The Keystone Pipeline Project Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Keystone Pipeline Project - Research Paper Example activists have continuously urged president Obama to reject the project, counting on his track record of acknowledging the impact of climate change on humanity. The activists classify the project as among the biggest challenges world faces today. Objections to projects of huge magnitude are always necessary (Ruchti, 2010) Case against Implementation of Keystone Pipeline Project White House officials and numerous other state departmental staff have continuously insisted that a ruling by the Obama administration on the keystone XL will be entirely based upon environmental, security and economic factors. Activists have been using the project to test the president’s commitment towards environmental protection efforts, and while the intended economic benefits are huge, the projects negative impact on the environment pits environmental conservation efforts versus economic gains (Roode & Ruchti, 2010). White house officials have stated that the project is neither a component of the c ountry’s policy on climate, nor a means for bargaining on trade issues with other countries, especially Canada as the case on Keystone in this case Canada (Kadrmas, 2009). (i). Negative impact of keystone pipeline on the environment Research suggests that the Keystone Pipeline Project’s negative impact on the environment and climate especially along the proposed route far out weight the intended economic benefits that might be derived from the project (Kadrmas, 2009). Profits gained from investment in the pipeline system might be immediate and worth the cause, but the long term degradation of the environment will negatively influence every aspect of the lives of Americans living along the pipeline, from current to future generations. The project is harmful to the ecosystem and the... The project itself is worthwhile and of great economic implications. Jobs will be created as well as energy. If the Obama administration approves implementation of the keystone pipeline project, the resultant effect of job creation and economic gain aside, there will also be a tremendous increase in greenhouse emissions on the atmosphere. Pollution of land, air and water will be one of the major implications of the project. Because of its magnitude, the world climate will be affected by this single pipeline project in terms of global warming. The government should instead resolve on how clean energy can be produced and recycled since appetite for oil will always exist if not increase with the ever growing population. Structures to check operations of such plants should be put in place and reviewed regularly before projects such as Keystone pipeline are implemented. Compensation for land should be concerned with satisfactorily paying land owners the equivalent of the value of their la nd and additional costs of eviction. The concern for the environment should be the top priority for projects such as Keystone since reversing the effects of environmental degradation is nearly impossible.

My worldview as a Christian Essay Example for Free

My worldview as a Christian Essay This essay is for the purpose of formally stating my worldview as a Christian and demonstrating how I perceive reality when it pertains to certain issues. While this will not have changed much from my original worldview outline, it serves to expand on the issues and give intelligent analysis to my beliefs. As this semester draws to a close, and I re-evaluate my worldview outline, I a consistency between my beliefs and those presented in the course material. After analyzing the major questions, I have been able to find academic support for each belief that I hold. The first question we were asked was ‘Who is God, and what is he like?’ my initial answer was that God is the creator of heaven and earth, the supreme celestial being that oversees and influences everyday events. As to His characteristics, I believe that he is absolutely just while being full of grace. He is absolute power, under perfect control. He has intense emotions, but perfect reactions to them. That is who God is to me. The second question was about humans, what they were, and what happened when they died. A human is a being created in the image of God, with capabilities for reason, and an innate understanding of right and wrong. When a human dies, they go to one of two places. Those who have chosen to follow God will go to heaven. Those who don’t will go to hell. The third question was ‘what is the nature of the universe?’ When I hear that, I have to ask what they mean by nature. I have to look around and say ‘is it the actual physical world, and how it fits into a bigger picture? I would assume so, and say that by nature, what God created was good, And was later polluted by sin. The most confusing question was ‘how do I know what I know, and how do I know it’s true?’ I know what I know because of what I’ve been told, and what I’ve experienced, and how I apply it through the filter of my faith and values. And I kn ow that I know because if I didn’t know that I knew I wouldn’t be able to analyze this question about knowing. The next question was the only one that my answer changed slightly. What is right and wrong, or does it exist? Right exists, but wrong is only the absence of right, not something in and of itself. And the only way we can discover it is through the experiences, of ourselves and others, and through the filter of God’s word. Is life pointless or is there a purpose? If we believe God creates us, we must believe that there is a reason. I believe my purpose is to help people through hard times, since I have gone through enough hard times that I can empathize with them. Each person has a unique attribute that helps them glorify God in some way. What core commitments are consistent with my worldview, and how do they impact my life? I’m still not exactly sure about what is meant by core commitments, but the actions and values that I hold myself to identify key aspects of my worldview. I would say that the things I do are very consistent with my moral and spiritual beliefs. My worldview is based a lot on faith, and I try to find reason for what I believe. I do need to evaluate if the beliefs that I have actually have base in reality, scientifically and morally. I have very strong beliefs and opinions, as a result of coming from a very opinionated family. My worldview is very consistent with the perspectives expressed in the coursework. I have a fairly weighty background in biblical studies from other schools, and so have been exposed to this subject more than the average student. As a result, my worldview has been shaped by what I have learned, and there were few if any contradictions between what I believe and what was presented. My worldview passes (to my knowledge) all of the four tests of a worldview. In the test of evidence, my worldview draws from personal experience and scientific reason, and assumes (if not proves) the existence of a God who embodies the characteristics I have identified. In the test of logical consistency there is no reason to doubt what I have seen or read, and I try not to act outside of my beliefs in a way that would cause any inconsistency to be evident. In the test of existential repugnance, it is possible to live the life that I am attempting to live in the ‘outside’ world. Anyone can live a moral life and follow specific rules about how we should govern ourselves, but not on their own. And the test of human nature is consistent with my belief on the nature of humanity. Nothing about humanity suggests that we are not designed by a higher being, and everything points to inherent value that other creatures do not and can not possess. My worldview affects everything about my actions, because I will not leave that frame of reference without changing part of my worldview. I cannot act outside of my worldview, because I will always analyze things based on what I assume to be right information, and will act accordingly. My worldview has stayed consistent throughout this course, and if it has changed at all it has been a subconscious change. I have had a good upbringing and a solid background in biblical studies, so I did not hear anything that was shockingly new or revolutionary. Cosgrove, M. P. (2006). Foundations of Christian thought: faith, learning, and the Christian worldview. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications. Strobel, L. (2000). The case for faith: a journalist investigates the toughest objections to Christianity. Grand Rapids, Mich.: ZondervanPublishingHouse. Wilkens, S., Sanford, M. L. (2009). Hidden worldviews: eight cultural stories that shape our lives. Downers Grove, Ill.: IVP Academi

The Company Magners Cider Marketing Essay

The Company Magners Cider Marketing Essay Global logics can be explained as a process to determine globalisation with successive dimensions, each taken separately, and interpreted for telling patterns. The existence of global logics means that the company recognizes the need to find a appropriate response to address concern regarding globalisation. The nonattendance of global logics specifies that issues of globalisation are not correctly addressed. The understanding of these logics has been helpful to reduce the complexity to globalise a company(Jeannet n.d.). Magners cider has always fostered the mechanism of making the right product available to the people at the right place. In France people are inclined to drink for pleasure and less inclined to binge out, the French people consume slightly more alcohol than their neighbours Britain (also biggest consumers of magners cider), this is due to the fact that French like to have drinks during meals, and most French men do not find it smart to get drunk. 4/5th of the magners consumers under the age of 24 like to drink in the bar, only a tenth of customers choose magners over bar. It is also a fact that men are most likely to consume cider than women. Nevertheless, female would prefer to have cider in a garden or a part, cider is not considered as a drink they would have with food (Just-drinks 2010). Magners has catered the global customer needs and advantages of its products considering the segmental and geographical differences. The primary quality of the product is that its natural drink ma de from apples. This is great competitive benefit with a world full of food additives. Also the death rate in france is high these days, so people are considering switching to healthier drink options which can prove to be very advantageous for magners. Also cider has fewer calories than beer, which will make it appealing to health conscious people especially women(Keynote 2009). Thats why the company will make sure that Magners cider is shown with apples and served on ice in each advertisement. Magners will strengthen cider by showing it as a mixture of seventeen different types of apples. In short, the company wants to show the product as a traditional company with a great experience that manufactures a distinctive natural product. It is very essential to have an intense promotional campaign, because it is very difficult to maintain such promotion activities for a long time, so it is essential to have two levels of communication: Intense Communication during the launch phase to increase brand awareness Long term communication to have a presence in peoples mind (Appendix 2). 3.2 Global Competitor Logic When competition creates a compelling debate to practise globalisation, global competitor logic comes into play. In a few industries a company faces different set of competitors in different markets, point towards low competitor logic; same is the case of magners in france. The customary cider distilled in France was once not so popular because of negative image and declining sales, but it is essential to give emphasis to space for growth in the sector especially in the over the ice cider which magners is famous for; to support this declaration French brewer which was experiencing rapid decline in the beer market for 25 years has decided to enter cider market with its Apple frost drink and aiming to sell 25,000 bushels in its initial year of launch, this will be the main competitor in the over the ice cider market (Perkins n.d.). Also MDD (Marque de Distributeur) has largest cider market share of 41.5%, LoÃÆ' ¯c Raison has 22.5% and Ecusson and Autres has 10% each(Keynote 2010). 3.3 Global Regulatory Logic Alcohol consumption patterns and drinks preferences vary from country to country. All countries have different laws regarding consumption and minimum required for it. It can be said that global regulatory logic is high, because regulations differ from country to country and France has been very strict about its amendment. In France alcohol kills about 45,000 people and costs 17.6 thousand millions à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ each year. In 2005, the parliament of France amended a law on alcohol advertisement called the Evin law, which was the result of consensus between public health specialists and consensus wine firm owner (Keynote 2011). This law allows using objective characteristics during promotion but bans any form of qualitative arguments. The manufacturers of wine will be able to use facts such as geographical area, explanation about colour and taste (Bremer n.d.) (Perkins n.d.). The deficiency of social problems in France due to alcohol is because drinking is very expensive in bars, so young people usually purchase very less from bars and then move to home. France has no intention to follow the path of its neighbour Britain when binge drinking is involved. Authorities have the power to strip the bar from its license, and people are advise carry DIY breath testing kits to verify themselves before driving. Alcopop (beverages including distilled alcohol) was heavily criticised and government taxed them out disagreement (EPHA 2007)(Hennessey Jeannet n.d.). 3.4 Global Information Logic Information acquirement by customers is very important factor for global marketing strategies, its a way how consumers scrutinize the environment, the different types of media they are exposed to and how much they are willing to travel to acquire certain information. Magners has always relied heavily on TV advertising, but in France there are legal consequences of promoting alcohol on television and is strictly forbidden. But magners has always invested heavily on marketing and advertising and will use other forms of effective advertising. Magners will focus on radio advertising, and other forms of outdoor advertising such billboards and bus stop advertisements. One should keep in mind alcohol promotion in France must transmit a moderate message(Bremer n.d.). These types of promotion are best way to highlight orchards orange through seasoned affected life style. Magners has a difficult task of overcoming cynical and hesitant audiences to communicate the right message of brand. Past p romotional campaigns have seen magners create outdoor implementations to influence natural apple proposition. Advertising has been central part of magners entry in the international market. Global information logic here is strong as magners as always relied on TV, radio, press, advert boards in all of the countries it operates (except TV in France)(Martin 2007). Marketing Strategies Target Group Primary target Group: Magners cider primary target group would be young singles aged between 18-34. They can be either male or female as its appealing to both. Secondary target group: All the people allowed consuming alcohol. Cider is a drink for all ages in England. This expression was also to be created in French market Our secondary target group are basically all the people, who are allowed to drink alcohol. Cider is a drink which is consumed by people of all ages in Great Britain. This image is meant to be created in the French market as well. Magners cider aims to sell the product all over France. But at an initial stage, the company would like to test the product in big cities like Rennes, Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon, Nizza and Grenoble. Also Magners is supporting English rugby teams, so magners want to do the same by selling cider in French rugby cities like Auvergne, Toulouse, Perpignan and Montpellier (Appendix 1). This report has scrutinized the global logics applicable for Magners Cider when entering the French market, it come across French market and people perceptions about the product. It can be said that clear magners cider has no real competition in France as there are no direct competitors for direct competition for over-ice bottled cider. It is important to note that attitude towards drinks is different in France, but still it has an image of being a traditional, old-fashioned drink which young consumers dont like to drink, however consumers have different perceptions for new drinks like ice cider. It is important to note that alcohol advertising is prohibited in France, and there are strict rules on these type of advertising, nevertheless magners will look into the past promotional strategies to overcome such barrier and catch the attention of the French people, relying on heavy advertising budget of outdoor advertising etc. Entering French cider market is a good decision as magners b rand image will help it to overcome its competitors (direct indirect) very easily.

Comparing Religious Archetypes in Moby Dick, Billy Budd, and Bartleby t

Religious Archetypes in Moby Dick, Billy Budd, and Bartleby the Scrivener        Ã‚   Herman Melville's use of Biblical overtones gives extra dimensions to his works.   Themes in his stories parallel those in the Bible to teach about good and evil.   Melville emphasizes his characters' qualities by drawing allusions, and in doing so makes them appear larger than life.   In the same way that the Bible teaches lessons about life, Herman Melville's stories teach lessons about the light and dark sides of human nature.   He places his readers in situations that force them to identify with right or wrong choices.   In Moby Dick, Billy Budd, and "Bartleby the Scrivener," Melville encourages his readers to learn from his explanations of human nature and strive for a better society.      Ã‚  Ã‚   Melville's Moby Dick is the saga of a whaling voyage gone awry when the Pequod's Captain Ahab leads his crew, not to hunt for profit, but to hunt the White Whale who took one of his legs.   Captain Ahab's idolatrous relationship with the White Whale, Moby Dick, parallels King Ahab's idol worship.   Captain Ahab represents all idolaters.   His obsession approaches Biblical proportions.   In First Kings in the Old Testament, King Ahab, who is "weak-willed" (Hertz 699), is controlled and influenced by his wife Jezebel.   He neglects his responsibility as King of the Israelites, and leads his people astray to the worship of Baal.   In doing so, he breaks the Second Commandment: "thou shalt have no other gods" (Hertz 295).   Similarly, Captain Ahab leads his crew away from their job as whalers.   As Mr. Starbuck says, "I came here to hunt whales, not my commander's vengeance"(Moby 162).   Led by feelings of revenge and anger, Ahab uses the crew to search for his G... ...   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   152. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism, Vol. 17.   Detroit, 153. Michigan.: Gale Research Company, 1985. Gardner, John.   "'Bartleby': Art and Social Commitment," in Philological   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Quarterly, Vol.   XLIII, No. 1, January 1964, pp.   87-88.  Ã‚   Rpt. in   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Contemporary Literary Criticism, Vol. 17.   Detroit, Michigan.: Gale Research Company, 1985. Hertz, J.H., ed.   Pentateuch and Haftorahs.   London: The Soncino Press, 1960. Melville, Herman.   "Bartleby the Scrivener."   Rpt. in Billy Budd and Other Tales.   New York: The New American Library, 1961. _____. Billy Budd.   Rpt. in Billy Budd and Other Tales.   New York: The New American Library, 1961. _____. Moby Dick. New York: Random House, Inc., 1950. The New English Bible.   "Matthew 25: 40-41."   Oxford: Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press, 1970.

Case Study: Developing the Leaders of Tomorrow

Produce a four pages report on NSW public sector commission discussing their approach to management and leadership development while highlighting the added value, this kind of approach brings to the success of organizations in general. In the next ten years, NSW expects a large number of retired managers by up to 75% from Department of Finance and Services. In 2008, NSW started preparing succession management to have a pool of managers and leaders for future changes. According to Berger & Berger succession management define as â€Å"the daily process of cultivating future talent through coaching, mentoring, feedback, counseling and development†. NSW develop succession management planning for the sake of developing the present manager in the organization through daily process, coaching, personality assessment and 360 – degree feedback and other tools to assess the leaders. NSW focused on succession management in order to have capable leaders and managers to be ready to deploy those managers would retire in the next ten years. Succession management ensure an organization has the right management available today as well will take over the role of managers and leaders in the future. It ensures the continuity of leadership, and to keep the blood continuing in the organization such as having new and developed mangers and leaders ready to replace those will retire. Therefore, NSW concerns about succession management in order to develop a pool of managers with specific capabilities and competencies ready to take over for a managers or executives within the organization. The succession management helps organizations measures the strength of their pool of talent and recognize where there gaps in the talent. The NSW established Leader Development Program that focused on the skills and attributes managers need to lead effectively in the public sector of the future. The program is developed and builds on the NSW Executive Capabilities such as: Communication and interpersonal effectiveness, facilitating workforce effectiveness, achieving results, organizational context and environment astuteness, managing customer and stakeholder relationships, leadership, strategic thinking and planning, and change management (from EDP PowerPoint document). The program provided to the development requirements of five different groups of leaders as follows: Aspiring managers, new managers, business managers, senior managers, and executives. To develop aspiring managers, a five –day program was implemented. The program involved personality –style feedback, which designed to improve self-awareness and overcome inner barriers to psychological growth and development leadership competencies. For instance, the inner feeling is limit inspiration, creativity and risk taking (Yukl,2013). Therefore, before become a successful manager, it is important to re-join with one’s feelings, and challenge the hidden fears (Yukl, 2013). Also the program covered the role of manager, and skills requirements of management function. A personality- style assessment and 360-degree feedback tools program used for new and business managers. This helps the participants to increase their self –awareness. 360-degree feedback also called as multisource feedback is assumed that most leaders lack accurate knowledge about their skills and behavior, and the feedback can be used to improve it (Yukl, 2013). The Managers obtain information about their skills or behavior from standardized surveys filled out by other people such as bosses, subordinates, and sometimes outsiders (Yukl, 2013). In NSW the program provide the manager with 360 – degree feedback from three key parties – people, business and leadership the modules take place over 10 months. Moreover, Coaching and mentoring sessions used to help the participants to interpret their experiences and learn new skills from their manager. The benefit the participants will gain through learning from their managers’ experience is the amount of challenge in projects, the variety of tasks, and the feedback. For senior managers and executives, the aim was to build a constructive behavioral leadership. The participants received their personality and leadership behaviors from 360-degree questioners. The assessment focused to measure participants’ predominant orientation (people vs. task-orientation), and measures what behaviours are mostly adopted at work and in interaction with other employees (aggressive, passive or constructive behaviors). The 360- degree feedback contains two profiles: self – image and how others evaluate or see you (Human Consulting, 2012). In NSW, a seven module were delivered over 12 months. After that, an independent external consultant clarified the results of each participant individually, to ensure the acceptance of the results in order to encourage change. Nowadays in its fifth year, NSW have 500 leaders and managers accomplished the program. Managers ready for planning and budgeting, staffing and organizing jobs and reporting relationships to efficiently implement plans, and monitoring and problem solving, beside other managerial skills. On the other hand, there leaders who are ready for setting a direction and constructing a vision and strategies to provide attention for planning, highlighting communication, reliability, and empowerment and inspiring people and structure informal networks of relationships ( Bloisi, Cook, & Hunsker 2003). The assessment of Executive Development Program (EDP) illustrates that the Finance and Services group of managers were the top performers among the 500 leaders and managers. The program focused on thirteen capabilities using eight tools to asses strengthens strategic leadership capability, develop the knowledge and skills required to deliver essential improvement, and motivate talented participants. Each participant commenced online and face-to-face assessment and got a confidential feedback to assist development and career planning. The assessment results ranked the leadership executive capabilities into strengthens and weaknesses categories. The four strongest capabilities are customer focus, complex dependencies, capacity to lead and manage people and organizational resilience. These capabilities added value to the organizations approach. For example, having leaders who focused on customers and understand what clients and customers need and want, and what they think about the organization products and how to improve the services and products to satisfy the customers. This kind of leader develops a competitive strategy for the organization. At the same time, the results show that the executive management needs to be developed in the strategic financial management. The main factors required development are: First, various choice of financial systems and budget management processes among and within the nine service group. The solution is merging and combining the financial system such as payment system, accounting and reporting in the state of funds received and spent and budget implementation process among and within the nine service group. The second weakness is the deficiency of clarity or consistency in the role of Chief Finance Officers and their finance team. To bridge this gap, the Finance Executive have to set a clear nd shared objective for Finance Department and drive an individual objective in order to work together to achieve departmental objectives. Third element need development plan is that the financial department does not play a vital role in the organizational decisions. In fact, the Financial Department consider as one of the major aspects for the organization. Therefore, it has to be taken into consideration when to make any kind of discussion related to the company. For example, if the company wants to maximize their profits the company has to grow business and to do that they need an income. Accordingly, the company either takes loan or goes public by issuing shared and bonds in order to make decision regarding this they have to review the financial reports. The fourth and last gab in capabilities is the level of variances of delegation and accountability given to the line managers. In order to fill this gab, the management need to establish a clear delegation of Document of Authority–DOA which state all the financial procedures and identify the authority level for each of financial manager. Than shared among the manager to clarify the level of authority each manager has. For example, for budgeting the project the financial manage has the authority to sign specific amount of budget (10,000$), in case the budget exceed the above mentioned amount then it has to go to the next level of authority and so on. In conclusion, develop succession management to prepare leaders and managers within the organization helps to invest in short – and long – term development of the employees. Moreover, organization’s workforce exposed as much of the working environment as possible so that they gain a good understanding of what the company requires to remain successful. They are familiar with organization culture and value, knew how to deal with employees and what the customers need and want. At the same time, the organization benefit from leaders development that it has committed employees who understand organization’s strategy and management and ensure the continuity of leadership as well having backup plan of leaders and managers developed and trained to replace those managers will retire in the future.

Milgram Obedience Review Essay

â€Å"Obedience is as basic an element in the structure of social life as one can point to. Some system of authority is a requirement of all communal living, and it is only the person dwelling in isolation who is not forced to respond, with defiance or submission, to the commands of others. For many people, obedience is a deeply ingrained behavior tendency, indeed a potent impulse overriding training in ethics, sympathy, and moral conduct. The dilemma inherent in submission to authority is ancient, as old as the story of Abraham, and the question of whether one should obey when commands conflict with conscience has been argued by Plato, dramatized in Antigone, and treated to philosophic analysis in almost every historical epoch. Conservative philosophers argue that the very fabric of society is threatened by disobedience, while humanists stress the primacy of the individual conscience. The legal and philosophic aspects of obedience are of enormous import, but they say very little about how most people behave in concrete situations. I set up a simple experiment at Yale University to test how much pain an ordinary citizen would inflict on another person simply because he was ordered to by an experimental scientist. Stark authority was pitted against the subjects’ strongest moral imperatives against hurting others, and, with the subjects’ ears ringing with the screams of the victims, authority won more often than not. The extreme willingness of adults to go to almost any lengths on the command of an authority constitutes the chief finding of the study and the fact most urgently demanding explanation.† This is from ‘perils of obedience’ by Stanley milgram. I enjoyed this article.