Abelard And Heloise Essays - Hlose, Historia Calamitatum

Abelard And Heloise The twelfth century was divided into two phases: Early Middle Ages or Dark Ages and the High Middle Ages. It's during the High Middle Ages when things started to take a turn both mentally and physically. Churches developed more stamina and papal bureaucracy was created. The government was revived. Urbanization increased and most of all a sudden increase was brought in cultural revitalization and courtly love was an important aspect of this awakening. Courtly love is defined as humility, courtesy, adultery and religion of love. This is what I believe Abelards's and Heloise's relationship was based on in Abelard's Historia Calamitatum and his letters to Heloise. Abelard was a well-known figure of the twelfth century that taught dialectic philosophy. Abelard was in his late thirties when he first met Heloise in Paris. And it was her knowledge and gift for writing letters, which was so rare in women at the times that attracted Abelard to her. Heloise was the niece of one of the Cannons. She was about seventeen when she met Abelard; this was not considered a big deal for back then it was pretty common to have big age difference in marriages. Heloise was considered atypical because women were rarely educated at all back then. She was strong willed and she had a pretty good sense of logic and this is what brought them together. Heloise struck a deal with Heloise's uncle to educate her and gained full access to her pleasures. Their relationship encompassed the maximum in personal freedom. "Her studies allowed us to withdraw in private, as love desired and then with our books open before us, more words of our love than of our reading passed between us, and more kissing than teaching. (Radice 67). Later Heloise became pregnant and Abelard could not successfully sidestep the rules of the society because the society of a time just wouldn't accept a premarital sexual affair. I believe Abelard and Heloise got engaged in the first "modern" love affair. Because they enjoyed each other both sexually and intellectually, just as how it's perceived in today's world. Though Heloise's attitude towards marriage and love was quite different from the other women of the twelfth century. She resisted the idea of marriage because she thought it was more of an economical and political idea than real love and that she would rather be called a whore or a mistress instead of a wife. (Radice 74). This tells us about her individuality and also that she didn't consider marriage part of love unlike most of the women of her time. Love is portrayed in many forms in this book. Like for example love of learning. The first thing Abelard does in his writing of Historia Calamitatum is portray himself as an individual just like Heloise. He denounced the popular and glorious life of a soldier and in order to study words and philosophy. I believe in writing this he shows his clever and different way of thinking by referring to dialectic. "I chose the weapons of dialectic to all the other teachings of philosophy and armed with these, I chose the conflict of disputation instead of trophies of war." (Radice 58). In the beginning Abelard's and Heloise's relationship was based heavily on passionate love. So later after their entry into religion, Heloise accused Abelard of lust rather than love for her, which I believe, is not true. "It was desire, not affection which bound you to me, the flame of lust rather than love. This is not merely my opinion, beloved, it is everyone's." (Radice 116). I wouldn't agree with Heloise here. Abelard was mostly attracted to her because of her knowledge and because of her gift of writing letters. Also he worried about her as much as he was concerned about himself and his career. He agreed to marry Heloise even though it would put his career and reputation in danger. Also at one time he says "all our laments were for one another's troubles and our distress for each other, not for ourselves." (Radice 69). I don't think this would fall under lust because if he had only desired sex then he wouldn't have cared for her the way he did. Abelard and Heloise's relationship was based on courtly love of their time and also I believe that their love was the creation of modern ideal of marriage which was founded on the voluntarily shared tenderness of a couple who shelter each other from the harshly competitive world, just like today's.

Thomas becket essays

Thomas becket essays Becket was close to King Henry II, but differences in their attitudes toward power drew them apart. he king who is never presented on stage The Women of Canterbury in the Chorus of Becket's doom, which the audience shares. They are genuinely worried about Becket's well being. They hold Becket in great respect and fear for his life. Becket's character. They fail to tempt him with any of their Reginald Fitz Urse, Sir High de Morville, William de Traci and Richard Brito: they play the role of assassins of Becket, and Reginald Fitz Urse assumes the leader's role among them. between the King and the Pope; that is between temporal power and spiritual power., their forces clash temptation by the four tempters who offer Becket various items ranging from money to unlimited power. Becket resists them all. whole city of Canterbury is rejoicing, but the peasant women of the Chorus have a strange intuition of death. The tension is accompanied by a feeling that death is unavoidable, and it is almost accepted by the Chorus and the priests. What is left is only the ritual of killing and the prayer thereafter. The play ends in tragedy with the murder of Thomas Becket; thus, the protagonist (Becket) is overcome by the antagonist (the state). Henry makes Becket the Archbishop of Canterbury. controlling the ecclesiastical patronage of the King. Archbishop is the highest religious head After becoming the Archbishop, Becket stops supporting the radical changes the King wants to introduce in England. Becket opposes the King's thirst for power Becket's return to England after seven long years in France. The people of waiting for their beloved religious head that has always strongly supported and guided the poor peasants and countrymen. The women of Canterbury have lived a hard life, and they know that it is their fate to suffer and struggle whether the King rules...

Internet Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Internet Marketing - Essay Example Customers too see brands as something that is more than what is built into the product. But these values and meanings may be different from customer to customer or from one group of customers to another. While Aaker is of the opinion that brand values are expressed along these four dimensions others like Jean - Noel Kapferer are of the opinion that this expression is along six dimensions: Physique, relationship, reflection, personality, culture and self-concept. (Kapferer 2000, p.127) Brand identity is made up of a core identity and an extended identity. A brand's core identity is fundamental to the meaning of a product. It is what a business will want its product or service to be perceived as. The extended identity of a brand includes aspects of the brand that complete the picture. This will normally be, aspects of the brand that a business will want its target market to associate with. Everything a brand stands for cannot be communicated merely by its core identity. This shortcoming of the core identity is made good by its extended identity. And the broader a brand's extended identity the more unforgettable it will be. (Aaker 1996, pp.85-9) The concept of brand identity brings us to ... It is what a business will want its product or service to be perceived as. The core identity of a brand helps a business to specifically identify the essence of a brand, organizational values that drive the brand, and what the organization itself stands for. It is what gives a brand its uniqueness and "sets it apart from competition". It is something that is relatively permanent. 3 Extended Identity The extended identity of a brand includes aspects of the brand that complete the picture. This will normally be, aspects of the brand that a business will want its target market to associate with. Everything a brand stands for cannot be communicated merely by its core identity. This shortcoming of the core identity is made good by its extended identity. And the broader a brand's extended identity the more unforgettable it will be. (Aaker 1996, pp.85-9) Brand Position The concept of brand identity brings us to the concept brand position. Brand position is that part of a brand's identity and its value proposition that a business intends to repeatedly communicate to its target market. It is the brand position that communicates an advantage over competition. All advertising is centered on a brand's position. (Aaker & Joachimsthaler 2000, pp.41-2) Brand Image While a brand's identity is what a manufacturer or distributor may want its target market to perceive it as, a brand's image is what the actual market perception. In wanting to communicate a brand's identity companies send out messages; it is how the market receives these messages and interprets them that are important. Although brand image is a lagging indicator, it helps the marketing department make corrections to its communications strategy if its

Globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Globalization - Essay Example Collectively, they explained the dynamics of the global business landscape and the variables that drive the numerous processes at work within it. Concepts such as culture, technology, knowledge and the legal and political diversities found in various national economies all combined to demand new and complex requirements for multinational companies. These has called for their transformation as truly global organizations through changes in their organizational structure and the adoption of new business strategies in order to address the unique challenges and issues posed by the global environment. Before this module began, I have an inkling on what globalization is and its impact on both organizations, national economies and consumers. But my knowledge was limited to the superficial, abstract and general concepts. For instance, I know that globalization threatens local companies and could endanger their very survival because of the superior strength of the resources available to multinational companies that are invading the local market. But this module enlightened me further on the fact that it is not always easy for multinational companies to do this. ... † (p8-9) Secondly, there is the form of globalization that relates to the way organizations structure, control and manage their value-chains in terms of global operations. This is done â€Å"according to the availability of resources, cost levels, skills, quality and a host of other variables. (p. 9) These two forms of globalization supposedly were responsible for the emergence and the perpetuation of multinational companies who have already surpassed small national-economies in revenue generation. The third form, is characterized by how globalization adversely impacts several areas such as the democratic system, the environment, national cultures and identities, among others. (p. 12) The sheer complexity of the globalization economic model, hence, calls for a multidimensional approach by which stakeholders navigate its processes. Stonehouse, Campbell and Hamill emphasized, for example, that it should already be obvious how multinational/transnational companies must never adop t a global strategy that is primarily characterized by global standardization because it will fail. (p. 8) Companies have to make some fine-tuning in their strategies every time they enter a market. The reason is that each country has its own national circumstance. This can also be demonstrated in the numerous organizational configurations developed in order to pursue different objectives and address specific areas in the global business environment (see figure 1). Motives, Strategies and Organizational Configurations (Source: Bartlett and Beamish) As I saw from the diversity in organizational structure, I understood the sense in rejecting a global standards in strategy. For example, the Centralized Hub organizational model may work in some economies or markets with fierce competition but may not

Floods Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Floods - Research Paper Example This implies that there is the likelihood of the upper Mississippi River basin experience changes in its eco systems depending on the responses of consumers and food resources to a high magnitude, unpredicted flood. The evidence for this research was based on Laboratory experiments. In order to determine the authenticity of the main hypothesis of this research work, samples were collected from the upper Mississippi River near the city of Louisiana Missouri (Delong et al, 2001). This area was used to act as a representative of the river flood plain features of the upper part of Mississippi River and it is characterized by a broad channel with a number of side channels and backwaters. Samples representing the potential nutrient sources and consumers were collected from all the three rivers in October 1993 and July 1994 for analysis of the stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes (Delong et al, 2001). Statistical analysis was done on the collected samples and using pair wise comparison. The results indicated there were few inter-annuals differences for each rivers n regard to the sources of the organic matter and the consumers. The main implication of this research is that the findings of past studies relate in a big way to the large-magnitude flood events in the upper Mississippi River system, therefore this strengthens the conclusion that the flood served to enhance rather than change the trophic structure within these river-floodplain ecosystems. The results obtained from this research imply that the consumers continued to rely on the sources of organic matter that would be used in the absence of the unpredicted 1993 flood (Delong et al, 2001). It is proposed that the trophic structure did not change in response to flooding in the Missouri Rivers because both rivers exhibited the same trends observed in the Ohio River. From the article â€Å"Pesticide and

Kuwait Oil Fields Reconstruction Projects Construction Essay

Kuwait Oil Fields Reconstruction Projects Construction Essay During the Gulf war, Kuwait was invaded by Iraq and by the end of it almost all of oil production facilities of Kuwait had suffered extensive damage and had become defunct. Even after their Liberation in Feb, 1991 a large number of oil wells were on fire. To rebuild the countrys major source of income of the country a project was taken to reconstruct these oil fields. This was the Kuwait oilfields reconstruction project. Bechtel International was the project management firm given the contract to manage this reconstruction project by the Kuwait Oil Company. Work of planning of the project had started in November 1990 within three months of the start of the Iraqi Invasion, in the offices of Bechtel in London. Planning and organizing activities were being done in the offices in London, Houston, San Francisco, Dubai and Riyadh even when the war was still on. Since the war was still on, there was little knowledge of the total extent of the damage to the oilfields and how much work was to be done. However those damages that were identified till then were taken into consideration and front-end planning and procurement for the same had been started. During the end of the war, the retreating Iraqi troops had set the oilfields on fire. Thus to continue with the project first it was necessary to bring these fires under control. The personnel of Bechtel arrived in Kuwait 4 days after a complete sweep of the City was done by the allied troops. The main objective then of these personnel was to organize and manage the firefighting efforts. This was names project Al- Awada (Arabic for return). The vivid scenes shown by the newspaper, magazine, and television reports came alive for Bechtel project personnel. The days were dark with smoke from the fires blocking the sun, oil droplets filled the air, clean water and sanitary systems were not working, power plants were down, transportation was minimal as tires were a precious commodity, and food was very scarce. Initial accommodation was in refurbished ship quarters and in some vandalized apartment complexes without water and electricity, no more than a foam mattress on the floor, and a long hike up a darkened staircase. In addition to these problems, booby traps, land and water mines, unexploded shells and rockets, and other ordnance had littered the country. The temperatures in summer consistently were above 50 à Ã‚ ¦ C in shade (seldom below 37 à Ã‚ ¦ C at night), exposing the people in the field to temperatures of 55-58 à Ã‚ ¦ C in many locations, and hotter nearer to the fires. Just providing drinking water was a ma jor undertaking. John Oakland, senior vice president of Bechtel Corporation, who served as the manager of projects in Kuwait, remarked, This campaign, which was well covered by the international news media, was one of the most complex engineering and construction efforts in history. However, the following assignment, which was the reconstruction of the Kuwait oil fields, was an even bigger and more challenging task. The project of the reconstruction of the oil fields, which was named Al-Tameer (Arabic for rebuild), will be discussed in this report. Status of the Facilities The state of the two million barrels per day oil export industry in Kuwait after the completion of the fire-fighting effort was as follows: 647 wells had burned in total, 751 wells were damaged. Twenty-six oil gathering, separation, and production centers were damaged or totally destroyed. One marine export facility and its related single point mooring was totally destroyed, and the second marine export facility was partially damaged and out of commission. The equivalent of ten million barrels of crude oil storage tankage had been destroyed. The Shuaiba refinery was totally destroyed. A crude unit in the Mina Al Ahrnadi Refinery was completely destroyed. The rest of the refinery was partially damaged and the refinery was out of commission. The Mina Abdullah Refinery was partially damaged and the units were not operable. All communication towers and networks were destroyed. Most of the working population had either fled or were in hiding. Project Al-Tameer After the successful completion of the fire-fighting effort, KOC invited Bechtel to present its plan for the reconstruction of the oil fields production and exporting facilities damaged during the war, starting work by November 1990. KOCs goal was to be able to produce 2 million bpd of oil by September 1992. Planning and Organizing Phase The planning and organizing effort for the Al-Tameer project started with the Bechtel team that was already on-site as part of the Al-Awada project fire-fighting effort. An organization totally different from the Al-Awada project was required to scope, estimate, plan, execute, and turn over operational facilities to KOC. This organization had to be self-sufficient and be able to fully support and service a massive work force of more than 16,000 people. The main organization was divided into five main functions. One was to support KOCs future five-year budget planning with identification, scoping, and planning future projects. This was named KOC Major Projects Group. The other four groups consisted of: manager Al-Tameer projects, responsible for all planning and project management, as well as engineering and procurement manager coordination, responsible for scheduling, cost control, estimating, project reporting, public and community relations, and other relevant functions manager services, responsible for providing all the required support services for the project team including explosive and ordnance demolition group manager operation, responsible for field execution of all the defined work. A damage assessment and scoping team consisting of engineers, planners, and estimators walked every foot of the oil fields production and exporting facilities preparing a scope of work, cost estimate, a plan and schedule of work for each facility. The planning was based on a back to front scheduling defining the dates and production goals first, working backward to see when the drilling effort and facilities reconstruction work had to start to meet this goal. This approach also determined the required manpower and helped with direct hire and subcontracting plans. The overall plan defined the sequence of the work and prioritized the resources to make sure facilities with least damage were first priority for completion. The master schedule was developed based on nine subproject organization work breakdown structures (WBS) Oil recovery Tankage south North Kuwait Pipelines/flow lines Power, buildings, cathodic protection Marine facilities De-salters South gathering centers West gathering centers. Figure : Al Tameer Organization Each subproject having its task force, budget, schedule, and its priority on resources identified was headed by a project manager. The Al-Tameer project organization chart is shown in Figure 1. The teams were integrated with available KOC personnel who performed some of the project functions. Each subproject team was supported by local functional managers to provide them with staff and resources to execute the work. The key driver behind the plan was meeting the schedule and the production capacity. Execution Phase The project execution consisted of three main functions: detail engineering, procurement, and construction management. Detail Engineering Engineering and construction teams worked very closely during the planning phase to determine the best and most expedient way of rebuilding some of the facilities. This close collaboration continued until construction was complete. More than 200 designers and engineers worked in the makeshift project offices at various sites, with strong central support from a base that was set up in an old war-damaged girls school. This was later transferred to a newly constructed KOC engineering building. Additionally, a team of more than 200 engineers from various Bechtel regional offices worldwide provided continuous support and specialized expertise. The main deliverables of the engineering teams were construction drawings, construction packages, and material requisitions and technical bid tabs. This effort was not limited to oil production and exporting facilities; it included some of the necessary infrastructure required for the day-to-day operation of KOC. Offices, warehouses, guest houses, employees housing, roads, power, water, etc., were all part of the scope of the work. Because most of the original drawings and specifications were destroyed during the war, field sketches and measurements had to be used. A total engineering effort of 450,000 hours resulted in 4,500 major drawings. One totally new and fully modularized gathering facility (GC-17) was designed and built in Houston, Texas, and shipped to the sites. Other facilities were designed for rebuild based on their original concept, but modernized wherever possible. Some of the units were very old and were upgraded with the more modern versions of the equipment available. A more extensive use of distributed control systems and automation was one of the key areas that were upgraded. Procurement The project procurement group was established in full force during the firefighting phase of the project to provide resources for that very important effort. In the Al-Tameer phase the team was further expanded to support the massive procurement and contracting effort that was required to meet the target schedule. In addition, inventory control and warehousing material were also part of the procurement teams area of responsibility. The procurement team was also responsible for incorporating all the material into KOC1s automated material and inventory control system. The procurement effort driving the execution phase was centralized, and it was divided into three main areas: Material management Contracts management Warehouse management. Material management included purchasing, inspection, expediting, and traffic and logistics. Contracting included formation and administration. Warehouse management included central warehouses and satellite warehouses. The procurement team had three main goals within the projects overall objective: ensure the right material and resources were available in time to meet the schedule maximize the use of available local resources to assist in rebuilding the local economy ensure sure final warehouse inventory met KOCs material coding and identification system. The size and the particular nature of the project required that the procurement team be divided between material management-reporting to the manager of projects-and contracts management-reporting to the manager of construction. This arrangement facilitated the communication and management of site contractors work with Bechtels direct hire construction work. Material Management Project managers were responsible for development and processing of the material requisitions for their areas of responsibility. Orders over $100,000 required further approval by KOCs manager of the Al-Tameer project. Almost everything required for the execution of the project had to be imported from outside the country. At the early phases of the project the port facilities, custom facilities, and other services required for the proper importation of goods and services were not functioning. Bechtel established a staging area in Jebel Ali port of Dubai (UAE) to receive, inspect, and accept material. Utilizing much smaller vessels and boats, Bechtel then transported goods from Dubai to various Kuwait ports depending on availability and cargo size. This plan also included most of the air freighted material. Because timely delivery of the material was critical to meeting the project schedule, a very detailed material requisitioning plan had to be developed identifying every required detail. This plan was then incorporated into Bechtels worldwide Procurement Tracking System (PTS) that enabled all Bechtel offices to monitor and follow through each order until it reached the site. At later stages of the project when Kuwait ports and custom facilities became functional the above arrangements were changed and everything was imported directly into Kuwait. During this period more than 26,000 purchase orders were issued, and more than 520,000 tons of material were imported utilizing 742 aircraft and sea-going vessels. Warehousing Management One of the key activities of the warehousing management team was to incorporate the variety of material that was left behind after the war and the fire-fighting phase with newly ordered and engineering-specified material. Also, by continuously adjusting and monitoring quantities and specifications they could respond very quickly to emergency and out-of-schedule circumstances. The engineering and warehouse both utilized a common software (PCMC) to identify, locate, and quantify most of the bulk material making sure that when the material was required it would be made available immediately. Contract Management Although due to scheduled requirement reconstruction of some of the flow line, all of the gathering centers and booster stations were performed by Bechtel direct hires, nevertheless more than 300 major construction contracts and 650 equipment rental agreements were issued by the contract management team during the Al-Tameer project phase. The contract formulation team worked as a central group serving all subprojects. The contract administration group managed the administration work more by function than by area. Project managers were ultimately the responsible parties for the contractor work in their areas, receiving the necessary support and services from these two centralized teams. Construction Management Al-Tameer was probably one of the most challenging construction projects ever managed by Bechtel. The work required provision of labor, equipment, and support facilities in fifty-five locations and in four different parts of the country-North fields, South (marine facilities and refineries), West fields, and Burgan fields. The work involved construction of drill pads; roads for heavy rig transportation; well heads; flow lines; gathering centers; gas booster stations; oil storage tanks; water supply, distribution and storage; and marine export terminal and loading facilities. In addition, KOCs own infrastructure (offices, housing, clubs and restaurants, warehouses and buildings, telecommunication, etc.) had to be reconstructed. Construction efforts were divided between direct hire construction and subcontracted work. The total scope of work was divided into nine construction areas, each managed by a field superintendent. Each superintendent was responsible for both direct hire execution as well as field administration of the subcontractors scope of work within his area. Construction superintendents were supported by the central construction group that was the functional group supporting a project matrix team. Prioritization of resources and construction equipment was one of the major functions of the central construction team. Field construction teams were comprised of multinational forces (from thirty-six countries) with totally different cultures, languages, and performance capabilities. Catering and other cultural requirements had to be addressed to ensure each group could perform its function satisfactorily. Each task had to be tailor made to suit the team available. It was important that planning of the manpower and resources take into consideration availability of the right foreman and support group to be able to communicate and perform work with each team. Summary Approximately 1,000,000 hours in the regional offices and 4,000,000 hours in Kuwait were spent for project management/engineering/construction management during the first two phases of this project. Field labor hours were 50,000,000. These project man-hours were spent within the following project schedule milestones: start of planning November 1990 start implementation in Kuwait March 199 1 project completion June 1993. The sources of the project personnel were various. A total of 16,000 workers from thirty-six countries on five continents were involved in this massive effort. The countries that participated in the supply of manpower to this reconstruction included Kuwait, the United States, Great Britain, Canada, France, Australia, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran, Lebanon, Bahrain, Yugoslavia, Colombia, Indonesia, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Brazil, Afghanistan, the Philippines, India, Djibouti, Sri Lanka, Somalia, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Tunisia, Pakistan, Trinidad, and Sierra Leone. Key Milestones Some of the more notable milestones in the program were: The last fire was extinguished and the well was capped on November 6, 199 1, eight months after the arrival of the first Bechtel team on-site. The first postwar oil was pumped from two of the original gathering centers on May 26, 199 1. By December 1991, more than 400,000 barrels of oil per day were being produced from the rehabilitated facilities. By April 1993, more than 11,000,000 barrels of weathered crude had been reclaimed from oil pits and lakes, and processed through the field treatment centers and the refinery. By the end of June 1993, eighteen of the original centers were back in operation, with all the production goals achieved as scheduled. Operation Phase Accomplishments The work was conducted in fifty-five locations that included fields in the north of Kuwait on the border with Iraq, west and south of Kuwait on the borders with Saudi Arabia and Iraq, and in the refineries and loading facilities along the coast and offshore. Five hundred square miles of land were swept and cleared of unexploded ordnance. More than 23,000 pieces of explosive devices were destroyed by explosive ordnance disposal teams. Although all work areas were swept, the risk from undetectable ordnance was ever present and some fatalities did occur. More than 26,000 purchase orders and 300 major construction contracts and 650 equipment rental agreements were awarded during Phases I and I1 of the project. (A more normal project performed over the same time frame may have 4,000 to 6,000 purchase orders.) A complete communication system dedicated to the oil industry was installed that included twenty-three satellite telephone systems, 4,500 telephones, and 2,000 portable radios. A twenty-four-hour health care and safety program was established that included two helicopter medivac teams, a forty-bed hospital, a dental clinic, and a team of approximately 100 professional medical personnel on duty at seven medical stations. More than 5,800 pieces of field operating equipment ranging from the larger bulldozers, cranes, trucks, front-end loaders, and heavy industrial equipment to ambulances, pickup trucks, cars, buses, and other support vehicles were shipped to the job sites. These pieces of equipment were purchased from twelve different countries. A total of 742 aircraft and sea-going vessels were deployed to ship more than 520,000 tons of equipment and material to Kuwait in support of this project. Six full-service dining halls with catering support staff provided about 3,500,000 meals for the workers during the fire-fighting campaign and 10,000,000 meals during the reconstruction phase. Menus were established to cater to the different ethnic backgrounds. Provisions and housing for 12,000 manual and 2,000 non-manual Bechtel employees were provided. All of the members of project management and their support teams, over 200 design and engineering personnel and around 200 procurement, administration and subcontracts management teams, were resident in Kuwait. Construction of a number of permanent offices, workshops, warehouses, maintenance shops, and housing complexes for KOC was completed at the same time. Fire-fighting efforts originally involved the four major international teams of Boots Coots, Red Adair, Safety Boss, and Wild Well Control. They were later joined by an additional twenty-three teams from Kuwait, Iran, China, Hungary, Great Britain, France, Canada, Romania, and Russia. Four hundred kilometers of water and oil pipelines were installed during fire-fighting efforts. Water lines and pumping stations could deliver 25,000,000 gallons a day to fire sites. Each of 360 lagoons was excavated, lined, and filled with 1,000,000 gallons of water for use in fire-fighting. Drilling pads and access roads were constructed for 700 new and work over wells. Three-thousand kilometers of new flow lines were constructed. One-thousand kilometers of new and refurbished pipelines were installed. Fifteen crude gathering centers, including a totally new and modularized early production facility, were assessed, designed, and constructed. Three gas booster stations were constructed Restoration and reconstruction of the marine loading terminals, offshore terminals, and SPM were completed. Construction of more than 10,000,000 barrels of new crude oil storage tankage was managed. Restoration of overhead and underground electrical power transmission and distribution system and cathodic protection system within the oil fields was completed. Construction repair and operation of water systems (fresh, brackish, and salt water) were completed. Construction and operation of oil recovery systems and facilities that collected and treated more than 25,000,000 barrels of weathered crude were completed.

Is most efficient at heating water Essay

This was done by counting the number of different bonds broken i. e. C-H and using a data table to find out the amount of energy required. Secondly, I worked out the energy released by bonds being made again by counting the bonds and using a data table. I subtracted the second number from the first to work out the energy released by the alcohol. Methanol Balanced Equation: CH3OH+1. 5O2–>CO2+2H2O Bonds Broken Energy Required for Bond Breaking (kJ/mol) Bonds Made Energy Released from Bonds Made (kJ/mol). Total Ene  Bonds Broken Energy Required for Bond Breaking (kJ/mol) Bonds Made Energy Released from Bonds Made (kJ/mol) Total Energy Used + 12383 kJ/mol Total Energy Released – 15398 kJ/mol Total Molar Energy of Combustion. Heptanol Balanced Equation:   Bonds Broken Energy Required for Bond Breaking (kJ/mol) Bonds Made Energy Released from Bonds Made (kJ/mol)Total Energy Used + 14299 kJ/mol Total Energy Released.-Bonds Broken Energy Required for Bond Breaking (kJ/mol) Bonds Made Energy Released from Bonds Made (kJ/mol) 1/mol Total Molar Energy of Combustion, ? H (kJ/mol) = +16215-20222= -4007 This data justifies my hypothesis. More energy is released as you go up the series of alcohols therefore the water will heat up by a given temperature with less alcohol being burnt. GCSE CHEMISTRY COURSEWORK: Obtaining While obtaining evidence I took into account many safety points into consideration:   Safety goggles were worn at all times I stood up so I could quickly move out of the way if there were any spillages etc. I tucked my tie in my shirt to avoid it catching fire I also made sure I took accurate readings by: Stirring the water to maintain an even temperature   Closing windows that might cause a draught   Keeping the tin at the same height above the flame. Repeating anomalous results GCSE CHEMISTRY COURSEWORK: Analysing To produce a graph of ‘molecular mass’ versus ‘enthalpy of combustion’ both these values need to be calculated. Here is an example: First, the energy released has to be calculated. This can be done using the following formula: q=energy released m=mass of water (g) c=specific heat capacity of the liquid heated (4. 18J/g/i c for water) ?t=temperature change of water For my first piece of data this is how q would be calculated. Temperature Change: 10. 5i c Mass of Water: 400g (remember that water has a mass of 1g per cm3) Using the formula: q=400Ãâ€"4. 18Ãâ€"10. 5. Second, the molar heat of combustion must be calculated. This can be done using the following formula: -q=total energy transferred to the water (negative because the reaction is exothermic) n=number of moles (weight difference/formula mass) x1000=convert J’s to kJ’s Continuing with the same example: Energy Released: 17556J (this was worked out with the first equation) Weight Change: 1. 20g Formula Mass: 32g Using the formula: ? HMy original hypothesis was that as you go up the series of alcohols, less of the alcohol will have to be burnt for the given temperature rise. My results proved this hypothesis. The graph shows strong positive correlation proving that less alcohol is needed for the temperature rise as you go up the group. There are no anomalies, and there is hardly any scatter. When I compare my experimental data with my theoretical values I can see that although my experimental values follow the same trend, they show much less energy being given off per mole than the theoretical ones. This is because not all of the energy produced went into the water (explained in more detail in the evaluation). GCSE CHEMISTRY COURSEWORK: Evaluation. My experimental data agreed with the theoretically predicted values. When both sets of results were plotted onto a scatter graph, I could see that they both followed the same trend. However, the line representing the theoretically predicted values was lower down on the graph showing that the experimental values were lower than the predicted ones. This is because of the experimental errors detailed below. Reliability: I believe my data to be reliable. There is hardly any scatter as the results were close to the line, and there were no anomalies. The data was reliable enough to firmly support my conclusion. The fact that there was not much scatter shows this. However, the data was reliable but inaccurate because of the problems outlined below. If the data obtained was completely accurate then it would be on the theoretical data line. Experimental errors: It was impossible to get all the energy of the burning alcohol, using our equipment, into the can. Some inevitably escaped around the can and into the room. This explains why our results showed slightly more alcohol needing to be burned than the theoretical amount. Sources of experimental error:   Not all heat getting into the water (most escaped around the can or heated up the can)   Draughts blowing in from outside Modifications: If I was to do this experiment again I might either use a different calorimeter than a tin can i. e. one that conducted heat into the water more efficiently or simply put a lid on the can and insulate it. I would also do the experiment in an environment out of the open air to stop air currents changing my results and to concentrate the heat onto the water, rather than the air around. Further Work: I might do the same experiment but using alkanes instead of alcohols. I would investigate as to whether they produce the same trend as with alcohols and see whether they are more or less efficient.   GCSE Chemistry Coursework 1 Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Patterns of Behaviour section.

Greater London Authority

This business report aims to investigate the policies affecting the environment in London. A review will be made into the responsibilities of the Greater London Authority (GLA) and the mayor. A critical evaluation of the evidence will be provided. A survey of opinions amongst GSM students will be presented and a conclusion drawn on the effectiveness of the Greater London Authority (GLA) and the Mayor in tackling key issues which relate to the environment. It has been estimated that London, the capital of England, has a population of more than eight million (www. tandard. co. uk). With a 0. 7% fall in GDP in the second quarter of 2012 (GLAEconomics, 2012) the Mayor of London (MoL) plays an important role in ‘improving London for all’ (london. gov. uk). The Greater London Authority (GLA) is a top-tier administrative body for London (http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Greater_London_Authority) which consists of an elected mayor, the London assembly and permanent members of GLA staff who collaboratively work towards design a better capital (www. london. gov. uk/who-runs-london/greater-london-authority).The MoL is responsible for the economic, environmental, social enhancement of the city (www. london. gov. uk/who-runs-london/mayor/role). Plans and policies are developed to tackle the issues effect London such as transport, housing, health inequalities and environmental issues (www. london. gov. uk/who-runs-london/mayor/role). Environmental issues can be defined as the overuse of natural resources (Fransson and Garling, 1999) and can be categorised into air, water, radiation and odor pollution (http://www. environment-agency. ov. uk). The United Kingdom (UK), ranked eighth in the world for emit the highest carbon dioxide emissions (http://www. ucsusa. org). The UK generates 586 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year. Even though significant efforts are being made to reduce our carbon footprint such as building the world's largest wind farm, pollution due t ransportation however still remains a major problem in the UK (http://www. actionforourplanet. com). Environmental concern has risen on the political agenda since 2003. Various olicies have been introduced since then, relating to the environment. In 2009, a document entitled ‘Leading to a Greener London’ was published setting out the aims for London to reduce its carbon foot print and become ‘one of the worlds greenest cities’ (https://www. london. gov. uk/priorities/environment/vision-strateg. The Mayors Municipal waste strategy (2011) sets out to improve the life of Londoners by retrofitting London, greening London and cleaner air for London (http://www. london. gov. uk/sites/default/files/Municipal%20Waste_FINAL. pdf).Retrofitting or mordenising our homes and workplaces to be more energy efficient is considered to be a vital action, as this accounts for nearly eighty percent (80%) of the cities emissions. Greening London consists of increasing Londonâ₠¬â„¢s tree coverage and green spaces in order to improve air quality, reduce the impact of extreme weather conditions and increase the vibrancy of the city. The mayor has already made various steps towards achieving cleaner air for London which includes introducing new cleaner hybrid buses (http://www. london. gov. k/priorities/transport/green-transport/hybrid-buses), charging points for electric cars (https://www. sourcelondon. net) and barlays cycle hire is due to be expanding to south west London in 2014 (http://www. tfl. gov. uk/corporate/media/newscentre/archive/25711. aspx). Nevertheless, evidence shows that air pollution in our capital has exceeding EU limits and proves that London has a long way to go to improve emissions (http://www. london. gov. uk/media/press_releases_london_assembly/new-figures-reveal-limits-harmful-air-pollution-breached-across-capital).The business waste Strategy (2011) sets out to direct the management of business waste. London currently produces 20 m illion tones of waste a year. With London growing, this amount is due to increase. The aim of this policy is to educate and encourage Londoners to reduce, reuse and recycle their household and support business’s to dispose of their waste more efficiently and effectively (http://www. london. gov. uk/priorities/environment/vision-strategy/waste). These policies have filtered down to local councils and a proposal has been drawn in the borough of Croydon to target those who persistently refuse to recycle with a fixed penalty of ? 0 (http://www. croydon. gov. uk/environment/rrandw/recycling-rates/). However, even with the governments increasing efforts to try a reduce waste and encourage recycling, there are many areas in society where this is not happening. For example, the government’s voluntary scheme to cut the use if throwaway bags issued by supermarkets has been a disappointment. The use of plastic bags has increased for the second year running (http://www. guardian. co. uk/environment/2012/jul/05/plastic-bag-use-rise-supermarkets). In response, a proposal making it mandatory to charge all single use carrier bags may be enforced (http://www. ondon. gov. uk/media/press_releases_assembly_member/news-jenny-jones-am-calling-charge-all-single-use-carrier-bags). In conclusion, government will always make proposals and draw up policies however sometimes implementing these policies at a local level is very challenging. Even though the GLA want to see improvements and continuously demand, support needs to be made at a local level to help guide local authorities through continuous changes enforced upon them. REFERENCING FRANSSON, N. GARLING,T. (1999) ENVIRONMENTALCONCERN: CONCEPTUAL DEFINITIONS, MEASUREMENT METHODS, AND RESEARCH FINDINGS.Journal of Environmental Psychology, 19 (4) pp 369–382 http://www. actionforourplanet. com/#/top-10-polluting-countries/4541684868 http://www. london. gov. uk/media/press_releases_london_assembly/new-figures-reveal -limits-harmful-air-pollution-breached-across-capital http://www. london. gov. uk/priorities/transport/green-transport/hybrid-buses http://www. london. gov. uk/sites/default/files/Business%20Waste_FINAL. pdf). http://www. london. gov. uk/sites/default/files/Business%20Waste_FINAL. pdf http://www. london. gov. uk/sites/default/files/londons_economy_today_no119_26071

Should age be reduced for driving licence Essay Example

Should age be reduced for driving licence Essay Example Should age be reduced for driving licence Essay Should age be reduced for driving licence Essay Yes, because there are teenagers out there that are more mature behind the wheel then some adults I know. Age does not matter, maturity does. For todays students study related commuting needs, 16 to 18 year teens are authorized to drive non- geared, less than 100 c two wheelers only, with the consent of parents/guardians. They will be authorized/upgraded to drive vehicles with gear on attaining 18 years, on subsequent appearing and clearing concerned tests by ROOT. Most of the roads Inside the cities in India are already crowded with lot of vehicles. To add more woes, If all teenagers were given license, It would prompt more vehicles to go around the scales. This would add to more fuel consumption at the overall nation level and would also contribute to carbon emission and add to more pollution. Handling the vehicles Is too risky at a younger age, as most of the teens would be fearless and would be speeding up, eventually causing more accidents. Its the age which would prompt them to be more adventurous and will Involve trying out more dangerous acts using vehicles, as they would be Inspired by that which Is shown In movies. Everything has certain age and after 18 any how one would be free to drive throughout their life time. Till then the teens can afford to use public transport or vehicles in schools or accompany their parents or elders, while they want to go out, which will be much safer and also contribute to a cleaner environment (less vehicles plying on road). Minors should not be granted driving license due to the following reasons.

U.S. Teen Pregnancy and Abortion Rates

U.S. Teen Pregnancy and Abortion Rates Preventing teen pregnancy is one of those perennial hot-button issues in the news, and countless sources cite the statistic that 3/4 of a million teens become pregnant each year. But what are the real facts and figures on teenage pregnancy in the U.S.? How current is the data and is teen pregnancy overblown by the media? What are the statistics for teen abortions and teen births? The February 2012 study U.S. Teenage Pregnancies, Births and Abortions, 2008: National Trends by Age, Race and Ethnicity, authored by Kathryn Kost and Stanley Henshaw and released by the Guttmacher Institute draws upon the most current estimates available and provides data on teen pregnancy rates in the United States in 2008 on a national level. Teen pregnancy rates differ from teen birth rates in that pregnancy rates include births, abortions, miscarriages and stillbirths. Current statistics including pregnancy, birth and abortion rates are outlined below. Number of Teenage Pregnancies In 2008, there were approximately 746,500 teen pregnancies involving young women and girls under age 20. The bulk of those pregnancies 733,000 were among teens age 15-19, while girls 14 and younger accounted for 13,500 pregnancies. Teenage Pregnancy Rate Among teens age 15-17, the pregnancy rate was 67.8 pregnancies per 1,000 women or 7% of the population. This rate was the lowest in over 30 years, down 42% from the peak pregnancy rate of 116.9 per thousand in 1990. Among girls 14 and younger, the pregnancy rate declined 62% from a high of 17.5 pregnancies per thousand in 1990 to 6.6 per thousand in 2008. Pregnancy Rate of Sexually Active Teens The pregnancy rate of sexually experienced teens (those who have ever had intercourse) was 158.5 pregnancies per thousand young women age 15-19, which indicates that the overall teenage pregnancy rate includes a significant proportion of teens who have never had sex. That rate reached its peak in 1990 when it was 223.1 per thousand a decline of 29%. Teenage Birth Rate In 2008 the teen birth rate was 40.2 births per 1,000 women, a drop of 35% from the peak rate of 61.8 per thousand in 1991. Teenage Abortion Rate In 2008 the teen abortion rate was 17.8 abortions per 1,000 women, the lowest rate since abortion was legalized. Abortion rates for teens peaked in 1988 at 43.5 per thousand; compared with the 2008 rate, that represents a decline of 59%. Although teen birth and abortion rates have been on a steady decline for more than two decades, in 2006 there was a short-lived increase in both the teenage birth and abortion rate. Both rates resumed their decline according to 2008 figures. Teenage Abortion Ratio The proportion of teen pregnancies that end in abortion (known as the abortion ratio) declined by a third from 1986-2008, from 46% to 31%. Teen Pregnancy Rates Across Racial and Ethnic Groups Although declines were seen among all three groups (white, black, Hispanic), the teen pregnancy rate remains higher among black teens and Hispanic teens as compared to non-Hispanic white teens. For non-Hispanic white teens, the pregnancy rate declined 50% since 1990 (from 86.6 pregnancies per 1,000 to 43.3). Among black women aged 15–19, the pregnancy rate dropped 48% between 1990 and 2008 (from 223.8 pregnancies per 1,000 to 117.0). Hispanic teenagers (of any race), the pregnancy rate fell 37% from its highest level between 1992 and 2008 (from 169.7 per 1,000 to 106.6.) Teen Pregnancy Rates and Racial Disparity When compared to each other, the disparity in teen pregnancy rates across racial and ethnic groups is apparent. Rates among black and Hispanic teens were 2–3 higher than that of non-Hispanic white teens. Among the different groups, in 2008 the pregnancy rate per thousand for young women age 15-19 was: 43.3 for non-Hispanic white teens106.6 for Hispanic teens (of any race)117.0 for black teens Teen Abortion Rates and Racial Disparity A similar disparity exists in teen abortion rates across racial and ethnic groups. Abortion rates among black teens were 4 times higher than that of non-Hispanic white teens; among Hispanic teens, the rate was twice as high. Among the different groups, in 2008 the abortion rate per thousand for young women age 15-19 was: 10.4 for non-Hispanic white teens20.1 for Hispanic teens (of any race)40.8 for black teens Teen Birth Rates and Racial Disparity Likewise, the disparity continues in teen birth rates across racial and ethnic groups. Birth rates among black and Hispanic teens in 2008 were twice the rate of non-Hispanic white teens. Among the different groups, in 2008 the birth rate per thousand for young women age 15-19 was: 26.6 for non-Hispanic white teens70.3 for Hispanic teens (of any race)60.1 for black teens Number of Pregnancies, Births, Abortions and Estimated Miscarriages In 2008 the following numbers for women younger than age 20 were recorded and/or estimated: Total number of pregnancies - 746,530Total number of births - 440,522Total number of abortions - 198,100Total number of estimated miscarriages (including stillbirths) - 107,910 Out of a total population of young women age 15-19 in the U.S. of 10,805,000, roughly 7% of teen girls were pregnant in 2008. Source:Kost, Kathryn and Stanley Henshaw. U.S. Teenage Pregnancies, Births and Abortions, 2008: National Trends by Age, Race and Ethnicity. Guttmacher Institute, Guttmacher.org. 8 February 2012.

Strategic Information System Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Strategic Information System - Research Paper Example However, a good number of organizations continue to face great challenges in their attempts to integrate information technologies and in their efforts to improve on decision making and sharing of information. These challenges can be attributed to the fact that in the event of the design and implementation of the system, most companies lay more emphasis on the role and function of information system and less attention to the company’s structure and processes of the firm. It is worth noting that a greater percentage of information system failures arise not because of technology but because less concentration is paid on organizational aspects such as practises and processes. This paper seeks to review information theories and their significant role in understanding information systems in management of organisations. It will further seek a deeper understanding of laws governing information systems with particular attention to enforcement and use of the information systems in the U nited Kingdom. Finally, a reassessment on information system control will be conducted. To undertake this study, it is important to review various information theories. ... ciples and practices of a management in the daily activities of a business firm with a desire and passion to achieve set goals and with a mission to minimize expenses while maximizing returns and make huge returns for the company. â€Å"Business management theory entails the use of resources such as human labour financial technology and natural resources† (Hunter 2009). It is important to note that proper allocation of resources is vital in order to achieve utmost productivity for the business. Business management theory involves the analysis and evaluation of the business activities by the managerial authority with an objective of making an effective decision that will help contribute to the progress of the business. Decision making involves scheduling, organizing, setting course and controlling. The skills play a major role in the development and progress of a business. All these skills helps in the management and formulating new strategies that helps to achieve better goals together in addition to evaluation of performance to a set objective and supervision and control of resources such as workers in order to accomplish the business aim. Socio-technical systems theory â€Å"Social-technical systems theory views an organization as having a duty to perform a task whose objectives can best be achieved if the social, fiscal and technical aspects are mutually optimized† (porter 1998). Under this approach seven concepts are linked. Organizations should be viewed as co-dependent socio-technical structure. The theory utilizes interactive technical and social aspects; this implies that in drafting the structure of an organization both the technical and social aspects must be put into consideration. It is vital to note that where technology alone is put under consideration

Joe Salatino, President of Great Northern American Case Study - 2

Joe Salatino, President of Great Northern American - Case Study Example Joe can apply the selected learning theory (operant conditioning) in a number of ways to improve his employees’ performance.   Firstly, this model can be directly linked to good employee morale and thereby indirectly to increased productivity in the workplace. A positive reinforcement in the form of verbal praise or pay increase would assist Joe to elicit a desired employee response. A positive response from employees in turn may aid the company to increase its productivity to a desired level. The Great North American may have numerous business projects to be completed in preplanned time. Such projects would involve a group of employees working together to accomplish a common goal. If any of the project team members fails to meet his/her individual duties and responsibilities, this situation would adversely affect the progress of the entire project. Consequently, such a situation may lead to conflicts among project team members, punishment from top executives, and loss of market reputation. As Fagnani points out, the operant conditioning model makes all employees accountable for their individual actions and attractively rewards outstandingly performing teams (â€Å"Operate conditioning†). Hence, this model may assist Joe to complete business projects successfully on time and within a fixed budget.    Effective diversity management is another fruitful advantage of the operant conditioning concept. The emergence of globalization made employees globally mobile and this situation consequently led to increased level of cultural and ethnic diversity within most organizational settings. In this situation, managers with poor communication skill would often fail to communicate with a diverse group of employees effectively and this situation in turn may result in a productivity decline. The case study indicates that the company is growing rapidly. Therefore, Joe must ensure that his managers have the potential to effectively communicate with the growing employee base. In this context, the operant conditioning model would be beneficial for Joe to enhance leadership training programs and thereby make certain that his managers are efficient in handling a global audience.