Hydraulic fracturing in the USA Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hydraulic fracturing in the USA - Assignment Example Rather, it is their opinion that the US should proceed towards renewable sources of energy, such as biomass, solar, and wind (Hillstrom 24). The potential for energy held by shale gas cannot be denied, and it is the single swiftest emerging source of energy in the US, representing 30% of natural gas supplies today, up from 1% in 2000. One benefit of fracking is that carbon emissions are said to be falling due to the amount of natural gas extracted through the process. This has resulted from the replacement of burning coal fuel with the use of shale gas during the production of electric power (Hillstrom 44). Therefore, it seems that there is a chance shale gas may replace fossil fuels in majority of US power plants. Another benefit is that the use of fracking will reduce the United States’ dependency on the Middle East for its energy needs, while it is also expected that increased development of the sector will result in additional jobs, already having provided 600,000 jobs in the year 2012. In addition, availability of cheaper gas in the United States will result in the increase of the country’s manufacturing capabilities in the face of increased competition from countries with cheaper labour (Hillstrom 45). It is also possible that the US will become a net exporter of energy as its production incre ases. Finally, fracking offers promise as the bridge between energy systems based on carbon from the past and a future that is greener and cleaner. However, the practice also carries various disadvantages, especially with regards to the environment. First, the process requires the use of a lot of water, which could be regarded as the inefficient use of a precious commodity, while it also leads to the production of a lot of wastewater that could contaminate the ground water and flow into streams and rivers (Hillstrom 56). There

Classical leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Classical leadership - Essay Example Leadership is a complex reality, hence, it can constitute a shifting enigma. Tolstoy's bow-wave metaphor suggests that the leaders are mere figureheads who are propelled by events beyond their control. The main issue then is whether the leaders really lead or if they are merely pulled by the events or situation they face everyday.Grint presents a model that encompasses epistemologically and methodologically different perspectives on leadership. It is composed of four perspectives. The trait approach states that the essence of the individual leader is critical but the context is not. The contingency approach states that the essence and the context are both knowable and critical. The situational approach means that certain contexts demand certain kinds of leadership. This situation requires flexibility from the leaders. The constitutive approach, which stems from the constructivist theories in the social sciences suggests that what the situation and the leader actually are is a consequ ence of acts and interpretations. In the constitutive approach, the situation and the leader do not have essences.My personal opinion is that leadership is a key task. People demand from their leaders direction or vision, trustworthiness, and optimism. Like effective parents, good leaders make people hopeful. Warren Bennis (2001) emphasized the four competencies of leadership: technical competence, people skills, conceptual skills, judgment, and character. Bennis believes that effective leadership is primarily the function of one's character. I believe that these four leadership perspectives coincide with John Adair's approach on functional leadership. This approach suggests that leadership skills can be developed but that other qualities such as integrity and humility are essential to the makeup of an effective leader. CLASSICAL LEADERSHIP Classical Leadership was developed by four influential writers: Plato, Sun Tzu, Machiavelli, and Pareto. Plato primarily thought that the concept of a democratic society was problematic and so he developed a critique. He introduced the mob: the majority. He argued that the captain can be trusted because only he has the necessary knowledge. He was convinced that the subordinate groups should not be allowed to challenge the philosopher rulers, to ensure the safety of the 'ship'. The larger issue was not over whether leadership skills could be taught but what they were being taught for. Sun Tzu regarded the principle of one person, one job as crucial to success. His work, "Art of War" is a doctrine that does not glorify war but denounces those who seek it. The way of peace is always sought over violence but, when no option is left open, the violence is executed with the minimum effort and maximum effect. This philosophy generates a hierarchy of strategies which are premised on avoidance as the first strategy and face-to-face violence as the last. He believes that the best way to defeat an enemy is to foil the enemy's plots. He is keen for leaders to avoid being hated; he is aware that 'the goodwill' of the people is significant. Only by forging alliances with other princes and by the use of technology, and by disorganizing the competition, will the prince survive. Elites not 'the people' were a part of human society for Pareto. Pareto argues that human action is irrational and this is due to residues. Residues are prevalent and unchanging across space or time. The forms of elite control, are rooted in two oppositional forms of residues: Class I and Class II. These key writers showed us that leadership perspectives varied across time. Traditional Leadership Traditional leadership constitutes what Barnard identified within a triangle of elements that include the individual leader, the

Advising and Counseling Student Athletes by Broughton and Neyer Article

Advising and Counseling Student Athletes by Broughton and Neyer - Article Example It has been mentioned in the literature that the student-athletes can be best counseled by incorporating counseling in four steps which involves academic counseling, life skill development, clinical counseling and performance enhancement. It has been said in the book that the students many time fear the fact that if they seek the advice of counselors they will be considered weak and that may have an adverse effect on their performance and their social image. There are various problems which student-athlete faces and it remains the responsibility of the institutions to cater to all their emotional needs and provide them the support required. The piece of literature here goes on to say that there are yet many flaws in the counseling programmes of the student-athletes and the college authorities should become effective in addressing the existing flaws and review the situation accordingly so that the athletes, as well as the college authorities, benefit from them. The authors Hamilton and Sina, (2001) in the article, â€Å"How College Affects Student-Athletes† refers to the fact that colleges play an important role in the lives of the student-athletes and the concerned authorities should realize their responsibilities and direct their efforts towards the right direction. The athletes should understand that the authorities care for their overall well being. And the authorities should not only focus on athletics that may bring in a negative impact. Rather they should structure policies in a manner that will help the student-athletes in the long run of their lives and it will allow them to fulfill all their dreams. Thus we get to know that academic institutions have a major role to play in the lives of athletes. With more and, more of globalization athletics is a major form of entertainment. The college athletes of the present age are not only shaped by factors of the universities and colleges. They are influenced by a number of other global factors which include social, moral and economic issues.  Ã‚  

The Pros and Cons of the Implementation of Fat Tax in the UK Essay

The Pros and Cons of the Implementation of Fat Tax in the UK - Essay Example This essay discusses that the United Kingdom is becoming ‘fat’. According to the National Health Services (NHS), obesity is one of the biggest problems confronting UK in the 21st century; obesity causes several diseases or health problems. As this problem is growing, there are many attempts to control it. There is a suggestion in the UK that a tax on junk food is the only solution to mitigate this problem. This essay critically evaluates the arguments for and against such proposal. People who support ‘fat tax’ argue that this proposal is likely to be effective because this strategy has been used to alcohol and cigarettes quite successfully. According to Jofre, the UK is considered to be the ‘fattest’ nation in Europe. In line with this, the rate of obesity in the UK is growing steadily, and time is short, which implies that ‘fat tax’ could be the perfect solution for obesity. For instance, Denmark is one of the slimmest countries in Europe because it implemented ‘fat tax’. It is also argued that ‘fat tax’ has an impact on health for it is widely known that sugar and fat are the main reason for obesity. Thus, the basis for the proposal becomes obvious. As stated by Jofre, if the public cannot take care of their health, then the government is obliged to take action. In contrast, people who are against this proposal believe that it is their choice, and not the responsibility of the government. But what are the real advantages and disadvantages of implementing ‘fat tax’ in the UK? An obvious advantage of ‘fat tax’ is the revenue it could generate. ‘Fat tax’ would probably have to be quite large so as to make a difference on food preference, producing additional revenues (Leicester & Windmeijer 2004). Such revenues could be used for obesity prevention and treatment agendas, or to fund the promotion of nutritious foods. There is logical argument for th e possible success of implementing ‘fat tax’ in order to lessen consumption of unhealthy foods. One of the main factors affecting food preference is price, together with ease, quality, and taste, and, to a lesser degree, health (Jofre 2010). ‘Fat tax’ has been proven to be successful in Denmark. However, implementing ‘fat tax’ is difficult. It is hard to determine what foods should be taxed. However, even though difficult to implement, Denmark, and other countries, have shown success in adopting ‘fat tax’. This proposal is disapproved of by other people for wrongly troubling the poor, for poor people consume higher quantities of junk foods and would hence be held back by ‘fat tax’ (Leicester & Windmeijer 2004). Yet, poor people may profit as well since price is more precious to poor people in choosing foods to eat, and thus ‘fat tax’ may result in major change in consumption behaviour for poor people in co mparison with rich ones who can buy nutritious foods. Especially, nutritious food decisions would have to be cheap and easy to get to. If not, poor people, who remain incapable of buying nutritious foods, will either be pushed to starve or shell out more to sustain a harmful diet. If obesity is a real major problem in the UK, it is more helpful to think of other ways, since the ‘fat tax’ proposal looks weak. In particular, ‘fat taxes’ that financially support obesity prevention and treatment agendas, and complaints against food businesses, appear quite financially advantageous for the individuals supporting them, such as attorneys and public health advocates, without essentially solving the obesity crisis (Press Association 2011). What’s more, a lot of people eat wisely, so why should they be burdened of the taxes intended to discipline irresponsible consumers? And there are no sure proof that obesity is caused by the failure of food businesses to in form consumers that hamburgers and ice creams are fatty foods. It appears that the most

Reflective account Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Reflective account - Essay Example In this paper, I have discussed some of the most important findings of my visit to these companies. Also, I have discussed which of the two companies, I would like to join in the future, and in what ways, customers are entertained by either of the two companies. A & P takes great care of its workforce. That is why, there can be seen some extremely aged workers in A & P. Many employees have worked in A & P for the whole of their professional life which essentially tells that they have been taken care of and their needs have always been addressed. Employee turnover rate in A & P is near to negligible. Workers work with mutual collaboration and harmony, and team work. This makes me feel attracted towards A & P for job. I would always like to work in an environment where workers have good relations with one another. One key factor that makes the customer service of A & P special and unique is that A & P offers service to the customers unobstructed by regional boundaries. The system in A & P is so well established that customers get their repairs made and their comments addressed from far away countries. What makes it even more surprising is that in a vast majority of cases, customers get their concerns addressed much earlier than what they expect. It is interesting to note that many of the permanent customers of A & P place their orders from overseas. They are delivered the product at their respective addresses in their hometown, so they have to face little to no inconvenience at all. Staff of the A & P travels to the dockyards all over the world and transfers the repaired products to the customers. In addition to that, A & P offers yachts at considerably lower prices than most of the yacht making companies do. This is one key reason behind the voluminous body of customers that the company has. Pendennis is largely known for its human resource development strategies. Pendennis first decided to train 10 apprentices in 1998. The practice did make the owners incur som e money, yet it was all paid off later as the workforce became more talented and increased productivity. Because of their immense efforts in the way of development of human resource, Pendennis has in 2008 been granted the title of Best Large Company Apprenticeship. Their growing popularity has increased their business manifolds. I would like to work in Pendennis because professional development opportunities for staff members in Pendennis are numerous. Pendennis takes very good care of its customers. Like A & P, Pendennis also has customers world wide. Customer service system is very efficient, and customers’ complaints and suggestions are given due consideration. Pendennis is known for its creativity, and customers have conventionally been good source of innovative ideas. Both A & P and Pendennis are extremely good in the business practices and the organizational culture prevalent in both of the companies is sufficiently strong and stable. Both are equally popular. It is ver y difficult for me to choose one of them and say that I would like to work in that company, and not in the other. In fact, I consider both of them very nice places to be in, yet if I were to choose one of them, I would go for Pendennis because employees’ on job training is something that is not conventionally provided by many employers while Pendennis does provide it. I believe that the

Scholarly Research Articles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Scholarly Research Articles - Essay Example This article is within one’s chosen area of research on managing obesity in children, particularly as it discussed means of prevention as the first line of defense. There were other recommended treatments for childhood obesity which were consistent with the policy statements issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The strengths of the article lie in the clarity of structure and presentation of information, as well as the magnitude of scholarly and academic authoritative references that supported and validated the authors’ contentions. There were a total of 83 references with 1997 as the earliest research date and 2003 as the most current. The only weakness of the research was its failure to present an actual study comprising of a sample of participants to test theories, particularly the neuroendocrine control of weight, which, as indicated by the authors were still being investigated at the time of their report being published. Since most information were so urced from secondary sources, there was no new data or findings instigated from their current research. Evidence based management of childhood obesity: evidence based paediatrics By Laurel Edmunds, Elizabeth Waters, Elizabeth J. Elliot Edmunds, Waters and Elliot (2001) presented a research through citing a real case scenario of an obese child manifesting depression and finding out how to manage and address the dilemma through research literatures as evidenced based support. The theoretical approach of the authors identified the crucial role of secondary sources of information to support issues associated with obesity, particularly on areas of prevalence, psychological problems, current and future health problems, risk of obesity in adulthood, and family based weight reduction programs, among others (Edmunds, et.al, 1 – 3). The article is significant for one’s personal area of research focusing on the management of childhood obesity in terms of the information provided that supports frequently asked questions about obesity with specifically identified type of evidence (ibid, 5). The article’s strengths are found through the manner and clarity of structure, presentation and support from 25 authoritative and scholarly sources on the topic. By providing an actual case scenario, readers are given a clear understanding of reality as manifested through the points of views of both the child and the parents. Likewise, through the presentation of evidence, professionals, practitioners and clinicians are made aware of viable interventions that require the collaborative efforts of the family and the school. The only weakness of the article is its failure to identify research limitations and applicability of findings. Further, also school-based programs were presented as a promising approach to prevent obesity, it was clearly noted that â€Å"schools are not suitable locations for treatment due to stigmatization of children receiving treatment† (ibid, 5). Further studies must validate and determine the net effect of school based programs for the child’s proposed treatment for this chronic illness. The Impact of Physical Activity and Obesity on Academic Achievement Among Elementary Students By Jimmy Byrd The article written by Byrd and reviewed, accepted and

Exploring the Logic of Experimental Design Statistics Project

Exploring the Logic of Experimental Design - Statistics Project Example bjects design is their ability to establish a relationship between a dependent variable and different factors and the fact that the two designs have the same number of participants in each treatment of an experiment (Gravetter and Forzano, 2011). However, while each participant in a within subject design is subjected to all treatments in an experiment, each participant in a matched subjects design is only subjected to one treatment. Correlation in within- subjects design is done across treatments while correlation in matched- subjects design is done across groups of participants. Similarly, subjects are measured in more than one condition in a within- subjects design while measurements on participants in a matched- subjects design occurs only in one condition of an experiment (Gravetter and Forzano, 2011). An experiment’s purpose is to collect data and establish properties of the collected data towards conclusion on a subject. An experimental design accomplishes its purpose by providing approach for conducting the experiment (Jackson, 2011). One of the advantages of experimental design is its high degree of internal validity due to randomization effect that eliminates biasness and causality. It also has a high â€Å"construct validity,† especially when the constructs can be manipulated (Smith and Mackie, 2000, p. 36). The design’s major disadvantage is however in its low â€Å"construct validity† under ethical considerations (Smith and Mackie, 2000, p. 36). Control refers to the manipulation of an experiment’s dependent variable towards an expected observation. Its purpose is to aide multiple group comparison between observations in experimental and controlled set ups (Jackson, 2011). A confound refers to uncontrollable factor in an experiment. Experimental design is an example of a design that can have three confounds. Some of the ways of controlling confounds are â€Å"use of random sampling,† â€Å"use of equivalent control group,† and blinding of