1930s period. Australians had developed a fear of foreigners after their close encounter with the Japanese during the second half of World War II. This insecurity led them to believe that Jewish migrants would smuggle opium into the country. The Jews were also criticised for their preference to establish communities within the city as opposed to rural areas where Australians thought migrants would make a more significant contribution to the development of the nation. There were numerous newspapers and magazines which circulated negative opinions towards the post-war migration of Jewish persons to Australia. For example an excerpt from the Bulletin in August 1946 detailed the feelings of many Australians at this time that Jewish migrants should be some of the last ethnic groups considered due to the tendency for them to form ghettoes and compete with Australians for jobs. One public attitude that did change was that of the Australian Jewish community. Instead of looking towards the Jewish refugees as a threat to their social status, after the horrors of the Holocaust, many people were keen to provide as much assistance as possible to the survivors. Therefore the Australian Jewish community were supportive of the Government’s family reunion programme and the seemingly humanitarian plight of Arthur Calwell at this time. Under increasing pressure from the public and other members of Government, Arthur Calwell’s humanitarian position on Jewish migration was changed to restrict Jewish immigration. From 1947 onwards the refugee immigration program ceased to exist and so the ability to migrate to Australia was determined by the suitability of the person for employment in Australia. This change in policy made it increasingly difficult for Jewish people to migrate to Australia as Peter Witting found when he and his family applied to leave Shanghai for Australia in 1947. It is also evident that the Australian Government made false claims that acceptance decisions were made without racial prejudice when the selection committee of the International Refugee Organisation in Australia were secretly told to select only migrants of Baltic background, thereby excluding Jews once again. Overall, it can be seen that Australia’s attitudes towards Jewish migration followed a similar pattern from the 1930s through to the immediate post-war years. The underlying feelings of Australians throughout this period were of anxiety, apprehension and hostility which ultimately impacted on the attitude of Australia towards migrants. The restrictions placed on migration in the 1930s via the quota system and high landing permit costs through to the opinions displayed at the Evian Conference portrayed an image that suggested an Australian fear of Jewish people. These feelings were motivated by the fear of the rise of anti-Semitism in Australia and threats to the security of Australian jobs and standard of living that the public and government believed Jewish migration would pose. These tensions remained during the war when the Government placed restrictions on the freedoms of Jewish people, who were considered a threat to the security of Australia. During the post-war period, despite the fact that there was some effort to increase the numbers of Jewish people entering Australia through Government policy and the support of the Jewish Welfare Society in Australia, the Australian public remained sceptical of the arrivals and the effects they would have on society. The further restrictions placed on Jewish migration after 1946 indicates that minimal changes to political and public opinion were evident over time and that racial prejudice against Jewish migrants still existed after the events of World War II.

Improving Sustainability at General Electric (GE)

Improving Sustainability at General Electric (GE) INTRODUCTION The General Electric Company (GE from henceforth) is an American Multinational Conglomerate founded in 1892 by the merger of American Inventor Thomas Alva Edisons Edison General Electric Company and Thomson-Houston Electric Company .GE currently operates simultaneously in five diverse business sectors namely: Energy (e.g. oil and gas), Media (as NBC Universal in areas such as cable and film), Technology Infrastructure (e.g. Aviation and Healthcare), Home and Business Solutions(Appliances and Intelligent platforms) and Finance ( as GE Capital involved in both commercial and consumer finance). GE currently has businesses in about 160 countries and about 300,000 employees around the globe. The companys headquarters is located at 3135 Easton Turnpike, Fairfield, Connecticut, USA. As a global conglomerate GE has had a controversial history with regards to air and water pollution dating back to the late 1940s and had always been a target of criticism from public officials and environmentalists in the US. However, things took a turn for the better when on the 9th of May, 2005 GEs CEO Jeffery Immelt announced the companys new environmental initiative called Ecomagination. In Mr Immelts words, the aim of the initiative is to focus our unique energy, technology, manufacturing, and infrastructure capabilities to develop tomorrows solutions such as solar energy, hybrid locomotives, fuel cells, lower-emission aircraft engines, lighter and stronger materials, efficient lighting, and water purification technology. As can be observed, the adoption of such an initiative was very bold especially given the large size of GE and it numerous businesses around the globe; nevertheless, the initiative was implemented across the entire company and is currently in its sixth year of operation. As Ecomagination is GEs main sustainability programme, the documents retrieved from the company and used for the purpose of this workbook are in the form of Annual Sustainability Reports which are publicly available at the Ecomagination website (http://ge.ecomagination.com/report.html). The reports are currently available for the years 2005 to 2009 in PDF format and can be downloaded and viewed by the public. IMPROVING SUSTAINABILITY AT GE As mentioned in the introduction, GE has sought to quell criticism of its environmental records and improve its sustainability by implementing a company-wide sustainability initiative launched in 2005 called Ecomagination. The initiative encompasses an array of changes and commitments forming a broad strategy that is implemented with the aim of not just making GE a global leader in terms of sustainability, but also with the accompanying belief that commitment towards sustainable practices, products and services will give GE a competitive advantage and is therefore worth the effort and any initial costs. In order to achieve its goals of becoming a more sustainable company and to increase their overall sustainability performance, GE through Ecomagination has committed to taking the following concrete steps: Reduce water use and improve water reuse: As of 2006 GEs freshwater was totalling about 15.3 billion gallons and so the company announced its goal of cutting consumption by 20% by 2012. By 2009, GEs water usage was down 30% to about10.7 billion gallons which further prompted the company to set a modified goal of aiming for a 25% reduction by 2015. One way GE was able to reduce its freshwater consumption was by conducting Kaizen blitz water reduction events at three of the largest consumption sites;according to GE reports, the Kaizan approach employs multi-functional teams tasked with spending a concentrated week studying water usage at a given facility with the ultimate aim of developing water reduction projects. Double investments in clean Research and Development: At the launch of Ecomagination, GE committed to increase its RD spending on clean technologies from about $700 million in 2004 to $1.5 billion by 2010; by the end of 2009 a total of about $5 billion had been spent on RD for clean technologies which according to GE reports generated about $70 billion in revenue thanks to the new technologies and products from the Ecomagination initiative. In light of this, in 2010 GE announced a commitment to invest an additional $10 billion in Ecomagination by 2015. Reduce Greenhouse Emissions and improve Energy efficiency of its current operations: At the launch of Ecomagination, setting 2004 as a baseline GE made a commitment to cut 1% of its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2012 and reduce the intensity of its GHG emissions 30% by 2008. As of 2011, GE has been successful in cutting GHG emission by 22% and also reduced the intensity of its GHG emissions by 39%. According to GE reports, overall energy intensity has improved by 34% and the company hopes to improve by up to 50% for all its operations by 2015. Increase revenues from Ecomagination products: In 2009, revenues from Ecomagination grew by 6% to about $18 billion despite the financial crisis. GE projects Ecomagination revenues to continue to grow at double the rate of total GE revenues in the next five years and eventually account for a larger proportion of total sales. Communicate with the public: GE has resorted to keeping communication channels open and also engaging more with the public regarding Ecomagination efforts. For example, as part of its $200 million innovation experiment, the company announced the Ecomagination Challenge running from January to March which encourages entrepreneurs, students etc. to present ideas for future clean energy technologies with the top 5 entries to be awarded $100,000 each. GEs STAGE OF CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY Employing the concept of the Six phases of corporate sustainability as mentioned by Dexter Dunphy and Jodie Benveniste in their book entitled Sustainability: The Corporate Challenge of the 21st Century, one would place GE in the strategic sustainability. Specifically, GE is a HS5 in terms of Human Sustainability and simultaneously an ES5 in terms of Ecological sustainability. The justification for place GE in the HS5 category of the strategic sustainability phase has to do with the fact that as a company GE has a well-documented history of human development and training programmes that is part of the GE culture. At the centre of this is John F Welch (Jack) Leadership Development Centre established in 1956 and named after Jack Welch the famous ex-CEO of GE who believed in the principle that a company was only as good as it people. Currently GE invests about $1 billion annually on training and education programmes for GE employees. Now, it could be argued that given GEs long standing commitment to Human sustainability, one should place them as a HS6 (Ideological Commitment Phase); this argument is debateable and for the purpose of this workbook, GE is placed as a HS5 because even though it scores high on development and training, its policies are very strict and its culture very competitive which has led to the consistent termination of the underperforming 20% of its workforce. As a result one could argue that although GE invests much in its people, its culture does not put too much effort in aiding underperformers and simply cuts them off. On the other hand, in terms of Ecological sustainability GE is labelled as an ES5 thanks in large part to the launch of its Ecomgination initiative in 2005. Given the fact that GE is over a century old, its decision to make sustainability in 2005 was bold and historic one and going into the future, one can expect the initiative to be implement across all its business around the globe due in large part to its very strong culture. Put in perspective, as a company GE has progressed through a long phase of active antagonism in its early years, through the indifference phase for most of the 80s and 90s before finally making a strong commitment in 2005 with the announcement of Ecomagination. Recently GE has been very active in the area of sustainability from cutting emissions and water usage to investing in clean technologies and seeking ideas from the public, the company has been ranked on various indices as one of the top five sustainability leaders over the past five years. Also the arg ument could be made that GE should be labelled as an ES6, while true, the fact is that given the large size of a company like GE and its numerous businesses in diverse sectors across the globe its sustainability polices will need time to be fully implemented and assessed. GEs COVERAGE OF ENVIRONMENTAL DIMENSIONS CLIMATE CHANGE: Taking into account the large size and global reach of GE as a company, climate change can be highlighted as a key issue that poses a challenge for GE moving forward. In light of this fact, as part of the Ecomagination initiative GE has been able to successfully cut its GHG emissions by 22% and also reduced its GHG intensity by 39%, using 2004 as a baseline. Figure 1 below shows the distribution of operational GHG emissions by GE in 2009 according to type : Source: GE GHG Inventory As observed 85% of their emissions are made up of CO2 while 13% are consist of HFCs which are usually emitted during foam-blowing operations at its refrigerator manufacturing plants, in total they accounted for approximately 98% of GEs emissions in that year. In order to tackle the problem GE has established a GHG inventory modelled after the World Resources Institute/World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WRI/WBCSD) protocol. Going by this inventory GE employs the control approach which accounts for GHG emissions over which the Company has control; the protocol is subdivided into three scope categories namely: Scope 1 which accounts for direct GHG emissions from sources under the control of the reporting company, Scope 2 which accounts for indirect emissions imported or purchased electricity, water or steam and finally Scope 3 which accounts for indirect emissions which result from a reporting companys activities but occur from sources belonging to another entity. WATER: As was highlighted earlier on, from 2006 to 2009 GE successfully cut its freshwater consumption by 30% and is on pace for an additional 25% reduction by 2015. . This was achievable through the installation of GE sensing ultrasonic flow meters which was installed at the largest water consumption site. The sensors provided a more accurate measure of the total flow from 2006 and led to the discovery of an overestimation of about 2.2 billion gallons from the figures previously calculated. In addition, more concrete steps were taken to address water usage such as the replacement of single-speed pumps with new variable frequency drive pumps, improved valve operation and as well as the previously mentioned the running of Kaizen blitz water reduction events to name a few. In addition, GE currently has a project underway aimed at reducing its global water usage by about 5%, the project is running at one of its US plants and employs the use of GE water process technology equipment in t he form of nanofilteration and ultrafilteration technologies to recycle and reuse water. In addition, GE has also established a water inventory protocol based on the previously mentioned WRI/WBCSD GHG protocol. As a feature of this, GE employs a control approach and accounts for freshwater use at so called criteria sites. The criteria sites are simply any GE sites that use a total of 15 million gallons or more annually from a 2006 baseline and subsequently. Quality assurance is another measure by GE that has been implemented with the aim of increasing the accuracy of the water use inventory and eliminating and accounting for errors. WASTE MANAGEMENT: In regards to waste management GE gathers data for all of its operations that generate more than 100 metric tons of hazardous waste and/or more than 500 metric tons of non-hazardous industrial waste. Currently there are three broad schemes put in place to specifically address waste management. The first is the Waste Site Qualification Programme (WSQP) which ensures that waste generated by GE is taken through recycling, treatment and disposal facilities that meet GE rigorous environmental and safety standards. The standards require waste management sites to improve their facilities beyond set local standards in order to gain GE approval because GE sites can only use GE approved facilities regardless of the amount of waste they generate. As of 2009 the WSQP programme has been expanded to about 500 GE manufacturing locations globally. Next in GEs waste management scheme are reportable spills through which GE tracks any spill on or from a site that is reportable to regulatory authorities. As of 2005 GE divided the spills into spills/releases to water such as lake, ocean etc. and spills/releases not to water consisting of any other kind(s) of spills. Lastly, GE has an operational leaders Environment, Health, Safety (EHS) training manuals that provide information on how to identify waste reduction opportunities through the use of lean manufacturing technologies. GEs CONTRIBUTION TO WIDER ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE WAGES AND BENEFITS: With GE currently operating in more than 100 countries around the globe, the company is very active in terms of job creation and employee development. As shown in Figure 2 below, taking into account its total global workforce of about 300,000 people in 2009, about 154,000 people were non-US showing its interest in hiring and developing local people. Source: GE Metrics In addition, GE provides benefits to it employees beyond their normal salaries that is aimed at ensuring heir financial security. It provides a variety of benefit packages to eligible employees across its various businesses around the globe such as retirement and health benefit plans that cover employees and their families. According to GE data, it currently has an assortment of pension plans that provide cover for close to 635,000 employees and retirees around the globe. SHARE VALUE AND RETURN ON INVESTMENT: An examination of GEs stock price from the 1st April, 2010 to 1st April, 2011 shows an increase of about a $2 rise from $18.33 to $20.34 signifying an increase in value for shareholders in spite of the recent recession. Also GEs financial statement at the fiscal year ending 2010 shows the company made a gross profit of over $11 billion, once again confirming the fact that it is providing investors a significant return on their investments. GOVERNMENT TAXES AND FEES: In addition, GE also paid out close to $1 billion in income taxes to the government. USE OF LOCAL SUPPLIERS AND SUPPORT FOR LOCAL BUSINESSES: In an effort to enhance its supply chain management, GE launched a Supplier Diversity Programme in 1974. The aim of the programme is to engage diverse groups of suppliers in order to enhance economic opportunity; according to the GE the core components of the programme are National Minority Development Council, Womens Business Enterprise National Council and a host of state and local development councils. Source: GE Metrics Figure 3 above shows a 2009 distribution of GEs assessments of potential suppliers by region, its findings and the categories of its finding based on the issue(s) of concern. According to reports, GE employs and eyes always open approach in terms of assessment by investigating concerns raised by external sources such as the press reports and pursuing corrective measures immediately. SUSTAINABLE OF PRODUCTS/SERVICES According to GEs 2009 Ecomagination report, revenues grew by about 6% to $18 billion courtesy of products launched under the initiative. GE currently uses an Ecomagination Product Review (EPR) to determine not only which offerings are included in the Ecomagination portfolio but also to ensure that the products improve customers value proposition and environmental performance. In addition, GE has developed a process for what it terms New Product Introduction (NPI) which focuses on consumer needs and views environmental performance as a key customer priority. This exemplifies GEs cradle to grave approach of being a responsible corporate citizen by not focusing solely on commercial factors but also environmental and health impacts of their products and services. As a global conglomerate, GE is involved in the provision of a diverse set of products and services from appliances and aviation to healthcare and financial services. As Figure 4 shows below, most of GEs revenue is derived from offering financial services through GE Capital and as such most people even label it as a financial company with a manufacturing arm. Source: GE Metrics The manufacturing arm in the form of the provision of technology infrastructure is another of GEs significant business units and perhaps the most well-known. Taking these facts into account, this workbook will focus briefly on how these two major GE businesses (GE Capital and GE Technology Infrastructure) and their products could be made more sustainable. GE Capital: As mentioned earlier, GE has invested significantly in cleaner technologies and is also involved in financing and providing loans to support external businesses with a focus on innovative and sustainable practices and products. In an effort to make GE Capital more sustainable, GE could gradually consider putting more resources in telecommuting; by doing this there will be less need for large GE buildings and offices around the globe. In addition, it could lead the way by installing most of the innovative technologies derived from its Ecomagination initiative at its GE Capital offices. GE Technology Infrastructure: As GEs major manufacturing arm has made significant gains especially by focusing on the production of more sustainable products via the Ecomagination initiative. As a global manufacturing force with most of its products available in a range of places such homes, airports, banks and schools to name a few, GE has a great avenue to influence a global shift to the use of more sustainable products. GE can also improve this business unit, by making a conscious effort to minimize emission, water usage and improving waste management. There is no doubt that this is probably the division with the most sustainability concern due to the nature of the operations involved in the production process, as such GE would do well to also invite external evaluators to assess its plants and provide more sustainable solutions to enhance its production process. ETHICAL CULTURE GE is well known for its strong company culture and its integrity policy is laid out in a document entitled the spirit and the letter which all employees are required to pledge to and sign. This is accompanied by an ombudsman process that allows employees to raise and report ethical concerns with impunity. GEs integrity policy covers the following parties: Directors, Employees, Officers, Subsidiaries and Controlled Affiliates, Non- Controlled Affiliates and all Third parties representing GE. Specifically, all employees are expected to understand GEs policies and are obligated to raise any concerns they have while leaders are obligated to prevent compliance issues from arising, detect them when and if they arise and respond to them expediently. From close examination, one can observe that GEs integrity policy is quite plain and easy to understand, it is specific and detailed as it lays out the following: The parties bound to the policy. What is expected of the parties in terms of compliance and their obligations An exhaustible list of various channels and steps to be taken in terms of reporting concerns. It explains how and when the process will be carried out The penalties involved when the policy is violated And most importantly a bold statement that prohibits and punishes any form of retaliation against those who raise concerns. The integrity policy covers a broad range of parties and lays out in details how those parties are to be treated and how related ethical concerns are to be treated. A snapshot of this is a follows: Employees: With regards to its staff, their rights, obligations and expected conduct is laid out at the beginning of the integrity policy. For instance, employees are encouraged to raise concerns early, they also have the right to remain anonymous but can choose not to, their confidentiality is respected and most of it is clearly emphasized that retaliation is prohibited. Customers: Regarding the treatment of customers, all forms of improper payments are prohibited and guidelines are provide on how to deal with various potential scenarios; however, reasonable expenditures and gifts are acceptable but subject to corporate guidelines. Suppliers: GEs suppliers are also expected to abide by lawful guidelines such as fair work practices and quality standards. Overall, they are expected to abide by national laws and regulations and also ensure the safeguarding of confidential information. Wider Community: GEs integrity policy also provides guidelines for dealing with governments, preventing money laundering, safeguarding clients privacy, ensuring fair competition and dealing with local communities. The policy is very specific and provides clear expectations and steps on how to deal with the aforementioned members of the wider community. It is evident that GE has parlayed it long experience in doing business around the globe into creating an ethical code of conduct that is unambiguous and rigorous in addressing all stakeholders in its businesses around the world. KNOWLEDGE REVIEW FEATURES OF EFFECTIVE SUSTAINABILITY MONITORING SYSTEMS The issue of sustainability has become more serious and highly debated in recent times, given the large amount of companies that claim to be committed to sustainable practices and products, this section will provide an annotated bibliography that reviews the features of effective sustainability monitoring systems. By doing this, the aim is to gain perspectives from experts in the field of sustainability that lay out what effective sustainability monitoring systems should contain and as such provide use with a set of requirements with which to assess the currents systems being implemented by various companies today.