How can a company’s knowledge base be protected in an event of a natural disaster Essay

Due to the advent of globalization, the industries and organizations all around the globe are expanding and there is an increasing development across national barriers. As the businesses are becoming more competitive, so are the labor markets. Knowledge is of the essence and it is one of the most valuable source competitive edges of a business over others. A knowledge base is knowledge management system. It is similar to a database which is basically a collection of tables that hold the data in an organized manner. It is used in companies where data usage is integrated and shared. Most companies use databases to record all kinds of information that is confidential to outside parties. Databases make data management more efficient and effective. It provides an integrated view of the organizations operations and reduces the probability of inconsistent data. This paper would focus on the venture of knowledge base and how can it be protected in an event of natural disaster. Discussion Knowledge base holds all kind of strategic, tactic and operational information that could be used by upcoming employees. In today’s highly competition markets, knowledge is of the essence. Companies need as much information as they need in order to aware and agile of their environment and the markets. Due to the competition in the labor market, there is constant change among the workers in organizations; employees tend to skip from jobs to jobs looking for new opportunities and better offers. This leads to the transaction of information that the employees hold. As the employees are valuable assets of the organization. (Trochim, 2001) We live in a rather knowledge driven economy where knowledge holds great importance, whether it be of the global environment, about internal organizational processes or about the historical proceedings that have brought about change. This knowledge management process is better known through business continuity planning or knowledge asset protection planning. Knowledge continuity management is a growing process that focuses on the preservation of information and knowledge regarding the business that is possessed by the various stakeholders of the business. This knowledge is preserved so that it can be made accessible to those that follow in the organization. (Krishna, 1992) Knowledge present within the organizations systems is valuable to the existing as well as the upcoming leaders, employers and volunteers of the business. Hence, its protection holds the utmost importance. The occurrence of natural disasters and other catastrophic events is rather inevitable and the possibility of a natural disaster hitting the organization must, at all time, be taken into account. Vital information that would be used to rejuvenate the business after a natural disaster should assessed as to avoid the organization from halting. On regular basis, all knowledge and data must have backup restorations at different locations. This helps in accessing information if the original source gets destroyed or corrupted due to viruses, intrusions or natural occurrences. Back up data allows the business to function normally even if its system gets hacked or is out of order as copies of the knowledge base and databases are kept elsewhere. There are various knowledge asset protection planning programs that help ensure organizations to have access to their knowledge assets in the event of a natural catastrophe. These programs have various sources through which the knowledge base can be regained after a disaster making it easy for the organization to reinstate its standard activities. This knowledge protection system allows the organization to be prepared to face any kind of hindrance, it protects the valuable information of the organization, also prevents any obstruction and impediment due to the loss of valuable information that has been carried on for years. Moreover, when the knowledge base of the organization is safe from intrusions it is easier for the company management and upper level employees to be more unperturbed and stress-free and hence, can concentrate on other areas of growth. Conclusion In the end it is important to understand that with the increasingly knowledge dependent economies, organizations need to be active and agile at all times. Without sufficient knowledge it would become difficult for organizations to keep up with the competition and antagonism in the global markets. The sharing and integration of knowledge in organizations can drive innovation and increase productivity. Hence, the management of knowledge is a new imperative leadership as it has now become a valuable asset.

My Proudest Day of My Life

The Proudest Day of My Life The grey schooldays what I once hated most, are finally over. Do you remember the tons of homework, different and challenging assignment, hard exams? So those are the past now. It was a beautiful summer day, the big day, the day of my graduation. An important event, that many of my friends and I prayed for that we will do well after our examination without worries. The feeling was so special that no words could describe it. But despite of this I really would like to share with you my special day! The loud applause from the students rocked the hall when the school syndicate entered.Everyone was so excited about it. The music was uplifting as the symbols of the school then our teachers and the dean had reached their seats. We rose and sang the National Hymn. After the hymn, the dean opened the graduation ceremonially with his speech. Then some of our teachers and some pupils said â€Å"thank you† and â€Å"good bye† to each other. Although the first speech was quite dry, the others were very interesting. After the speeches students from each class lined up in the auditorium. Many of us waited eagerly for our turn to go the main stage to receive our diplomas from the dean.We were more than two hundred but I was waiting patiently. Of course I was very excited. Soon after that, it was my turn. How can I describe that feeling you have been waiting for so long? As I heard my name, I stood up, walked to the stage and the dean handed my diploma after shaking each other's hands. A second later I heard the applause and the unforgettable moment of feeling proud, that yes, I did it! It was an amazing feeling to stay there in front of everyone, especially in front of your family, your loved ones and see the joy in their eyes.In that seconds and on the way back to my seat I recalled a lot of memories from the last five years. All the positive and negative aspects of being a student came to my mind like the hard exams or the fun time w ith my friends. After the ceremony, in the background, a white projector screen scrolled down then flashed a video on it. It recalled many memories from our first day we had our orientation till the last days. I was astonished to see my face as some pictures of me popped up on the screen. Seeing myself five years younger at the orientation week with a scared face and with a â€Å"what am I doing here† feeling was really funny.I felt a little bit embarrassed, but we laughed a lot with my friends. At the end of the ceremony we sang the school song then we went to the fountain in front of the university and took some pictures with friends and our last group photo. After that we had a short conversation with friends and somehow a sense of nostalgia aroused eventhough we were all happy that we finally graduated. I took a last glance around the main lobby – the place I first entered the university five years ago – before I went back to my family.Along the way back hom e, in the car was the time when I had a weird feeling. It felt as if it was happiness and sadness with many other kinds of feelings. The feeling was stronger when I had reached home. I knew if I told myself I did not miss the school and my friends that would be lye. Perhaps that was the last time we gathered our friends together. However, I am extremely happy that I finished my school and got my master degree, but I also will miss it! I am sure that we would not be able to feel what we once felt together in the classroom during the past five years.

Neuron and Chemical Synapse

Nervous System II: Anatomy Review 1. The somatic nervous system stimulates ____________ muscle. The autonomic nervous system stimulates ___________ muscle, ____________ muscle, and ___________. 2. The autonomic nervous system (ANS) consists of two divisions, each innervating the effector organs. The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) generally speeds up everything except digestion. The parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) generally slows down everything but digestion. Signals from the SNS cause the heart rate to _________, while signals from the PNS cause the heart rate to ___________.Signals from the SNS cause smooth muscles of the intestine to _________ contractions, while signals from the PNS cause these muscles to _________ contractions. Signals from the SNS also cause the adrenal gland to _________ epinephrine and norepinephrine. 3. Neurons can excite or inhibit another neuron. Exciting another neuron will increase the chances of a/an ___________________ in the second neuron. Inhi biting another neuron will make the chances of a/an __________________ less likely. 4. Axons from one neuron can synapse with the dendrites or soma of another axon.These synapses are called ______________________ (on dendrites) and _________________________ (on soma). They carry input signals to the other neuron. Axons from one neuron can synapse with the axon terminal of another neuron. These synapses are called ________________________, and they regulate the amount of ________________________ released by the other neuron. 5. The electrical synapse: Electrical current flows from one neuron to another through _________________. These synapses are always (excitatory or inhibitory). Advantages of the electrical synapses: . _______ signal conduction 2. _____________ activity for a group of neurons. 6. The chemical synapse: Chemical synapses are not as fast as electrical but are the most common type of synapse. A chemical, called a/an ______________________, is released from the sending neuron and travels across the ___________________(a gap between the neurons) to the receiving neuron. Advantages of the chemical synapse: 1. The signal can be either ____________ or ____________. 2. The signal can be ______________ as it passes from one neuron to the next. 7.The neuron conducting the impulse toward the synapse is called the __________________ neuron. The axon terminal contains ___________ ____________ filled with ______________________. An action potential in the axon terminal of the _____________ neuron causes the chemical transmitter ____________________ to be released. It diffuses across the synaptic cleft and binds to receptors on the ________________ membrane. These receptors open __________________. The movement of the charged particles causes an electrical signal called a/an _______________________.

Biology (u2 ip&db) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Biology (u2 ip&db) - Essay Example 1) â€Å"Sunlight is converted to chemical energy in the form of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which is the main energy-storing molecule in living organisms. ATP is then transported throughout the chloroplast and used to provide the chemical energy necessary to power other metabolic reactions† (GlobalChange, 2008, pg. 1). â€Å"Cellular respiration allows organisms to use (release) in the chemical bonds of glucose (C6H12O6). The energy in glucose is used to produce ATP. Cells use ATP to supply their energy needs. Cellular respiration is therefore a process in which the energy in glucose is transferred to ATP† (SUNY, 2008, pg. 1). Organisms that can use photosynthesis to produce glucose are also known as photoautrophs. Examples include soybeans, photosynthetic bacteria, cyanobacteria, bacteriochlorophyll, trees, and house plants. Organisms that can use aerobic cellular respiration to break down glucose to produce ATP are known as lithotrophs. Examples include bacteria and archaea. â€Å"Under anaerobic conditions, the absence of oxygen, pyruvic acid can be routed by the organism into one of three pathways: lactic acid fermentation, alcohol fermentation, or cellular (anaerobic) respiration. Humans cannot ferment alcohol in their own bodies, we lack the genetic information to do so. These biochemical pathways, with their myriad reactions catalyzed by reaction-specific enzymes all under genetic control, are extremely complex. We will only skim the surface at this time and in this course. Alcohol fermentation is the formation of alcohol from sugar. Yeast, when under anaerobic conditions, convert glucose to pyruvic acid via the glycolysis pathways, then go one step farther, converting pyruvic acid into ethanol, a C-2 compound† (Estrella Mountain Community College, 2008, pg. 1) When there is a chemical reaction, enzymes and catalysts lower the activation energy required. Each enzyme catalyzes only one reaction, so there are

Family Systems Therapy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Family Systems Therapy - Essay Example FST perspective relies upon the assumption that psychological issues are developed and maintained in the social context of families. Such view implies that the therapist should pay attention to the entire family of the patient instead of focusing almost exclusively on the individual needs and symptoms of the patient. Modern forms of FST employ a wide range of methods and techniques from the field of psychotherapy, systems theory, systemic coaching, and communication theory and tend to incorporate several psychotherapeutic approaches including cognitive therapy, narrative perspectives, social constructionist approach, intergenerational theory, etc. (Nichols & Schwartz, 1998). Such variety of paradigms incorporated in FST is due to exceptionally complex, multilateral and multilevel nature of human interactions within the family setting. 1. Experiential: this approach, also termed Symbolic-Experiential Family therapy, was founded by Carl Whitaker in the 1960's. The experiential approach, as its name suggested, emphasized the role of immediate ongoing experience, required the therapist conducting treatment to be active and directive, and stressed the importance of going beyond the tenets of traditional theory. Virginia Satir was another recognized contributor and proponent of the experiential approach (Fraenkel, 1997). 2. Family Systems: this approach founded by Murray Bowen revolves around eight basic concepts, namely Emotional Triangles (three-person relationship system considered the smallest building block of a wider network), Differentiation of Self (psychological liberation of intellect and emotion from the family influences, independence of the self from others), Nuclear Family Emotional System (encompasses 4 primary patterns of relations that affect development of problems in the family context), Family Projection Process (the basic way in which parents transmit their psychological problems to their children), Multigenerational Transmission Process (the way in which smaller dysfunctional patterns are accumulated and passed from one generation to another, which eventually leads to serious psychological problems), Emotional Cutoff (the way of managing emotional problems that emerge in the family by cutting off any emotional contacts with other members), Sibling Position (this concept relies o n the research of Walter Toman and explains the mechanism of how position of the sibling affects behavior and psychological development of other family members), and Societal Emotional Process (explains how the emotional system influences an individual's behavior on a broader societal level). These concepts fully clarify the basic goals of treatment and role of therapist in the Family Systems approach: The person should be detriangulated from the emotional setting within her family context; The system of relations between the spouses or members of family must be adequately defined and clarified to the fullest extent possible; The person must be fully aware of the function of emotional systems; The person must demonstrating differentiation from the

CASE STUDY ASSIGNMENT DORCHESTER HOTEL Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

CASE STUDY ASSIGNMENT DORCHESTER HOTEL - Essay Example The report seeks to present a critical review of these issues whereby recommendations for resolving or improving upon the issues discussed will be given at the end. 2.0 Introduction According to Datamonitor (2004) â€Å"Tesco PLC is the largest food retailer in UK, operating around 2,318 stores worldwide. It operates around operates around 1,878 stores throughout the UK, and also operates stores in the rest of Europe and Asia.† Paton (2005) also states that â€Å"Tesco has 367,000 staff worldwide (250,000 of them in the UK), 2,365 stores (1,770 in the UK), sales of more than ?37bn, and last year reported pre-tax profits of just over ?2bn.† Tesco has an estimated 30 % of the market share in the grocery industry in UK. Currently, Tesco is rated as the number one chain supermarket in the UK grocery sector as a result of different strategies it has implemented over the years. Of notable concern is that Tesco’s workforce is comprised of diverse people from different b ackgrounds which entail that managing diversity is a virtue. The success of Tesco can be attributed to various factors but particular emphasis in this case is put on the human resources practices in this organisation. ... HRM deals with the group of people employed by a business or company which produces goods and services. The aim of managing human resources is to make the organisation successful as well as to help the employees to enjoy their work in a bid to steer the operations of the organisation towards the attainment of set organisational goals. The other aim of HRM is to help the employees to do their best while at the same time making sure that they receive suitable rewards for their work. Against this background, this report seeks to critically evaluate how different HR issues such as recruitment, retention, training and development as well as performance management are implemented at Tesco. These human resources practises play a complementary role to each other in that they are meant to positively influence the actions of the employees towards the attainment of the set organisational goals. In order to achieve the objectives of the organisation, the needs for the employees cannot be separat ed from this process. Thus, the HR approach is a system of HRM that recognises that the success of the organisation depends on its human resources (Kleynhans, 2007). Thus, HRM has become more important in organisations today than ever before. Whilst different companies have access to the same technology, during the contemporary period, it is the human resources that make a difference in companies being successful and achieving their organisational goals. HRM includes policies, functions, and systems that affect employee’s behaviour, attitudes and performance (Carell et al 1995). It is these HR practices that help the company gain the advantage over its competitors. Thus, the report will specifically focus on how Tesco is implementing these

INTRODUCTION TO QUANTITATIVE MANAGEMENT Lab Report

INTRODUCTION TO QUANTITATIVE MANAGEMENT - Lab Report Example otal profit that can be obtained while satisfying the constraints (in this case maximum benefit of 710) gave 26 for moulding, 14 for trimming and 13 for packaging. However, these values gave a profit of 705 which is less by 5. What this means is that an increase in either of the tree variables will give a gain value that is way above the limit that the company has in stored for the items (710). Therefore, the optimal values that the manufacturing can order and make optimal profit while satisfying the constraints is 26, 14, and 13 for moulding, trimming, and packaging respectively. Besides, the maximum amount of time that each component of moulding can take is represented in the above table. From the solver output, it is apparent that the production time remained. The maximum production time utilised in the manufacture was less from the total allocated time by 2500, 1700, and 300 for moulding, trimming, and packaging respectively. The remaining time could not be accounted for because any change in any of the three variables resulted in higher increase in the total amount of time allocated for each component. Therefore, the entire time was not utilised to obtain maximum production while satisfying the constraints of the equation. The result given by the solver is the optimal selection for each component that gives a maximum profit. One would argue that since the amount of resources available was not fully utilised its sensitivity was not 100%. However, it is apparent that the sensitivity for this selection was (705 / 710) * 100= 99.2%. Though this sensitivity is not perfect, it is relatively high and appropriate. Therefore, the choice of each component given by the solver is sensitive as per the requirement to satisfy the constraints. Selection of parameters that satisfy constraints at 99% is a better option than a percentage lower because such selection should not exceed the available resource. For this reason, these values were the optimal and maximal choice

Subprime Meltdown Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Subprime Meltdown - Essay Example The article begins by discussing the case of New Century and revealing that it represented one of the biggest accounting failures at that time. At one end was the view that the accounting procedures used by the company were faulty and there were major red flags that the company did not watch out for. However, at the other end was the view that the failure of New Century was an inevitable outcome of the overall failure of the U. S Housing Industry and that the company was bound to come down in the midst of a failing market. However, the report does point out certain red flags that were not taken into account by the company and accounted for its failure. The major issue, as highlighted, was that the company did not undertake rigorous research effort into exploring the background of potential borrowers; that it had no benchmark for assessing the quality of its lending. One of the most obvious flaws was to rule out the income level of the borrower before lending him/her the loan; thus, l oans were lent despite insufficient collateral. Secondly, the company had been involved in unethical practices of advertising low rates that far deviated from the actual as a result of which the borrowers were awestruck when they had to pay the actual market rates. At the same time, the numbers were misleading. Although the dollar value of loans was said to have increased; the number of defaults increased by more than that creating a vicious cycle of debt for the lending companies. They were lending more and more for less and less backup; hence, in effect they were lending more than their ability to do so. What was more surprising was that the documentation to support these loans was often missing which simply meant that there was great room for fraud or misrepresentation. And that is exactly what happened. Individuals took loans even though they were not eligible for it which paved way for the crisis that followed. At this point one may raise the question that what was the company doing all this time? Was it being a silent watchdog, ignoring the entire activity or was it unaware of the situation? Does the responsibility of these malpractices lie with the management or not? The answer is unfortunately the former- the company’s top management did not encourage stringent check and balance; the internal controls were not in place making it very easy for individuals to commit fraud or misrepresent their backgrounds while acquiring the loans. No cross-checks were made. This is clearly evident in the findings of the article whereby it was revealed by the Court that fraudulent and unjustified alterations were made in the calculations of repurchases reserves and that, most importantly, these changes were made without any verification from higher authorities, documentation and approval. Another major inefficiency is highlighted by the case- that of fraudulent audit practices or the failure of audit department to ensure transparency by being bribed or influenced by the company they are auditing. This has been a common practice, especially where regulations are lax. However, even where regulations are stringent such practices exist and are difficult to trace before the revelation of the fraud. Hence, the

Renoirs adaptation of maupassants A counrty excursion Essay

Renoirs adaptation of maupassants A counrty excursion - Essay Example In the context of French cinema, works of such iconic writers as Victor Hugo, Emile Zola and Alexander Dumas were heavily drawn upon. Guy de Maupassant’s short story A Country Excursion is one among many instances of early cinema embracing literature. But there are numerous challenges in adapting a work of art to a radically different medium. Theatre and cinema can be said to share some affinity in terms of principles of mise-en-scene, accepted rules of screen-play, shared exploration of genres, etc. But literature to film is a big leap and film theorist Dudley Andrew identifies three basic types of adaptation – borrowing, intersecting and transforming sources. In the case of A Day in the Country to varying degrees all the three types are at play. Borrowing: The film is said to be borrowed from the short story to the extent that there is divergence in their details pertaining to characterization, geographic description, projection of individual motive, etc. In borrowing , â€Å"the artist employs, more or less extensively, the material, idea, or form of an earlier, generally successful text...the adaptation hopes to win an audience by the prestige of its borrowed title or subject...at the same time it seeks to gain a certain respectability, if not aesthetic value, as a dividend in the transaction†. (Andrew, p.422) Renoir’s work satisfies some of these criteria better than others. Certainly the literary work is the very basis for the project of the film. Moreover, Maupassant was a household name in early twentieth century France, and thus brings a degree of prestige to the project at hand. But the particular short story, A Country Excursion, does not have the same name recollection as its author does. Renoir’s enterprise does succeed in fulfill the twin key criteria of bringing respectability and aesthetic value to the transaction. The cinema produced is no injustice to the artistic standards of its source. The additional provis ions afforded by the new medium add more vibrancy and color to the source text. So the idea of the film can certainly be said to have been borrowed, though with certain qualifications. Intersection: This form of adaptation is found to be the weakest in A Day in the Country. Intersection is the most infidel methods of transmuting words to film due to its limited objective. The goal of the filmmaker is less constrained, for he/she is not concerned with the entire written work but only one idea/feature within it. The task then is to experiment and find out what ‘cinema’ as a medium can ‘do’ to the original. At its heart is creative curiosity and experimentation on the part of the director. Renowned French film critic Andre Bazin has expressed intersection through the metaphor of light. Andrews paraphrases Bazin thus, â€Å"here the original artwork can be likened to a crystal chandelier whose formal beauty is a product of its intricate but fully artificial ar rangement of parts while the cinema would be a crude flashlight intersecting not for its own shape or the quality of its light but for what it makes appear in this or that dark corner† (Andrews, p.423) Seen in light of this definition, A Day in the Country is the cinematic intersection of the literary work, for it brings to the table unique cinematic qualities of expression. This is most evident in passages in the film where dialogue takes

Brown vs. Board of Education Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Brown vs. Board of Education - Personal Statement Example It was the case of Oliver Brown that brought an end to many of the hardships that the blacks had faced over time. Oliver Brown’s daughter had to travel a long way to reach her black school although a school was located nearby and this made Brown file a suit against the Board of Education for the rights. The case was a breakthrough in the American history as the blacks were allowed to study with the whites and the process of integration started. This case was very important in the history of blacks as it ended a long feud between the two races. In my belief this case helped the blacks to reach a position in the history of United States which they would have never been able to. Rosa Parks Civil Rights Movement Rosa was an educated lady who took part actively in the civil rights movement. She played the role of ignition in the civil rights movement and was one of the first blacks to take a stand against the government. Rosa worked as a seamstress in Montgomery Fair Department Sto re. Buses in the mid twentieth century had some restrictions for the blacks. ... Three of the black passengers moved except for Rosa Parks who was later arrested and fined for her misconduct. It was this incident which finally broke out the black community and they launched a boycott against the Montgomery Bus Services. The boycott lasted for 381 days and it was quite successful as the segregation laws were lifted. In my opinion Rosa Parks played a pivotal role in reviving the integrity of the blacks in the region. She united the blacks and ignited a civil rights movement against the government. In my belief it was her because of whom the civil rights movement began for reviving the rights of the blacks. Twelve Angry Men Twelve Angry Men was a play directed by Reginald Rose which later on became a movie. The play revolves around a young man who is about to be charged for the murder of his father. In United States a jury consists of many judges who are to decide whether a person is guilty or not. If a unanimous vote for guilty comes up for the person then he is ac cused otherwise the trial is known as mistrial. In this case the sentence for being guilty would result in a death penalty. The jury of twelve members then sit in a room to decide whether the kid is guilty or not and most of them come to the conclusion that the person is guilty because all evidence points at it. Only one of the members decides to vote against it and a mistrial occurs. In my opinion the play points out to the way a judgment occurs in the trial. The personal feelings of the jury may come in the way when deciding about the person who is being tried. The play points out the irregularities in the system of justice and how it may lead to wrong convictions at the wrong

Human Genetic Engineering and Religious Views Essay

Human Genetic Engineering and Religious Views - Essay Example    Likewise, human genetic engineering is been carried out to change physical appearances, metabolism or even enhance mental abilities such as intelligence and memory and refine physical capabilities.    Interestingly, as medical sources have surged deep into this form of human modification, more issues and debate over the authenticity of such an activity is erupting and climbing at a rapid pace. The basic questions that form into people’s mind regarding this subject are that ‘is carrying out genetic engineering a sin?’ or ‘is it unethical or ethical to perform such a task?’ or ‘is this modification a substitute of robbing us of our freedom?’ The main argument concerning human genetic engineering is that it is wrong to modify or manipulate a gene of a fetus, without their agreement. The second issue that parents have the right to remold their unborn child and the third debate is that every child has the right to come into this world without any deadly disease. Moreover, other researchers show that where people are already spending thousands of money and waste their time in enhancing their beauty by plastic surgeries, cosmetic, injections, diet, and exercise, it is better than they perform engineering for once, which is less tiring than these daily ventures. Similarly, it is an act of humanity if through genetic engineering a person is freed from the fatal illness. Nonetheless, the role of religious belief comes into play at this moment, where people need to make decisions. No matter how high a person is educated, when debatable issues emerge such as genetic engineering people always refer to their respective religion in order to shape their action.  

Principles of the Sda Health Message Essay Example for Free

Principles of the Sda Health Message Essay The Seventh Day Adventist religion has certain guidelines and principles on the health of their bodies and minds. The main focus of these principles can be broken into 8 main areas; The blessing of Exercise, The blessing of Water, The blessing of Sunlight, The blessing of Fresh Air, The blessing of Temperate, Drug-free, Stimulant-free Living, The blessing of Rest, The blessing of Nutritious Food and Trust in Divine Power. Each of these areas has separate ideas and guidelines on how to truly nurture your body and mind. Although these principles were introduced a long time ago most of them are still relevant for today’s lifestyles but like most things they do have weaknesses. The blessing of Exercise states that exercise is not merely an option, it is essential to maintaining both physical and mental health. Regular exercise has the benefits of increased energy, stress relief, healthier skin, more self-confidence, effective weight control, reduced depression and the risk of heart disease and cancer. Our bodies are designed to be active yet in today’s society we are moving less. Society’s lazy lifestyle has resulted in a rise in many medical conditions. Some conditions that result from inactivity include: heart disease, stroke, obesity, diabetes, ‘metabolic disorder’, and certain cancers. Proverbs 6:6-13 says â€Å"How long is the lazy man going to lie around? When is he ever going to get up? Ill just take a short nap, he says; Ill fold my hands and rest a while. But while he sleeps, poverty will attack him like an armed robber.† This verse is saying that useful activity tends to prosperity while inactivity and laziness tend to adversity. Christ himself set an example of physical activity. For most of his life he was engaged in manual labour and during his ministry he walked the roads of Palestine. Christians partake in exercise to keep their bodies healthy and reach their full potential as a creation of God, to serve him efficiently. In today’s society there are no weaknesses with the idea of exercise, it is still beneficial to our bodies to partake in exercise. Water is a vital fluid which without we would die. The human body is 75% water but it is constantly being lost through exhaling and perspiration. Drinking 6 – 8 glasses of pure water a day will aid in maintaining efficient, happy wellbeing. Water is often linked with purity. We use water to clean our bodies, cleanse our insides and to clean our conscience. Water is also used during Baptism in Christian religions because of its purity. A clean body inside and out and a clean conscience will lead to total health. The principle, The Blessing of Water is based not only on our body’s physical need for water but also the use of water to clean our body, soul, conscience and mind this is a key to full health. So let us come near to God with a sincere heart and a sure faith, with hearts that have been purified from a guilty conscience and with bodies washed with clean water (Hebrews 10:22 GNT). This quote focuses on the use of water for cleanliness of the physical body and the heart and conscience. Light is essential to life (Gen. 1:3). It powers the process that produces the nutrients that nourish and energize our bodies and that releases the oxygen we must have to live. Sunshine promotes health and healing. Every living thing in our world is dependent on sunlight. There are many proven health benefits one will receive from being exposed to regular sunlight. Some health benefits that sunlight can give us include lowers blood sugar and blood pressure, lowers cholesterol by converting it to vitamin D, increases red and white blood cells in the body, strengthens the immune system, helps calm nerves and increases adrenaline, destroys germs on the skin, increases circulation, helps eliminate pesticides and other chemicals from the body. The sun is an essential part of our life and that has not changed and will never change as we depend on it to live and keep us healthy. Sunlight does need to be in moderation especially in today’s society where skin cancer is very high. The most essential element to sustain life is oxygen. Without it we would die in a few minutes. Fresh air helps the immune system fight disease, rids the body of impurities and helps prevent problems such as fevers, colds and disease. An environment with impure air causes blood to carry less oxygen than is required for optimal function of cells. This tends to make a person less alert and responsive. Adults spend about 8-10 hours indoors at work and children 5-6 hours indoors at school instead of being outdoors in the fresh air. Dust collects on every surface and even as we get rid of it, the dust swirls around and makes its way into our respiratory system. As we cook food, occasionally we burn a meal or two and those fumes get inhaled also. Companies try to sell us products to ‘clean’ the air in our homes, but they add to the indoor air pollution. There is no substitute for fresh air. People living in small towns experience air which is fresher than those living in cities and therefore the benefits are even greater for them. This is because the air in large cities is polluted with smoke from factories and vehicles. More oxygen to the muscles reduces that lactic acid build-up in the muscles which leads to cramping. Ellen White once said The stomach, liver, lungs and brain are suffering for want of deep, full inspirations of air which would electrify the blood and impart to it a bright, lively colour, and which alone can keep it pure, and give tone and vigour to every part of the living machinery.. The only weakness of this idea in today’s society is the amount of air pollution we are faced with. We are not able to gain the full potential of this idea because of this pollution. The Blessing of a Temperate, Drug-free, Stimulant-free Living includes the use of any drugs even caffeine and alcohol as well as things that overstimulate our bodies like most technologies. The wise Christian will abstain from all that is harmful, using in moderation only that which is good. Drugs have saturated our society because they offer stimulation and release from stress and pain. Christians are surrounded with seductive invitations to use drugs. Even many popular, innocent-appearing beverages contain drugs – coffee, tea and colas etc all contain caffeine. Tobacco is another drug that is popular in society but tobacco in any form is a slow poison that has a harmful effect on physical, mental and moral powers. At first it affects are hardly noticeable. It excites and then paralyses the nerve, weakening and clouding the brain. Alcohol is a very popular drug in society today but some people do not understand that it is a drug and the effects it can have on the body. Since God communicates with us only through our minds, it is well to remember that alcohol adversely affects their every function. As the level of alcohol in the system rises, the drinker progresses through loss of coordination, confusion, disorientation, anaesthesia, coma and death. Drinking alcoholic beverages on a regular basis will eventually produce loss of memory, judgement and learning ability. Although the ideas behind this make sense and can improve health, in today’s busy society caffeine would have to be one of the highest used drugs. Proper rest is essential for health of body and mind. Periods of rest provide much needed quietness for communion with God: â€Å"Be still, and know that I am God† (Ps 46:10). God stressed our need for rest by setting aside the seventh day of the week as the day of rest (Ex 20:10). Rest is more than sleeping or ceasing our regular work. It involves the way we spend our leisure time. Weariness is not always caused by stress or by working too hard or too long. Our minds can be wearied by overstimulation though the media, sickness or various personal problems. Recreation is re-creation in the truest sense of the word. It strengthens, builds up and refreshes the mind and body. To life at its best, Christians should only pursue only those forms of recreation and entertainment that strengthen their bond with Christ and improve health. This is a much needed principle in today’s society but again it is unrealistic with such busy lifestyles. The blessing of nutritious foods was given to the first couple by the Creator with the ideal diet. â€Å"I have provided all kinds of grain and all kinds of fruit for you to eat† (Gen 1:29 GN). The diet God planned for us consisted of grains, fruits, nuts and vegetables. This diet offers the right nutritional ingredients to support optimum health. The Bible does not condemn the eating of clean animal products, but in the original diet God gave us did not include any flesh foods and this is why the Seventh Day Adventists try to follow a vegetarian diet. The vegetarian diet is the ideal, but sometimes we cannot always have the ideal. Those who wish to stay in optimum health will eat the best food they can obtain. The Seventh Day Adventist started the company Sanitarium which makes healthy, vegetarian food to help them to obtain the best foods they can. Another weakness of the original diet is that it can reduce the chance of your body to lack in proteins, calcium, vitamin B12, i ron and Zinc. Trusting in God means to rely on Him. You must surrender your will, your ideas, your desires and your future in to Gods hands. It takes a very special relationship to allow you to surrender so much. When we trust in god we look to Him for guidance, we look to Him when things go bad, we look to Him for help and we look at Him for love and strength. All God requires from us is to simply trust in Him. Trust in God can is the only way that we can overcome our fears and weakness. To trust in God we put all confidence into His character, ability and strength. We depend and have faith in Him; we believe He is who He says He is. There are no weakness when trusting in God the only thing that comes when trusting God is the strength to let him into your life and replaces feelings of insecurity and fear with those of love and compassion. We can trust in many things. None, however, offer the protection, the long term security, or benefit that trusting in God offers. Although these health messages are still spoken about and believed in they are not always, in today’s society, followed exactly. It is all well and good to think that these principles are a good idea but it is another thing to follow them. We have the mentality these days that yes something may be a good idea and you may believe in what it means and what it is doing but we still don’t do it. Times have changed and we are not ‘forced’ or expected to do things that people were once ‘scared’ of defying like attending church or following principles of their religion like these health principles. Although these messages are mainly still useful today they need to be put into practice to achieve any results. References Bible: Good News Translation. (1992). Ingleburn, NSW: The Bible society. Chamberlain, M. (1997). Cooranbong first town in Lake Macquarie: 1826-1996. Cooranbong: Michael Chamberlain. Health Systems Check,. (2012) Alcohol and Malnutrition. Health Effects of Alcohol Consumption. Retrieved on 25th May 2012 from http://www.healthchecksystems.com/alcohol.htm Hopp, J. (1984). Light for living part 1. Journal of Adventist Education. 40(4). Retrieved on 26th May 2012 from http://circle.adventist.org/files/jae/en/jae198446041714.pdf Parker, M. (2011). Christian Behaviour. Lecture presented to education students at Avondale College, Cooranbong, NSW. Sun Safety Alliance. (n.d.). The facts about getting too much sun. Skin Cancer. Retrieved 28th May 2012 from http://www.sunsafetyalliance.org/bare_facts.html

Pakistani Indian Relations

Pakistani Indian Relations Introduction: From the beginning the seeds of conflicted have been impartially implanted in the roots of Pak-India Relations. These two nations never considered each other as their friends but remained and wanted to be foes. At the time of the partition, about half a million Muslims and Hindus were killed in mutual insurgences following the partition of British India. Millions of Muslims living in India and Hindus and Sikhs living in Pakistan immigrated in one of the most massive transfers of population in the modern era. Both countries blamed each other of not providing suitable security to the minorities immigrating through their territory. This served to increase tensions between the newly-born countries. This created instability in the area and never lead each other to prosper economically. The relations between India and Pakistan have been influenced by a number of historical and political issues, and is defined by the crucial partition of British India in 1947, the Kashmir dispute and the number of military conflicts fought between the two nations. No doubt that the nations share the same historic, cultural, geographic, and economic terms In the Sub-Continent and their relationship has been critical by aggression and doubts. Countries Comparison: Wars, Conflicts and Disputes: Kashmir Issue: The emerging, countering and the most deadly issues in the world is the cause of major tension and conflict between two countries. It was from the beginning when the Ruler of Kashmir decided to remain independent at the times of division. Now after the division Pakistan is claiming its Dominance and India is claiming its reunion with Kashmir which is leading to a critical situation and insurgency. 1965 War Kargil War (1998-99) After the independence, India had left no stone unturned to bring harm to the sovereignty of Pakistan. Moreover their actions of the 1965 war claimed their aggression towards Pakistani community. Moreover it is still pressurizing the army of Pakistan. Another incident when Pak become nuclear superpower in 1999 the Kargil war broke out. But some analysts claim that they have been the victim of releasing of tensions from the both sides. But both were solved by the International communities. Water dispute Since independence the water dispute emerged as major dispute between the two nations about rivers Ravi,Sutlej,Chenab,Beas,Jehlum and Sindh.So after the cooperation of World Bank, In 1960, Indus Treaty was signed to resolve the conflict.Pak get Chenab,Indus and Jehlum and India got Ravi, Sutlej and Beas according to the treaty. Bangladesh Liberation War Since independence, Pakistan was geo-politically divided into two major regions, West Pakistan and East Pakistan. East Pakistan was occupied mostly by Bengali people. In December 1971, following a political crisis in East Pakistan, the situation soon risen out of control in East Pakistan and India intervened in favor of the rebelling Bengali people. The conflict results in a brief but bloody war and lead to the independence of East Pakistan. In the war, the Pakistani army swiftly fell to India while forcing the independence of East Pakistan which separated and became Bangladesh. Control Line Issues A number of times when the relations and tensions between India and Pakistans seemed to be decreasing the control line issues came into existence by the Military of both cuontries. The true example is Kargil war (1998-99).Firings, bombings and arresting of innocent people are key findings of these issues. Conflicts Reborn: Samjhota Express Bombings (2007) The 2007 Samjhauta Express bombings was a terrorist attack targeted on the Samjhauta Express train on 18 February. The Samjhauta Express is an international train that runs from New Delhi, India to Lahore, Pakistan. It is one of two trains to cross the India-Pakistan border. At least 68 people were killed. Mostly were Pakistani civilians but also some Indian security personnel and civilians. Prasad Shrikant Purohit, an Indian Army officer and leader of a Hindu Fundamentalist Group.It was identified and investigated as a key suspect responsible for the bombing. The attack was a turning point in Indo-Pakistani relations, and one of the many terrorist incidents that have effected relations between the two countries. Mumbai attacks (2008) The 2008 Mumbai attacks by ten Pakistani terrorists killed over 173 and wounded 308. The single surviving gunman, Ajmal Kasab (who was arrested during the attacks), was found to be a Pakistani national. This fact was acknowledged by Pakistani authorities. In May 2010, an Indian court condemned him on four counts of murder, waging war against India, conspiracy and terrorism offences, and sentenced him to death. India blamed the Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based militant group, for planning and executing the attacks. Islamabad resisted the claims and demanded evidence. India provided evidence in the form of interrogations, weapons, candy wrappers, Pakistani Brand Milk Packets, and telephone sets. Indian officials demanded Pakistan deport suspect for trial. They also said that, given the sophistication of the attacks, the criminals must have had the support of some official agencies in Pakistan. Role of Media in Promoting Peace: No doubt, over the last two decades, media has been playing a vital role over the peace and trade development talks of Pak-India relations. Not only Pakistani media but foreign media is also participating very actively. From ages these sides have never been to the soft corners of the issue but are always the grand part of mishaps. The both media men and media partners are also demanding their home countries to ensure easy visa policy to promote harmony among the countries. Singers like Atif Aslam and Rahat fateh Ali khan also go India for performing musical activities for the film industry of India. This shows a major peace initiative by media side. The Lighter Side of Diplomatic Relationship: Aman ki Aasha: â€Å"Aman ki Aasha† (Hope for Peace) is a campaign jointly started by the two leading media houses The Jang Group in Pakistan and The Times of India in India. The campaign purposes for mutual peace and development of the diplomatic and cultural relations between the two nations in South Asia. It was started on January 1, 2010. The campaign never received warm response from India and Pakistan. Shoaib and Sania Relationship: The one of the greatest relationships ever made in the history of world and the most renowned one is â€Å"Shoaib and Sania Marriage† which has weaken the strong holds of hatred and anger between two nations. This has also presented a soft image of Pakistani personnel in the light of Indian dilemmas. Bilateral Sports Promotions: Sports have always been a key player in promoting peace and harmony. Both countries were mutually involved in number of sports like Cricket, Hockey and Kabbadi. And both countries important persons often and several times go to their neighbors to see these cricket and hockey matches. Moreover, the recent Kabbadi Final match was warmly attended by Chief Minister Punjab, Mian Shahbaz Shareef. This was an important initiative regarding peace promotion. Trade and Development Talks: In Second Indian Expo on December 14, 2013, Leader of Businessmen Group (BMG) and former President Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), Siraj Kassim Teli, has advised business community of India to pressurize their government to resolve issues and normalize trade and political relation with Pakistan. While Inaugurating 2nd Indian Expo at Expo Center, he said that both the countries should visit each other’s country frequently and conduct trade. He was of the view that army and politicians both the countries, do not like to normalize relation whereas the business community and general public are in favor of normal relations. There should be no restriction on movement between the two countries. In New Delhi on December 9, 2013, a Pakistani delegation led by Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) said there is a need to take bold steps to encourage business relations and to make changes in investment laws in both the countries. According to him, It is time to take action and to take bold steps. Tourism is an important sector and there is a need to promote tourist movement. There is the need to change the existing investment laws in both the countries. Railways Minister of Pakistan Khawaja Saad Rafique has said that the Pakistan Railways will soon send a delegation to New Delhi. According to the minister, the main purpose of the visit is to learn about the functioning of the Indian Railway System. Rafique acknowledged that the Indian Railways is a profit-making entity unlike the Pakistan Railway. Pakistan also needs to take help and guidance from the Indian Railways to make it economically possible and bring it back on the right track. Addressing a press conference at Pakistan Railway headquarters in Lahore, he also said that Indian Railways, one of the largest railway networks in the world, has 115,000 km of track with a route of more than 65,000 km connecting 7,500 stations. We have to do away with the policy of hatred with neighbors, especially India, as we cannot afford it today. MFN Talks: India-Pakistan relations got an additional setback after the announcement made by Pakistan’s Finance Minister that the MFN status, i.e. the most favored nation status, to India will not be considered. Although the improve trade relations would have a significant impact on the political issues between the two countries, and this announcement makes it more likely that bilateral relations will continue to weaken at current low levels. The latest figures show that India’s 2012 trade with Pakistan accounted for a mere US$2.15 billion of its total trade of US$778 billion (less than 0.3 per cent). Exports to Pakistan accounted for only 0.56 per cent of India’s exports, while imports constituted 0.11 per cent. Given the size of both countries’ economies and the complementarily of their trading baskets, the present level of trade should be higher. The rejection of MFN status compounds these difficulties, and reduces the effect of positive steps taken by both countr ies over the last few years. MFN status would not only help provide stability in trade relations between the two countries but would also assist Pakistan in technology upgrades, greater productivity gains, and increased revenues from legal trade. It is reported that India-Pakistan informal trade (trade occurring through a third country) accounts for more than formal trade (which is around US$4 billion). Further, consumers would experience lower product prices and greater variety. Despite Pakistan’s recent rejection of MFN status to India, India could unilaterally reduce all kinds of non-tariff barriers that would be capable of creating confidence among Pakistani traders. A good and stable political relationship would help trade but opposite is quite possible. Whereas, nowadays Pakistan is closely watching the high-decibel campaign for Indias general elections, andNarendra Moodi has surprisingly emerged as the favorite candidate for many across the border who want peace and trade with India. They believe that Moodi, who boosted trade and investment in Gujarat, may also give a big push toIndo-Pak trade. Observing the Most favorite Nation (MFN) status to India by Pakistan would be a positive step forward in improving the relation between the two neighbors, Islamabad may decide on it after the elections in India, said James Dobbins (U.S Special Representative). Global Views: At their much anticipated meeting in New York, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh guaranteed to find ways to restore calm on their disputed border in Kashmir as an initial step towards reconciliation. An Indian official said that the two leaders have decided to task senior military officers to â€Å"find effective means to restore the ceasefire† in Kashmir. U.S. Special Representative James Dobbins said ahead of an expectedmeeting in New York between the prime ministers of the two neighboring countries.Improvement in Pakistan-India relations is akey to South Asian stability and Washington would support any initiative towardsthat goal. He also said that on India and Pakistan relations, we would support any initiativeswhich led to an improvement in those relations. We think it’s importantfor both countries, it’s important for the stability of the broader region, it’simportant for the world, at Washington’s Foreign Press Center.He was commenting on peace prospects between the two nuclear powersthat saw a cooking of tensions this summer with repeated violations ofnegotiating periods in the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifand his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh are expected to hold peace discussions in New York, where they will both address the 68th UN General Assembly session. They ’re both nuclear-armed powers, and a conflict between them wouldbe disastrous not just for them, but for everyone. The special representative also reminded U.S. backing forimprovement in Afghanistan-Pakistan relations specifically because it would easesome of the pressures and tensions that give rise to the conflict in Afghanistan. And so from our point of view, there is everything to be gained from animprovement in the relationship between two countries. Current Scenario: The Global Discussions for maintaining peace between India and Pakistan are at its peak these days. The newly elected Prime Minister of Pakistan Mian Nawaz Sharif has taken a step forward towards India. Peace between the two nations seems to be his first priority. Mian Nawaz Sharif in his several speeches talked about the betterment of relation between the two nations. He also talked to one of the leading media group of India to play a positive role in this situation. He also invited Indian Prime Minister to visit Pakistan. Recently, Chief Minister of Punjab, Mian Shahbaz Sharif visited India and watched Kabaddi match between the teams of both nations. He said if India wins the match we will congratulate you as our neighbors won and if Pakistan wins, India should do the same as their neighbors won. He invited Chief Minister of Indian Punjab to visit Pakistani Punjab. This shows the positive stance of Pakistan’s government. On the other hand, India is not showing any response to this due to several reasons in which Indian elections are one of the main. Elections are going to take place in India hopefully this year and Monmohan’s government in about to finish its tenure. It seems that Monmahan Singh’s government is not willing to take any step for the peace between the nations as it might harm their party in the coming elections. At the same time, the Prime Minister candidate of BJP India, Mr. Narinder Moodi is using Anti-Pak relations as one of its main stance in his campaign. Both India and Pakistan are looking forward to improve their status economic development, globally. Both the nations are seen in a competition. Conclusion: To sum up this scenario, only one-sided soft corner is seen which is from Pakistan as they are not leaving a single chance to improve the relations but Indian government is not looking forward to it. The relations cannot be improved until or unless both the governments sit together and resolve their issues. The gigantic spending on Defense Budget from both countries is leading them to an economic â€Å"Black Hole†. They should follow the famous sayings; â€Å"Let Bygones, Be Bygones† The Government of Pakistan has decided to give the MFN status to India after their elections. This status will increase the trade between then the two countries through land border and it is hoped that trade normalization can help in resolving the issues. References: http://www.dawn.com/newspaper http://www.brecorder.com/business-a-economy/672:/1264337:second-indian-expo-opens/ http://karachi.newspakistan.pk/ http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2013-12-09/news/44989244_1_india-and-pakistan-sohail-lashari-salman-bashir http://inserbia.tumblr.com/post/69776834458/pakistan-railways-ready-to-seek-technical-help-from http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/ http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ http://tribune.com.pk/story/649555/indo-pak-relations-lets-re-write-our-history-for-a-better-future/ http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/history/india-pakistan-wars.html http://historypak.com/quaid-i-azams-perception-of-pakistans-relations-with-india/ https://www.mtholyoke.edu/~nmonasch/pakistan-india conflict.html http://www.thenews.com.pk/ http://www.nation.com.pk/editors-picks/25-Nov-2013/pak-india-mediamen-demand-easy-visa-policy http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2013/08/28/leaving-pakistan-india-trade-barriers-up-ties-political-progress-down/ http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2013-12-03/news/44710673_1_mfn-status-narendra-modi-indo-pak-trade http://zeenews.india.com/news/south-asia/pak-may-decide-on-mfn-status-to-india-after-polls-dobbins_896262.html http://tribune.com.pk/story/611555/un-secy-gen-welcomes-pakistan-india-talks/

Fossil Fuels: Contribution and Impact

Fossil Fuels: Contribution and Impact Discuss the contribution of fossil fuel to modern human society and the environmental impact The importance of Fossil Fuels to human society cannot be overemphasized. Public services such as buses, train system, general heating system and electricity are being powered with fossil fuels. Due to the high global demand of fossil fuels, they form the major part of the economy of producing countries and the world in general. However the impact of fossil fuel to the environment has been an issue of great concern. Considering the visible contributions of fossil fuels to modern human society, the environmental implications pose a dilemma to the world leaders. It is crucial that the hazards posed by fossil fuels to the environment be tactfully minimized while taking into account its positive contributions to civilization. The first section of this essay will discuss in a general context the different contributions that fossil fuel had made to the modern human world. It will further discuss the contributions and environmental implications of coal, oil and natural gas. The final sectio n in the form of conclusion will summarize in a general term the contributions and environmental implications fossil fuels on modern human society. Comparing the trends in the rate at which each type of fossil fuel is being consumed in a global scenario will show the impact of the continuous increase in the rate of fossil fuels consumption will have on future environment. The environmental implication of fossil fuels as discussed in this essay is with respect to pollution and climate change. Energy is fundamental to the quality of our lives. In fact most human activities depend on the regular and uninterrupted supply of energy. This makes fossil fuels essential to modern human society, (Baker, 2008).The issues concerning the facts of the global energy consumption can be related to fossil fuels because; they serve as primary source of energy globally. According to Chow, et al. (2003),  the global energy use exceeds 370 (EJ) and fossil fuels contribute about 80% of this quantity of energy. This implies that fossil fuels contribute two third of global energy. Fossil fuels are made up of namely: coal, oil and natural gas. They were formed in the outer layer of the earth from the remains of plants and animals over hundreds of millions of years age (Encarta World English Dictionary, 2005). This implies that fossil fuels are almost non-renewable because its formation process takes a long period and this period is long enough for the world to run out of fossil fuel reserv es. Fossil fuels contribution is noticeable considering how the quantity of energy in a country affects both their economy and social life. In the world today the industrial, transportation, public service and residential sectors are been powered mainly by fossil fuel. Therefore, these different sectors where fossil fuels are majorly consumed underscore their important contributions to modern human society. One of the key uses of fossil fuels is to generate electricity. Coal is one of the major fuel sources for electricity generation. The relative low cost of coal and its abundance  added to the fact that it does not  require the upkeep of pipelines and security issues while transporting coal is an advantage over other sources of fossil fuels for generating electricity. Coal fuels the economy of countries, for example: China has about 30% of the worlds coal reserves and uses coal as their major energy supply, (OECD, 1998). Chinas industrial power which allow for economic growth depends virtually on coal (IEA, 2005). However Chinas dependence on coal has led to the countrys emitting about 39% of the total global CO2  emission. Burning coal produce useful by-product that are been used in the industrial sector mainly in steel plants and cement works, (Rohde, 1998). However, the environmental issues being raised by the global consumption of coal is of major concern. The toxins emitted from the combustion of coal and the waste from it mining process result in climate change and making the soil unproductive for agriculture, (OECD, 1983). Coal in comparison with the two other types of fossil fuels has more environmental impacts. According to the OECDS publication on coal and environmental protection states during exploration of coal to its end use coal has environmental implications: â€Å"During mining, treatment, transport and storage the sources of environmental concern can be summarized as subsidence, land use, liquid and solid waste, dust, noise, vibration and deterioration of surface and subsurface natural water systems. The major sources of pollution during combustion are air emissions of SOx, NOx  and particulates, and solid waste materials.†Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  (OECD, 1998) Source: BP coal consumption table, 2008. From:http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/globalbp/globalbp_uk_english/reports_and_publications/statistical_energy_review_2008/STAGING/local_assets/downloads/pdf/coal_table_of_coal_consumption_2008.pdf Figure 1 above shows the increase in the rate of consumption of coal. There was a slight decrease in 1998 and 1999. This might be as a result of a reduction in consumption of coal in different countries. However, generally the rate of increase between years is not very much but if this increase rate is consistent over a period of time the quantity of coal consumed will be astronomical which implies that the environmental issues posed by coal will likewise be on the increase. In recent times, technological development and with some regulatory organizations that manages mining activities, the environmental issues are minimized. A careful comparison of the contributions of coal to the human society and its environmental implications makes the issue of coal controversial, (IEA, 1998). While the environmental implications posed by coal mining and usage are of concern, its contribution to modern human society requires that the action to be taken should be balanced with regards to its economical, energy and environmental impact. Oil like coal has contributed to modern human society in quite a number of ways. Unlike coal, it is easier and cleaner to burn and have a wider range of application. It is consumed the most among coal and natural gas. In fact the increase in demand of oil results in a lucrative international oil market. Therefore this lucrative oil market is an advantage to the oil producing countries because when either the rate of global demand, price or both increases these countries economy will be benefited. The major contribution of oil to modern human society is evident in the industrial and transportation sector. Most machines used in the industries make use of refined oil product. In the transportation sector aircraft and automobiles are examples of machines that make use of refined oil product. In addition, plastic and detergent are byproducts of oil. However, just like the other types of fossil fuels, the processes of exploration, refining, transporting and consumption of oil have an envir onmental implication. Firstly during exploration of oil, loss of drilling mud will result in escape of oil, (OECD, 1973). In an event where oil escapes, the case will be that the soil and/or the sea will be polluted. This will lead to loss of productive land for agriculture and possibly, extinction of the aquatic habitants in the surrounding sea. In addition to loss of drilling mud is the seismic technique for exploration. As a result of the loud and low frequency output, this technique endangers marine lives during offshore exploration, (Kennesaw State University, 2009). Another environmental issues associated with the process of refining oil is the methods which the refinery chooses to dispose oil waste. These wastes are sometime after being treated with a supposedly less harmful chemical is emptied into the sea. This chemically treated waste with time get to the point it becomes poisonous to aquatic life, (OECD, 1971). Also some gases are being emitted during refining and this leads to air pollution which harmful to both humans and animals. These gases can cause cancer and other diseases to humans if inhaled. Oil spill is the major issue with oil transportation. According to the article: Environmental science activities for the 21st  century published by Kennesaw State University: â€Å"Oil spill during transportation of oil account for an estimated 44 million gallons being dumped into the worlds water system, with 29 million gallons of this coming in the form of oil tanker spills†. Natural gas is an important source of energy for reducing pollution and maintaining a clean and healthier environment compared to coal and oil. In addition to being a domestically abundant and secure source of energy, the use of natural gas also offers a number of environmental benefits over other sources of energy, mainly other types of fossil fuels, (BP, 2006). The different uses of natural gas in modern human society make it an essential part of human life. Natural gas domestic uses are part of the many social impact it has on human society. Natural gas is convenient and it is being piped straight to the consumers facility which in contrast, oil must be trucked to the customers location, and truck deliveries are to liable to weather conditions. Natural gas is reliable, (BP, 2006). Natural gas is the cleanest burning fossil fuel. Because the combustion process for natural gas is almost perfect, very few byproducts are emitted into the atmosphere as pollutants. The blue flame seen w hen natural gas is ignited is a sign of perfect combustion. Natural gas is mainly used for domestic, commercial, industrial and power generation purposes. Firstly, the residential applications of natural gas are the most commonly known use of natural gas. It can be used for cooking, washing and drying, water warming, heating and air conditioning. Domestic appliances are increasingly improved in order to use natural gas more economically and safely. Operating costs of natural gas equipment are generally lower than those of oil and coal. It is mainly used commercially by food service providers, hotels, healthcare facilities and in office buildings. Also natural gas commercial applications include cooling (space conditioning and refrigeration), cooking or heating. Secondly, Natural gas is used as an input to manufacture pulp and paper, metals, chemicals, stone, clay, glass, and to process certain foods. Gas is also used to treat waste materials, for incineration, drying, dehumidification, heating and cooling, and cogeneration. In addition electric utilities and independent power producers are increasingly using natural gas to provide  energy for their power plants. In general, natural gas fuelled power plants have lower capital  costs, are built faster, work more efficiently and emit less pollution than other fossil fuel power plants, (IEA, 1998). Technological improvements in design, efficiency and operation of combined cycle gas turbines and co-generation processes are favoring the use of natural gas in power generation. Natural gas in a joint- electricity generation produces power and heat that is useful for industries as well as commercial users. This cogeneration reduces pollution emission considerably. Although the combustion of natural gas produces very little NOx, this chemical is however a toxic agents that results to acidic compounds and when combined with water and result in acid rain. Also, the length of the complex and extensive systems of pipelines in which natural gas are being transported through are in thousands of kilometers. Considering that natural gas in the pipe is in a condensate state, in the case of material defects and pipe corrosion to ground erosion natural gas will be exposed to the environment and in effect will pollute the air. Also, the technique of extracting natural gas is one of its disadvantages which are because of the creation of cavities in the ground during extraction. If natural gas is been inhaled in large amounts is harmful to humans. The gas is extracted from a natural gas field. The pressure exerted by the gas helps support the layers of soil above the gas field. When the gas is extracted, the soil pressure increases and cavities are created in the ground. These cavities can sometimes cause the ground to sink and the productive land for agriculture might be lost. Another environmental implication of natural gas is that the gas is toxic and can be poisonous. If the fields from which it was extracted were not treated, it can be toxic. The principle greenhouse gases include water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen oxides. Methane being the principle component of natural gas makes it a matter of concern with regards to greenhouse emission that results to climate change. Methane is a very strong greenhouse gas. In fact, it has an ability to trap heat almost 21 times more effectively than carbon dioxide, (naturalgas.org, 2004). Source: Chow, J. et al (2003). Energy resources and global development. Sciencemag.org, vol.: 302. In conclusion the different contributions of fossil fuels to the modern human society are very noticeable. The chart above shows the global fossil fuels consumption by sectorial end use. The contributions of fossil fuels are made evident in the different sectors mentioned above. Form this essay, it can be suggested that the global fossil fuels consumption be reduced and more regulation that will effectively minimize the environmental implications of fossil fuels. it will be helpful if manufacturers consider environmental factors when producing machines and appliances that is being powered by fossil fuels. Moreover, resolving the global dilemma presented by fossil fuels will require a collective effort of every human. Private Finance Initiatives: Advantages and Disadvantages Private Finance Initiatives: Advantages and Disadvantages PFI Principles The PFI, known as Private Finance Initiative, is a type of Public Private Partnership procurement method implemented in UK construction industry in 1992. (Chinyio and Gameson, 2009) As an important part of Governments strategy for delivering high quality public services, Private Finance Initiative requires the private financers to put its own capital at risk to deliver clear defined public projects for a long term period, ensuring the quality of the work delivered within the time and budget. (HM Treasury, 2009) OGC (2007, p.6) defined PFI as Where the public sector contracts to purchase quality services, with defined outputs from the private sector on long term basis, and including maintaining or constructing the necessary infrastructure so as to take advantage of private management skills incentivised by having private finance at risk. PFI has now covered most of public services such as health, education, defence, prisons and transportations. Typically, PFI procurement involves contracting the entire project package including design, construction, finance, operation and maintenance, to a group of private companies which consists of a reasonably skilled construction firm and a facility management firm, for a long period of 20 30 years. The government also provides specifications indicating the services and standards it requests, and leave the control right of design and construction and operation solely to the private group for the contract period. (Bennett and Iossa, 2006) It is only recommended for projects to take PFI route when the capital cost is likely to exceed  £20m. (OGC, 2007) Bennett and Iossa (2009) say that its more likely to use PFI procurement if the externality is positive and the innovation on residual value is large. Advantages Long-Term Relationship PFI is not only focusing on the value for money, it also stressed the development of long term relationship between public sector and private sector. Robinson and Scott (2009) indicates that long-term relationships in PFI projects can provide a powerful incentive in order to learn from each other, share the knowledge, innovate and continuously improve the performance between private sector and public sector in project delivery. Partnering is a crucial key of PFI procurement, the good performance of which will lead to the success of the project. Spackman (2002, pp.283-301) addresses Success can be achieved only if the public authority and the contractor approach the project in a spirit of partnership, wit understanding of each others business and a common vision of how best they can work together. Public Saving PFI/PPP procurement has the potential to reduce the cost, and deliver better quality work with the same cost in other procurements. (Bing and Akintoye, 2003) Research shows that the governments investment using PFI procurement in the UK is now about 10-14% in its total investment. (Grimsey and Lewis, 2005) Local authorities are keen to use PFI to deliver a project via partnership as they do not need to borrow money from the banks. Spackman (2002) finds the government constrains its borrowing because it concerns about future taxation, economic demand, costs of the borrowing, and flexibility responding to future economy shocks. The interest cost of public debit in UK is at 2-2.5 percent, however for the cost of private one is only about 1 percent. (Spackman, 2002) Anon (2009, p.3) declares that In the UK, lack of cash is forcing the government to look at using PPPs for more broadly. The saving for the government is not only from the borrowing tax aspect, but also in total value of the projects compared with traditional procurement. Parker and Hartley, 2003 (in Grimsey and Lewis, 2005) claim that PPP contracts for UK defence services save cost range from 5-40 percent compared traditional public procurement. Private Profit One of the benefits for private sectors to take PFI is that under the long term ownership, they can gain incomes and profits under their management and operation, or exchange benefits with the local authorities. Carrillo at el. (2008) indentifies that one of the key drivers for the motivation of the PFI is the steady and long term income stream and higher returns and profitability. Spackman (2002, pp.283-301) also mentions its easier to increase charges to meet a contract with a private operator than by voting in local or national government, and private financiers might regard income from users as a less risky source of revenue. Better Management Skills As private financers are more capable for management in business in various fields, the government believes that the private sector has a better role to offer project management skills, innovative design and facility and risk management. (Carrillo at el., 2008) Spackman (2002) stresses that the monitoring pressures on contractors from private sectors may be stronger than those from the public sector which is leading to a quality work. Long Term Contract In PFI, contractors are tied into a long-term commitment, so that it reduces that a contractor can walk away during the project if no sufficient funding is in place. Even though contracts might restrict this from happening, but it is difficult to design and impose broad articles and clauses in the contract for a long contractual period. (Spackman, 2002) Risk Transfer Risk transfer is also an important element for delivering a good PFI project. Carrillo at el. (2008) claim that PFI will reduce the risk level carried by the government and transfer it to the contractors. Grimsey and Lewis (2005, pp.345-378) concludes that The transferred risk is often a key determinant of value for money in PPPs, and one that may need to be updated as negotiations processed, to allow for variations in risk allocation. Apart from public procurement cost risk, there are also other risks such as site use, site operation and access, building standards, operations and management, financial conditions, maintenances and services, residual value and revenue etc. (Grimsey and Lewis, 2005) Those risks can all be considered and transferred to private side. In UK, there is a long list of samples for public funded projects being delayed or finished with over budget. Such risks being transferred from public sector to private sector through a PPP route is considered to be adding v alue for money for public project, as private sector will solely manage the project cost, time and quality. (Grimsey and Lewis, 2005) Less Construction Time PFI is considered to be one of the procurements which can deliver project under or on time. MacDonald, 2002 (in Grimsey and Lewis, 2005) reviewed 50 large UK public procurement projects in the past 20 years, and found 11 were using PFI/PPP, average of which were completed under-time. HM Treasury, 2003b (in Grimsey and Lewis, 2005) reviewed 61 PFI projects, 89 percent of which were completed under or on time. Compared with traditional procured projects, 30 percent of which delivered on time, PFI projects could be completed on time with a 76 percent. (UK National Audit Office, 2003, in Grimsey and Lewis, 2005) Delivery against Budget PFI is also considered to be one of the procurements which can deliver project under or on budget. HM Treasury, 2003b (in Grimsey and Lewis, 2005) reviewed 61 PFI projects, all of which were all finished within the budget. Compared with traditional procured projects finished with 27 percent on budget, PFI projects completed on budget with a 78 percent. (UK National Audit Office, 2003, in Grimsey and Lewis, 2005) Innovation Approach PFI schemes allow the private bidders to explore their appetite to develop creational and unique projects which can also meet the required standards from the government. (Bing and Akintoye, 2003) When the project is under the ownership of public sector, renegotiation between the private financiers and the public clients must be carried out before the innovation is applied. However, when the project is the ownership of private sector, following governments specifications, private financiers has own power and freedom to implement an innovative approach to meet its own requirements. (Bennett and Iossa, 2006) Disadvantages Time Taking Research shows that most suppliers complain that during the procurement, the PFI process takes too long for management decisions. (Spackman, 2002) Li (in Bing et al., 2005a, pp.25-35) claims that the most negative factor associated with PFI/PPP procurement is a lot of management time spent in the contract transaction, length delays in negotiation and high participation cost. Furthermore, Carrillo at el. (2008, pp.138-145) state that PFI projects are complex than traditional procurement taking longer lead-in time before the start of the construction. It also adds It is unsustainable for a private company to have staff involved on a project for a 5 years period without a positive outcome. Risk Allocation It is an advantage for public sector that their risks during PFI have been allocated away to private sections. However, it would be a shortcoming for private bidders to carry the risks somehow. OGC (2007, p.10) indicates that: construction projects are undertaken by the private sector, which are incentivised by having private finance at risk. High Cost According to research from Bing et al. (2005b), PPP/PFI procurement has problems such as high tender cost, complicated negotiation, innovation cost restrains and conflicting in objectives between stakeholders. Carrillo at el. (2008) also find complain from both of client and contractors that the costs for the bidding, design and construction are higher than the traditional procurements. Lack of Expertise There are still many public professionals not experienced with PFI as it is so complex to cope with. Carrillo at el. (2008) indicates that lack of expertise in public sector in terms of experience is one of the issues for PFI process. It adds further that the lack of expertise has negative impacts on the PFI projects, and the local authorities who are limited with the experience are also struggling to keep up the private partners, which influences the partnering development. Government Influence The government is somehow bombarded that it is trying to show positive sides of PFI as much as it can in order to encourage implementation of PFI. The research and studies carried out so far by the government have been using a limited amount of projects with certain focus. It is recommended to call for more independent and third party studies for a wide range of project research and collect feedback from the clients in all types of projects to analysis the PFI performance. (Carrillo at el., 2008) Procurement Comparison In order to procure the project of residential development for Wulfruna University in UK, PFI and Design and Build are taken into account for the project procurement. Comparison and analysis are carried out as following. Design Build Design Build is one of the popular procurement methods implemented in the construction industry. Since April 2000, DB has been nominated as one of the procurement recommendations along with PFI and Prime Contracting by the government body. (OGC, 2007) The basic principle of DB procurement is, as fig.1 shown, the client sets up the requirements and standards, and then forwards them to the DB contractor for the delivery of the work. There is always possible option for client to consult other design professionals for initial innovations and design concepts. Once, the client is contracted with the DB contractor, its responsibility of design involvement is totally reduced. Risks shifts to the DB project team, consisting of designers, suppliers and subcontractors, who will take full responsibility to carry out the design and construction of the projects. (OGC, 2007) Brief Analysis With the intention of analysis the brief, following key points have been indentified: Existing 12,500 students with 800 hall of residence and 450 on proposal Existing 65% males and 60% full timers Proposed 450 bed hall of residence Proposed building with comprised different types of accommodation Proposed building with a modern standard Proposed building to hire out to tourists or public members during holidays Analysis: The current student number is 12, 500, and full time student is about 7,500. But the number of the halls is only 1,250 (including the one on proposal). This figure is only about 16.7% of the current full time student number, if 1,2500 rooms are all counted as single units. There is a possibility of future development of more student halls of residence. If current full time student number is about 7,500 who need student accommodation, there could be about 4,875 male students. It is common that the maintenance and cleaning for the rooms rented out for male students are more likely harder and difficult than the ones for female students. So that the proposed building should be quality ensured with good maintenance scheme in place. 450 bed hall of residence with modern standard and mixed types of rooms could increase the project cost, and it is likely to over the  £20m limit. Such a number of students accommodation also needs a good management and administration. The requirement of different types of accommodation might involve variation during design stage of the project. A modern standard might involve client into the design for its appetite of innovation approach and standard. Renting out tourists and other public members could increase extra income for the owner. Good management and operation are required from experience management firms to provide professional services. PFI versus Design Build Project Time It is clearly indentified in the previous section that the majority of PFI project delivered under or on time. DB comes with 2 options for competing projects normally. One is fixed price project; therefore, the project will be delivered definitely within the budget or no extra costs for the clients if its over. But the time of the project is uncertain. The other option is fixed time project, which can guarantee the project time, but the cost of the work could be more than what clients expects. Therefore, in terms of project time, both PFI and DB are all suitable for the project. Project Cost PFI is considered to be cost efficient delivery, and it always meets the budget or even under the budget. But it may cost more for the bidding cost for the contractors. DB can apply fixed price option so that both procurement methods can meet the requirement of cost even though the cost requirement is not clear in this brief. However, and again, the time will not be guaranteed. Project Quality Due to PFI is involved a long term contract for the contractor and private financiers, it guarantee the quality and maintenance of the project. However, DB is somehow has more chance to deliver a less quality work depending on the morale and motivation of the contractor, contractor might reduce the quality of the work in terms of material or skilled labour etc to save a profit for its own. According to the analysis b, PFI is more favourable for the quality work in this project. Clients Involvement When the private financier claims the ownership, involvement of design is more likely to happen in order to input innovation approach to achieve the appetite of financiers own. Therefore variation is allowed to occur within the PFI. However, DB contractor process the project from design to construction, there is not involvement for the client. Any variation for the project will lead an extra fee to be implemented by the contractor. According to the brief analysis d and e, PFI is definitely better for DB in this case. Risk Allocation In PFI, risks will be transferred to the private financier for the development. In DB, client only have a single contractual link with the contractor, shown as in fig. 1. The risk the client carried is little and passes most of it to the contractor. Project Nature PFI procurement is suitable for complex project, in which the project cost is more than  £20m according to the introduction from OGC. DB, however, is also suitable for the complex project. As in the brief analysis c, it indicates complex types of accommodation requirement, both PFI and DB can procure this project. Partnering Approach It is no doubt that PFI is the only one procurement which required partnering for project compared with DB. Good partnering can lead to exchange of learning, knowledge sharing and improvement of delivery. In the brief analysis a, there is a potential development of student halls in the future if the number of students keeps increasing. Good partnering and relationship are the keys for quality delivery. PFI is then better than DB to be selected. Management Operation Maintenance PFI is a long term contractual practice which involves design, construction, management, operation and maintenance for a period of 20 to 30 years. Private sector sometimes has better management skills than public sector. Analysis f stresses the need of good Management and Operation, and also analysis b again claims the importance of maintenance. PFI, therefore, is once again the only option for this requirement contrasted with DB Selection Recommendation According to HM Treasurys Central Unit on Purchasing, 1992 (in Masterman, J.W.E., 2002), selection of an appropriate procurement method can be achieved following the following steps: Review of contract strategy Analysis Options Selection of best strategy Implementation The document suggests clients or project managers to score how each procurement method meet the requirement of the objectives in various aspects, in which way the evaluation of the procurement is carried out. (Masterman, J.W.E., 2002) As fig. 2 shown, each standard criterion has its own requirements relative weighting range from 1 to 4. A satisfaction score range from 1 to10 should then be given to the procurement matching with the standard criteria. After the scoring, a calculation should be done by using the procurement score on one of the criteria multiplied by the weighing for the matched criteria. Then add up all the results to get a total score. For instance, in fig. 2, the underlined figures show the timing weighing for the project and traditional procurements score on this aspect for the project, so it should be calculated as: 4 X 4 = 16, and 16 is the total score for the traditional procurements performance on timing. Then add the rest scores for variation, project nature et c. The more the score is, the more suitable the procurement will be. It is recommended that the client, the Wulfruna University, should firstly analysis and identify the importance of each objective for the entire project, and provide the scale weighing on the object criteria according to the importance level. Then follow the sample shown above to list common procurement methods and give a score to each one. In the end, to choose the most scored procurement for the student hall of residence project. However, there are also other types of selection, but the main principles are all similar to each other. Conclusion In this report, it has reviewed PFI procurement. The review has recognized PFI can provide quality project within the time and budget scale, freedom of innovation, long term relationship, risk transfer from public sector to private sector etc, but has also underlined some drawbacks such as long decision making, high bid cost and lack of experience for both side etc. Meanwhile, it has compared two chosen procurement types PFI and Design Build, both of which are recommended by the government body. According to the brief analysis, it has listed some key points and requirements for the projects and comparison against each requirement between PFI and DB are carried out. It is clearly that PFI can provide more to meet the requirement of the project brief. Furthermore, a recommendation for procurement selection is also provided with an example of how the procurement is selected is also presented. The recommendation stressed the importance of the analysis and identification of important req uirement of the objectives and standards for the project. References Anon (2009) The big hiccup.Public Private Finance[online]. February 2009:3. P.3 [accessed on 25th November 2009] Available from: Business Source Premier, EBSChost. ISSN 17420334. Bennett, J. and Iossa, E. (2006) Building and managing facilities for public services. Journal of Public Economics, 90(10-11), pp.2143-2160. Bing, L. and Akintoye, A. (2003) An Overview of Public-Private Partnership. in Akintoye, A., Beck, M. and Hardcastel, C. (eds.) Public-Private Partnership Managing Risks and Opportunities. Oxford: Blackwell Science Ltd. pp.3-24. Bing, L., Akintoye, A., Edwards, P. J. and Hardcastle, C. (2005a) The allocation of risk in PPP/PFI construction projects in the UK. International Journal of Project Management, 23(1), pp.25-35. Bing, L., Akintoye, A., Edwards, P. J. and Hardcastle, C. (2005b) Critical success factors for PPP/PFI projects in the UK construction industry. Construction Management and Economics, 23(5), pp.459-471. Carrillo, P., Robinson, H., Foale, P., Anumba, C. and Bouchlaghem, D. (2008) Participation, Barriers, and Opportunities in PFI: The United Kingdom Experience. Journal of Management in Engineering, 24(3), pp.138-145. Cartlidge, D. (2006) Public Private Partnerships in Construction. Abingdon: Taylor Francis Group. Chinyio, E. and Gameson, Rod. (2009) Private Finance Initiative in Use. in Akintoye, A. and Beck, M. (eds.) Policy, Finance Management for Public- Private Partnerships. Chichester: Blackwell Publishing Ltd, pp.3-26. Grimsey, D. and Lewis, M. K. (2005) Are Public Private Partnerships value for money?: Evaluating alternative approaches and comparing academic and practitioner views. Accounting Forum, 29(4), pp.345-378. HM Treasury (2009) Public Private Partnerships [online]. [accessed on 24th November 2009]. Available at: Masterman, J.W.E. (2002) An example of contract strategy (procurement system) selection. Introduction to Building Procurement Systems. 2nd ed., New York: Jack W E Masterman. P.175 Masterman, J.W.E. (2002) Introduction to Building Procurement Systems. 2nd ed., New York: Jack W E Masterman. Morledge, R., Smith, A. and Kashiwagi, D.T. (2006) Building Procurement. 1st ed., Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Morledge, R., Smith, A. and Kashiwagi, D.T. (2006) Design and Build. Building Procurement. 1st ed., Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. p. 118. OGC (2007) 06 Procurement and Contract Strategies [online]. [accessed on 24th November 2009]. Available at: Robinson, H. S. and Scott, J. (2009) Service delivery and performance monitoring in PFI/PPP projects. Construction Management and Economics, 27(2), pp.181-197. Spackman, M. (2002) Public-private partnerships: lessons from the British approach. Economic Systems, 26(3), pp.283-301.

Capital Punishment Essay -- essays research papers fc

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Capital punishment is a method of retributive punishment as old as civilization itself. Anti-death penalty supporters argue the death penalty is unconstitutional. Capital punishment is a barbaric remnant of an uncivilized society. It is immoral in principle, and unfair, and discriminatory in practice. It assures the execution of some innocent people. As a remedy for crime, it has no purpose and no effect. The arguments against capital punishment are many and cogent.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Capital punishment is irrevocable, and the errors of justice cannot be rectified. All possibility of reconsideration is taken away. Innocent persons have been hanged, and judge, jury, and the legal machinery involved have thereby been made a privy to the very crime they sought to punish. The only way to destroy a criminal is by reforming the man who is a criminal. To destroy a criminal is by reforming the man who is a criminal. To destroy his bodily life is nothing but a stupid blunder.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The strongest argument against using capital punishment for retributive purposes, is the argument that capital punishment is cruel and unusual punishment. The Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution, condemning cruel and unusual punishment, is used to protest capital punishment. Officials often defend this punishment as not being cruel and unusual, but how can they defend this opinion in the case of John Evans, who was executed by electrocution in 1983? According to witnesses at the scene, Mr. Evans was given three charges of electrocution over a period of fourteen minutes. After the first and second charges, Mr. Evans was still conscious and smoke was coming from all over his body as a result of flesh burning. An official there even tried to stop the execution on account of it being cruel and unusual punishment, but was unsuccessful. Witnesses later called the whole incident a â€Å"barbaric ritual.† Studies show that in this century at least four-hundred innocent people have been convicted of capital crimes that they did not commit, and of those four-hundred, twenty-three were executed. The wrongful execution of an innocent person is an injustice that can never be rectified. Maybe the punishment would not be as bad if there was absolute surety that the person the jury was putting on death row was guilty, but as most... ...nbsp;  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ten Commandments radio program delivered in the early 90's.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Gross, R. and Robert Mauro. Death and Discrimination.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Northeastern University Press, 1989   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Bohm, Robert M.. ed. The Death Penalty in America: Current Research.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Anderson Publishing Co., 1991   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Radelet, Michael L. ed. Facing the Death Penalty.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Temple University Press, 1989 Capital Punishment Essay -- essays research papers fc   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Capital punishment is a method of retributive punishment as old as civilization itself. Anti-death penalty supporters argue the death penalty is unconstitutional. Capital punishment is a barbaric remnant of an uncivilized society. It is immoral in principle, and unfair, and discriminatory in practice. It assures the execution of some innocent people. As a remedy for crime, it has no purpose and no effect. The arguments against capital punishment are many and cogent.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Capital punishment is irrevocable, and the errors of justice cannot be rectified. All possibility of reconsideration is taken away. Innocent persons have been hanged, and judge, jury, and the legal machinery involved have thereby been made a privy to the very crime they sought to punish. The only way to destroy a criminal is by reforming the man who is a criminal. To destroy a criminal is by reforming the man who is a criminal. To destroy his bodily life is nothing but a stupid blunder.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The strongest argument against using capital punishment for retributive purposes, is the argument that capital punishment is cruel and unusual punishment. The Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution, condemning cruel and unusual punishment, is used to protest capital punishment. Officials often defend this punishment as not being cruel and unusual, but how can they defend this opinion in the case of John Evans, who was executed by electrocution in 1983? According to witnesses at the scene, Mr. Evans was given three charges of electrocution over a period of fourteen minutes. After the first and second charges, Mr. Evans was still conscious and smoke was coming from all over his body as a result of flesh burning. An official there even tried to stop the execution on account of it being cruel and unusual punishment, but was unsuccessful. Witnesses later called the whole incident a â€Å"barbaric ritual.† Studies show that in this century at least four-hundred innocent people have been convicted of capital crimes that they did not commit, and of those four-hundred, twenty-three were executed. The wrongful execution of an innocent person is an injustice that can never be rectified. Maybe the punishment would not be as bad if there was absolute surety that the person the jury was putting on death row was guilty, but as most... ...nbsp;  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ten Commandments radio program delivered in the early 90's.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Gross, R. and Robert Mauro. Death and Discrimination.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Northeastern University Press, 1989   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Bohm, Robert M.. ed. The Death Penalty in America: Current Research.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Anderson Publishing Co., 1991   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Radelet, Michael L. ed. Facing the Death Penalty.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Temple University Press, 1989