Alcohol in Colonial America

The first settlers arrived to the Americas and staked their claim on this new discovery. Something else was waiting for the settlers, a beverage of intoxication. Almost as quickly as they began to organize and sub-divide the land, the immigrants, and true natives to North America shared their beloved drink: alcohol. Cultures of varied races arrived and shared in this most cherished drink. There were uses for alcohol in the earliest colonial times that went beyond a beverage to drink in festive gatherings. There are varied beliefs surrounding the conception of alcohol consumption and its effects on British Colonies. Some are true, others are false. I will construct an investigation surrounding the history of alcohol in Colonial America with persuasive evidence to support my findings. Alcohol, also commonly referred to as spirits in Colonial America had many uses. Alcohol, of course, was used in festive times, but it was also used in religious ceremonies as well and providing medicinal properties to aid in curing ailments. The initial impact of alcohol on the settlers led them to accept it for its varied uses. Although moderate use of alcohol was accepted, society, from its inception into the Americas, frowned upon individuals becoming overly intoxicated. In other words, drunkenness was viewed negatively. Since alcohol was considered a â€Å"gift from the gods† to the natives, the settlers, too, accepted its mind-altering properties as something almost sacred. The growing communities treasured it, just as the natives did. Time and abuse were two components that led to problems for alcohol consumption. Due to its success in the minds of settlers, they partook in alcohol consumption for all three meals of the day: beer with breakfast, hard cider with lunch, beer with supper. In fact, beer and hard cider were the most popular drinks for colonists. As the drinking continued, they wanted to learn how to brew beer. One of the initial problems—aside from increasing abuse of alcoholic drunkenness—was the lack of sufficient ingredients. Barley, grains, hops, and yeast were the main ingredients in a brewing beer. The colonies did not have an ample selection of hops and grains. Harvesting of barley and hops was not a common crop among farmers of this era. Many colonists tried different ingredients, but nothing satisfied the perfect blend of hops, barley, yeast, and grain. By the late 1600’s, cider became a top choice among colonists, mainly due the apple crops that were prevalent in colonial times. Mass production through efficient farming and harvesting by colonists was seen. Thanks again to England for the apples. Farmers increased their work load mainly due to the reward of the final product: cider matured into hard cider (which included alcohol). With the increasing popularity of beer and cider, the settlers discovered a need to increase their selection. The settlers started to import inexpensive yields of sugar cane and molasses to brew another popular drink: rum. Rum quickly gained in popularity for the following reasons: it was cheap to produce and tasted good. By 1700, in Boston, the first commercial distillery was opened. The increase in rum consumption was the first challenge to the beer market. Religion and alcohol found a common link. In fact, many taverns were required to be built near churches or the local town meeting house. The religious zealots accepted alcohol consumption—strictly in moderation, though. Drunkenness, of course, was viewed as sinful. Alcohol soon became a problem in the eyes of the church and laws were established surrounding alcohol. In 1697, in New York, they enacted a law that required all taverns to be closed on Sunday. They required that the Sabbath be set aside as a day solely for reconciliation with the Lord and prayer. In conjunction with the closure of taverns on Sundays, the church required further regulations against alcohol consumption on Saturday nights as well. The main concern for the church was that taverns were gaining more popularity than the Sunday services. The Reverend Charles Woodmason went one step further and cautioned parishioners with the thought that there was a competition between the church and tavern for souls. Reverend Charles was quoted was saying the following, the taverns had â€Å"more company of a Saturday, than in the church on Sunday. † As colonists went into the early part of the 19th century, religion encouraged moderation in any and all alcoholic drinks. Alcohol, aside from the churches persistent concern over drunkenness and a loss of parishioner appeal, had other uses. Alcohol was also widely used in the field of medicine. Many doctors and medical practitioners believed that some of the stronger spirits could prevent disease, cure some common infections, and offer relief to minor aches and pains such as headaches, sore joints and muscles. In these instances, doctors would prescribe rum, hard cider, or whiskey. Doctors also encouraged patients to increase alcohol consumption to relieve emotional or stressful problems in their daily life. In fact, doctors went so far as to prescribe families to drink alcohol in lie of water. They thought that water brought from Europe was contaminated, and, thus, could lead to serious illness. Alcohol consumption was also prescribed to children suffering from viral infections as well as aiding in their development into a stronger, more physically fit individual. A little whiskey and honey went a long way for a sick child. The unusual, or even outlandish, practices went further still: doctors prescribed hard liquor to women who were in labor, a means of numbing some of the intense pain suffered during labor. Midwives would brew what was coined â€Å"groaning ale. This groaning ale contained extremely high contents of alcohol and special spices, all in hopes of easing the child bearing pains. A variation to groaning ale was used by some doctors. This was a little less toxin on the mother and baby. Doctors concocted spirits that were used as an anesthetic. This anesthetic was less expensive and more readily available from household to household than the hard spirits used i n the groaning ale. Alcohol, as with many new products brought to civilized society, began as an innocent and purely beneficial product. Beyond the stress-reducing capacity for hard cider or beer, the early nutritionists thought alcohol had great nutritional value and needed to be added to a person’s health-conscious daily diet regime. Due to this initial nutritious appeal, politicians did not, initially, write legislation limiting alcohol consumption. It was not until 1619, in the state of Virginia, that the first law was passed to control alcohol use. Policy maker main objective was to restrict â€Å"drunkenness,† not prohibit the use of alcohol. This first law enacted a penalty against drunkenness which stated that if you were arrested for being drunk and disorderly, then the fine would be up to 5 shillings or imprisonment. In time, however, politician modified the law to only include a monetary infraction. The reasoning behind this law was because the lower-classes tended to be the ones caught in public, and politicians felt a fine would be viewed as more distressing to the lower-class and curtail drunkenness. The next state to enact legislation surrounding alcohol consumption was Maryland. In Maryland, in 1639, they attempted to limit the amount a person drank. According to law, it was illegal to be drunk in public: â€Å"drunkenness† was defined as â€Å"drinking with excess to the notable perturbation of any organ or sense of motion. † The penalty was the same as in Virginia: 5 shillings. In 1645, Massachusetts jumped on the alcohol bandwagon, passing a law that restricted the amount an individual could consume at any period of time. The law stated the following, â€Å"The courts consider it illegal to drink more than a pint of wine at a time. † Anything over a pint constituted inebriation. On top of this, Massachusetts instituted another statute for ale houses and tavern owners. This statute made it illegal for owners to serve a customer beyond the legal limit, a difficult law to follow. With this statute, however, both the proprietor and customer could be fined for disobeying this law (Austin, Gregory p. 230). The Plymouth colonies chose a different slant in enacting their alcohol legislation. Unlike the Virginian definition for â€Å"drunkenness,† in the Plymouth colony the focus was on motor skills. Plymouth went so far as to define the term which constituted a universal view—throughout almost every colony—that alcohol is not healthy, nor should it be considered beneficial to a person’s health. The Plymouth definition was as follows: they viewed being drunk—not by loss of mobility or amount consumed—but instead by the person’s ability speak clearly: â€Å"A person that lisps or faulters in his speech by reason of drink, or that vomits, or cannot follow his calling. † (Austin, Gregory, p. 240) When we look at gender, women were not considered part of the drinking culture. Most often, women drank in private (Salinger, Sharon p 223). According to historical record, women rarely drank in public in colonial times. It was viewed as unacceptable for a woman. Policy makers enacted different conditions and consequences for each gender. Women were rarely seen in bars and taverns in this period. The brewing of beer, up until the late 1700’s, was an art left for the women to complete. Men would be off at work during the day and women kept the house in order, which included beer and liquor. Home-brewing was very common. In fact, most households that drank brewed their own ale. The Spaniards arrived in the 1700’s and brought wine to the colonies. At the time, vineyards were unheard of; thus, without grapes they could not cultivate, ferment, and produce wine in the colonies. It was brought over on ship. The French soon followed and were able to cultivate the grapes on colony soil. Wine consumption gained in popularity, yet the hard cider was still the preferred drink among the middle class. Germans, too, became part of the alcohol dynamic. The Germans brought better techniques to brewing fine ales and were the first to bring ‘lagers’ to the Americas. All of these countries brought new ideas and new brewing methods to the colonies. In conclusion, it is apparent that the initial discovery of alcohol for the colonies was viewed as a sacred drink. The colonists took the vision of the natives and brought it into their lives as a daily staple. The harms and potential for dangerous situations soon became rampant with all the drunken colonists. Laws were passed and changes were made in various colonies in hopes of curtailing the problems associated with drunken behavior. Even the churches got involved. As new cultures landed from various countries, they discovered new varieties on crafting a very popular beverage. Regardless of all the dangers associated with alcohol consumption, I believe it’s going to continue to be a drink enjoyed throughout the world.

The Differences Between Internal And External Auditors Accounting Essay

The statue of internal and external hearers in company is different. Internal hearer is integrated to the trade company or an external specialised company or in other words is an employee to the company. However external hearer merely integrated to external specialised company and is an independent individual. Besides, internal and external hearer besides differs in end and auditing process. For internal hearer, they monitor the direction and cheque of the legal conformity of the fiscal statement. They besides make appropriate recommendation for the betterment administration procedure. For external hearer, they identify and certify the fiscal statement. Besides, they besides evaluate the internal control system but this is merely valid for fiscal accounting elements. Next, the range of the audit is different every bit good. The range of internal hearer is big which can cover the whole company ‘s map. But for external hearer, the range is focal points on confirmation the issues that determine the fiscal standing and company ‘s public presentation. Furthermore, the on the job period of audit is besides different. For internal hearer, they can hold lasting activity within the trade companies which is harmonizing to the article of association. For external hearer, the marks are fitfully organized and at suited minutes for the enfranchisement of histories. There is difference between internal and external hearer in term of their independency. Internal hearer is comparatively independence. But in other instance, if the internal auditing is performed by a 3rd company, they have the independency particular to the free-lances. For external hearer, they are independent to its client as representative of a free profession and regulated lawfully and statutory. Furthermore, internal and external hearer besides use different scrutinizing criterion. Internal hearers may follow GAAS criterion and sometimes they may follow IIA criterion or they may non follow any other particular criterion. However, external hearers are required to follow by and large accepted auditing criterions or international auditing criterions, but internal hearers do non. Guidance brand by internal hearer is different with external hearer as good. Internal hearer will give suggestion to the direction for the betterment of concern whereas external hearer does non necessitate to supply suggestion unless he was asked. Besides they besides have different responsibilities. Internal hearer primary responsibility is to happen frauds and mistakes whereas external hearer has to find the concluding histories on whether it was true. If company found any error made by internal hearer, they can be removed by direction. For external hearer, they can be removed by stockholders. Fiscal statements were made by companies. Investors, creditors and bankers can do usage of the company ‘s fiscal statements to do their operating determination. Auditing exists in order to do user trust on these fiscal statement, place the fidelity of fiscal statement, and assist the user make concluding determination. The users can non reexamine and place each history in the fiscal statements by themselves although the users have to depend on the fiscal statements to do their determinations. Users depend on fiscal statements so much. But they would non hold adequate abilities and competency to make so even if they could make so. These fiscal statements are audited by independent and intelligent comptrollers or CPAs. Hearers will sporadically analyze each history in the fiscal statements for the application of users. For illustration, hearers will present a formal mail to the Bankss to look into the balances of hard currency or plus and note collectible or liability history. Besides, they will besides direct a mail to the providers and clients of companies to analyze the balance of histories receivable and histories collectible. In short, hearers are the user ‘s representatives to analyze the fiscal statements of studies. The users can non find whether the fiscal statements are faithful and dependable to show their fiscal place and public presentation if without scrutinizing. Hearers should supply with adequate accounting, and others related cognition. When there are new Torahs and ordinances, they have to accept related preparation and motive. Hearers should hold the character of honest, unsloped, and independent. They can non be influenced by the others in the companies. Besides, hearers besides must hold adequate abilities and competency. There will hold an exam held sporadically to prove whether comptrollers have plenty related cognition. Therefore, we can hold a high criterion of hearers. The cost of scrutinizing depends on the company ‘s net income. The cost of scrutinizing may besides increase if gross revenues incurred in a company turn up continuously and vice-versa. The cost of scrutinizing is high, but we can hold a high criterion and demand for our hearers. Therefore, a company is willing to pay for this dearly-won expertness. We can to the full mention to their sentiments in the fiscal statements because the hearers are trustable and dependable. Mentioning to their sentiments, we can cognize whether companies overstate or understate their plus and liabilities and whether their statements are faithful. With their sentiments, we can make up one's mind whether to depend on these fiscal statements to do our determinations. If the consequences of fiscal statements are trustable, this means the company did non exaggerate or minimize their histories. Therefore, we can utilize its fiscal statements to do our determination. hypertext transfer protocol: //feaa.ucv.ro/AUCSSE/0036v3-027.pdf hypertext transfer protocol: //studypoints.blogspot.com/2011/09/what-is-difference-between-internal_775.html hypertext transfer protocol: //yuhanlo.blogspot.com/2006/01/importance-of-auditing.html

How successful is Shakespeare’s presentation of Macbeth Essay

In order to make a precise conclusion on how successful Shakespeare is on making Macbeth a tragic hero, the great speeches and monologues by Macbeth must be analyzed. Also the audience or reader must have to understand what makes a person a tragic hero. Obviously there must be certain conditions that the tragic hero has to fulfill. These will be discussed. Macbeth has them and I will try to give evidence to back up my points. To start with the character must be of noble birth, Macbeth is of noble birth and this is a fact as he is born the Thane of Glamis. Secondly the tragic hero must be of high moral worth as if he isn’t the audience can’t admire him so he wouldn’t be heroic therefore he wouldn’t be a tragic hero. Macbeth is of high moral worth as one of the first times in the play when Macbeth is seen as a hero is after the great battle at the beginning. Everyone is praising him, including the king. The king, as a reward for his heroic actions, makes Macbeth Thane of Cawdor as the last Thane of Cawdor was found guilty of treason and was be-headed! The main thing that makes the audience respect Macbeth (helping us to see him as a tragic hero in the end) is when the sergeant reporting on the battle praises Macbeth calling him â€Å"brave Macbeth†, so we see that even from the beginning of the play Macbeth is seen as brave and people respect him. When Macbeth meets the king towards the beginning of the play the king has only nice things to say about Macbeth and clearly respects him as he call him his ‘valiant cousin’ and a ‘worthy gentleman’. Because the king is obviously noble we trust his opinion of Macbeth so then we too share his high opinion of him. We know the King thinks this as he represents his feelings when he says to Macbeth â€Å"more is due than more all can pay†. Here Duncan is saying that Macbeth means a lot to him and the country. As the king is so proud of him hen trusts him more and naturally is more willing to give him things and help him become more successful throughout his reign as king. The king’s whole idea of Macbeth shows him as a hero, which is often shown so frequently at the beginning of the play. This whole idea of Macbeth being a hero at the beginning of the play is very common in tragic heroes as always at the beginning they are brave and heroic, but then they go tragic things/or bad things, which makes them tragic heroes. Another thing that a tragic hero must posses is a flaw in their character. In Macbeth his flaw could be seen as being his ambition (to be king) or him not thinking about the consequences of his actions, but personally I feel his flaw was ambition. I feel that this flaw was mainly the fault of the witches as after they told him he would become thane of Cawdor he did and they also told him he would become king so he proberly believed he would and as it was possible he would do anything to make himself king. At the beginning of the play Macbeth has feelings, but he knows that after talking to the witches he gets bad, evil thoughts as he says, â€Å"stars, hide your fires! Let not light see my black and deep desires†, basically saying that he knows that he has desires which are very bad and which no one should knows about. This helps us think of him as a tragic hero as he is still aware of what is good and bad. I think Macbeth’s dark thoughts almost eat up his goodness and his sense of what is right, leaving Macbeth as a cold man, a murderer. After the murder of Duncan, by Macbeth, we yet again are reminded how he could be a tragic hero. Tragic heroes must not be totally senseless and Macbeth isn’t as straight after the killing of Duncan we here him say to Lady Macbeth how he is ‘afraid to think of what’ he had done and how he wishes he could wake Duncan but he can’t. He also says how to ‘look on it again’ he dare not. This shows us how he isn’t totally cold-hearted and that he knows that it was wrong. A main reason why Macbeth turns into a cold man, a tragic man, is Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth is like a catalyst in the play. She works on Macbeth’s â€Å"black and deep desires†, which are to kill, as she is almost power hungry and wants to be queen, and she makes them real life, making him kill people. The things that causes him to change his mind about committing the murder are the speeches that Lady Macbeth gave him ‘Does un-make you. I have given suck, and know how tender ’tis to love the babe that milks me: I would, while it was smiling in my face, have pluck’d my nipple from his boneless gums, and dash’d the brains out, had I sworn as you have done this.† We see a lot in this scene how Lady Macbeth uses emotional blackmail and, how she attacks his manliness to get him to carry out the murder of Banquo. She starts off by saying to him ‘Art though afeard to be the same in thine own act and valour as thou art in desire? Here she is basically saying is he too afraid to match his desires with his courage, and this contrast between action and desire is frequent in the play. She also uses the love he has for her to try and make him carry out the killings. The worst thing she does is when she attacks his manliness, as Macbeth is a great ‘valiant’ soldier and to be called a ‘coward’ by his wife must have really driven him to carry out the murder. Also she uses an old proverb as she says he is ‘like the poor cat I’ th’ adage’. Here she means he is like the cat that wanted to eat the fish but would not wet his feet. She is saying he wants, deep down, to kill them but he doesn’t wa nt to have to do the dirty work. These speeches shows her sheer evilness and how ashamed she is that her husband is prepared to go back on what they had agreed, and the fact that this kind of manipulation works on him is tragic! For a character to be a tragic hero the audience have to feel sorry for them and sympathise with them. The audience also has to try and understand why he did what he did. I feel that the main reason Macbeth did what he did was because of the witches. The first way in which Shakespeare shows the witches to be plain evil is in the very first scene in the book where they all chant together â€Å"fair is foul, and foul is fair. This is a word play and has an inverted meaning to that of a human. They are saying that their fair is our foul and our foul is their fair, inverted morals, meaning everything we find bad they find good. I feel the witches are almost totally to blame for Macbeth turning almost evil. The witches told Macbeth he could become a king one day, this was the greatest thing anyone could imagine. They also told him that no man born of woman could kill him, so Macbeth thought he wouldn’t be killed by any person, that he would die naturally or something like that. 43Macbeth should have known better as Macduff was born by caesarian birth. I feel this was one of Macbeth’s main problems I feel that instead of trusting his friends and those close to him he trusted the witches too much and took everything literally, he didn’t think about their evilness and in the end with Macbeth’s sight so clouded from wanting to be king and believing everything the witches said to be perfectly true he ended up dead. This was one of his flaws; he trusted the witches too much and didn’t think about them playing games and being evil. This is why we feel sorry for Macbeth and view him as being tragic as it was almost as if he was victimized by the witches and they took advantage of him and played games with him. Macbeth had some hard and cruel, cold blooded times. For example when he arranged for the deaths of Banquo and Macduff’s family, he ordered other people to do it as well which, firstly showed he was a coward and wouldn’t go through with the killings totally himself he needed other people to be involved. At these times though Macbeth hadn’t really any of his senses. At these times I think his ‘black and deep desires’ led him. I think he is aware though that his senses are a bit off as earlier when he thought he saw the dagger appeared to turn towards Duncan’s bedroom he questioned his senses as he said: ‘Mine eyes are made the fools o’ th’ other senses, Or else worth all the rest. I see thee still.’ Here Macbeth is saying how his eyes are deceiving him if his other senses are correct, or else they see correctly and are more reliable than the rest of his senses together. For a character to be seen as a tragic hero he must also gain moral worth through his suffering. In act five we see Lady Macbeth realizing what she has done. She says how ‘hell is murky’ This shows she is aware that what she has done is wrong and that she is going to hell. We actually start to feel sorry for Lady Macbeth here as all the time she has been there for Macbeth when he had doubts and things but she never had anyone for her. But for Macbeth it act five scene three where he gains self worth and realizes what he has done, but now he is more scared and we feel sorry for him as he is losing self-control. In his speeches on page one eight five we see Macbeth full of regret and despair, he talks about having nothing to live for and he thought that being king would make him happy but it didn’t. Here the audience sees Macbeth trying to reassure himself, as he says, â€Å"Fear not Macbeth, no man that’s born of woman Shall e’er have power upon thee.† Here we can detect a very insecure Macbeth. It is almost as if he has to reassure himself that no man can hurt him, but you can also detect how scared he is. Also when he says † I have lived long enough. My way of life Is fallen into the sear, the yellow leaf:† This makes us think he has had enough of being king and now just wants to die and has nothing to live for. He says his way of life has fallen into the sear, this means his way of life has almost withered faded away. In this scene the audience are made to sympathize with Macbeth. So he appears yet again tragic. He is nowhere near the strong â€Å"brave† noble fighter we were introduced to at the beginning of the book. In Act five Macbeth makes a speech once again. In this speech we see Macbeth becoming self-aware. He realizes that his senses have been dulled as after Seyton hears a sound of a woman cry he asks Macbeth whether it was a woman cry and Macbeth replies saying how he had ‘almost forgotten the taste of fears’. By this he meant that the desolate eeriness of the cry reminded him of former fears that he had. We also se Macbeth realising that the after life is important whereas earlier he said he would jump the life to come. We also see, later on in scene eight, an indication of Macbeth feeling guilty about killing Macduff’s family. When Macbeth and Macduff meet, Macbeth says how his ‘soul is too much charged with blood of thine (Macduff) already.’ Here he means that he feels guilty after killing his family as he says how ‘ his soul is too much charged’, meaning he feels bad in his soul because of what he had done. Towards the end of scene eight we see the return of the ‘brave’ ‘valiant’ fighter that was mentioned in the beginning. This reminds us and helps us see his more as a tragic hero, as we had almost forgotten that he had been noble, but this scene is a good reminder. Here we here Macbeth saying to Macduff how he ‘will not yield’ and how he will throw his ‘warlike shield’ he also says how he will ‘try the last’, meaning he will fight to a finish. This shows us the brave Macbeth who will not surrender. In conclusion I feel that Shakespeare’s presentation of Macbeth as a tragic hero really worked. He fulfills all the necessary criteria that a tragic hero needs. We all respected him at the beginning felt sorry for him when he did bad things and C then knew that his death was inevitable, and that his death made everything return to normal and that there was no other outcome that could have been had for Macbeth. Shakespeare made a perfect tragic hero in my eyes and using the evidence and quotes I have given you the phrase â€Å"tragic hero† is a great way to sum up Macbeth in a few words for this play.

Micro enterprises Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Micro enterprises - Essay Example equires ethical values that will enable them treat the workforce equally, regardless of the gender, race, religion, culture and abilities (Harvey, 2012). Through adopting a non-discrimination policy, the leaders can afford to treat all the members of the workforce with equality, thus promoting the feelings of appreciation amongst the workforce. The creation of teams and groups that embraces and comprises of different elements of the workforce serves to promote the management of diversity, in that all the members of the workforce feels considered and represented in the groups and teams. Valuing and considering the contributions made by all members of the workforce serves to make the workforce more vibrant, creative and innovative, in that they feel that their ideas and inventions will be recognized and appreciated by the organization (Jeffs, 2008). Receiving and treating the grievances and the concerns raised by members of the workforce, without discrimination or favoritism on any basis that creates diversity in the workforce, is another successful step towards having the leaders of the macro enterprises manage the diversity of the workforce specializing in decision support system (Harvey, 2012). Through the effectiveness of diversity in the workforce, the leaders are assured of a motivated team, which guarantees success. Some characteristics are relevant for small business to be considered as appropriate in the selection process for developing the decision support systems. A small business requires being technologically oriented, an aspect that serves to ensure that the business is in a position to test and try novel technological innovations, ensuring that they can develop a system that is most appropriate for the business (Power, 2002). This is most essential since technology keeps changing and the types of decisions to be made are dynamic, thus calling for constant improvement in the business DSS so established. Another requisite characteristic of such a

The Use of Evidence Based Practice in Nursing Essay

The Use of Evidence Based Practice in Nursing - Essay Example In nursing, evidence-based practice calls for the re-evaluation of research for the purpose of improving inadequate practice. In clinical settings, the use of evidence based practice takes into account factor such as the consideration of the need for change, where the research question’s formulation is based on the shortfalls of current health practices (McGonigal & Mastrian, 2011). The use of evidence based practice also takes into account the best existing evidence, understanding it, and integrating it after making the necessary improvement. Models for implementing evidence based practice in clinical settings Some models for implementing evidence based practice in clinical settings include the Ottawa model of research use, the Stetler model, and the IOWA model of evidence-based practice. The Ottawa Model of Evidence Based Research in Nursing The Ottawa Model of Research Use (OMRU) was first created as an interactive model (Kirchhoff, 2004). The Ottawa Model of Research Use is quite effective in practice contexts and holds that research is a dynamic process that involves interconnected actions as well as decisions being made by different people in relation to each of the theory’s elements. The Ottawa Model of Research has undergone different evaluations, with the most recent including factors such as evidence based innovation, the practice environment, potential adopters, the adoption of innovators, the implementation of interventions, and the results of the execution of innovations. The Stetler-Model The Stetler Model of Research Utilisation is a model that is practice-oriented, and is used mainly as a conceptual and procedural guide for the execution of research outcomes in practice. The theory’s first part consists of the five stages of research utilisation (Stetler, 2003). The theory’s second part has to do with clarifying the existing data as well as options for each stage. The Iowa Model of Research is basically used to enhance the general quality of healthcare, and is a creation of the Quality Assurance Model Using Research (Stetler, 2003). Research utilisation is perceived to be an organisational procedure through which different factors are used to unite the practical implementation of research theories. The IOWA Model The Iowa Model can be used for the purposes of implementing quality healthcare as it provides a framework for medical practitioners to make decisions about the daily practices that impact patient care outcomes (Larrabee, 2009). The Iowa Model encourages health practitioners to generate practice questions, whether as a means to solve an existing concern, or simply to acquire new knowledge. These three models allow for medical practitioners to be able to share important data with others within as well as without a medical organisation; thereby increasing nu rsing knowledge and encouraging other medical organisations to take on evidence based practices. Three information technology applications in quality management Three information technology applications that are very important in quality management processes in healthcare sectors include electronic health records, bar coding, and the use of the clinical decision support system. Electronic health records were first created to serve as a type of electronically based file cabinet holding various types of information about a medical facility’s patients. Its continued improvement meant that it would further benefit by integrating text, handwritten

Energy Consumption Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Energy Consumption - Essay Example From this discussion it is clear that peak load values will be obtained when there is more demand on the electricity due to use of appliances. In this case peak load values in the student halls will be recorded during the early morning when the students will be preparing to go to class or any other activities they are involved in. The use of the instant heating showers, blow dryers, iron box coupled with the demand to ensure that the room is warm enough due to the morning cold, the amount of electricity in use instantaneously shoots up. Peak load can also be noticed in the evenings just when the students are coming back from their classes and other activities they have been engaging in during the day. The use of electrical appliances in use throughout the hall increases so does the demand for the energy to drive them, these appliances are mostly for entertainment purposes such as gaming console, television and stereo systems.This paper highlights that  base load is the lowest avera ge in energy consumption at a particular period when the consumption is steady. Base load values will be obtained when there is less demand on the electricity.  The best time to do this is at night when the students are preparing to sleep through to the time they are about to wake up.  The results show a gradual decrease in base load from the month of January to the month of August after which it gradually increases.  ... Base load values will be obtained when there is less demand on the electricity. In the students halls Base load values will be recorded during the day while most of the students will be away, because this brings down the overall consumption of energy although the values during the day might not be very reliable because of the students left in the halls since the will still be consuming the electricity this may take out the steady aspect in the calculation of base load values. The best time to do this is at night when the students are preparing to sleep through to the time they are about to wake up. This allows for consumption to go low and maintain a steady flow thus making it a more appropriate time to calculate the base load values. For this assignment the base load was calculated by averaging the consumption between 00:00 hours and 06:00 hours when the consumption was low and steady. The results were averaged again to find the base load for the month from January through to Octobe r. Also calculated was the difference in base load values to determine the change in base load values between months. The results were found and represented as follows: Monthly Base load Month Base load value Base load difference January 288411.8 0 February 314269.3 25857.5 March 338548.9 24279.6 April 361666.5 23117.6 May 384706.7 23040.2 June 407179.9 22473.2 July 425351.1 18171.2 August 441813.4 16462.3 September 458685.6 16872.2 October 477464.7 18779.1 The results show a gradual decrease in base load from the month of January to the month of August after which it gradually increases. This could probably be attributed to the change in weather since it gets cold around late August and beginning of

Mills and Boons Collaboration with the RFU Case Study

Mills and Boons Collaboration with the RFU - Case Study Example There are various ways of segmenting the market. There are mainly four bases on which a consumer market can be segmented. The geographical segmentation is based on the area and the population's characteristics of the segment. Then there are demographical factors that include the age, gender, income and status of family and other related factors (Stanton, Etzel, 2003). Psychographic factors are the attitudes of the people in the market segment, whereas behavioral segmentation is the price, brand loyalty and price of the product. Demographic factors are a useful indicator because the marketer would need to see that what age group reads the novels of Mills and Boon. Normally the age bracket of its novel readers is between 18 to 34 years of age. Age is an important characteristic because the demands of an individual changes with time and therefore it is necessary for the product to fulfill the desires of each one of the changing demands. The novel should have something for everyone. Their target is females who are more inclined towards romantic novels. The idea behind this deal between Mills and Boons and RFU is to increase the female readership of Boons and Mills novels. By including the rugby players as the heroes of these novels, it will make them more attractive and appealing for young women who are educated and who would love to see the energetic, glamorized players as the romantic heroes. This is expected to boost the demand for the novels as those who already read them will get an extra flavor to it, wh ereas even the sports fans might just go ahead and buy these novels. The marketer will have to access the psychographic factors in the market because only those will be willing to buy these novels who either love to read romantic fiction or are a sports freak. People who are not into reading and sports will not care to pay attention to it at all. Moreover who are risk takers would like to try to read something different and look forward to the new subject. Also the buying of the romantic novels depends on the mind set of an individual, the lifestyle and the culture altogether. Behavioral factors can also be utilized to segment the market for readers. For this the kind of people to be targeted will have extensive knowledge related to the subject therefore while marketing the novel to them the marketer will need to satisfy them. The there are habitual buyers who have a passion for romantic novels. There will be some people for whom the price will be a consideration and can affect their decision making, while there will be some who would buy it out of brand loyalty (Kotler, Armstrong, 2003). These factors can be utilized by Mills and Boons and RFU in order to divide the market into segments and then come up with an appropriate marketing strategy for each one of them. This will help to allocate resources effectively and make work easier. Question - 2 Mills and Boon was founded in the year 1908. Over the period of time it has

Henry Ford Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Henry Ford - Research Paper Example His deeds towards his workers made him a humanitarian in the eyes of many as he worked towards alleviating the poor from poverty through better pay and working conditions. His consistency and innovative mind ensured the success of his company over the years even after his death in 1947. Henry ford and ford motor company are two names that forever changed the history of human mobility. Ford changed not only the motor vehicle industry but also industrialization in general. Ford was born in 1863 in Greenfield Michigan (Curcio, 2013). His parents were of Irish and Belgian descent. His engineering expertise emerged early in life where by 15 years he was able to repair watches. However, his ingenuity was often cut short by the constant farm duties. Ford, at 16 years, went to Detroit for greener pastures. He undertook a series of jobs both during the day and in the evening. He particularly loved repairing watches and this made him famous and scooped him the much needed supplemental income. Ford left Detroit three years later to work as a steam engine operator. Henry Ford rose from a humble background and followed his interest in machines to become an engineer and later founded Ford Motor Company which he steered to glory through critical and witty decision making and stra tegy formulation and implementation. His enthusiasm and interest in knowing more about such engines saw him acquire a job at Westinghouse to service their engines. He still worked in the farm although this was far away from his passion. By now he had married Clara Bryant and they settled on an expansive piece of land offered by Ford’s father. They were to stay there so far as they used the land for farming activities. Ford seized the opportunity and cut the many trees on the land for commercial purposes. Unfortunately, there were no more trees left and since he disliked farming, he went back to the city. This dislike of farming led him

Policy paper-fixing health care (Zoonotic disease) Research Paper

Policy -fixing health care (Zoonotic disease) - Research Paper Example stercoralis (3%). The overall prevalence of D. immitis is 25.3% (from www.EMERGING%20PARASITES%20OF%20PUBLIC%20HEALTH%20SIGNIFICANCE ). Evaluation of the parasite burden of Tricuris tricuria in a St. Lucian community showed most of the community having a low burden of the parasite, while few members of the community had a heavy burden. 84% of t those harbouring the parasite were found to be children in the age group two to fifteen years. Children of the same age group constituted 87% of those individuals having hundred or more worms (Bundy et al, 1987). Zoonotic burden in Jamaica is to a significant extent due to the close interaction of humans and pets like dogs. 73% of the households in Jamaica maintain pet dogs. Assessment through faecal examination showed that 58% of the animals were infected with one or more of the eight helminths distributed as Uncinaria stenocecephala 26%, Ancylostoma sp. 23%, Trichuris vulpis 9%, Toxocara canis 8%, Spirocera lupi 6%, Strongyloides sp. 6%, Appphallus sp. 4%, and taenids 1% (Robinson, Thompson & Lindo, 1989). The results of the study into the Annotto Bay community in the Parish of St. Mary, Jamaica showed that 64.7% of the stool specimens of the community had one or more of the helminth species and that there was a marked age dependence demonstrated with the helminth infestation occurring most commonly in the pre-school children (Win, 1996). Screw worms or Cochliomyia hominivorax infestation in Jamaica in 1998 was 25,000. Since then an eradication program has led to its diminishing infestation in Jamaica. Between 2004 and 2007 the annual average infestation of screw worms had dipped to 2,000 and in 2008 the infestation had dropped to 452, which included twenty infestations in humans (Reid, 2008). In 2007 UNAIDS sponsored a study into the prevalence of intestinal parasites in children infected with HIV/Aids. The results of

The Role of Jobs In Theatre Essay Example for Free

The Role of Jobs In Theatre Essay The Role and Jobs of the Producer, Director, Designer, Play-writer, and Actors within the play and how each of their Roles interacts with Each Other A theatre stage drama is very interesting complex task that has been admired for years by the viewers. The success of a theatre depends on how many quality stage plays it can produce. Its success depends on the collaborative actions of all the staff members. Each staff member has his own responsibility.   Producer   Producer has several tasks to cover in a playwright. He is concerned with a clearer production on theatre or stage. He analyzes the play, edit and write to make the play much better. Producer is the person who takes the initiative in any play and he’s the first place where play has to be started.   The producer determines where play has to set. That is what would be the right location for a play where all the rehearsals can take place. It is all in the hands of the producer to find a good director of the play. He’s responsible for the location of performances. He determines how many and which play has to be performed. In addition there are several other correlated tasks like marketing and advertising activities and all remaining activities associated with the complete production of a play. He’s also responsible for contacting various people and concerned companies, departments, schools for obtaining permission for the production of a play at particular place.   Producer is also responsible for finding the cameramen, cinematography, music and picture settings.   Producer also manages the workshops to enhance role of each and every individual and to train the staff for their relevant tasks. Producers have choice to either work part-time or full time. Some producers only work part time and have several other jobs to complete. Some producers also work as volunteers by choice. They are separately on the kind of job they’ve done and time they invest. The main focus that makes a theatre play successful is their interaction, cooperation and responsible act. It does not matter that whether they’re working on part-time basis or full, voluteering their job or not but the main thing is that how responsibly they interact. Producers stand responsible for the overall production of the play. Producers can act individually or they may work in groups. Raising the finances Producers are responsible for raising the finances for the theatre. They set prices and plans for how money can be raised for one play. He’s also responsible for setting the pay of other staff members. He calculates the costs and profits. Usually producing a theatre play entails high cost. A lot of funds investiment is required to have the play completed. Script selection Producer determines that which script he needs for a particular play. Producer is always in direct contact with the writers and ask them about what needs to be done for a particular play. Because requirements for each play is totally different. And the story and plot of the play must be compelling enough to let the viewers enjoy it. Plot of the play and overall story has lot to do with the success of a drama. Hence, producer works in close collaboration with writers about a particular play. Place of performance Producer is mainly responsible for setting the place where play will be carried out. Place has to determine a lot about the play. The writer also needs to write according to the place and background.   Role of Director in Theatre   Directors direct the play. Directors set the play setting and command for action. He directs the production. He interprets the vision of a writer into actual form. Direction has a lot of impact on the success of a script or play. Director works with all other cast and crew of the play.   A director has a very principal role in directing a play. He works on various tasks along with producer to ensure a unique and clear production. Without director the production of a theatre play will never be completed. He works with all other important staff members to direct the play. The key persons involved with directors are producers, writer and designer. He co-ordinates many principle activities like coordinating acting, background settings, sound settings, stage settings, costume design, setting of lights, stagecraft and help with production. â€Å"In the early 1890s dimmers were being used, an invention of Granville Woods. It can be seen that electric lights, or instruments, had to be positioned and focused on actors, and so the first lighting operators also had to direct the actors where to move, and thus may well have unwittingly created the position of an outside director. It was in the early part of the new century that they gained widespread popularity. Prior to that, the leading actor or actress would dictate the shape of stage arrangements, usually for their own benefit. The eighteenth century actress Sarah Siddons was famous for this, even once ending Macbeth at the sleepwalking scene.† (Wikipedia) The director plays the primary role in making decisions in the play. He interprets the text of writer and then decides how the scene has to be accomplished. He’s the primary visionary of the play. However, in every theatre and every play director has different roles to observe and their authority over various tasks also differ. In different states, every theatre determines the kind of responsibility and task to be assigned to the director. It may also vary according to the play that needs to be directed. The responsibility on each director depends on which state and theatre he is working with and what kind of play he has to cover. Different theatre companies determine what tasks need to be assigned. Directors work in cooperation with other staff members and work in collaboration with them to accomplish a task. The directing can be adopted for different styles. According to wikipedia â€Å"Directing is an artform that has grown with the development of theatre theory and theatre practice. With the emergence of new trends in theatre, so too have directors adopted new methodologies and engaged in new practices. Generally speaking, directors adopt a style of directing that falls into one or more of the following categories: the dictator, negotiator, the creative artist, and the confrontationalist† (Wikiepedia) The dictator kind of directing is that when director plays a dominant role and he’s the one who is concerned about all kind of tasks without having any suggestions from actors and other staff members. In another kind of style a director is much lenient and talks with every member about what should be done and everyone has a part to play and suggest what is best. He can be a creative artist who artistically commands each and every action of the play. He may take suggestions from others but only authorized to give final decisions. Directors have also to do something with the light settings, bulbs, intensity and shades. Directors determine where the lights will fall, which area should be shadowed and where light intensity should be great to view the scene. Actor and actress also play major part in determining the kind of clothes, make up and stage settings. Directors set that few lights have to be set on the actors. He may constantly talk and negotiate with others to produce quality scene. Role of Designer in Theatre Designer design the play backgrounds. Designer also designs the hairstyle, clothing and other related stuff of the actors. He also designs the background settings and the environment. The overall scene must be very powerful, eye-catching, and modernistic. In some scenes designer calls for realistic view of the image, while at other pictures of the scenes it must be not very clear to elude the realism. Everything was kept very simple. Background must be very good with perfect lighting and composition to keep everything straightforward. The role of Play-writer Play writer, of course is the main person who writes the script of the play. The writer writes the dialogues, speeches, scenes, backgrounds and other related stuff. Play-writer interacts with producer and directors to find out opportunities and possible thing in his writing. He may also contact by producer and director on the basis if they need any change in the play. â€Å"Even if your story revolves around subject matter the average citizen would consider less than exciting, your as the scriptwriter must find an edge that makes your video watchable. Subject matter is what you make it, and the basic notions of any dramatic, or comedic piece conflict, resolution, character arcs exist everywhere. It is up to you, the writer to disseminate what would tell a good story from a mediocre story, and then delve further.† (Cook, 2004) Play writer writes the play with scenes and dialogues according to the environment. He writes the suspense, opening and ending. The story, script, direction and production combined made the theatre compelling. The writer must first know the story of the play and what has to be written. The writer is contacted by the director and producers both. The writer writes the complete play and show this to director and producer. As directors and producers are directly involved with the play, they constantly gets in touch with the writer to have any improvement the write-up, story, and plot. â€Å"Like any form of technical writing, scriptwriting has its own ends and outs that must be adhered to in order for your script to be taken as a serious venture by the rest of the world. Find scripts that delve into your type of field, and read them carefully. Understand, if you do not know what a script looks and reads like now, or unless you take the time to find out, you never will.† (Cook, 2004) As cook advices that writing should be unique enough that it competes with all others. Writer not only writes dialogues but also expressions, complete scenes, background and plot layout of the play. Writers may need to cut the scenes if director thinks that a particular scene is not required. Even he may need to add stuff, scenes and other things as required. â€Å"The second act not only serves as the main vehicle for your story to flow with rising action, catalysts, and the climax of your story, but it also allows you to develop and humanize your characters with the audience so we, the viewing public become emotionally attached to your character. Even in a thirty second Public Service Announcement this statement is true.† (Cook, 2004) The role of Actors Actors are there to act in the play. The act on what is being written in the play. They speak the dialogues of the play. The act as directed by the director. The acting and characters in the theatre must be remarkable. With terrific dialogues it gives the magical perfection to the scenes, character and play. They interact with writer and director in a way that if they couldn’t understand anything they simply ask. â€Å"Kunqu (pronounced kwin chu) is one of the oldest and most refined styles of traditional Chinese theatre performed today. It is a synthesis of drama, opera, ballet, poetry recital, and musical recital, which also draws on earlier forms of Chinese theatrical performances such as mime, farce, acrobatics, ballad recital, and medley, some of which go back to the third century B.C. or even earlier. In a Kunqu performance, recitative is interspersed with arias sung to traditional melodies, called qu-pai. Each word or phrase is also expressed by a stylized movement or gesture that is essentially part of a dance, with strict rules of style and execution much like classical ballet. Even casual gestures must be precisely executed and timed to coordinate with the music and percussion. The refinement of the movement is further enhanced with stylized costumes that also serve as simple props.† (Kangu theatre) The characters and actors play a big part in success of the overall story because it is their acting that makes it successful. Not too many people understand arts the way actors do. Some people may say that everyone can become an actor, but not everyone can become good actors.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Actors with capacity strengthen the role of actors and can present themselves as livestock professionals. Actors may be small but they are the integral part of the entire narrative. The final production of a narrative is determined by the actors and everyone else who is working in the project or they are a whole package (Actors Roles, 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The roles of actors in theatre are different from those in theatre. However, they are, generally, must be prepared to take the role to shape the entire production – from the beginning to the end and they should correspond to the overall idea and context of the production.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In his interview with Olga Surkova , Tarkovsky says, â€Å"To the actor, acting must be like life itself, a riddle, a secret, a mystery.† He describes that in theatre, the actors play incredible roles and responsibilities. For actors in theatre, their roles increases (Olga, 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   For this, actors should be familiar with and â€Å"be acquainted with the director’s ideas and intentions in their completeness,† add Tarkovsky (Olgo, 2007). In every circumstance, they should be able to respond spontaneously and act intuitively under the director’s guidance.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Actors should know the whole scenario before starting their part. For theatre actors, they have to presume that they know the end result of the theatre. They have to learn desperately and imagine the final form while those of the theatre are still at rehearsing stage (Actors for Role Play, 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Theatre actors who are able to foresee the final form tend to be given the opportunity to express his or her own ideas of the role they are playing or the role of other actors. This makes them to be fateful, which in turn, add to the final form of the production. This is applied to actors of all scenarios. Too often, the final form is better than the script or vice versa. It depends on the actors and the roles they play in the entire set.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Not only actors have different roles in different scenarios, but they also require different methods in different cases. Director plays important part in this because he or she has to be innovative and creative while guiding the actors to meet the final as he imagine what is written in the script. In fact, the director breathes life to the actors and together, they work to produce a production of the same theme.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Some directors require the actors not to know the whole script but waiting for his or guidance. The most important requirement for their role is that they should not be artificial but act naturally.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Said Olga, if in theater the director’s idea represent the foundation of the cast’s acting, the actors fills â€Å"a function in an intellectually constructed ritual. The director’s thoughts are transmitted through the tangible presence on stage of the person playing the part.† (Olga, 2007) For example in Murder in the Cathedral The act of female chorus was contradictory to the male priests and showed Thomas’ disagreement and conflicting feelings and thought. The play is shown in very naà ¯ve manner and with clarity to depict the historical period accurately. Though there might be some deviations from the real facts when analyzed in details. However, production is good and historical events are portrayed well. The image of the characters is well depicted (Murder in the Cathederal).   Play is formed with multidimensional platform with big cast to handle and with beautiful lighting decoration of the stage. It tried to give exact picture of Thomas’ world and his internal and external relationship in cathedral. The visual experience is very good and pictures historical period. The chorus of females, who were six from Canterbury, used to sing the fears, oppression, despair and sufferings of people representing an ordinary folk. This chorus were mainly chanting and speaking of ordinary people hardships they suffer due to the temporal power on them. In the play they are narrating to the audience about the past and express their feelings about the fate. The women of Canterbury sang about destiny, which focus the environment of play on martyrdom, life and death. To some extent they foretell Thomas murder. Portray of women was shown as protective, caring, weak but intuitive, and quintessence of Canterbury people (Murder in the Cathederal). Conclusion Interaction of Producer, Director, Designer, Writer and Actors is very important in production of a play. The details of setting and characters are directed very accurately and in cost-effective way. All the individual elements like script, characters, acting, lighting, direction, production, writing, editing and photography all perfectly correlated. A perfect balance must be created in all the settings. All these things from playwriting to final production of the play are equally interrelated. If everything is done perfectly in its place then the play goes very well. References Content standards for theatre http://www.artsusa.org/public_awareness/standards/California/CALIFORNIA-%20THEATRE%20STANDARDS.PDF Cook, Nash. (2004) Writing a Shooting Script. Retrieved from http://is.asu.edu/dms/WritingaShootingScript.htm Olga Surkova interviews Tarkovsky . Retrieved May 3, 2007 from http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~tstronds/nostalghia.com/TheTopics/On_Acting.html Actors for Role Play. Retrieved May 3, 2007 from http://www.actorsmeanbusiness.co.uk/role1.htm Actors Roles. Retrieved Mary 3, 2007 from http://www.actorsmeanbusiness.co.uk/role1.htm Kangu theatre: http://wtrgreenkunqu.org/Resources/Kunqu Description.htm Wikepedia.com Cook, Nash. Writing a Shooting Script. Retrieved from http://is.asu.edu/dms/WritingaShootingScript.htm

Are Automotive Manufacturers more Socially Responsible?

Are Automotive Manufacturers more Socially Responsible? To what extent are car manufacturing firms operating in a more socially responsible manner when designing environmentally friendly cars? Abstract Social responsibility is one of the key differentiators between modern corporations, and is seen by many analysts as an antidote to the past few years trend towards the demonisation of corporate institutions. The recent economic crisis, in particular, has led many observers to argue that corporations that fail to address issues of social responsibility will struggle to survive. However, other observers question whether this phenomenon is anything more than a superficial consumer trend, and whether the world economy in general can seriously contemplate a corporate system in which the profit motive is subservient to the need for corporate social responsibility. This dissertation examines social responsibility in terms of the car manufacturing industry, and looks in particular at the question of whether or not the move towards environmentally friendly cars is anything more than a passing phase in an industry that is extremely sensitive to public opinion. Ultimately, the aim of the disse rtation is to determine whether or not corporate social responsibility within the car manufacturing industry is a genuine change, or whether it is simply a superficial response to a passing public trend. Introduction The concept of corporate social responsibility has been one of the dominant themes of the past decade, with consumer recognition of a corporations social responsibility being increasingly seen as a lucrative phenomenon. In the west, in particular, increasing levels of affluence have led to a trend that has seen more customers show willingness to pay more for products that are designed according to theories of social responsibility., and this shift has been nowhere more apparent than in the automobile manufacturing industry. This trend has inter-cut with a recognition (in some quarters) of the need to ensure a more environmentally-friendly approach to industrial production and consumption, and a number of corporations have secured dramatically enhanced public images through a focus on affordable but socially responsible products. However, critics argue that since the primary aim of these corporations is to increase their profits, the appearance of social responsibility has been more o f a cosmetic change than a substantial alteration of core business practices; many critics believe that corporations have, in most cases, merely become better at packaging their products as a more socially responsible, environmentally friendly alternative. Despite the recent financial crisis, the automobile manufacturing industry remains a bellwether for the global economy, and any genuine global industrial changes regarding social responsibility will likely be evident in the automobile industry at an early stage. This dissertation will examine the behaviour of car manufacturing firms and will ask whether they have genuinely become more socially responsible when designing environmentally friendly cars, or whether this is merely a superficial smokescreen designed to generate improved public exposure without leading to genuine changes in design and production philosophies. In particular, the difference between the industrys approach before and after the onset of the recent economic crisis will be examined, and these differences will be used to determine whether or not the move towards social responsibility represented a genuine change to production systems or was merely an attempt to capture the early twenty-first century zeitgeist. Furthermore, the dissertation will examine the extent to which social responsibility and environmental awareness have affected not only above-the-line (i.e. visible to the public) areas of the industry, but also below-the-line (i.e. internal corporate) systems; the d issertation will argue that firms can only be said to have adopted a greater level of social responsibility if their attempts to tackle this issue extend to below-the-line activities. The dissertation will use a series of core examples in order to determine both the hyperbole (i.e. the claims made to the public) and the core below-the-line changes that may, or in some cases may not, reflect the car manufacturing industrys more socially responsible, environmentally friendly approach to business and production. Literature Review Corporate Social Responsibility Social responsibility has been one of the key growth areas in recent years. Crane et al. (2007) define social responsibility, in the corporate context, as a companys ability to put aside the profit motive in order to perform tasks that have a beneficial effect not on the company itself in terms of capital but in terms of an entirely separate social group (Crane et al., 2007, p. 6). In this context, social responsibility can be seen as something that companies are expected to do unbidden, in much the same way as many people choose to donate their time and volunteer to help charities. In some ways, therefore, social responsibility can be seen as an attempt to anthropomorphise corporations by rendering them indebted to a cultural belief that they should act in a more ethical and moral manner. This is in some ways a cultural corrective to the idea of corporations as solely capitalistic, profit-orientated organisations. May et al. (2007) suggest that corporate social responsibility is a popular construct that seeks to imbue corporations with humanistic traits regardless of whether those traits are present or not (May et al., 2007, p. 118). In order for public recognition of these traits to be tangible, there must be a relative relationship between different corporations, so some must be seen to be exercising a great deal of social responsibility, while other must be seen to be doing very little. This is, in effect, the classic polar relationship between good and bad, and it allows consumers to associate themselves with positive, socially responsible companies purely by making certain purchasing decisions. Both sides therefore have a vested interest in social responsibility: consumers feel good if they reward socially responsible companies with their custom, and can use such purchases as a form of status symbol; corporations, meanwhile, can try to generate a larger, more loyal customer base. While some critics argue that social responsibility is a trend that will wax and wane according to various social and economic factors (May et al., 2007, p. 119), others believe that the emergence of social responsibility as a major business factor in the past decade is in fact a permanent change. Crane et al. note that growing awareness of environmental issues has led many people to recognise the importance of social responsibility (Crane et al., 2007, p. 10), and although the recent economic crisis may have led many to hold back on the spending that they would otherwise have directed towards socially responsible corporations, there still appears to be a broad consensus that social responsibility is one of the most important factors in modern business. Consequently, many companies have sought to strengthen their social policy credentials. Environmental Policy One of the key elements of social responsibility is the environment. For more than twenty years, there have been warnings about the effects of global warming. Many corporations choose to exhibit their social responsibility through one of a number of environmentally friendly policies: Reducing the environmental cost of production distribution. Reducing the environmental cost of consumption. Reducing the environmental cost of disposal. Using more environmentally-friendly materials. Reducing packaging and other superfluous elements of a product. Instigating specific environmentally-friendly technological elements. Funding research and education programs. Carbon and pollution off-setting. All of these options and more are regularly employed by companies that want to emphasise their environmental credentials. Large companies tend to focus on methods that require little more effort than throwing money at the problem, e.g. by funding research or off-setting their carbon emissions. However, some other companies are far more inventive, and genuinely try to reduce their environmental impact. Social Responsibility Aside from the environmental factors noted above, companies have found a number of ways of demonstrating their corporate social responsibility: Funding education programs. Providing services, e.g. transportation for school and disabled groups. Promoting volunteerism among their own workers. Donating money to charities. Working to eliminate abuse in the chain of production. The globalised corporate environment makes it more difficult than ever for companies to hide practices that might be unpopular in their domestic markets. For example, if a company seeks to use cheap labour in third world countries, it can make a short-term impact but will usually be exposed eventually. In other words, companies find it increasingly difficult to hide any non-socially responsible behaviour. The Car Manufacturing Industry The vast majority of manufacturers are global in terms of production facilities. The leading US and Japanese manufacturers, for example, tend to have dozens of factories, with at the top five companies all having at least one factory in each of North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australasia. As such, the industry can be said to be truly global in terms of both customer reach and production. Furthermore, companies often experience great success in non-domestic markets, e.g. Japans Toyota also sells many cars in the US, and Germanys BMW is extremely popular in the UK; the only major exceptions to this rule are two of the three big US companies, General Motors (GM) and Chrysler, both of which have been criticised for their focus on the US market. The Impact of the Economic Crisis on the Car Manufacturing Industry All the worlds car manufacturers have in recent years suffered from the global economic downturn. In the US, the big three manufacturers Ford, Chrysler and General Motors (GM) have all come close to bankruptcy, and GM has been forced to file for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Around the world, companies have suffered similar problems, although in most cases not to the extent of the major US companies. In Japan, both Honda and Toyota have suffered heavy losses and have been forced to reconsolidate their core business areas. As a result, the automobile industry has been undergoing a period of immense uncertainty, and this has led many consumers to believe that they can no longer rely on the continued presence of the big names. Apart from the well-publicised problems for the big three US companies GM, Ford and Chrysler, almost every other major car manufacturer around the world has suffered a slump in profits in the past two years, and many have incurred legacy debts during this period that will impact upon their performance for decades to come. Toyota reported a massive $1.7bn loss (Fackler, 2008) and, like most other manufacturers, was forced to re-focus activities on core revenue streams. As one of the key figures in the green car revolution, Toyota had been investing heavily in environmentally-friendly cars, and had been happy to make such investments since it believe there would be massive financial benefits in the long run. However, the financial crisis crippled Toyotas ability to consider the long term implications of its current activities, and forced the company to focus on its core business. As Satoshi Hino notes, Toyota has long been one of the more adventurous companies when it comes to placing substantial industrial bets on future changes in the automobile market, but these have always been backed by strong performances in the companys core activities (Hino, 2005, p. 41). The companys move into electric and hybrid cars seen by many as a key element in the push towards greener automobiles has largely been financed by success in core diesel machines, with the pay-off for this front-end investment expected to arrive between 2010 and 2015. However, with the core business model threatened by double-digit year-on-year sales drops, Toyota was forced in 2009 to consolidate its activities and re-focus on the most profitable elements of its production line. This decision by the company served as dramatic proof that while there was clearly a high degree of confidence in terms of the potential for socially responsible cars to provide a significant pay-off in the medium to long term, this confidence was not strong enough to allow the company to rely on such vehicles during a time of economic crisis. Clearly, therefore, market forces are not yet dictating the need for social responsibility in sufficient numbers, or with sufficient support via purchasing decisions . Research Methodology Research Approach The research will take two key approaches: a questionnaire will be used to conduct primary research into consumer awareness of the question of social responsibility in the car manufacturing industry, and two case studies will be used to determine how two of the worlds biggest manufacturers GM and Toyota deal with this issue. In order to assess the impact of the social responsibility policies of both GM and Toyota, the questionnaires will be designed to measure the impact of such policies (or the lack of them) and the degree to which they change public opinion and have the effect for which they were designed. These questionnaires will be vital in terms of bridging the gap between the theory and reality, and will expose the limitations inherent in this approach. In order to increase the likely response rate, and to comply with ethical considerations regarding privacy, the questionnaires were left anonymous and respondents were told that they could ignore any individual questions that they would prefer not to answer. The secondary research will focus on two case studies, one looking at the leading US car manufacturer (General Motors) and the other looking at the worlds leading car manufacturer, by sales (Toyota). These companies have been chosen for specific reasons. General Motors (GM) has had a difficult economic history over the past two decades, almost filing for bankruptcy in the 1990s before going on to enjoy considerable success with a series of non-environmentally friendly cars (SUVs) while professing to hold social responsibility as a key philosophical point, and then suffering a massive collapse that resulted in the company filing for the fourth largest bankruptcy in US history (see chapter 4). Toyota, meanwhile, has made a name for itself with a series of advanced hybrid cars, but has also suffered during the recent financial crisis (see chapter 5). In other words, GM is seen by many as one of the worlds least socially responsible manufacturers, and Toyota is seen by many as one of the worlds most socially responsible manufacturers. By comparing and contrasting their approaches and fortunes, it should be possible to develop a clear understanding of the extent to which major car manufacturers have been socially responsible in pursuing an environmentally friendly agenda. Research Questions The research is based on the following key questions: To what extent do car manufacturing companies act with a high degree of social responsibility when designing environmentally friendly cars? How important is consumer behaviour to car manufacturers interest in social responsibility? Do consumers drive companies behaviour, or vice versa? What different approaches to the subject of environmentally friendly, socially responsible cars have been taken by different companies? How has the recent economic crisis affected manufacturers interest in social responsibility? Is social responsibility progressing according to narrative trends? Is this a major change to business, or merely a passing trend? Research Limitations Any research project contains inherent limitations. If these limitations are ignored, they do not go away; rather, they linger and negatively impact the reliability of the overall project. Consequently, the best approach is to recognise these limitations from the start and to work to ensure that they are factored out of the equation as much as possible. As Saunders et al. note, its only by recognising the limitations of any research program that the problems that always affect any research project can be brought into the open, addressed and contextualised and, in some cases, turned into positives (Saunders et al., 2009, p. 51). The research limits of this project are as follows: Social responsibility is an inherently subjective matter. Something that is socially responsible in the view of one person may be socially irresponsible in the view of another. Many of the relevant subjects, such as global warming, are not universally recognised. Its therefore important to reflect the fact that there is ongoing debate. There is insufficient time and space to analyse the entire market. Therefore, key examples must be selected for the case studies. As noted in 3.1, the subjects for these case studies were chosen for very specific reasons. Questionnaires must be brief and simple to understand, yet they must also focus on the key points. Persuading respondents to fill in questionnaires can be difficult. All these limitations can be overcome, to various extents. The subjectivity inherent in the research subject is in fact relevant to the continuing social, cultural and political debates regarding the extent to which car companies should, and can, adopt socially responsible roles; some critics argue that this can only be achieved if consumers adopt socially responsible approaches to their purchasing patterns, which will inevitably force corporations to adapt to face this trend. Similarly, the continuing debate over global warming although settled in many peoples view continues to cause debate in many parts of the world. Finally, the limitations of time and space mean that the case study subjects must be analysed extremely closely, and the choices of company must be made carefully. Results Analysis Response 200 questionnaires were sent out. The expected response rate was 40-50%, as per the suggestion by Saunders et al. that any questionnaire-based research project that prompts between a third and a half of targets to respond can be said to have performed averagely (Saunders et al., 2009, p. 102). In the event, 81 questionnaires were returned, representing 40.5%, which is just within the expected range. This gives a statistically relevant sample group. Demographic Information Demographic details are important in research concerning attitudes to consumer activity and the environment, since both of these factors can impact upon an individuals view of these issues. Question 1 concerned the age of the respondents: How old are you? The majority of respondents were in their teens and twenties, with a total of three quarters being under 40. This makes the questionnaire more relevant in terms of analysing the attitudes of younger people. The second question concerned the occupation of the respondents. It was decided to provide broad categories rather than to request specific details. For one thing, this emphasised the confidentiality and privacy of the research, and for another it allowed for easy and effective categorisation of answers: What is your occupation? Around two thirds of the respondents were employed, self-employed or in part-time work, with the rest being students, retired or unemployed. Awareness of Social Responsibility among Car Manufacturers The next question asked respondents if they believed the car manufacturing industry, as a whole, to be socially responsible. A brief explanation was appended to this question, defining social responsibility as an awareness of their impact on society, including the environment, and their efforts to ensure that this impact has a positive rather than a negative effect: How responsible do you think car manufacturers are? An overwhelming majority (67.9%) considered car manufacturers to be either not very or not at all responsible. Breaking these results down according to age and occupation gave the following results: Appreciation of manufacturers social awareness, broken down by age range Clearly, levels of appreciation appear to be at least partly linked to age, with these levels peaking for individuals in their fifties. There are numerous possible reasons for this, including: Media exposure: different age groups are exposed to very different media forms and sources, each of which will likely carry very different stories concerning manufacturers levels of social awareness. Learned behaviour: older respondents will have spent longer living in a time when many of the relevant issues, particularly environmental impact, were not considered. Environmental awareness: some of the answers may be influenced by a lack of belief in the various arguments concerning the environment and, in particular, the car industrys contribution to global warming. Clearly, therefore, awareness of social responsibility is a dynamic factor that reflects a number of different viewpoints, and this factors is by no means viewed the same by different age groups. The clear correlation between age and awareness indicates that manufacturers must ensure that they operate multiple simultaneous social responsibility programs if they are to reach all these groups. However, the next question sought to determine whether or not it was strictly necessary for the manufacturers to try to appeal to everyone, and asked how important social responsibility is to purchasing decisions. First, in terms of the overall response, the result was as follows: How important is a manufacturers social responsibility for you when choosing what car to buy? Almost half (48.1%) claimed that social responsibility was either very or quite important, with just over half (51.9%) claiming that it was not very or not at all important. Given the relatively small sample group for this research project, the difference is small enough to be statistically irrelevant, and broadly indicates a 50-50 split in terms of opinion on this subject. However, looking at the results in terms of an age-related breakdown results in a very different set of results: Importance of social responsibility of manufacturers, by age The data shows a clear depreciation of the importance of social responsibility for older consumers, although there is evidence of an increase for consumers in their 50s and above. In order to determine a link between awareness of social responsibility in the industry and the importance of social responsibility in purchasing decisions, the results from figures 4 and 6 were then combined: Importance, and awareness, of social responsibility in the car manufacturing industry There is clearly an inverse relationship between awareness of social responsibility as a factor in the industry, and belief in the importance of social responsibility. For example, younger people are most likely to believe that social responsibility is an important factor when making purchasing decisions, but are the least appreciative of any efforts that have so far been made. To an extent, this can be seen to be a matter of perception, but theres also clearly a problem for the industry in terms of persuading parts of the consumer base that its intentions are genuine. In order to measure the degree to which various manufacturers have succeeded in their aim of seeming more socially responsible, respondents were next asked whether they thought the industry had become more socially responsible over the past decade: Do you think the car industry has become more socially responsible over the past decade, less socially responsible, or it has stayed mostly the same? The vast majority of respondents believe there has been no real change, strongly suggesting that either the message from the manufacturers has not got through to the public, or that there is a deep level of cynicism in terms of whether the public believe that the rhetoric has translated into genuine action. Finally, respondents were given a range of options and were asked to indicate which they believed were most important in terms of social responsibility. They were asked to tick two or three options, with the aim being to allow them to indicate the elements of corporate social responsibility that were deemed most important: Most important elements of social responsibility Clearly, the vast majority of consumers overwhelmingly equate social responsibility with environmental issues. The only other factor to come close to this in terms of relevance was making donations to charitable causes, which to an extent also involves the environment. Social responsibility is not purely about the environment, and encompasses a range of other activities that can improve society. However, for the consumers canvassed for this research project, environmental issues were by far the most important, and its therefore possible to argue that the environment has overtaken all other elements of social responsibility and has become the single most important issue. Although manufacturers could fight against this perception and attempt to focus attention on other factors, the best approach might be to accept that when it comes to social responsibility, most consumers overwhelmingly focus on the environment. Case Study 1: General Motors (US) Background General Motors (GM) is the largest US car manufacturer, and the second largest in the world (after Toyota) (Trott, 2009). The company relies heavily on four key brands: Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC. Each of these brands has a distinctive presence in the US market, but critics have argued that GM has lacked focus on the non-US markets, leaving it particularly vulnerable to domestic turmoil and economic volatility. In 1994, GM came close to bankruptcy following a $4.5bn loss, but cost-cutting measures and management changes ensured its survival. The company was one of the key instigators of the huge rise in sales for sports utility vehicles (SUVs) in the 1990s, a trend that was highly lucrative for GM but which resulted in criticism from environmental campaigners. Between 1998 and 2001, GM and Ford vied for the top spot in the US market, primarily through massively increasing sales in the SUV market. However, the downturn which followed the September 11th 2001 attacks saw GM suff er particularly hard, even compared to Ford, with the latter at least having a strong European heartland on which to rely during difficult trading conditions in the US. Nevertheless, GM bounced back and by 2005 was recording strong sales figures and was eyeing major expansion into overseas markets. However, the recent economic crisis virtually crippled GM, as well as its two key domestic rivals, Ford and Chrysler. GM lost $38.7bn in the 2007 fiscal year (Wearden, 2009), and an almost 50% drop in sales. The following year, GM predicted that it would run out of money in mid-2009 without a substantial re-financing program, and called for government help. In November 2008, the company joined with Ford and Chrysler in formally requesting help from the US government in order to stave off bankruptcy. Even in the context of the financial crisis, this move was massive, since it represented the genuine possibility of the USs three major car companies going bust almost simultaneously. Although the US government, under outgoing president George W. Bush, was initially reluctant to provide money at a time when many other businesses also had legitimate claims for government help, in December 2008 a bridging loan was finally offered. Despite numerous attempts to cut costs and reorganise the co mpany over the next six months, in June 2009 GM filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. After Lehman Brothers, Worldcom and Washington Mutual, this was the fourth largest bankruptcy filing in US history. Eventually, on July 10th 2009, the US government helped to finance a new company, NGMCO Inc., that took on the majority of the old GM assets. The old GM changed its name to Motors Liquidation Company, and the new Vehicle Acquisition Holdings company changed its name to General Motors Company, thereby bringing GM back to life. The new version of GM is mostly owned by the US government, while the old GM Motors Liquidation Company continues to go through the process of the bankruptcy filing. Social Responsibility Both the old and the new GM have been involved in programs to emphasise their social responsibility. Since 1996, GM has financed the Safe Kids USA Buckle Up program, designed to encourage children to use seatbelts. The company has also contributed to a consortium that has donated over $1.2bn to fund education for engineering graduates, a scheme that has recently been extended worldwide. GM has also donated more than $200m in the past decade to charitable causes, and has supported both Democratic and Republican presidential candidates often simultaneously. The companys more recent philanthropic activities include a new global aid program (GM, 2009) and a number of smaller, local community projects designed to improve provisions mostly for children in areas surrounding the companys main factories. These projects have, for the most part, been maintained despite the continued financial uncertainty and the chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings that took place in mid-2009. GM has also launched a major program called I Am GM, designed to showcase the companys strong workplace diversity policies. The program involves placing adverts in newspapers and magazines, and on television, in which GM employees from different ethnic backgrounds talk about their pride in the company. As well as reinforcing the idea of GM as an equal opportunities, ethnically diverse employer, the campaign is designed to show how GM works towards engineering a higher degree of diversity in society. Linked to this program is the companys renewed focus on safety, which has seen not only improvements designed to help children in the event of an accident, but also high-profile campaigns to reinforce the companys vehicles in order to make them withstand bigger crashes. The Buckle Up program has been maintained, and GM has expanded this campaign since 2008 by taking the message to schools around the US. The company claims that corporate responsibility is about more than just words its an acknowledgement that our actions shape our reputation (GM, 2009). Environmentally-Friendly Technology During the 1990s, a number of scandals saw the company accused of poor environmental management, including an accusation that sediments have been stored in unsafe conditions. In 2006, GM was one of a number of manufacturers from around the world named in a suit brought by the State of California over the issue of pollution. The case was dismissed a year later, but the damage to GMs reputation had already been done. In 2008, the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) ranked GM 18th on its list of the USs worst polluters, giving the company a toxic score of 73,248, set against the no. 1 polluter, E.I. du Pont de Nemours, which scored 285,661 (PERI, 2008). Meanwhile, in the same year, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) ranked GM 7th out of the worlds largest car manufacturers

The Laws Of Thermodynamics

The Laws Of Thermodynamics This writing assignment explains some essential ideas about the Laws of Thermodynamics and how oranges exist given the Law of Thermodynamics, along with ideas of entropy. Oranges are considered structured because of the fact that entropy is an expression of the randomness or disorder as well as the energy from high temperature region to low temperature areas. Since orange molecules are not closed system and assuming that their entropy decreases, the energy flowing to the low temperature areas is able to make oranges to exist since the entropy is decreasing for those molecules hence the disorder is decreasing so the molecules can pull together or stay together. Energy is defined as the ability to do work while thermodynamics is bringing about change in the study of energy. Energy exists in many forms, such as heat, light, chemical energy, and electrical energy. Paul Davies, another well-known and popular author gives his views on the Laws of thermodynamics as, The second law of thermodynamics is often phrased by saying that every closed system tends towards a state of total disorder or chaos. One measure of the remorseless rise of chaos uses a quantity called entropy, which is defined to be, roughly speaking, and the degree of disorder in a system. The second law then states that in a closed system the total entropy can never decrease; at best it remains the same. Almost all natural changes tend to increase the entropy, and we see the second law at work all around us in nature. One of the most conspicuous examples is in the way that the sun slowly burns up its nuclear fuel, spewing heat and light irretrievably into the depths of space, and raising the entropy of the cosmos with each liberated photon. Eventually the sun will run out of fuel and cease to shine. The same slow degeneration afflicts all the stars in the universe. In the mid-nine teenth century, this dismal fate came to be known as the cosmic heat death.' [Davies, In About Time p. 34] The First Law of Thermodynamics states that energy can be changed from one form to another, but it cannot be created or destroyed. The total amount of energy and matter in the Universe remains constant, merely changing from one form to another. The First Law of Thermodynamics also called the law of conservation states that energy is always conserved; it cannot be created or destroyed. In essence, energy can be converted from one form into another. The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that in all energy exchanges, if no energy enters or leaves the system, the potential energy of the state will always be less than that of the initial state. This is also commonly referred to as entropy. Once the potential energy locked in carbohydrates is converted into kinetic energy (energy in use or motion), the organism will get no more until energy is input again. In the process of energy transfer, some energy will dissipate as heat. Entropy is a measure of disorder: cells are not disordered and so have low entropy. The flow of energy maintains order and life. Entropy wins when organisms cease to take in energy and die. The third law of thermodynamics, formulated by Walter Nernst and also known as the Nernst heat theorem, states that if one could reach absolute zero, all bodies would have the same entropy. In other words, a body at absolute zero could exist in only one possible state, which would possess a definite energy, called the zero-point energy. This state is defined as having zero entropy. Potential energy, as the name implies, is energy that has not yet been used, thus the term potential. Kinetic energy is energy in use or motion. In the hydrologic cycle, the sun is the ultimate source of energy, evaporating water (in a fashion raising its potential above water in the ocean). When the water falls as rain (or snow) it begins to run downhill toward sea-level. As the water gets closer to sea-level, its potential energy is decreased. Without the sun, the water would eventually still reach sea-level, but never be evaporated to recharge the cycle. Water is an essential need for all living things which include plants to manufacture and processes their food. Chemicals may also be considered from a potential energy or kinetic energy standpoint. One pound of sugar has a certain potential energy. If that pound of sugar is burned the energy is released all at once. The energy released is kinetic energy heat. So much is released that organisms would burn up if all the energy was released at once. Organisms must release the energy a little bit at a time. Similarly, according to Brian Greene he emphasizes on the study of entropy as, First, entropy is a measure of the amount of disorder in a physical system. Second, in physical systems with many constituents there is a natural evolution toward greater disorder, since disorder can be achieved in so many more ways than order. In the language of entropy, this is the statement that physical systems tend to evolve toward states of higher entropy. (Green, In The Fabric of the Cosmos, p. 154) Energy is defined as the ability to do work. Cells convert potential energy, usually in the form of C-C covalent bonds or ATP molecules, into kinetic energy to accomplish cell division, growth, biosynthesis, and active transport, among other things. Therefore, for orange tree to grow to its fullness and be able to produce its fruits, the energy processes would be involved in the development of that plant. Also for it to grow healthy it requires fertilizer which is a chemical energy being converted to potential energy. Energy has often been called the currency of life. It flows through Earths processes creating wind, providing light, and enabling plants to create food from water and air (carbon dioxide). Humans have tapped into this flow to generate electricity, fuel our cars, and heat our homes. The sun provides Earth with most of its energy. It is important for one to recognize and appreciate this source of energy and to explore the transformations that bring the suns light into their home in the form of light, heat, food, and fuel. We are fortunate to have many concentrated sources of energy. Besides the sun, there is chemical energy found in fossil fuels such as coal and oil and in nuclear resources. While the amount of energy in our world remains constant, as we use it (transfer it to one form to another), it becomes spread out and less useful. Energy also gives us the ability to work. Through education and becoming aware of what energy is and how we use it, we can learn (i.e., work) to use our concentrated resources more wisely, and ensure that they will be available for future generations. Work cited Davies P. In About Time. Simon Schuster. 1995. Green B. In the Fabric of the Cosmos: space, time and the texture of reality, A.A. Knopf, 2004.