Reasons to Drill Off Shore Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Reasons to Drill Off Shore - Essay Example In other words, global economy is inversely proportional to oil prices. When oil price increases, global economy declines and when the oil price decreases global economy achieves growth. American economy also follows the same path as the global economy does. A world without oil fuel is unimaginable at present. Even though we have many other energy sources, none of them are capable of replacing oil. Even though nobody has any doubt about the utility or essentiality of oil in sustaining human life in its present form, some people argues against offshore drilling citing environmental reasons. At the time of crude oil purification and also at the time of operating vehicles, oil liberates so many greenhouse gases like oxides of carbon, sulfur, nitrogen, methane etc. Daniel et al (2006) have mentioned that â€Å"between 1976 and 1990, oil companies in Nigeria witnessed a total of 2,796 oil spills. An estimated total quantity of 2,105,393 barrels of oil was spilled on land, coastal and off shore marine environments† (Daniel et al, 2006, p.111). Amidst all such criticisms labeled against offshore drilling, it is a fact that the no other energy sources are capable of substituting oil. In other words, offshore drilling should be continued in its present form until we would be able to find out alternate energy sources to replace oil. â€Å"The United States consumes nearly one-fourth of the world's oil. The big discoveries are happening offshore, says Robert Bryce, managing editor of Energy Tribune† (Jervis et al, 2008). The above statistics and opinion clearly point towards the necessities of offshore drilling. It is difficult for United States to replace oil with another energy source at present because of the huge dependence of America on oil fuels. America is producing only 10% of its total oil needs, which means around 90% of oil required for its domestic usage, is being imported from overseas countries. It is difficult for America like big country to re ly heavily on other countries for energy needs. â€Å"Unfortunately, because of dumb luck, most of the world’s petroleum is controlled by nations that are unfriendly to the United States. Russia, Saudi Arabia and Iran were three of the top five producers of petroleum in 2007† (Column: Offshore Drilling Not Hoax, But Necessity To United States, 2009). Arab countries, Russia and China are the major oil producers in the world and America’s relations with these countries are not so good. Under such circumstances, if these countries decide to stop oil supply to America, energy crisis may intensify in America. Under such circumstances, it is necessary for America to increase offshore drilling to find out more oil sources. As Robert Bryce says, the possibility of big discoveries cannot be ruled out in offshore drilling. It should be noted that the entire faces of gulf countries have been changed immensely as result of the discovery of oil sources in those countries. Th e living standards of the people in gulf countries improved a lot as a result of the oil discovery. Such dramatic things can happen in America also and therefore oil drilling or offshore drilling should be continued even though criticisms are there. The following statistics from Louisiana reveals the importance of offshore drilling further. Louisiana has had offshore drilling since 1947. About 172 active rigs dot the Gulf of Mexico waters off the coast, producing about 79% of the oil and 72% of the natural gas that comes from drilling off the nation's

Analysis of The Neo Classical Theory of Economics Research Paper

Analysis of The Neo Classical Theory of Economics - Research Paper Example The Neoclassical theory of economics introduced the concept of maximizing profits or utility as the base cause for the rational decisions made by man. The economic man acts rationally so as to maximize the gains out of the action. In the case of individuals, the utility of the product decides on the price and the market value of the product. In the case of the companies, it is the profitability of the company that would be the deciding factor. Another leading concept behind the neo-classical theory is that it also accepted the fact that the individuals will act independently and their perception of what is profitable to them might vary. William Stanley Jevons (1871) in his seminal work, The Theory of Political Economy says, 'Given, a certain population, with certain needs and powers of production, in possession of certain lands and other sources of material: required, the mode of employing their labour which will maximize the utility of their produce.' The neo-classical was influenced by the thoughts of a number of economists of the twentieth century and the behavioral economics was adopted by the majority in lieu of the neo-classical. A modified version of this is termed the new classical economic theory and most of the current day work on economics is based on these principles. The new classical theory takes into consideration various factors that make up the economic decision making of the individuals (Emma Dawnay & Hetan Shah Jul 2005). It takes into account the behavior and choice of people based on various reasons not necessarily controlled by the sense of maximizing their utility or their value or their returns. Statement and its implications The statement brings to the forefront of the seven basic principles that differentiate the new classic economic theory from the neoclassical one. However, this theory accepts the fact that economics is one of choice and preference. The logic of preference or economic decisions is controlled by the market prices, the return to the person or the company is going to get out of it and finally the allocation of resources. Apart from these, the decisions are made based on a number of factors that are more behavior oriented rather than economics directed. Information flow in the market place affects the market price and creates a trend in the market. Information in today's world also has an impact on the economic behavior of nations. Behavior and psychology of a person have an effect on the decisions that are made by him.

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 Managing Communications | Research Proposal Managing Communications | Research Proposal Taversha O’Connor Consulting Firm Business Profile Gilzene’s Consulting firm was founded in the year 1996 by Mr Desmond Gilzene who taught that the industry was lacking in a proper consulting firm. It is a Jamaican-based consulting organization specializing in business development, analysing existing and start-up businesses, creating solutions to problems, and helping small businesses to develop effective plans for meeting their goals. Our mission is to help people create innovative solutions and make informed choices to improve their lives. We motivate and encourage others to achieve their own personal and professional fulfilment. Our main aim is to cater to addressing our client’s issues in the most effective and efficient manner, we believe that our clients’ success is our success. Our consultants have proven experience in executing different projects in organization in the small business environment in Jamaica, some of such businesses includes; Denise Catering Services, Yanique’s House of Styles, Sherine’s Stocking depot, Jody’s Beauty Salon and many more. We offer our valued service for fifty four hours per week and operate from two branches in the rural and urban environment. Business profile Ramà ³n Fancy wear opens for business in the line of supplying the latest fashion in clothing and shoes. Our mission is to provide the most current and unique clothing from top designers around the world. Ramà ³n Fancy Wear is open for business from Monday to Saturday 9am-6pm. This store is located at 45 King Street Linstead where a total of twenty employees is employed in which five are cashiers; three are maintenance worker, eight sales representatives, two supervisors and two managers. Ramà ³n Fancy Wear provides the latest fashions in men, women and children clothing and footwear. However, with so many other similar businesses in the area it was noticed that the business sales profits are declining. Objectives This project seeks to: To understand how to assess information and knowledge To be able to create strategies to increase personal networking to widen the involvement in the decision-making process To develop communication processes and improve systems relating to information and knowledge Methodology Up on conducting this research, various methods will be used. These methods include; qualitative, quantitative, primary and secondary research methods. A quantitative research is explaining phenomena by collecting numerical data that are analysed using mathematical based methods (in particular statistics). With quantitative research it gives a degree of accuracy and more specific answer can be provided (Muijs, 2011). This method will be used when conducting the questionnaires for this research. This research will also take a qualitative approach. According to Hennink et al (2011), a qualitative research is an approach that allows you to examine people’s experiences in detail, by using a specific set of research methods such as in-depth interviews, focus groups discussions, observation, content analysis, visual methods, and life histories or biographies. The main distinctive feature of a qualitative research is that the approach allows you to identify issues from the perspective of your study participants, and understand the meaning and interpretations that they give to behaviour, events or objects. The research will also operate from a secondary method as well. Secondary information consists of sources of data and other information collected by others and archived in some form. These sources include government reports, industry studies, archived data sets, and syndicated information services as well as the traditional books and journals found in libraries and the internet as well. Secondary information offers relatively quick and inexpensive answers to many questions and is almost always the point of departure for primary research. Literature Review Communication is the process of transferring information from a sender to a receiver with use of a medium in which the communicated information is understood by both the sender and receiver. It is a process that allows organisms to exchange information by several methods (what is communication, 2004). From a business perspective, effective communication an absolute must, because it commonly accounts for the difference between success and failure or profit or loss. It has become clear that effective business communication is critical to the successful operation to modern enterprise. Every business person needs to understand the fundamentals of effective communication; it is the most critical component of total quality management. It has been proven that poor communication reduces quality, weakens productivity and eventually leads to anger and a lack of trust among individuals within the organization (Sanchez, 2014). Knowledge has a strong effect on the organization. According to Denning 2009, knowledge is the ideas or understandings which an entity possesses that are used to take effective action to achieve the entity’s goals. Knowledge management is the process through which organizations generate value from their intellectual and knowledge-based assets. Most often, generating value from such assets involves codifying what employees, partners and customers know, and sharing that information among employees, departments and even with other companies in an effort to devise best practices (Levinson, 2014). Improving information management practices is a key focus for many organizations, across both the public and private sectors. This is being driven by a range of factors, including a need to improve the efficiency of business processes, the demands of compliance regulations and the desire to deliver new services (Robertson, 2005). Problem solving and decision-making are important skills for business and life. Problem-solving often involves decision-making, and decision-making is essentially important for management and leadership. There are processes and techniques to improve decision making and the quality of decisions. Problem-solving and decision-making are closely linked, and each requires creativity in identifying and developing options, for which the brainstorming technique is particularly useful. Good decision-making requires a mixture of skills: creative development and identification of options, clarity of judgement firmness of decision, and effective implementation (problem –solving and decision-making, 2010). References what is communication. 2004.n/a. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.only-effective-communication-skills.com/what-is-communication.html. [Accessed 15 February 14]. nick sanchez. 2014.n/a. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.web.njit.edu/~lipuma/352comproc/comproc.htm. [Accessed 15 February 14]. steve denning. 2009.n/a. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.stevedenning.com/knowledgemanagement/what-is-knowledge.aspx. [Accessed 15 February 14]. meridith Levinson. 2014.n/a. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.m.cio.com/article/40343/knowledge_management_definition__and_solutions. [Accessed 15 February 14]. james robertson. 2005.n/a. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.steptwo.com.au/papers/kmc_effectiveim/index.html. [Accessed 15 February 14]. prolem-solving and decision-making. 2010.n/a. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.businessballs.com/problemsolving.html. [Accessed 15 February 14].

School or Prison? :: Cause Effect Violence Essays

School or Prison? At Wyoming Valley West there have been too many disruptions that have given our school a negative reputation. Threats of violence were all too common. These threats affected many people involved in theschool district. They also affected the police officers that put their lives on the line to come into a building with a possible bomb inside. My senior year stands out among the rest. Coming into my senior year of high school, I hoped that I would have a nice, quiet, enjoyable, and memorable year. However, it ended up being the worst year ofmy four years in high school. Within the stretch of a week and a half, there were four bomb threats made at our school. On the days of each threat there was a note found in the girls' lavatory. The first note was found on a Friday afternoon after school was dismissed. I did not hear about it untilthe following Monday. On that day, I was sitting in Law class like any other Monday morning. It wasaround 10:30 A.M., when the principal of the school, Mr. DeRemer, spoke over the loud speaker. He announced that the building was being evacuated. Every student had to immediately leave the building in an orderly fashion and report directly to his or her bus. Those students who drove to school were toleave their vehicles behind. At the time, no one was sure what was happening. When I got home that afternoon, I turned on the television to see if there was anything on the newsMany of the local news stations were at the school, and they reported that there had been a bombthreat. This scared me. It had been only a mere ten months since the tragedy in Littleton, Colorado atColumbine High School. Even though I knew that it was most likely somebody just playing games, I stillhad to think of the worst. We were allowed to return to the school that evening to pick up our cars. The next day, the pranksters did not wait too long too strike again. I was sitting in first period,Classical Literature class. My teacher in that class just happened to be the wife of the superintendent ofWyoming Valley West School District.

The Art of Cultivating a Phenomenological State of Mind

It continues to be a renowned belief of Buddhism that upon coming to the conclusion that neither the extreme course of self-denial practiced by the ascetics nor the life of self-indulgence which he had led as a prince was the right path towards enlightenment, Siddhartha Gautama adopts what he refers to as the Middle Way. He then, having the notion that the answer to what he seeks is buried within his own consciousness, sits in meditation beneath a fig tree for a duration of four (some say seven) weeks. Throughout this length of time, he manages to withstand a barrage of attacks and temptations from the devil Mara while gradually ascending through higher states of consciousness, until he transcends the realm of conventional awareness and attains enlightenment. Such is the final aspiration of those pursuing the Buddhist path: to acquire, through right thoughts and good deeds, â€Å"release from the round of phenomenal existence with its inherent suffering†¦ to attain nirvana, an enlightened state in which the fires of greed, hatred, and ignorance have been quenched† (Buddhism). The primary ethic that serves as a guide toward one’s ascent to nirvana is one that is both â€Å"detached and inner-oriented,† requiring the individual searching to cultivate â€Å"four virtuous attitudes, known as the Palaces of Brahma: loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity† (Buddhism). However, in one’s striving to do so, it is important for them to first understand that in regards to Buddhist theory of the mind and consciousness, â€Å"there is no self that is aware of the experiences one undergoes or the thoughts one has. Rather the thoughts themselves are the thinker, and the experiences the experiencer† (Indian Theories of Mind). As long as one continues to believe in the existence of a self, it is not possible for them to properly understand the concept of mental activity as it is expressed within the Buddhist tradition. Only once the belief in an inner self is renounced, and the belief in Atman, â€Å"the non-material spiritual element that merely witnesses the mental activities involved in the ordinary awareness of objects† (Indian Theories of Mind), is nurtured, is the individual then capable of amassing together positive mental factors which will aid in their resolve to veer from both the practices of austere asceticism and sensual indulgence, and instead follow the Middle Way to enlightenment. Current scientific research on the consciousness has observed that the ordinary person is inclined to â€Å"attend to the world strictly as it appears, the world as it is phenomenally manifest† to him (Phenomenology). In other words, man considers the objects around him to be mere associations to a specific experience, thus he concentrates not on them, but on the manner in which they appear to him. Buddhists, on the other hand, adopt the ‘phenomenological attitude’ by detaching themselves â€Å"from the natural attitude, not to deny it, but to investigate the very experiences it comprises† (Phenomenology). By employing this phenomenological mindset, Buddhists prove that, contrary to common belief, the acquisition of perceptions from an experience is not confined only to emotional or tactile receptors, rather, the awareness of these phenomenal aspects can also be granted through conscious thought. The Abhidharma, which constitutes one of the ‘three baskets’ into which the Buddhist scriptures are divided, endeavors to organize Buddhist teachings in such a manner as to provide detailed analyses of experience. In examining these analyses, it becomes evident that in some aspects they are redolent of â€Å"those in cognitive science that aim to account for cognitive processing without invoking a homunculus or ‘little man’ inside the head who oversees the workings of the mind (or merely passively witnesses the results†¦)† (Phenomenology). For example, the Abhidharma investigates matter as a composition of multiple basic elements. However, in contrast to the standard definition which describing an element as being a concrete object unable to be divided into simpler forms, the Abhidharma classifies an element as being an evanescent material occurrence fluctuating in and out of existence according to the given circumstances. In a similar manner, the Abhidharma categorizes the human mind into its basic components: a â€Å"succession of mental states† or â€Å"stream of consciousness. In line with this reasoning, Buddhists hold this point of view with regards to the functioning of the mind: â€Å"It is a mental imposition of unity where there is in fact only the arising of a multiplicity of interrelated physical and mental events. The sense of control belonging to one’s sense of self is thus largely illusory. There is really nobody in charge of the physical and mental processes, which arise according to the ir own causes and conditions, not our whims. The mind is not ruled by a central unite, but by competing factors whose strengths varies according to our circumstances† (Indian Theories of Mind). Buddhists thus attribute the â€Å"limited but intuitive presence† an individual senses in response to their cognitive experiences, not to a metaphysical self, but to the spontaneous, non-recurrent awareness one has in relation to their own mental states; it can be interpreted as one of many varieties of perception. It is the Atman, or non-spiritual element, â€Å"that merely witnesses the mental activities involved in the ordinary awareness of objects† (Indian Theories of Mind). While on his deathbed, the Buddha told his disciples these words: â€Å"Seek salvation alone in the truth; look not for assistance to anyone besides yourself. † He was, in effect, admonishing them to seek enlightenment by no means other than developing right thinking and good deeds on a personal level. When taking into account the path a Buddhist is required to follow, the significance of them cultivating a phenomenological mindset becomes progressively more apparent to the observer. Consider the concept of Renunciation. A Buddhist author, Gill Farrer-Halls, explains in layman terms: â€Å"Renunciation means lessening both our attachment to those things we like and our aversion to unpleasant situations and feelings, by realizing that none of these things have an inherent ability to make us happy or unhappy† (Buddhism Seeks Enlightenment and Ultimate Reality). To an ordinary person, adopting such a view regarding material possessions is no effortless task. However, in assuming the phenomenological attitude, they no longer become concerned with â€Å"what things are in themselves†¦ but rather in exactly how they appear, and thus as strict rational correlates of [their] experience† (Phenomenology). This is the Buddhist mindset. Believing material things to be sheer â€Å"correlates of [their] experience† and nothing concrete, they are then able to hold them with a relaxed hand, so to speak. In the event these possessions are removed from them, Buddhists, instead of becoming distressed, accept this as a trait of matter, which, according to the Abhidharma, fluctuates within the realm of existence according to causes and conditions. Farrer-Halls elaborates on this concept further: â€Å"A tightly closed fist tries to grasp hold of things, but they slip away because of this grasping. If we open our hands, things pour over and move unimpeded. In this way, by not trying to control the natural flow of life, we can enjoy it. When we loosen our grasping we become open, which makes us receptive to our environment. We can appreciate other people and our surroundings beyond our tightly help perceptions† (Buddhism Seeks Enlightenment and Ultimate Reality). Through these examples, it is evident that the cultivation of a phenomenological mindset enables one to develop a detached appreciation for the material things of the world. If this psychological approach wasn’t administered through routine meditation, the three poisons: desire, craving, and lust, would effortlessly trounce the Buddhist’s determination to follow the Middle Way first established by Siddhartha Gautama, and thus attain enlightenment and ultimate reality.

Critical Lens the Odyseey and Ithaka

Ms. Zivas Critical Lens According to an unknown author, â€Å"It is not what an author states, but what he or she whispers that is important. † In other words, every detail in every book or work of literature has a more complex meaning than what is on the paper. Two works that prove this quote true are The Odyssey by Homer and â€Å"Ithaka† by Constantine Cavafy. The Odyssey by Homer is a metaphor for life. â€Å"It is the journey that makes up your life† as said by Tiresias, a blind prophet in The Odyssey. There are many life lessons or lessons learned in this work.For example, in the episode The Lotus Eaters, the lesson Homer meant to teach his listener was to resist temptations. Another lesson Homer meant to teach was that temptations can lead to danger. This was said in The Sirens episode. Life is a long but interesting path. One will never know what might happen. All of the creatures or characters in The Odyssey represent an obstacle someone might face in li fe. As said before, The Odyssey by Homer is a metaphor for life. â€Å"Ithaka† by Constantine Cavafy represents the road to death or the destination.In life, one can conquer any obstacle. This was portrayed in this poem. â€Å"Ithaka† was also used to explain that life should be lived to its fullest. The reader should get the experience to learn about foreign sensual learning. â€Å"Ithaka† provided its reader with an exciting and helpful story which had many moral lessons to be taught. The quote â€Å"It is not what an author states, but what he or she whispers that is important† really describes that the authors of both work of literature write more than what is on the paper. There is another story behind every book or poem.

Ddww Essays

Ddww Essays Ddww Paper Ddww Paper Does anything symbolize the united States more than a sasss muscle car roaring its high output engine at the beginning of a h mile drag strip? Well, maybe apple peel and football. But the good news Is that the American muscle car has experienced a rebirth and it may just be better than it has ever been. With the reincarnation of the Corvette, Mustang, Camera, and GOT, it seems that the days of American Muscle have returned. However, when talking about the return of a classic muscle car, the 2009 Dodge Charger must not go unmentioned. Its aggressive style and powerful engine homelike the traditional American beast unlike any other current retro vehicle. Sleek, stylish and affordable. These three adjectives Justly describe the 2009 Dodge Charger. The new modified Charger, has Improved In nearly every category since its introduction in the 2006 model, and has continued to sell in great numbers throughout the united States. In a time of such economic stress and uncertainty its no wonder why an affordable American vehicle has been in such high demand. With three distinctly different models including a fuel-efficient yet powerful 180 response engine in the SE to the Juggernaut 425 horsepower engine In the SORT-8 the consumer Is able to customize the car best suited for them. The new design of the Dodge Charger features a wide wheelbase, with an aggressive front end that seems to constantly be on the prowl as if scaring other vehicles away. Even with its aggressive look the 2009 Dodge Charger sits at over 200 inches long and contains ample room for not only 5 passengers, but also a significant amount of trunk space for luggage. It can ultimately be described as the modern cycle car; A powerful vehicle with plenty of room, and enough technology to please even the biggest computer nerd. In fact, one of the more Interesting options available in the 2009 Charger Is a 30-gloated hard drive for storing digital music and picture files, which can be seen on the Navigation Screen, which also happens to show real time traffic updates. The exterior options also include a rear spoiler on every model as well as wheels that range from 16 to 20 inches. The similarities in exterior design between the 1966 Charger and the 2009 Charger are amazing to look at. The lines on the car are so similar yet deferent enough to make your mind wander as to how Dodge was able to Incorporate the original beauty of the 66 Charger with the 09 Charger. The two vehicles both have an overall length slightly over 200 inches, and have a wide wheelbase of over 117 inches that is so distinctly a characteristic of the Dodge Charger. Fortunately, Dodge was successful in keeping the new Charger, Just recognizable enough to realize exactly what vehicle was the 2009 Chargers predecessor. The Charger SE, the base model, has a 178 horsepower V-6 engine that gets round 25 MUG and at around $22,000 Its hard to pass up on such a stylish car. Of course, this model doesnt exactly bring about thoughts of the gas-guzzling pedal to the medal vehicles of the sasss. Fortunately Dodge has taken care of the consumers need for a vehicle meant to push the limits. The Charger SORT-8 has a 6. 1 liter 425 horsepower HEMI V-8 engine that pumps out over 6200 RPM and even has a functional hood scoop Just in case anybody doubted its muscle car credibility. For around S anyone can roller one AT ten most excellent anon powerful American cars currently on the market. As to be expected with any large, extremely powerful vehicle, this models gas efficiency tips all the way down to around 13 MUG, which isnt exactly ideal given the fluctuating gas prices of today. There is also a $1700 gas- guzzler fee, which is a tax applied to the sale of new vehicles that dont meet certain standards for gas mileage, which must be paid for when the vehicle is first purchased. The price for a mid-level 2009 Charger is certainly fair when compared to other competitors in its class. In fact, it is almost exactly in between the dollar price range which includes several other American vehicles such as the Cadillac ACTS, Chrysler 300, Ford Taurus, and Pontiac 68. When comparing exterior styling, the Charger seems to be the only one to stand out in this category of average looking cars produced inside the country. It appears to break away from the boring American Sedan mold with its seemingly muscular skeleton that must have contacted Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez for some of their steroids. After driving the 2009 Dodge Charger it is clear to see the finely tuned transmission, and smooth ride. However, not everything about this vehicle is perfect. I quickly noticed that the turning radius compares to that of a significantly larger car such as a pickup truck and it is not ideal for maneuvering due to numerous blind spots from inside the vehicle. However, if a driver can get used to these two negatives, the car is a very enjoyable ride for any auto enthusiast. Its no secret that the American automobile industry is failing miserably and has done so for years. There may be some sort of quick fix involving some sort of government buyout, however more must be done to insure the future of the American car. Its quite possible that these new remodeled muscle cars may Just be what the auto industry needs to save itself. Specifically the Charger, along with many other new vehicles offer affordability, high performance, and style that reminds us of the old days while containing technology that makes us think about the future. The industry can no longer allow itself to be beaten by foreign competitors without taking immediate action. The combination of styling, performance, and affordability alone should be enough to make any buyer in the car market at least consider the 2009 Dodge Charger. Obviously, it is a well thought out and well-designed vehicle that screams with the patriotism that makes this nation as great as it is.

Compare Cubic Zirconia and Diamond

Compare Cubic Zirconia and Diamond Cubic zirconia or CZ is the crystalline manmade form of zirconium dioxide, ZnO2. Zirconium dioxide is also known as zirconia. Ordinarily, zirconia would form monoclinic crystals. A stabilizer (yttrium oxide or calcium oxide) is added to cause zirconia to form cubic crystals, hence the name cubic zirconia. Properties of Cubic Zirconia The optical and other properties of CZ depend on the recipe used by the manufacturer, so there is some degree of variation between cubic zirconia stones. Cubic zirconia typically fluoresces yellowish green to gold under shortwave ultraviolet light. Cubic Zirconia Versus Diamond In general, CZ exhibits more fire than a diamond because it has a higher dispersion. However, it has a lower index of refraction (2.176) than that of diamond (2.417). Cubic zirconia is easily distinguished from diamond because the stones are essentially flawless, have a lower hardness (8 on the Mohs scale compared with 10 for diamond), and CZ is about 1.7 time more dense than diamond. Additionally, cubic zirconia is a thermal insulator, while diamond is an extremely efficient thermal conductor. Colored Cubic Zirconia The ordinarily clear crystal may be doped with rare earths to produce colored stones. Cerium yields yellow, orange and red gems. Chromium produces green CZ. Neodymium makes purple stones. Erbium is used for pink CZ. And titanium is added to make golden yellow stones. Difference Between Cubic Zirconia and Cubic Zirconium | Diamond Chemistry

Should You Send the 4 Free SAT Score Reports

Should You Send the 4 Free SAT Score Reports SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Few things in life are free – especially when it comes to college admissions. You have to shell out for prep books, test fees, application fees, and more. It adds up quickly! So doesn’t it make sense to save money where you can, like on those four free score reports that come with your SAT registration? Maybe – or maybe not. We will examine the issue in depth and help you learn how to save your money and also maximize your college admission chances. Why Students Often Send the 4SAT Reports When you register for the SAT, you have the option of choosing four colleges for your score report to be sent to, free of charge. You even have until 9 days after the test to add or change the colleges. Scores normally cost $11.25 per school to send, so you’re saving yourself $45 dollars. Many students go ahead and send the four free score reports. It’s free, so it seems like there isn't much to lose. Plus, you have to send your scores eventually, so why not do it when it’s free? Furthermore, some students think it demonstrates interest in a college to choose them as a score recipient. It might also motivate a student to study hard if they know their scores are being sent straight to their top-choice schools. All in all, it seems like a pretty good option, right? Well, that all depends on which schools you pick. Reasons Sending the Reports Could Be a Bad Idea While you certainly can save money by sending the four free score reports, there are several risks that come with using them. First of all, it’s worth clarifying you’re not getting any kind of a leg up in the college application process by sending scores early – colleges don’t keep track of or favor students who began their applications earlier or communicate with the admissions office in any way. The overall strength of your application matters most, not when you begin it. â€Å"Your completed application is all the demonstrated interest we need. We don’t track visits, communications, college fairs, or web events to enhance or detract from anyone’s application," says Dartmouth College on their admissions website. Stanford University says the same thing:"We know by the very fact of your applying that you are seriously interested in Stanford. We do not keep records of prospective student contacts with our office." Bottom line, the strength of your overall application is what matters to colleges. And a huge chunk of your application will be the test scores you send. Which is why the score reports can be a risk. The free score reports are sent automatically after your test is scored – you can’t take them back if you look at your scores and they’re lower than you wanted. This means a college you might really want to go to now has your less-than-stellar score. Unless you feel like chasing down a mail truck and stealing back your scores... This will negate using Score Choice (choosing your top SAT scores from multiple sittings) at any school you send the free score reports to. This is a risky move, especially if you send your scores to competitive schools. Plus, there are many reasons why the four free score reports might not be as helpful as you think. You might not end up applying to all four schools you list, especially if you’re taking the test as a sophomore or in junior fall. Most students’ college lists fluctuate a lot over the course of high school. While you're not wasting money if you don't end up applying to the four schools you send your scores to, it goes to show how those four reports are not necessarily helpful. Furthermore, if you retake the SAT, unless you choose the exact same four schools, you’ll have to re-send any new reports if you get a higher score the second time. So unless there are four schools you’re positive you’re going to apply to and you’re not worried sending lower scores will hurt your admission chances, the four free score reports can be a risk. While you can potentially save money by taking advantage of the free reports, you should be careful about which schools you choose. We will discuss two potential ways to get around this below. Our Strategy For the Free Score Reports While we wouldn’t tell you to never send the score reports, as it can be a cost-saving option, there is a way to be smart about it. Read about the two best options below – not sending the score reports at all or sending them only to your safety schools or â€Å"all scores† schools. Option 1: Don't Sent Any Reports This is the only way to be sure you won't accidentally send poor SAT scores to a college you're interested in. Not sending any score reports allows you to relax and focus on the test. You’re the only one who will see your scores for now. If you need to retake it, you’ll retake it. You don’t have to stress about a college seeing your scores immediately. Furthermore, not sending scores can be smart because you’re likely not going to finalize your application list until senior fall. It’s hard to predict where exactly you’re applying as a sophomore or junior when you take the SAT. In fact, the only schools you might be sure about are your dream or â€Å"reach† schools, precisely the schools you don’t want to be sending scores to blind. While you may end up paying more for score reports down the road, you will only be sending the scores you want to send to the colleges you want to apply to. By keeping your college application list manageable, you can save money on score reports and application fees. Option 2: Send the Reports to Safety and "All Scores" Schools If you really want to take advantage of those score reports, send them to your safety schools – ones you are fairly sure you will apply to and you know you won’t have trouble getting into. Or send them to any schools you’re interested in that require all scores anyway. Yale is one of many schools that require your complete testing record to be sent. By sending scores to safety schools, even if your score is lower than expected, you’re likely not hurting your chances of admission. And even if your scores are lower than expected and they go to all scores schools, that would happen anyway, even if you didn't send the reports for free. This way, you can save some money down the line when you’re applying to college without jeopardizing your chances of admission at competitive schools that accept Score Choice. How to Request Free Waivers for More Score Reports Many students today apply to more than four colleges, which means sending more than four score reports. If sending additional SAT scores presents a financial hardship for your family, you can get four more as part of a fee waiver from College Board. (The fee waiver also allows you to take the SAT twice for free, as well as two SAT Subject Tests.) Your high school counselor has to request the fee waver, so make an appointment with them as soon as possible to begin the process. This will take the pressure to send the four score reports just because they’re free. Other Tips for Keeping Costs Down Make sure you finalize your college application list early in senior fall and give yourself plenty of time to send scores so you don’t have to pay the extra rush delivery fee. This is a way to keep application costs down, not to mention your stress levels! Also, you shouldn’t be applying to a super long list of schools. All of those application fees and score-sending fees will add up quickly. Try to keep your list to 10 or fewer, and with a mix of safety schools, likely schools, and reach schools. Finally, carefully research score choice versus all scores schools. If you are mostly applying to schools that accept Score Choice, you will have the option to only send your best SAT scores. Don’t throw that chance away by sending SAT scores before you’ve seen them yourself. What’s Next? So what kind of SAT score should you be aiming for? Use our guide to create a target score based on your top-choice schools. Not sure if you should retake the SAT? We have a guide to help you decide. Need some help getting ready for the SAT? Learn how to stop running out of time on the Math section, how to read the passages in Critical Reading, and the grammar rules you must know for the writing section. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points?We've written a guide about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Legal research questions Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Legal research questions - Case Study Example CCA concluded both the errors were insignificant and confirmed that the trial had proved Mr. Evan's guilt beyond doubt. The High Court of Australia allowed the appeal and ordered a new trial. The court held that errors at trail to ask Mr. Evans to dress like the robber and also not allowing his claim for alibi undermined Mr. Evan's defense and that he had not received a fair trail. The court held that there had been a substantial miscarriage of justice1. safety and health of the people as well as the environment. The identification and management of the risks associated with the GMOs and to regulate them is the prime objective of the GT Act2. For the purpose of adopting the GT Act effectively by all the states a 'Gene Technology Regulator (GTR) was established under the Common Wealth Act which authority was given power to act in each state. The national scheme governing the GMOs is regulated by the GTR3. The GTR acts independently on her own subject however to the powers granted by the Act. "Four categories of dealings are exempted from the general prohibition on dealings with GMOs"4These dealings are (a) Exempt dealings; (b) Notifiable low risk dealings; (c) Dealings listed on the GMO Register and (d) Licensed dealings (a) The Kyoto Protocol was a treaty entered into in December 1997 at Kyoto with the objective of reducing the gas house gases which result in changes of climate. As of November 2007 there were about 175 countries which have ratified the protocol framed as a result of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. (b) Australia has made an international commitment at Kyoto to be a part of the protocol and to limit the gas house emissions to 108 percent of the 1990 baseline. This projection equals to 30 percent reduction from its 'business as usual' projections5. This commitment was revised on December 2007 to the reduction of 60 percent on 2000 levels by the year 2050. (c) Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has signed the instrument of ratification in December. With this ratification the Kyoto Protocol has become the first Act of the new Government. However under the Kyoto Rules the ratification will take effect only after 90 days from the date of ratification6. Note: The Parliamentary Library in the internet website http://www.aph.gov.au/library/intguide/SCI/kyoto.htm contained useful information on the Kyoto Protocol. Further reference to the Media Release from the government gave information

Are women full citizens If not, what might they require in order to Essay

Are women full citizens If not, what might they require in order to become so - Essay Example Feminist women scholars have been time and again pointed out by fuming mass of religious men as heretic and rebels who need to be stopped before they overtake the society with their cunning charms. An example of this is the unusual act of Dr. Amina Wadud who in an attempt to garner the Muslim women’s rights to full citizenship and to be an active participant in the ritual of public player, made the decision to lead men and women during prayer in New York City causing huge uproar from the Muslim scholars. She was labeled as a highly hostile and controversial scholar by Muslim men around the world which suggests that access to rights equivalent to men is an ongoing battle for women. However, this is not an issue confined to the Muslim society because many Jewish women holding Tefillah groups and eager to play the role of active participants in the formal ritual of Jewish prayers have also been vigorously criticized and unappreciated in the Jewish world. This shows that constitut ional culture in the US has encouraged the Muslim and Jewish women to explore their religious law and â€Å"open it to principles of gender equality†.... However, this is not an issue confined to the Muslim society because many Jewish women holding Tefillah groups and eager to play the role of active participants in the formal ritual of Jewish prayers have also been vigorously criticized and unappreciated in the Jewish world. This shows that constitutional culture in the US has encouraged the Muslim and Jewish women to explore their religious law and â€Å"open it to principles of gender equality† (Lahav 2009). It is absolutely horrid that many acts of these women who anxiously struggle for full citizenship are met with giant waves of mercilessness and evil plots both in the religious communities and contemporary settings. Women’s liberation and citizenship is not just an issue of the conservative states because research also cites that â€Å"contemporary American cities actually contain many injustices† (Young 2011: 13). Research literature suggests that throughout most of human history, women from different clas ses, ethnicities, races, and religions were and continue to be denied state citizenship due to multiple reasons. Within UK, â€Å"the dominance of a Catholic ideology firmly placing women in the home† (Thane & Breitenbach 2010: 3) led to male dominance and exclusion of women as full citizens until the 1960s. However, movements like the right-to-work movement beginning in the twentieth century coupled with changes in the Western capitalism and the trends of multinational corporations have effectively worked to bring down many formal barriers and have ended this exclusion in many societies. Still, citizenship is one of many social practices in which gender segregation is â€Å"ancient and stubbornly persistent† (Friedman 2005: 4). Not only the political rights

Summary and Response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Summary and Response - Essay Example Malcolm X and his peers did not join the army because of the racial tensions between themselves and the whites. Whether or not these young African Americans were wearing these suits to be unpatriotic or to just have fun is the riddle of the Zoot. The working class of African Americans’ plight consisted of low paying, dirty, and dead end jobs which did little to inspire hard work. Many did work hard, while some like Malcolm X turned to illegal methods to make money. Either way, working class or criminal, to go out and have fun in a Zoot suit, with conked hair gave young people a way to relax. The use of Malcolm X to examine the riddle of Zoot by the author is an interesting choice. Whereas there are other famous Zoot suit wearers of the time who did not denounce their actions, Malcolm X scoffed as his days in a Zoot suit. Malcolm X seemed embarrassed by his days in a Zoot suit. This could be as the author suggested as shame because of his conversion to Islam, but in reality the opinion of this author is Malcolm X was ashamed of having fun when so much work needed to be done to advance his people. He must of thought about all the wasted time spent in jail, dancing at Roseland, and wearing his Zoot suit in his youth. If Malcolm X would have converted to Islam earlier or started to spread his message sooner, history could have been changed. This author thinks that Malcolm X felt that he wasted his youth and mourned his lost time. What Malcolm X did not realize is his Zoot suit days helped shape his views as much as his conversion to Islam. The injustices he saw, the injustices that forced him to turn to crime helped form his personality. These shameful memories helped Malcolm X become one of the greatest leaders of our time. During these times he was kid being shaped by his environment. Before learning the disciple of

Marketing Design Innovation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Marketing Design Innovation - Assignment Example ke to the customers can be ascertained as that it provided a refreshing experience to the customers with greater taste along with refreshment (The Coca-Cola Company, 2010). Likewise, Diet Coke is totally free from sugar, which only includes 1 kilocalorie (kcal) for a diet coke of 250 millilitres (ml) consumed by the customers. It has been viewed that the needs of the customers have been frequently changing due to which Coca-Cola has taken the initiative of focusing on products such as Diet Coke and other light products that provide innovative packaging to the customers. Moreover, in order to address the changing requirements of the customers, the company has offered variation in its choices of products to customers that would match their preferences and lifestyle (The Coca-Cola Company, 2012). Diet Coke provides a huge value to the customers as the product has created the awareness of the customers regarding the maintenance of a healthy diet. Diet Coke has been developed in an innovative way and it has been the product that has responded to the trendy requirements of the customers (Bates, 2011). The company i.e. Coca-Cola has understood that through offering the product of Diet Coke, long-term growth can be achieved as it caters the emotional requirements of the customers. Diet Coke has been the product, which has crafted the message of bringing in an evolution within the customers experience that is totally driven towards their preferences and desires. It has been apparent that needs of the customers have been continuously changing and the company has adopted a perfect strategy by introducing Diet Coke in the market as the product tends to address the changing requirements of the customers (Bates, 2011). In the present day context, people have become more conscious about their health maintenance and Diet Coke has been the perfect product, which has been developed considering the aspect of health maintenance for customers. This particular factor has helped in

Unique Perspective on Life by Entering the University Essay

Unique Perspective on Life by Entering the University - Essay Example I had to study. That first day in eighth grade I felt out of place in a strange country, away from the only home I had ever known, helplessly drowning in a sea of strangers speaking a strange language. I was tempted to quit and run back to Japan. I sat there, petrified, with no understanding of what was being said and no clue as to what was being studied. Fortunately, I was blessed with teachers that could sense my fear and uncertainty. With their help and patience, I was able to face my difficult situation and confront the struggle that lay ahead of me. My first challenge was learning the English language. I had the good fortune to attend Westfield High School in Virginia, which has an excellent English as a Second Language (ESL) program. This allowed me to learn English while maintaining an academic pace with my peers. Through hard work, diligence, and the demands of my teachers, I made steady progress and soon began to gain a working command of the English language. This ability opened up new doors for me and allowed me to read, communicate, and make friends. It was through these activities that I learned American customs and developed a greater appreciation of our society, holidays, politics, and history. I progressed through the ESL classes and soon joined my classmates in the regular English language courses. My classes were varied and included music, which is one of my main fascinations and avid interests. As time passed, I was no longer running from my schoolwork or escaping into music, I was pursuing academics. Thoughts of Japan began to fade and I no longer had the urge to run back to my familiar homeland. I was not only beginning to talk like an American, but I was beginning to feel like an American as well. As my vocabulary improved and my interests expanded, I was able to complete high school with an academic performance that allowed me to set my sights on higher education. Now, after two years at Northern Virginia Community College studying traditional academic subjects, I have once again set my goals to a higher standard. I have set my sights on a University degree and I am confident that I can excel in a rigorous academic program at that level.     

Parkinson's disease Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Parkinson's disease - Essay Example Damaging approximately 60% to 80% of the cells producing dopamine would cause its deficiency and consequently lead to the appearance of PD motor symptoms. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NINDS (2013) refers to this brain cells impairment process as neurodegeneration. Prevalence and Incidence About 1 million people in the US suffer from PD with between 50,000 to 60,000 new cases being diagnosed annually. Worldwide, between 4 million and 6 million people suffer from PD (National Parkinson Foundation, 2013). It has been particularly noted to set in at age 50 to 65 with a lower incidence in African Americans as compared to the Caucasians and 3:2 for male to female ratio incidence (Talan, 2011). Motor Manifestation Years before the motor manifestation, people with PD experience non-motor symptoms including sleep disorders, loss of smell, hyposmia and constipation. The Braak’s hypothesis cited by the NPF (2013) observes its earliest signs in the medulla, particularly the olfactory bulb which controls the sense of smell. It would then gradually progress to the cortex and substantia. Notwithstanding, the four motor symptoms cited by NFP (2013) are cardinal in PD: postural instability, slowness of movement, rigidity and tremor. The well-known symptom of tremor has been referred to as rest tremor by NINDS (2013) as it becomes maximal on rested limbs and disappears with sleep or voluntary movement. It begins with a single leg or arm and later becomes bilateral. The tremors have a frequency of between 4 and 6 Hz. Secondly, the slowness of movement referred to as bradykinesia by NFP (2013) relates to difficulties in the whole movement process: planning, initiation and execution. This early manifestation hinders simultaneous and sequential movement performance indicated by problems related with performance of fine motor controlled tasks like sewing, writing and dressing up. The magnitude would be determined by one’s emotional state or activity. Rigidity would be manifested by stiffness of the limb and resistance to movement due to excessive continuous muscle contraction or muscle tone. This could be uniform or ratchet referred to as lead-pipe and cogwheel rigidity respectively. It could be accompanied by pain. Whereas in the early stages it affects the shoulder and neck muscles, it later progresses to the whole body. Finally, the late stages of the disease exhibits impaired balance causing frequent falls and bone fractures due to postural instability. It would be experienced by 40% of the patients. Talan (2011) adds posture and gait disturbances like festination to the list of these motor manifestations. Diagnosis and Detection Initial diagnosis requires the identification of at least two of these four motor manifestations (NPF, 2013). Bedside examination by a neurologist remains the most basic diagnostic tool for suspect patients. To aid this diagnosis, emergent imaging modalities including PET and DAT scans would be performed by a neuroimaging expert with DATscan playing a critical role of differentiating PD from other essential tremors but cannot indicate the PD subtype. Also to aid in accurate diagnosis would be the need for information on physical and medical examination and also medication history to ascertain the absence of medication that causes symptoms similar to those of PD. The

Unique Perspective on Life by Entering the University Essay

Unique Perspective on Life by Entering the University - Essay Example I had to study. That first day in eighth grade I felt out of place in a strange country, away from the only home I had ever known, helplessly drowning in a sea of strangers speaking a strange language. I was tempted to quit and run back to Japan. I sat there, petrified, with no understanding of what was being said and no clue as to what was being studied. Fortunately, I was blessed with teachers that could sense my fear and uncertainty. With their help and patience, I was able to face my difficult situation and confront the struggle that lay ahead of me. My first challenge was learning the English language. I had the good fortune to attend Westfield High School in Virginia, which has an excellent English as a Second Language (ESL) program. This allowed me to learn English while maintaining an academic pace with my peers. Through hard work, diligence, and the demands of my teachers, I made steady progress and soon began to gain a working command of the English language. This ability opened up new doors for me and allowed me to read, communicate, and make friends. It was through these activities that I learned American customs and developed a greater appreciation of our society, holidays, politics, and history. I progressed through the ESL classes and soon joined my classmates in the regular English language courses. My classes were varied and included music, which is one of my main fascinations and avid interests. As time passed, I was no longer running from my schoolwork or escaping into music, I was pursuing academics. Thoughts of Japan began to fade and I no longer had the urge to run back to my familiar homeland. I was not only beginning to talk like an American, but I was beginning to feel like an American as well. As my vocabulary improved and my interests expanded, I was able to complete high school with an academic performance that allowed me to set my sights on higher education. Now, after two years at Northern Virginia Community College studying traditional academic subjects, I have once again set my goals to a higher standard. I have set my sights on a University degree and I am confident that I can excel in a rigorous academic program at that level.     

Genealogy Revised Essay Example for Free

Genealogy Revised Essay Hundred years ago, the thought of bringing enough cash to purchase your dream house was outrageous. In a modern setting, holding a rectangular piece of plastic smaller than the size of your palm can get you almost anything you want. A credit card was thought to bring convenience to humanity. No longer do people need to bring a stack of cash out or fearing that they might have the financial incapacity to get the latest Gucci bag on the showcase. Go crazy with your shopping-spree but can you really handle it? Credit card is a â€Å"silent killer† to many people, causing a lot of unforeseeable harms as deadly as cancer-cells. BlackBerry Mobile phones have become a necessity to numerous people in the modern world. Cliche as it may sound, mobile phones have brought people closer together. However, how close do you really want it to be? With the of BlackBerrys introduction, business executives and even students can now have access to information from a device the size of their palms. Users can be in their own little world without fearing or worrying the world outside them. The work load of a business person has increased because the idea â€Å"not bringing work home† is long applicable. BlackBerry is a â€Å"devil’s device† that shares a similar implication to George Orwell’s â€Å"Big Brother is watching you! † in the novel 1984, because with a BlackBerry, there is no excuse to not respond to a call or any other form of communication. Female Undergarment Wearing a pair of low-cut jeans and revealing part of the underwear is no longer considered inappropriate in certain societies. Originally, the female undergarment’s primary function is to comfot, support and enhance the femalebody form. In addition, the modern function of the under garment also are also inclined to modesty and erotic display purposes. Diamond When it comes to diamond, many may connect diamond to the purity and longevity of a marriage. Nowadays, in a world where marriage no longer lasts forever, the diamond has become ironic in what its qualities represent. Structurally, the is bonded by several carbon molecules. Despite the various possible substitutes for diamonds were introduced such as crystal, synthetic diamonds and even plastics, but the uniqueness and the superiority of a

Control Of A Switched Reluctance Motor Engineering Essay

Control Of A Switched Reluctance Motor Engineering Essay The main objective of this chapter is to spot the light on the practical performance of some form of control on an actual switched reluctance motor in preference to merely theoretical method including simulation and modelling. Moreover, the design of the controller involves reducing the noise. The crucial motivation for this is to enhance new expertise, sensibly regarding circuit design and construction the use of a Programmable interface controller (PIC). A switched reluctance motor (SRM) has been appeared since the nineteenth century, but the renewal of this motor has been to discover a high-power switched device [13]. The earlier motor was facing a controversial issue in their control where the power electronic switching was very expensive and has many drawbacks. The Switched Reluctance Motor (SRM) is an electromagnetic, rotary machine in which torque is produced by the tendency of its movable part to move to a position where the inductance of the excited winding is maximized [12]. Furthermore, (SRM) has been proposed for variable speed applications [13]. In general a salient-pole synchronous machine without field excitation or permanent magnet is called a reluctance machine. From the general definition (SRM) is classified as a synchronous machine, but has different construction. These differences are both stator and rotor have salient poles. However, the stator has wound field coils but the rotor has no coils or permanent magnet. Moreover, the stator has higher number of poles or (tooth) than the rotor. While each pole in the rotor is excited by the opposite pole in the stator due to a sequence of current pulses which produce magnetic field on each stator poles. The Switched Reluctance Motor (SRM) can be more capable for variable speed than AC and DC motor. Since it is simple, robust, has a high efficiency and high power density [3, 10, 12]. Figure 1.1: two- two poles SRM [12] Over the past 30 years the power electronics growth has made the exploit of the characteristics of reluctance machines sufficiently well. Consequently, several successful products are now manufactured. The rotation of the motor depends on the angle between the rotor poles and the stator poles where the current is switched on or off to each poles in the stator where the position of the rotor is very significant. For the motoring principle example, two- two poles (SRM) where stator has two poles with two wound field coils connected in series and two poles in the rotor without magnets or windings and free to rotate as it shown in figure 1.1. If the rotor poles edge is started to be aligned, the current is switched on. Consequently, the inductance is increased and the torque in the rotor is occurred to pull the rotor in clockwise direction. The direction of the rotation is addressed by the current. The current is switched off; when the rotor poles are fully aligned with the stator poles that make the rotor free to move. However, if the current is not switched off the torque at the fully aligned is become negative that produces an attraction between the poles where the negative torque and positive torque cancel each other [12]. The ideal current waveform is therefore a series of pulses synchronized with the rising inductance intervals. The cycle of torque production associated with one current pulse is called a stroke.[12] As a result, to increase the resolution more teeth can be add to the stator and the rotor. From the instantaneous electromagnet torque equation which was derived by T.J.E.Miller(2001) [12] Te = i2/2 dL/dÃŽÂ ¸ that shows the torque is proportional to the square of the current. Therefore, the current is always unipolar. However, at the end of each stoke the voltage must be reversed to return the flux linkage to zero. The power switching IGBT, GTO and MOSFET or any other switching devices can be used in the power electronic topologies [3]. These switches are used to open and close the exiting power in the stator winding. 1.5. Applications of SRM Since the SRM has a significant characteristic operation and design which shows many advantages and makes them suitable for various applications. R.Krishnan (2001) [10] shows the wide range of applications. For example, plotter drive, air-handler motor drive, hand fork lift/ pallet truck motor drive, door actuator and washers and dryers machine, those applications are low power applications where the drives are less than 3hp. Moreover, the medium power applications range is less than 300kw such as industrial general purpose drive, train air conditioning drive and mining drive. However, the SRM did not find much attention by the manufacturers in this range of power. The high power drives are still under study for drives up to 1000hp for fan and pump applications where the converter is very competitive. The high speed applications such as screw rotary compressor drives, centrifuge for medical applications, and aerospace applications the SRM is a perfect option for them due to the small size of the rotor and high power density. Some efforts of study are in Mild Hybrid Vehicles that is reported by (Watterson, P.A. ; et al) [17] in 2008. 1.6 Research area Since the SRM has appeared and has disadvantages such as reduction of acoustic noise and torque ripple. According to the noise and vibration sources can be classified into four main categories: magnetic, mechanical, aerodynamic, and electronic. The classification was done by R.Krishnan (2001) [10] as it shows in figure 1.2. Most researches are based on the design of the motor or in the controller to improve the motor performers and reduce the noise. Iqbal Husain (1994) [8] discusses the effect of the high ripple toque which causes vibration and acoustic noise. The case was in driving SRM for low speed and high performance applications by a new PWM strategy current control. The method was based on optimum profiling of the phase current during an extended overlapping conduction period of two phases. The result shows a smooth operation with minimum torque pulsations by controlling the current profiling. Moreover, other studies were in magnetic radial force as M. N. Anwar (2000) [1] show s the lower noise is occurred when the dominant mode frequencies is high. As a result the research has experimented a proposed design considerations to a 4-phase, 8/6 (1-repetition) and a 3-phase, 12/8 (2-repetition) 1.0 kW SRM with low acoustic noise requirement. The results of the proposal design shows that the noise level has been reduced; however, a 3-phase SRM is noisier than a 4-phase SRM. There are other research was on reducing the noise by Adding extra winding to the phase winding to reduce magnetic stress during commutations with Two stage power converter. Adding extra winding to the phase winding in 6/4 SRM with Two stage power converter shows a significant improvement in the efficiency and reduce in the vibration and noise [16]. The electronic sources of noise occur by reason of the harmonics of voltage and current. The significant research is reported by (Lecointe J.P; et al) in (2004) [11]. The research was in adding an auxiliary winding to the model of a BDFRM (brus hless doubly-fed reluctance machine) to shows that the additional winding has a benefit in reducing the noise in SRMs where a specially derived current is injected to create a suppression force. The BDFRM is used to analyse the equivalent circuit where the equivalent circuit of the model is similar to SRM. However, the process still needs to be complete using two current sources. Figure 1.2: sources of noise in electrical machines [10] Advantages and disadvantages of 3 basic power electronic circuits There are many power electronic topologies that is used for SRM depends on the machine phase configurations. R. Krishnan (2001) [10], figure 1.3, has classified the power converters for switched reluctance machines. The simple three topologies are: Figure 1.3: Classification of power converters for SRM [10] 1.7.1. Single-Switch-per-Phase Circuits (Split dc supply converter) The basic operation of this topology, figure 1.4, is to split the reverse dc power supply into two capacitors. The phase voltage is half the dc voltage when the switch is on and negative half voltage when the switch is off. Consequently, this configuration is a disadvantage. Moreover, the maximum speed and the output power are half the rated while the current and the voltage are half. This topology is only used for low-cost application due to the high power losses. However, the advantages of this topology are: simple and less cost. [3, 10] Figure 1.4: Single-Switch-per-Phase Circuits (Split dc supply converter) [10] 1.7.2. Single-Switch-per-Phase Circuits (Bifilar type) The basic operation of this topology uses a bifilar winding, figure 1.5, with the motor winding to regenerate the stored energy to the supply that the phase winding is connected in series with the switch, and the diode is connected in series with the bifilar winding. The reflected energy is an advantage for this topology in some applications, where the transistor voltage is much higher than the supply voltage. However, the cost increases as the extra winding is added to the motor and the complex design of the power electronic. Moreover, the power density of the motor reduces because of the bifilar winding. [3,10] Figure 1.5: Single-Switch-per-Phase Circuits (Bifilar type) [10] 1.7.3. Two-switch/phase Asymmetric Bridge Converter From the half bridge topology that is illustrated in figure 1.6. if both Q1 and Q2 are turned on the apply voltage at the winding is equal to the supply voltage. However, if both Q1 and Q2 are turned off the apply voltage at the winding is equal to a negative supply voltage where D1 and D2 to avoid the freewheel currents. The advantages of this topology that it can give a negative voltage to reduce the torque ripple refer to noise for a high performance SRM drive system and it can be used for generator or motor operations. The disadvantages more control is needed, more fault in the switching [3, 10, 12]. Figure 1.6: Two Switched / Phase Asymmetric Bridge Converter [12] 1.8 Speed and Position Controller The switched-reluctance motor is basic control system form of a torque-controlled drive as compared in performance to a D.C motor (separately-excited). Commonly, controlled speed or even position is the most requirements. The SR motors speed increases if torque is still produced. As the D.C. drive the torque of SR motor controller is included within a speed regulating loop. The rotor position sensor, which is the encoder, is used as a feedback to derive the speed of the motor readily as it shown in figure 1.7. From the figure it can be seen that an additional feedback is introduced to achieve the position control of the SRM [3]. Figure 1. 7: basic speed and position controller for SRM [3] Aims and Objectives The aims of the project are to design, build and test a power electronic circuit for Switched Reluctance motor (SRM) using Bifilar type. The objectives are as following: Understand the operation of two- two poles SRM to realise the behavior of the motor and their characteristic. We can know from their characteristic how to make the motor spin and the control techniques that is used for them. Select and Design Power Electronic Circuit can help to active a high efficiency, low noise and low cost. Test Power Electronic Circuit with Resistive Load: to find the advantages and disadvantages of the circuit when the resistive load is applied to the motor. Design, Build and Test current limiting circuit where the current limitation can achieve low torque rebel. From the low torque rebel the noise can be decrease. Rotate motor using direct feedback where the position of the rotor is important to detect the moment of switching on and off. Study and understand PIC 18F 46K20. Program PIC to control SR Motor by designing a simulation using the MATLAB or other programmes. Chapter 2 Choosing power electronic component 2. Overview Over the time motor control has a significant growth in the industrial control where digital signal processors together with external hardware and appropriate software are used widely. In order to control the motor the switching device should switch on and off according to the position of the motor rotor and the apply current to the stator winding. The aim of this chapter is to highlight the details of the components that were used in the controller design. 2.1 Technical operation of Simple SRM The simple SRM has 2 poles in the stator and 2 poles in the rotor, figure 1 which the stator iron core has square shape with two winding in the upper side opposite the poles. Both stator and rotor are salient poles where the free spinning rotor is placed between the stator poles. In order to spin the rotor, stator poles are energised by the winding when the rotor poles are unaligned with stator poles. The inductance increased and the torque is produced as the rotor approaches the aligned. At this point the stator winding is demagnetised allows the rotor free to spin. The time of the energised and de-energised of the motor windings depend on the rotor speed. Figure 2.1: (a) Simple SRM 2/2 poles with bifilar winding[12] 2.3 Winding connections The motor has a bifilar winding to build up the current in the stator quickly, figure 1, which facilitates the higher torque and magnetic flux densities occurring. As a result the stored energy regenerated to the supply that the phase winding is connected in series with the switch device. This leaded to three achievable connections, figure 2, for bifilar winding. Figure 2.2: Possible winding connections The first connection shows the parallel connection that has a resistance connected in parallel to the motor windings to reduce the power losses when the switch is off. This connection has the main disadvantage due to the high loss. The second connection shows series connection that two switching devises are used which increase the cost of the design. However, this topology is the most common one for SRM according to reduce the switching heat losses, protections and their control flexibility that is handling the phase current and the machines acoustic noise. The third connection is the most cost effective and easier to control for the simple SRM figure 2. Moreover, it is offering the zero voltage supply as a reference for all power switching that make it suitable for low- voltage systems. Simply this configuration operates as it shows in figure 2.3, When the current of phase-A is turned off by removing the base drive signal to T1, the induced EMF in the winding is of such polarity that D1 is forward biased. This leads to the circulation of current through D1, the bifilar secondary winding, and the source, thus transferring energy from the machine winding to the source. The various timing waveforms of the circuit are shown in Figure 2.3. During current turn-off, the applied voltage across the bifilar secondary winding is equal to the dc link voltage. The voltage reflected into the main winding is dependent upon the turns ratio of the windings. Considering the turns ratio between the main winding in series with the power switch and the aux iliary winding in series with the diode as a, the voltage across the power switch is VT 1 = Vdc + aVdc =(1 + a)Vdc This shows that the voltage across T1 can be very much greater than the source voltage. One switch per phase comes with a voltage penalty on the switch. The volt ampere (VA) capability of the switch will not be very different for one switch compared to two switches per phase circuit. [10] Figure 2.3: (a) Converter for an SRM with bifilar windings; (b) operational waveforms of bifilar converter. [10] Thus, Figure 4 shows the primary plan for designing the current limiting circuit for the third connection of SRM and each block are explained next. Figure 2.4 basic configurations for current limiting 2.4. Power switching component Nowadays semiconductor and electronic switching devices offer a significant performance to control the electrical motors. Moreover, their size and cost make them more convenient to use in the motor control. The electronic devices has a significant role to control SRM where the switching on and off for the voltage is the major role to control the SRM with high performance. As a result, the main electronic devices that can be used are field effect transistors. There are two types of the field-effect transistor J-FET and MOSFET (see the appendix figure 3) [4]. The MOSFET has taken a widely role as a best choice to the simple SRM for many reasons that is discussed later in this chapter. 2.4.1 N-channel power MOSFET (STP36NF06) Simply the MOSFET is a metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor where the MSFET has a significant characteristic [2]. The characteristic of N-channel MOSFET shows a significant use in switching. The structures of the MOSFET are shown in figure 5 where the MOSFET consist of Si P material substrate, two N material substrate that one is the source and the other is drain, and between them there is an insulator Sio2 and at the top metal conductor which is known as a gate. The length (L) below the gate and between the source and the drain is known as a channel. Fundamentally, the MOSFET output current is proportional to the charge in the semiconductor material by the control electrode[15]. Figure 5 MSFET structures [6] The MOSFET is used as a switching device to provide a high speed switching. The significant advantages of the field-effect transistor are: Higher operation temperature. Lower switching leakage. High input impedance. Low noise. Lower power dissipation during switching. In addition, The N-channel MOSFET has advantages such as ease to use for high frequency switching and simpler to control where the MOSFET gate drive do not require a continuous current to switch ON. When the MOSFET is needed to switch ON positive threshold voltage is needed to apply to the gate drive and Zero current to completely switch off. Moreover, the N-channel MOSFET has higher density integration and possible in rapid reduction in capacitances. [2]. MOSFET (STP36NF06) gate requires drive properly the later components are used to limit the current and the gate signal for the MOSFET. The gate drive is a power amplifier that accepts a low power input from a controller devices and generate the appropriate high current gate drive for a power MOSFET[4]. 2.5. Bipolar junction Transistor Transistors are considered one of the main elements of semiconductors that have been discovered in modern times. Transistors are used in the amplifiers of electrical signals and electronic switching, which have helped a number of factors such as small size, ease in manufacturing, cost effective and consume less power to extend significantly. Figure 2.6 (a) transistor structures (b) npn and pnp structures 2.5.1. ZTX 653 NPN transistor The NPN transistor is a type of bipolar transistors known as a medium power transistor. The NPN ZTX 653 transistor has interesting features that make it suitable for the push pull topology and amplifier topology (pre totem pole connections). The features of NPN ZTX 653 transistor are [6] * 100 Volt VCEO * 2 Amp continuous current * Low saturation voltage * Ptot=1 Watt 5.5.2. ZTX 753 PNP transistor The PNP transistor is another type of bipolar transistors that is used in the push pull topology. The PNP ZTX 753 transistor is suitable to employ in the push pull topology (Totem Pole) according to their features. Their features are [6] * 100 Volt VCEO * 2 Amp continuous current * Low saturation voltage * Ptot=1 Watt Figure 2.7: npn and pnp characters 2.5.3 Gate drivers (Totem Pole) This type of connection is known as a discrete drivers or push pull drives which is in common use today. Figure 2.8 shows the complimentary arrangement pair bipolar NPN and PNP emitter configuration. Moreover, the N-channel and P-channel MOSFT can be employing for totem pole connection. However, the N-channel and P-channel MOSFT driver suffers from shoot through current, caused by the threshold voltage overlap during ON and OFF transitions, resulting in increased drive power requirements [9]. Figure 2.8: push pull configuration The bipolar Totem Pole, figure 2.8, is non-inverting and offers no voltage gain to improve the pre-driver rise or fall times. It does provide current gain to reduce the driver impedance to speed the charge and discharge of the device capacitances. Once the input capacitances are charged and the power device has been switched, the driver does not require holding current. It has medium speed and does not perform well at higher conversion frequencies [9]. This circuit uses a complementary pair of transistors similar betas and power rating one is an npn power Darlington, and the other is a pnp power Darlington. When a high voltage (e.g., +15 V) is applied to the input, the upper transistor (npn) conducts, allowing current to pass from the positive supply through the motor and into ground. If a low voltage (0 V) is applied to the input, the lower transistor (pnp) conducts, allowing current to pass through the MOSFET gate from ground into the negative supply terminal.[14] 2.5.4. Common emitter amplifier (inverter) This configuration is a simple electronic circuit that is used to boost and invert the low signal. Figure 2.9 shows the circuit that contain a high resistance value with NPN transistor. The low signal is switch on and off the transistor where the resistance is limiting the current that apply to the transistor. This topology is used to boost and invert the output of signal processing unit to appropriate the signal that can switch the MOSFET as it will be discussed in the following point. Figure 2.9 common emitter configuration 2.6. Current control and limiting The winding current is controlled inorder to be not more than 8A. When the MOSFET is switched ON without any current limiting circuit, the current shoots up without any control. As a result, the technique for current limiting is arranged as follows When the winding current is less than 8A the MOSFET switches ON. When the winding current is exceeds 8A the MOSFET switches OFF. Therefore for appropriate current control, square wave signal is applied to the gate of the MOSFET. The frequency of input signal at the gate of the MOSFET is take into account to make the MOSFET switch properly with regard to the above current control arrangement. In order to do that feedback from the source of the MOSFET is carried to non-inverting terminal of the comparator. Figure 10 shows the operational waveform of the MOSFET. It can be seen that, the MOSFET needs to switch off when the voltage at inverting input of the comparator reaches 0.8V and switch on when the voltage is zero. Moreover, the reference voltage is 0.8 volt from the voltage divider law when a 0.1ÃŽÂ © resistance is connected to the source of the MOSFET. The 555 timer can offer the control of MOSFETs switching frequency. Figure 2.10: the expected waveforms from the design. 2.6.1 Timer NE555P The 555 timer IC is an incredibly useful precision timer that can act as either a timer or an oscillator. In timer mode is known as monostable mode the 555 simply acts as a one-shot timer; when a trigger voltage is applied to its trigger lead, the chips output goes from low to high for a duration set by an external RC circuit. In oscillator mode is known as astable mode the 555 acts as a rectangular-wave generator whose output waveform (low duration, high duration, frequency, etc.) can be adjusted by means of two external RC charge/discharge circuits.[14] In this project the monstable circuit is highlighted due to it has one stable state. Figure 2.11 (a) monostable configuration of timer 555 (b) monostable operations[14] In the monostable configuration, figure 2.11(before a trigger pulse is applied) the 555s output is low, while the discharge transistor in on, shorting pin 7 to ground and keeping C discharged. Also, pin 2 is normally held high by the 10-k pull-up resistor. Now, when a negative-going trigger pulse (less than 1à ¢Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬Å¾3VCC) is applied to pin 2, comparator 2 is forced high, which sets the flip-flops Q_ to low, making the output high (due to the inverting buffer), while turning off the discharge transistor. This allows C to charge up via R1 from 0 V toward VCC. However, when the voltage across the capacitor reaches 2à ¢Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬Å¾3VCC, comparator 1s output goes high, resetting the flip-flop and making the output low, while turning on the discharge transistor, allowing the capacitor to quickly discharge toward 0 V. The output will be held in this stable state (low) until another trigger is applied [14]. According to the operation of the monstable the pulse width can be modified by changing the value of R1 and C. T= 1.11 R1C Thus, to obtain capable functioning of the circuit the variable resistance R1 with a maximum value 100KÃŽÂ © and the threshold capacitance C value is 100nf are chosen. The timer input is the output of the comparator where the two values of the voltage are compared to make the output of the timer based on these two values. The two voltages are one is 5V and the other is the feedback from the MOSFETs source. 2.6.2. (LM393) Comparator The comparator is used to compare the voltage between the source voltage and the feedback from the MOSFET. This is important to control the current by triggering the timer to limit the current as it is mentioned before. LM393 has several advantages for timer input which are Higher accuracy in comparators. High voltage range (2.0V to 36V) Biasing with lower input current. Lower input offset current  ±5 nA Figure 2.12 LM393 connections to the circuit In order to establish the reference voltage variable resistance is required in the voltage dividers law. The operation of the comparator is simply as follows If IN+ > IN- the comparator output = V8. If IN+ From the previous operation it can be seen that the comparator send the signal to trigger the input of the timer and the timer acts upon the applied signal therefore the MOSFET switches on and off with regard to the timer output. However, the output of the timer switches on the MOSFET when the current is high which will be disastrous to the motor. To avoid this not to happen, a design of logic gates are incorporated in the current limiting topology of the SRM. 2.6. 3. Logic gate design (SN74LS00N) Logic gate is designed according to the output of the timer which gives the positive pulses when the current exceeds to 8A and no pulse when the current is less than 8A. With the purpose of switch (totem pole) the gate of the MOSFET turns on and off at required instants of time using an external Drive Signal. Figure 2.13 shows the technique of the combination between the Drive Signal and the timer output to control the MOSFET. SN74LS00N has four NAND gates that can be used to reduce the number of ICs in PCB connection. The logic gate is connected to the timer output which will be inverted with a common emitter configuration to switch on the MOSFET when the timer output is low (Itimer Figure 2.13: (a) SN74LS00N chip (b) logic circuit connection (c) NAND gate logic signal. The MOSFET behaviour that is need according to the timer output is shown in table 1. To do that the NOT gate, OR gate and AND gate are needed before the pre totem pole connections (common ammeter topology). Current condition Timer(A) Drive Signal(B) Output of the logic gate (C) MOSFET gate signal (Output after totem pole) I > 8A MOSFET must be off 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 I MOSFET can be on 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 Table 2.1 digital signal behaviour Boolean algebra From the logic gate output we can get the function: (1) This function can be simplified (2) Figure 2.14 (a) logic gate from equation 2 (b) table shows the equavelant NAND gates [7](c) the final simblified gates using the table (b) 2.7 Curant limiting circuit simulation Curent limiting circuit ,figure 2.15 , is the simulation circuit and the combination of each part that discussed previously. Figure 2.15: current limiting circuit