Globalization and International Business Essay

Introduction 1. The meaning of globalization * Broadly: the widening set of interdependent relationships among people from different parts of a world that happens to be divided into nations. * Narrowly: the integration of world economies through the elimination of barriers to movements of goods, services, capital, technology, and people. A. How Does International Business Fit In? * International business consists of all commercial transactions between two or more countries. The goal of private business is to make profits; Governments may undertake them either for profit or for other reasons. a. The Study of International Business * Most managers need to approach their operating strategies from an international standpoint. * Managers in almost any industry need to consider (1) where to obtain the inputs they need of the required quality and at the best possible price and (2) where you can best sell the product or service you’ve put together from those inputs. * Studying IB is important because (1) most companies either are international or compete with international companies, (2) the best way of conducting business may differ by country, (3) an understanding helps you make better career decisions, and (4) an understanding helps you decide what governmental policies to support. b. Understanding the Environment/Operations Relationship The Forces Driving Globalization * Globalization (1) has been growing, (2) is less pervasive than generally thought, (3) has economic and non economic dimensions, and (4) is stimulated by several factors. * The A.T. Kearney / Foreign Policy Globalization Index: some countries are more globalized than others, and a given country may be highly globalized on one dimension and not another. This index ranks countries across four dimension; * Economic – international trade and investment * Technological – Internet connectivity * Personal contact- international travel and tourism, international telephone traffic, and personal transfers of funds abroad * Political – participation in international organizations and government monetary transfers A. Factors in Increased Globalization a. Increase in and Application of Technology * Population growth, Economic growth * Innovations in transportation mean that more countries can compete for sales to a given market. b. Liberalization of Cross-Border Trade and Resource Movements c. Development of Services That Support International Business * Converting one currency to another, insurance d. Growing Consumer Pressures e. Greater Global Competition * Born-global companies: start out with a global focus because of their founders’ international experience and because advances in communications give them a good idea of where global markets and supplies are. * Clustering or Agglomeration: the situation in which many new companies locate in areas with numerous competitors and suppliers; they quickly learn of foreign opportunities and gain easier access to the resources needed for international moves. f. Changing Political Situation * A major reason for growth in IB is the end of the schism between Communist countries and the rest of the world. g. Expanded Cross-National Cooperation * To gain reciprocal advantages * To attack problems jointly that one country acting alone cannot solve * The resources needed to solve the problem may be too great for one country to manage; sometimes no single country is willing to pay for a project that will also benefit another country. * One country’s policies may affect those of others. * To deal with areas of concern that lie outside the territory of any nation * Three global areas belong to no single country: the non-coastal areas of the oceans, outer space, and Antarctica. The Costs of Globalization * Critics of globalization claim (1) countries lose sovereignty, (2) the resultant growth hurts the environment, and (3) some people lose both relatively and absolutely. A. Threats to national sovereignty * Sovereignty: its freedom to â€Å"act locally† and without externally imposed restrictions. a. The Question of Local Objectives and Policies b. The Question of Small Economies’ Overdependence c. The Question of Cultural Homogeneity B. Economic Growth and Environmental Stress a. The Argument for Global Growth and Global cooperation C. Growing Income Inequality and Personal Stress a. Income Inequality(disparity) * Challenge: to maximize the gains from globalization while simultaneously minimizing the costs borne by the losers. b. Personal Stress * The growth of globalization goes hand in hand not only with increased insecurity about job and social status but also with costly social unrest. Why Companies Engage in International Business A. Expanding Sales B. Acquiring Resources (R&D, Design) * Foreign sources may give companies (1) lower costs, (2) new or better products, (3) additional operating knowledge. C. Reducing Risk (Sales, Price swings) * International operations may reduce operating risk by (1) smoothing sales and profits, (2) preventing competitors from gaining advantages. Modes of Operations in International Business A. Merchandise Exports and Imports * The export and import of goods are the major sources of international revenues and expenditures. B. Service Exports and Imports * For non-merchandise international earnings, we call it service exports & imports. a. Tourism and Transportation b. Service Performance * Turnkey operations: construction projects performed under contract and transferred to owners when they’re operational. * Management contracts: arrangements in which one company provides personnel to perform general or specialized management functions for another. c. Asset Use * Licensing agreements: when one company allows another to use its asset such as trademarks, patents, copyrights, or expertise under contracts known as licensing agreements, they receive earnings called royalties. * Franchising: a mode of business in which one party (the franchisor) allows another (the franchisee) to use a trademark as an essential asset of the franchisee’s business. Royalties also come from franchise contracts. C. Investments * Dividends and interest paid on foreign investments are also considered service exports and imports because they represent the use of assets (capital). * Foreign investment means ownership of foreign property in exchange for a financial return, such as interest and dividends, and it make take two forms: direct and portfolio. a. Direct Investment(foreign direct investment, FDI) * Investor takes a controlling interest in a foreign company * When two or more companies share ownership of an FDI, the operation is a joint venture. b. Portfolio Investment * Non-controlling financial interest in another entity. * It usually takes one of two forms: stock in a company or loans to a company in the form of bonds, bills, or notes purchased by the investor. D. Types of International Organizations * Collaborative arrangements: companies work together in joint ventures, licensing agreements, management contracts, minority ownership, and long-term contractual arrangements. * Strategic Alliance: is sometimes used to mean the same, but it usually refers either to an agreement that is of critical importance to one or more partners or to an agreement that does not involve joint ownership. a. Multinational Enterprise (MNE) * Any company with foreign direct investments. * Multinational corporation or multinational company (MNC), Transnational company (TNC) in US. Why International Business Differs from Domestic Business External environment that may affect international operations. A. Physical and Social Factors * Any of these factors may require a company to alter its operation abroad (compared to domestically) for the sake of efficiency. a. Geographic Influences * Geographic barriers often affect communications and distribution channels. * Population distribution and the impact of human activity on the environment may exert strong future influences on IB. b. Political Policies * A nation’s political policies influence how international business takes place within its borders. * Political disputes particularly military confrontations can disrupt trade and investment. c. Legal Policies * Legal law: includes both home- and host-country regulations on such matters as taxation, employment, and foreign-exchange transactions. * International law: in the form of legal agreements between countries, determines how earnings are taxed by all jurisdictions. It may also determine how companies can operate in certain places. d. Behavioral Factors * The related disciplines of anthropology, psychology, and sociology can help managers better understand different values, attitudes, and beliefs. In turn, such understanding can help mangers make operational decisions abroad. e. Economic Forces * Economics explains why countries exchange goods and services, why capital and people travel among countries in the course of business, and why one country’s currency has a certain value compared to another’s. B. The Competitive Environment a. Competitive Strategy for Products: Products compete by means of cost of differentiation strategies, the latter usually by: * Developing a favorable brand image, usually through advertising or from long-term consumer experience with the brand; or * Developing unique characteristics, such as through R&D efforts or different means of distribution. b. Company Resources and Experience * A company’s size and resources compared to those of its competitors. c. Competitors Faced in Each Market * Success in a market (whether domestic or foreign) often depends on whether the competition is also international or local.

Chevron Oil Industry Analysis

http://factsanddetails. com/world. php? itemid=1541&catid=51&subcatid=326 Chevron: Industry Analysis Threat of New Entrants The threat of new entrants is extremely low due to several factors. First, the oil industry which consists of thousands of oil and oil service companies throughout the world is an extremely large market. â€Å"According to the Department of Energy (DOE), Fossil fuels which include coal, oil, and natural gas make up more than 85% of the energy consumed in the U. S. as of 2008† (investopia). The fact that it is such a large market, make it very competitive for new entrants.Also, the oil industry is already in the mature stage, dominated by many major players including Chevron that has been around for a long period of time with various locations worldwide. This shows that they have an established reputation that is hard to compete with. Also, there are several barriers to entry which make it a very competitive market. These challenges include high capital co st, economies of scale, distribution channels, technology, environmental and governmental regulation as well as high levels of industry expertise.According to the Turnkey Analyst, â€Å"it is very difficult to build sustainable competitive advantages in the energy industry where oil’s commodity nature inhibits pricing power within the industry. Market participants are constantly required to invest capital to maintain cash flows and market share. † Therefore, these barriers to entry make it hard for new players to enter the market. http://turnkeyanalyst. com/2012/06/turnkey-research-note-chevron-corporation-nyse-cvx/ Rivalry among Existing Firms The oil industry is different from other due to the high demand for oil.Despite being a national company, Chevron has many competitors including regional as well as independent companies. Chevron is among the second largest oil companies in the world. Its competitors are Exxon, Royal Dutch Shell and BP. (chevron). Since oil is a commodity, the rivalry among existing firms is low. This is because there is not much of a differentiation. Threat of Substitute Products The threat of substitute is low. Substitutes for the oil industry would be alternative energy such as solar power, wind power, hydroelectricity or perhaps nuclear energy.However, due to factors such as â€Å"government regulations and environmental issues, nuclear and hydroelectric energy sources are not a threat within the next. Further, photovoltaic sources are limited by technological issues and geothermal sources are limited by geographic availability† (Miller). These might be a potential threat in the future due to emerging technologies and innovation that may lead to less consumption of oil-based fuel. An example would be hybrid cars that will result in less dependency on oil services.However, this shift in a more sustainable supply chain seems to be in the long term due to certain barriers such as high costs such as investments in n ew facilities. According to Chevron, â€Å"fossil fuels will continue to have a prominent role in the world’s economy for decades to come in both transportation and electricity generation. According to the International Energy Agency, renewable energy will account for less than 20 percent of the energy mix in 2035. † They believe that there will always be a demand for their products due to growth of the global economy and alternative energy sources do not seem to be a serious threat.Another factor that shows that alternative energy is not a serious threat is the fact that there is not enough support from the government. â€Å"Even though governments throughout the world are vowing to expand to green energy, they continue to give far more subsidies to fossil fuel than renewable – 10 to 12 times more, according to recent reports† (Wood). http://www. chevron. com/documents/pdf/ChevronApproachtoAssessingClimateRegulationImpacts. pdf http://www. renewableenerg yworld. com/rea/news/article/2010/12/oil-and-renewables-slicing-up-the-subsidy-pie Bargaining Power of SuppliersWithin the global industry exist many companies but is dominated by a few major players. Due to large capital investment in these companies, they â€Å"Supplier power is high because OPEC controls 40% of world’s supply of oil and, thus, has a strong influence on the price of oil† (Miller). Inspite of its size and scope, the oil industry is one of the most powerful in the world. Large companies such as Chevron control each aspect of the supply chain such as producing, refining, and drilling. Due to capital investments, it allow for these oil companies to acquire and own each part of their supply chain.The fact that they are their own customers give them more power allowing them to be more efficient. With all the their capital assets, they are able to obtain the resources such as operating their own macturing facilities, distribution channel giving them more co ntrol in this aspect. This shows that they have a high bargaining power. Their only supplier would be the oil reserves from oil producing countries. Bargaining Power of Buyers The bargaining power of buyers (individual) is low because oil is a commodity. Despite rise in prices, people will continue to buy it in order to fulfill their needs such as driving.With the lack of substitutes for oil, it gives little power to buyers who rely heavily on this resource. The cost of switching to another energy source is too high. Therefore, there is a high demand for oil which determines the market price. Industrial buyer power is also low because their supply can be limited by upstream suppliers. (Miller) To conclude, the overall attractiveness of the oil industry is high because there is low threat of new entry as well as buyer power and threat of substitutes. Also, the fact that supplier power is high is a favorable since the few major players in the industry are both suppliers and buyers.

Recreational Land Use Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Recreational Land Use - Article Example Local stakeholders often resist recreational land use and managament due to legislations that requires the use of â€Å"fully protected† zones and zones for a â€Å"range of sustainable uses.† Examples of policies in which recreational land use is popular includes those of Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (Gray, Canessa, Rollins, et al., 170). Thus, managers are often confronted with the dilemma of creating a MPA zoning plan that would address both the legal and environmental perspectives. Stipulated from the article, historical and current events revealed a need to engage stakeholders in early planning stage of MPA zoning in order to gain stakeholders’ understanding and achievement of social and biological objectives. In addition, Parks Canada is currently developing a draft national zoning framework for NMCAs that may include up to five zone types (Gray, Canessa, Rollins, et al., 169). This current event will guide NMCA zoning and allow site flexibility in order to recognize the ecological value of the region, preserve marine ecosystem, and allow sustainable land use. Researchers also see the need to recognize and change MPA zoning plan based on setting types for boating – from â€Å"primitive† to â€Å"concentrated/semi-modern† ROS classes. Primitive ROS may meet the boaters’ satisfaction because of low intensity of use, fully protected zones, undisturbed environment, and decreased potential for public opposition; however, if managers are seeking for a balance between boaters’ satisfaction, zoning decisions, and NMCA regulations, the â€Å"semi-primitive† or the â€Å"concentrated/semi-modern† ROS would be much better. Because of the several conflicts being identified, the authors of the article suggest future studies of temporal zoning and conflict resolution between recreational boating and other marine activities. Reflecting on the article, I believe that it was not the

Brand building for facilitating the launch of Dogerita mineral water Essay

Brand building for facilitating the launch of Dogerita mineral water - Essay Example People are bombarded with advertisements and a wide variety of brands to choose from. As competition is fierce in an age where there is plenty to choose from, companies need to find ways to create a niche and to improve its brand in the market. It is no longer sufficient to just provide a product. The German Share Company must find ways to stand above the rest in a global business environment that fights for the consumers' money and loyalty. In order to do this, it must develop a brand and a brand strategy. a brand is also considered to be a trademark or a product line. It is a distinctive name which addresses, or identifies, a product, service, or a manufacturer. People purchase a certain brand in order to acquire a distinctive category and to show ownership of the brand that they favour. The name of the organization can also serve as a brand. As stated earlier, the value of a certain brand is determined by how it is perceived by the target audience and the marketplace. After defining the brand, the company must develop a strategy of branding, or a brand strategy. This process consists of coming up with a foundation (a basis) in which to work from. It is a guideline and a system of measuring all marketing strategies and resources/materials. It is a way to deliver the brand strategy, or promise to the target audience.

Planning Group Policy Software Deployments Assignment

Planning Group Policy Software Deployments - Assignment Example And as the systems advance, so do their working limits. 1. Efficient Installation of Software Using Each Phase of System Development Life Cycle A software installation for the security of Intellectual property is an uphill task in lieu of the complexities associated with the installation phase. System administrators are normally expected to be literate about the software and know what they are doing and thus most often no restrictions are imposed even by the most protected systems during software installs. To perform new software installations for several hundred users at a Californian firm as a junior network administrator, the problems and ambiguities faced during the installation phase cannot be over looked as they can stream in to extra costs. The threats imposed by the installation can be governed if certain strategies are employed at execution phase which includes assurance of no interference between the processing of un trusted/new software and existing packages, restriction o n the execution of new/un trusted software’s access to the operations other than that of the sand box and new/ un trusted software should be easily uninstall able if the need persists (Sun, Sekar, Liang, Venkatakrishnan, 2009 (Bender RBT Inc., 2003) (Eric Chien, 2005) (Ke Min Gu, 2009) (Russ Johnson, 2000) (Abbas Rajabifard, Ali Monsourian and Ian Williamson, 2004)). For the efficient installation of software at controlled costs and keeping in view the above requirements of maintaining a control on installation phase, System Development Life cycle (SDLC) has to be incorporated. It finally is a solution introduced by software engineering that has been evolved from the understanding of improvement needed in the development process of creating system. It basically is an abstract model that describes the stages involved in project management as it paves the methodology right from the beginning of suitability operations to the overhauling of complete performance. It is based upon the objectives of ensuring the delivery of high quality systems, strong management and control systems for projects and capitalizes on the system staff for productivity and efficient yield (Bender RBT Inc., 2003). It comes with guidance and instructions for how to install it, staying in line with its objectives of system security. It offers a very user friendly installation that can be of great help for the junior network administrator as it has the ability to support many different kinds and scopes of systems and projects, providing support to the incorporation of technical activities, providing support and coordination for all of the management activities and being user friendly and highly useable. In general, System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) has seven phases. As a Californian firm Administrator, I can incorporate them for the safe and low cost working of my systems. 1. Conceptual Planning: It is the first step to guarantee end state solutions for user’s requirements. I t assesses the expected cost and risks, project feasibility, needs for the enhancement of the system and different project planning advances s are discussed. Two major parties designated during this phase of SDLC are System Support Agent (SSA) and System Development Agent (SDA) which are updated through the system’s cycle. 2. Planning and Requirements Definitions: After the Californian firm’s Information Technology administrator has assessed the feasibility of the project

A world of whose making - Economic Interdependence and Political Order Essay

A world of whose making - Economic Interdependence and Political Order - Essay Example A world of whose making - Economic Interdependence and Political Order These advantages cannot be transferred from one economy to the other, and therefore countries aim to use the advantages they have for producing goods with relative competence. This provides an insight into the reasons for countries like Japan and U.S. to develop their technology with relative efficiencies. When countries produce a specific good with comparative efficiency, they may not focus on the production of other goods. As a result, they would have to trade their goods with other countries. This is the argument buttressed by the theory of comparative advantage (Madura 2008). The theory provides an insight into the dynamics of the international trade and helps to show how trade provides advantages to the trading parties (D'Anieri 2009). The theory of comparative advantage in economics refers to the concept of production of goods and services at a lesser cost than that produced by another country. The country has a margin of superiority in the goods produced; this pertains to the notion that the opportunity cost of the goods produced by one country is less than that in the other country. David Ricardo was the developer of the basic theory of comparative advantage. He was of the view that absolute advantage is a subset of the more general theory. After Ricardo, a number of theorists furthered and developed the theory of comparative advantage including Heckscher, Ohlin and Samuelson. The theory projected the facts that different countries have varying factor endowments of labor, land and capital input. Countries are going to prefer the production of those products which extensively use the factors of productions with the greatest endowment (Tutor2u 2011). This follows that if the countries gain advantage by specializing in these goods, there will be an increase in the total output and economic welfare. This holds credibility even when one nation may have an absolute advantage over the other country. One of the assumptions which constitute the theory of compara tive advantage is that there is perfect occupational mobility of the factors of production. This means that the resources of one industry can be transferred to another without significant loss of efficiency. The theory also assumes that there should be constant returns to scale; a proportionate increase in the inputs leads to an equal increase in the outputs. There are no externalities surfacing from production and consumption. Also transportation costs are not taken into consideration. Increased returns are a product of specialization and the idea was put forward by Paul Romer and Paul Ormerod. If businesses take advantage from increasing returns to scale, the gains from the trade are more. There is no transport costs associated with comparative advantage. Costs do not vary and economies of scale are not present. There are two economies producing and trading homogenous goods. Moreover the trade carried out between the two countries is not impeded by trade barriers. Also the buyers and sellers have perfect knowledge and the buyers are able to trace down the cheapest goods available in the market (AC Mulligan n.d.). Comparative advantage is not a static concept; rather it keeps changing. Businesses may have had comparative advantage in a market in one product for years in a row. However the gains made during this period may suddenly be at stake as new competitors enter the market. The contribution of Ricardo in the basic theory of

Voice over Internet Protocol Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Voice over Internet Protocol - Research Paper Example Though, VoIP is abbreviated as Voice over Internet Protocol but it is as well known as Internet Telephony or IP Telephony for the reason that it allows us to make phone calls absolutely free or cheaper. Without a doubt, in this age of modern technologies the phone set is not essential, and presently we can communicate without a telephone set (Garden, 2011; Unuth, 2012). In addition, the VoIP is the most modern technology that is used to broadcast voice exchanges over an external or internal data network using IP (internet protocol) data packets (those are in digital form). In fact, this new type of communication facilitates the similar commutation as telephone without loss in reliability, functionality or quality; as well as in compliance with communication specifications presented by ITU (International Telecommunications Union). Additionally, the term â€Å"VoIP† is as well used to denote the software and hardware used to make such calls over the internet network (Unuth, 2012 ; Best Price Computers, 2012). This paper presents a detailed analysis of VoIP technology. This paper will discuss some of the important aspects that are associated with WAN network establishment. This paper will discuss these aspects in context of Acme Manufacturing Business. 1.1- Company  Background As discussed above, this paper is based on the implementation of a new VoIP network for Acme Manufacturing Company. Basically, Acme expects a communication network design document  that includes our recommendations. At the present, Acme Manufacturing Company has evolved to a huge business arrangement and considerably developed into a huge business arrangement. In this scenario, there is a need for the establishment of some VoIP network technology that can allow them to interlink the overall working and operational procedures of the business. Hence, they need to connect different business offices and arrangements located in China and several other offices throughout the United State s (Acme, 2012). 2- PROBLEM SOLUTION Over the past four generations of Carlson family ownership, and approximately 100 years of devoted service globally, the Acme Manufacturing Corporation has successfully established and maintained a remarkable focus on building up cost-effective systems and solutions to convene complex final requirements. Additionally, the Acme Manufacturing Corporation is currently offering its services and support in form of Acme equipment in the US, Asia and Europe (Acme Mfg. Co., 2012). In addition, the global network of the Acme Manufacturing Corporation has its headquarter located in Atlanta, Georgia (Acme Mfg. Co., 2012; Acme, 2012). Additionally, this global network needs a continuous and effective connection and communication setup to connect all corporate centers located all through the world. This corporate setup should be established with an effective communication arrangement for effective management of corporate operations. Without a doubt, effective communi

Healthcare Factors behind Cost Curve and Supply Curve Coursework

Healthcare Factors behind Cost Curve and Supply Curve - Coursework Example The recent scare globally is the threat of ebola, which needs special attention from the healthcare providers. Hospitals need to be ready for such emergencies to ensure safety of all citizens in the country. Secondly, affordability of healthcare services to most citizens remains to be a great issue that the federal government seeks to address. The cost of medical care continues to shoot day by day. The amounts allocated in the federal budget every financial year continues to rise despite various interventions to this sector. From the report that was recently issued by the government, it predicted that the entire spending of this sector will be close to 20 percent of the GDP by the year 2016. Policymakers have largely questioned this because increase costs does not reflect better, and quality services in these hospitals (Hicks, 2014). Further, the sector has vowed to eliminate both racial and ethnic disparities in their institutions. Trainings to all members of staff operating in these hospitals has been enhanced in oder to ensure performance excellence and improved healthcare services to all in the country. I totally agree with her arguments and findings. For instance, with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, every citizen and employee in this industry is expected to have an insurance cover. However, most people who are insured are seeking medical care from these hospitals leading to strain on the available resources. Hence, this directly affects the cost curves. To some extend, people who are insured are normally charged slightly higher in these hospitals. Another issue that has been addressed in her essay is the number of taskforce operating in rural hospitals in the country. Generally, there is a shortage, and the federal government has to address this issue by employing more staff to work in these hospitals. Most of these hospitals operating in these areas experience a lot of pressure due to

Development task 2... assignment with label sketch - 3

Development task 2... with label sketch - Assignment Example The depth of the concrete has to be greater than 500 millimeter. From ground level, the depth of the concrete must be greater than 1500 millimeter (Cyril, 2003: 110). Since the ground condition has firm clay, therefore there is a need to consider the depth of foundations. Clay exhibits the property to shrink or contract depending on the moisture content present in it (Kenneth, 1993:25). At the same time, if the surrounding area has trees, there is a possibility that the trees would absorb the moisture from the clay and hence, the foundation may experience settlement to a significant level. For this case, it is essential to consider the depth of the foundation. A trench fill foundation is thus ideal for this type of site condition. Research suggests that â€Å"trench fill foundations are quicker to prepare than deep strip foundations. This means that there is less disruption once the building work starts and not as much labour time will be needed. It is less likely that subsidence will occur in cases where there may be changes in the soils substrata† (Mosley & Bungey, 2000, 48). The site has different ground conditions and has different soils. Thus, it has a weak bearing capacity. For this purpose, the ideal foundation would be strip, grid or mat foundation. In this case, the suggested foundation is mat foundation. Because of varying ground conditions, majority of the isolated footings would have large areas and thus, it would become uneconomical (Terzaghi et.al, 2006, 256)l. According to the British Code, â€Å"Where the subsoil is very weak the load needs to be spread over a greater area. This is achieved by casting a slab of concrete over the whole ground area and thickening the slab where walls are to be placed†(Perry & Perry, 2009, 118). The design of any reinforced concrete structure aims at a suitable and economical design and for this purpose, mat foundation is ideal. A mat foundation is often used by designers when isolated footings may

Italy profolio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Italy profolio - Essay Example Undercapitalization too, of banks in Europe contributed to it as they faced liquidity and debt problems. This also slowed down the economic growth in this zone as it was unevenly distributed within member states. Meanwhile, the governments of states mostly severely affected by this crisis have tried to coordinate their actions. A committee by the name ‘The Troika’ who has constituting member organizations are; European Commission, Central Bank and International Monetary Fund takes care of this issue. Fiscal policy stimulates the slowing of the economy through the tax cuts while the spending the rises. Increase in spending does take place quickly while the tax cuts may take a long time to cause an impact on gross spending and output. In monetary policy, through Federal Reserve Act, The Federal Reserve System and Federal Market Committee should be in the forefront in promoting some excellent employment goals, long term and mode rest interest rates with stable prices. Through this principle, Federal Reserve can regulate the value of money and credit plus their price-interest rates thereby influencing employment, output and general level of prices. The legislature is composed of the lower house, which is the chamber of deputies and the upper house comprising of senate. Despite the houses being legally equal, the Chamber of Deputies has influence that is more political and most Italy’s vocal politicians do fall in this chamber. All house members are elected by popular votes for a term of 5years in office. The Senate has 315 seats while that of Chamber of Deputies has 630 seats and another 10 seats reserved for ‘life members’ who includes past presidents and honorary nominees’. A voter must be of 25years of age to cast his or her vote for Senate while in other elections, 18years is the minimum age to vote. To vie for Senatorial seat, one has to be of 40 years and above, and for the Chamber

Philosophy of Art Essay Example for Free

Philosophy of Art Essay Introduction This paper attempts to establish what practitioners of philosophy can learn from practitioners of Art. In doing so, the paper first looks into art and philosophy so as to offer a clear understanding of the subjects, before turning into the main theme. What is Art?   Ã‚  Ã‚   Even though the above question appears simple, it is interesting and can, and is answered by reverting to the philosophy of art. In addition, art embraces descriptions of beauty, taste, symbolism as well as representation. Philosophy of art also explores the association existing between the individual artist (ideas), and the bigger congregation (audiences, culture, and universe) (Carroll N, 1998). That being the case, what does philosophy of art tell us about art? Some versions assert that art is a creative activity, expression or process of humans. According to Leo Tolstoy ‘Art is that human activity which consists in one human consciously conveying to others, by certain external signs, the feelings he has experienced and in others being affected by those feelings and also experiencing them.’ (Carroll N, 1998). On the other hand, when something is done perfectly or acquainted by study and practice; it is referred to as an art (Carroll N, 1998). For instance, driving a car, dressing in a nice dress, laying a child to sleep or even the art of conversion. In essence, art includes objects developed by humans that have aesthetic value or present symbolic meaning encompassing drawings, paintings as well as sculpture. Thus from the above observations, art can be said to be a symbolic representation of peoples association with nature (reality/environments). It is able to offer the concealed relations between things. It is beauty, it is truth. However, what does truth and beauty imply? This is where philosophy comes in as philosophy is the art of establishing the truth such that this truth is applied to life. In the same manner, art can be based on established truth that express the wonder and beauty of a relationship to the universe as it is acknowledged in the works of Marcel Proust and Henry Mattisse (Diffey T, 1995). ‘Art is a selective recreation of reality according to an artist’s metaphysical value judgments. An artist recreates those aspects of reality which represent his fundamental view of man’s natures.’   Ã‚  (Marcell Proust)( Diffey T, 1995), while Henry Mattisse writes ‘when we speak of nature, it is wrong to forget that we are ourselves a part of nature. We ought to view ourselves with the same curiosity and openness with which we study a tree, the sky or a thought because we too are linked to the entire universe (Diffey T, 1995).’ The different forms of art are visual arts which involve aspects such as painting, photography and sculpture among others, and fine arts which embrace music, dance, theatre, literature, poetry, etc. What is philosophy? As William Thomas points out, ‘Philosophy studies the fundamental nature of existence of man and man’s relationship to existence†¦in the realm of cognition, the special sciences are the trees but philosophy is the soil which makes the forest possible’ (Bender J, 1993). A philosophy is an all inclusive organization of ideas concerning human nature as well as the nature of the truth we live in. it is a guide of living since the subjects it deals with are crucial and enveloping, establishing the course we take in life and how we treat other people. Among the most important field that philosopher’s deal with fall into a number of separate fields. Among them, the most imperatives ones are; metaphysics which deals with the theory of reality, epistemology that connotes the theory of knowledge, ethics which is theory of moral values, politics which is theory of legal rights and government and aesthetics which refers to theory of nature of art (Carroll N, 1998). The vehicle for philosophical guidance is religions such as Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism as well as Islam. Religions vary from philosophers not in the issues they deal with but in the ways they employ to address them. Religions are based on mythic stories that existed earlier before discovery of unequivocally cogent methods of inquiry (Bender J, 1993). The present day religion (majority of) appeal to mystical faith as well as revelation sort of belief that claim legitimacy independent of logic, and the scientific method, at least made for the biggest subjects. However, majority of religions are in their commencement pre-rational as opposed to anti-rational, a story teller’s account of philosophic issues as opposed to scientists (Bender J, 1993). Philosophy in Greek connotes ‘love of wisdom’. Philosophy is founded on rational arguments and appeal to facts (Bender J, 1993). Modern science history began with philosophical enquiries and the scientific method of research and proof is an aspect of the general approach that a philosopher attempts to bring to a question; one that is coherent and vigorous. Philosophy is known to offer deep and wide questions presently. Dealing with the issues in each branch of philosophy calls for integration of everything one knows concerning reality (metaphysics) or humanity (epistemology, ethics, politics and aesthetics) recommending reasonable inclination in philosophy therefore is not a simple job. Frankly, philosophers more often than not disagree about principle subject; some slipping their own positions in the mix as well (Diffey T, 1995). Thus, there is no particular philosophy world wide as is the case with physics, chemistry among other disciplines.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Having clearly distinguished the two disciplines, then we can embark on the issue of what a philosopher can learn from an artist. This calls us to explore the subfield of philosophy. It relates to nature of art, in addition to performing of arts as well as painting, sculpture and literature (Diffey T, 1995). Major concerns in aesthetic comprise of how artistic creations should be construed as well as assessed and how the arts are linked to one another, to natural beauty, morality, religious science as well as other crucial aspects of human life. The association between art and epistemology has been everlastingly tenuous and burdened with a lot of arguments (Diffey T, 1995). It is acknowledged that there is something meaningful from experiences as well as interactions with works of arts. However, it is not considered as obvious that whether or not the experiences one has with art can produce propositional understanding that is represented by true vindicated belief (Diffey T, 1995).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Whereas engaging objects aesthetically is both insightness and emotionally burdening practice, it is also essentially cognitive. Therefore, it can be said that aesthetic engagement is based on various epistemological concerns (Carroll N, 1998). For instance, philosophers claim to know about art. People say that they believed the play was good or bad, but the emotions it produced were called for, justified, manipulative or suitable. In most cases, people allege that they learn from art, that art alters their view of the world and that art has influence on the way they view as well as make sense of the world (Carroll N, 1998).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It also widely acknowledged that works of arts particularly good works of art, can cause view points about the world and can in turn offer knowledge concerning the world (Carroll N, 1998). However, what can exactly be known about art? Does art have any sort of propositional content that resembles the context that philosophers claim to require for other sort of knowledge claim?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The subject of whether philosophers have something to learn from artists revolves back to the period of Plato. Plato warned about the perils of making a fuss of mimetic as well as narrative demonstrations of the world and human actions. A practitioner of philosophy by his engagement with art permits certain emotions or activities that are able to facilitate or produce knowledge. It should be acknowledged that some aspects of art work that are able to produce greater understanding of the surrounding world (Carroll N, 1998).   In this case, art becomes a source of insight as well as awareness, even though it cannot be put into propositional language.   It can help people (philosophy practitioners) see the world in a new or different way (Carroll N, 1998).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   They are often those who view art as being incapable of offering knowledge primarily because it does not generate any truth; they argue that since art cannot offer facts or produce arguments then there is nothing to learn from it (Diffey T, 1995).   They further argue that art cannot be acknowledged as a source of knowledge as it is not productive of knowledge, construed in the convectional sense of vindictive true belief. They assert that art is devoid of propositional content capable of being learnt the conventional way, whereas it has influences that promote knowledge and that can promote or weaken the development of understanding. Thus the net effect is to reject art as a source of knowledge as it does not offer true beliefs and furthermore because it does not as well as cannot vindicate the views that it does express (Diffey T, 1995).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   However, those who are for and those against concur that art is a source of knowledge, the only way that it can probably satisfy such a function be it that knowledge neglected something crucial to art’s nature as well as value (Diffey T, 1995). Plato articulates that it is possible for an artist to make a representation of a thing without having advance knowledge of his presentation.   For instance, painters represent cobblers when the painters have no idea how to make shoes, and poets write about virtue such as beauty and courage without any clear knowledge of these attributes (Carroll N, 1998). To Plato, it is only philosophers and moreover, those who struggle to intuit (feel) the forms and employ abstract reasoning are able to have know-how of these virtues.   To him, the same things exist even for the literary arts in particular.   He asserts that the more one engages in emotions brought about by representations, the more likely one is to suffer the influences of an unstable soul and finally the growth of bad attitude (Carroll N, 1998). Aristotle seems to have agreed with Plato that art influences the development of one’s moral character.   These two philosophers believed that people learn from art, however, Plato argued that the gained knowledge was harmful while Aristotle argued that it was beneficial (Carroll N, 1998). Going back to the period of renaissance and beyond it should be noted that the works of art such as poetry and fiction engages the emotions of a philosopher in a healthy way rather as opposed to detrimental manner (Bender J, 1993).   Some philosophers point out that there are there crucial types of knowledge claims that can be made concerning arts which are distinguished by objects. The first is what philosophers claim to know or believe concerning the art object itself and anything unreal or fictional worlds might be linked to that object. The second aspect of knowledge claim about art relates to what is known or believed to be appropriate emotional reaction to the art work. It is crucial to note at this point that works of art are correct, understood through having a certain kind of emotional response to them (Bender J, 1993). The only problem encountered in this course is that it is not possible to establish the kind of response that is appropriate in relation to a particular work of art (Bender J, 1993). The last kind of knowledge claim that is available as far as art is concerned relates to the nature of information art can offer about the whole world (Bender J, 1993). It is important to note that art affords imperative insight into the way philosophers order and understand the world. Art gives a certain degree of meaning to the lives of philosophers. Art, particularly literature, draws out novel views (beliefs) as well as new knowledge concerning the world (Bender J, 1993). Conclusion From the above, it is noteworthy that philosophy practitioners have a lot to learn from practitioners of art. It is important to acknowledge what constitutes knowledge so as to be able to understand how art impacts the subject. Reference Bender, John (1993).   â€Å"Art as a Source of Knowledge: Linking Analytic Aesthetics and Epistemology.† In Contemporary Philosophy of Art, ed. John Bender and Gene Blocker. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Carroll, Noel (1998). â€Å"Art, Narrative, and Moral Understanding.† In Aesthetics and Ethics: Essays at the Intersection, ed. Jerrold Levinson. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Diffey, T .J (1995): â€Å"What Can We Learn From Art?† Australasian Journal of Philosophy 73 202-11.

Nonverbal Communication Essay Example for Free

Nonverbal Communication Essay Abstract The goal of this study was to find out if teachers were teaching nonverbal communication in their classroom, and also if it was important to teach nonverbal communication in the classroom. Teachers have a variety of teaching styles, and techniques. Some teachers using nonverbals and some do not. However, sometimes class size, classification levels, and gender can cause teachers to either use nonverbal communication or not. The participants of this study were asked whether or not their teacher use different types of nonverbal communication in the classroom setting. The study found that students said most teachers in their classes use nonverbal communication to teach. This study also provides support of the importance nonverbal communication has when teaching. Nonverbal communication in the classroom: A research about the importance of teaching nonverbal communication Communication in general is the process of sending and receiving messages that enables humans to share knowledge, attitudes, and skills. Although we usually identify communication with speech, communication is composed of two dimensions, which are verbal and nonverbal. Nonverbal communication has been defined as communication, but just without any words. Communicating is not something we can just do without, nonverbal communication especially considering it can never be shut off, unlike verbal communication we are always communicating nonverbally. One cannot not communicate. Nonverbal communication is always around you and impossible to ignore. Research, in many studies, has indicated that nonverbal communication can serve a wide range of functions in human interaction. Nonverbal communication is an essential part of every day life. No matter if at work, school, or even at home, nonverbal communication plays a huge role in life. As Blatner (2002) says, â€Å"Often people cannot understand the impact of nonverbal communications involved in a situation unless it is replayed and figured out† (pg.3). Teachers need to be practicing and teaching nonverbal communication in the classroom everyday, and that by doing so students will become much better communicators. Nonverbal communication strategies are important to the development of an effective educational system. Nonverbal communication should be practiced in more classes than just communication classes, because no matter what major of study you are in communication is always going to be an essential thing to know. Many social scientists have conducted research in the field of nonverbal communication as it affects students and educators. Ritchie (1977) found that seven percent of communication is nonverbal. Voice inflection accounts for 38% of the message, and facial expression, including body language, communicates 55% of the message. Speer (1972) states that because 90% of the total impact of a message can come from nonverbal elements, sharpening nonverbal communication skills cannot help but make a person a better communicator. So why are not all teachers using this method of teaching in the classroom setting? That is one of the questions I would like to answer in my research. This paper will work to determine if nonverbal communication is essential to be taught in the classroom and the importance of the teaching of nonverbal communication. Literature Review Research has been investigated, by many different scholarly researchers, about nonverbal communication and the importance of why it should be taught to students in their learning career. Nonverbal communication can be defined as signing, symbols, colors, gestures, rhythms, and much more. Those are just a few examples that will be discussed (Ritchie 1977). Speer (1972) believes that it is important to know all the different ways to communicate nonverbally and explains all of those ways in the book. Speer (1972) also emphasizes on the fact that in order to communicate, you must first know what nonverbal communication actually is. Pilner, Alloway, Krames (1974) however compare how humans and animals communicate differently nonverbally and the importance of knowing the different ways, and they also point out how humans and animals can communicate very similarly nonverbally as well. Ethology is the way of studying behavior amongst people. Weitz (1974) refers to ethology as a way to condu ct research, knowing how to study different peoples behavior is essential to know before observing how people act. Visual interactions are also ways of studying nonverbal communication in the classroom, according to Weitz (1974). According to Molcho (1985), nonverbal communication is critical in the classroom setting, especially in interpersonal communication. The most credible messages teachers generate are said to be nonverbal. Duggan (2012) discusses all of the different nonverbal cues and why they are important. For example, he states the importance of facial expressions, gestures, and appearance. Along the same lines Carli (1995), Mayo Henley (1981) and Thompson (2012) have different articles about differences between men and women and the different thoughts they have on nonverbal communication. He also discusses different research scenarios in which research has been conducted to prove the importance of nonverbal communication, and why men and women communicate differently sometimes. Area of Study Nonverbal communication plays a huge role in the classroom, and how teachers should be using nonverbal communication. (Pliner 1974) This paper is a research intended to help understand why nonverbal communication is so important in teaching, and what those importance’s are. Teachers should be using nonverbal communication everyday, in every course no matter what the major of study is. I want to research to see if teachers are using nonverbal communication skills in the classroom environment, and if so how they are using them. My hypothesis is that yes I believe teachers are using nonverbal communication as a way of teaching in their classroom. If the answer is no however, I will research why teachers are not using nonverbal communication in their every day teaching techniques, and if there are reasons behind why they are not using it. I will conduct surveys in class to see if students believe teachers are teaching enough about nonverbal communication, and if they believe it is important to be learning about. I would ask, does nonverbal communication play a role in the classroom? For instance, is nonverbal communication important in the classroom setting, whether it be how the teacher dresses, lectures, stands, etc. I also want to find out if teachers are teaching enough about nonverbal communication to their students. Are students gaining enough knowledge about nonverbal communication while in the classroom setting? Also, I would like to find out, what is the importance of nonverbal communication. Why should we study this and why do we need to learn this study for our whole careers. Finally, what would a classroom setting be like with zero nonverbal communication? This consists of no eye contact, appearance codes, gesture, or any other kind of nonverbal communication behavior. The following research questions and hypotheses guide the current study: H1: Students believe teachers are using nonverbal communication to communicate with them on a daily basis. H2: There is no difference between what males believe teachers use in the classroom and what females believe. H3: All ages believe the same thing when it comes to how often their teachers communicate nonverbally and how they are communicating this way. RQ1: Does nonverbal communication play a role in the classroom? RQ2: Are teachers teaching enough about nonverbal communication to their students? Methodology Instrument I used the convenience type sampling method. (see appendix A) This is a nonrandom type sampling; in which I used volunteers in my class to take my survey. The survey contained nine questions. Participants were asked nine questions about how their teachers use different nonverbal communication skills to communicate with them. The students were asked to mark yes or no depending on if the teacher used those certain styles of nonverbals while teaching, Students were also asked some demographic questions: sex, classification, and age. I used evidence by Wilmont (1995), about research of nonverbal communication to come up with my research questions. I developed my questions very carefully before choosing what the right questions were to ask. I thought about questions that could be useful to my research and that would help me develop the results I needed in order to prove or disprove my topic. I choose questions that wouldn’t be offensive to anyone, so that everyone could participate . I was trying to find out the significance of nonverbal communication being used and taught in the classroom setting. Participants I had twenty-five students in my research communication class participate in my survey. There were fourteen males and eleven females who participated, however gender doesn’t have much of an affect on my research. The ages for my survey ranged from nineteen to twenty-three years old. All of the students who took my survey were in some kind of communication field. I conducted my survey and distributed it during our class hour, along with everyone else. I distributed my surveys on Thursday October 18th, 2012. I distributed my survey to each member in the class in a row order. I simply passed my survey out row by row to each class member, and when everyone received my survey they began taking it. When the class was done taking my survey they proceeded to the front of the classroom and put my surveys in a pile for me to pick up. I then took a look at all of my results later that night. I made an excel document and went through each individual paper and recorded my results in to excel. I recorded the number of females and males, class rank, and also the answers to my yes and no questions. Results The first hypothesis was concerned with if students believed teachers were using nonverbal communication with them to teach on a daily basis. The hypothesis inferred that students did believe teachers were using nonverbal communication on a daily basis to communicate with them. . This hypothesis was supported. All students answered yes to at least some type of nonverbal communication. The second hypothesis looked at the sex of the students. This hypothesis inferred that the sex of the student was not significant for this survey. This hypothesis was supported. Sex was not significant in the research. Males and females answered mostly the same for every question in the survey. The third hypothesis looked at age of the students. This hypothesis stated that age was not significant in the survey. This hypothesis was supported. After recording all the results, age was not a factor. All of the students came up with mostly the same answers no matter their age. Research question one asked if nonverbal communication played a role in the classroom setting. From my survey, students believed that yes, nonverbal communication does in fact play a role in the classroom, and the survey also showed that numerous amounts of different types of nonverbal communication are being used every day in the classroom setting. Research question number two asked, are teachers teaching enough about nonverbal communication to their students? The question was answered yes by every single student. Students believe that yes there is enough nonverbal communication being taught in the classroom. Discussion The goal of this study was to see if nonverbal communication was being taught in the classroom and if it was important to be taught. Teachers have many different ways of teaching, and many different techniques but the overall outcome was that yes, nonverbal communication is very important in the classroom and that many teachers do use nonverbal communication on a daily basis to teach. Class size, gender, and classification did not really matter in this study. Previous research has also found that nonverbal communication is a very important factor in teaching as well. My study supported previous research, and agreed that nonverbal communication is being taught in the classrooms, and it is important for teachers to teach and use nonverbal communication. Another interesting find was that gender did not play a big part in the overall outcomes. I figured since females tend to notice things more, like proximity, gestures, posture, etc., that females would answer a lot differently than males but that was not true in this case. All students believed pretty much the same things. I was not surprised that students believed nonverbal communication was important because I agree, it is.   After conducting my survey I learned a lot of things from classmates. Some of the things I discovered were, body posture is a very important nonverbal in the classroom. Body posture can tell when students understand the content presented or when they have trouble grasping the major concepts. A student who is slouching in his seat sends a very different message than the student who learns forward or sits erect. I also learned that eye contact plays a very important role in teaching. Teachers often use eye contact in the classroom to decide who is prepared to answer a question, or who has completed a homework assignment. If a student does not want to be called on they will try and have no eye contact with the teacher, and that indicates to the teacher they do not know the answer or wish to not speak. Students also responded that distance is used on a daily basis in the classroom. The teachers are supposed to stand in the front, and the students sit in desks in the middle and back. I also discovered that students would interact more comfortably with a teacher when they are in same vertical plane. Dress being a form of nonverbal communication, I discovered plays a role in every classroom. Teachers dress appropriately for class everyday, as in dress pants, dresses, nice shirts, etc. Effective teaching depends on successful communication. By definition of non-verbal communication without uttering a single word, teachers and students constantly send messages to each other (Thompson, 2012). Limits and Future Study Although my study found a lot of reliable information, there were some limitations. When conducting my survey, although it turned out very helpful, I would have changed the questions and been a little more descriptive with them. For example, I would have not only asked if the certain nonverbals were used in the classroom, I would have also asked when and how these forms of communication were used. Another limitation was class classification. There were a wide variety of grade levels that took my survey, and all teachers in every grade level have a different way of teaching, so I would have tried to get maybe all Juniors or all Seniors to take my survey. I would have tried to have all people who take the same classes with the same teachers to take the survey. Future researchers could look more in to how students use nonverbal [communication to communicate rather than just teachers. I think students use just as much nonverbal communication as teachers do and that would be an interesting research to conduct also. This research was conducted to show the importance of nonverbal communication while teaching in the classroom. Nonverbal communication plays an essential role in the classroom so I believe more studies should be done concerning nonverbal communication. References Carli, L. (1995). Nonverbal behavior, gender, and influence. Journal Of Personality And Social Psychology, 68(6), 1030-1041. Duggan, T. (2012). Nonverbal cues between men and women in the workplace. Hearst Newspapers. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/nonverbal-cues-men-women-workplace- 11424.html. Key, Mary Ritchie. (1977) Nonverbal communication: a research guide bibliography. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press Mayo, C., Henley, N. (1981). Gender and nonverbal behavior. New York : Springer-Verlag. Molcho, S. (1985). Body speech. New York, NY: St. Martins Press. Pliner, P., Alloway, T.,Krames, L. (1974). Nonverbal communication: Advances in the study of communication and affect. New York: Plenum Press. Speer, D. C. (1972). NonVerbal Communication. Beverly Hills, Sage Publications. Thompson, J. (2012). The science and fun of nonverbal communication [Electronic Version]. Are man and woman equals in nonverbal communication? Weitz, S. (1974) Nonverbal communication: Readings with commentary. New York: Oxford University Press. Wilmont, W. (1995). Relational Communication. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Literature Review Relating To Geothermal Energy

Literature Review Relating To Geothermal Energy The General Scheme of Geothermal Energy Development Bill 2010 is a publication by the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources outlining details of the Geothermal Energy Development Bill which is being drafted. The Bill aims to provide a legislative framework for the vesting, licensing and regulation of geothermal energy. Publication is expected in July 2011. The Geothermal Energy Resource Map of Ireland report was commissioned by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and carried out by the CSA Group (now SLR Consulting Ireland) and was completed in July 2004. The report reviewed existing knowledge of geothermal energy utilisation in Ireland, identified potential resources of geothermal energy in Ireland, created geothermal models of Ireland and produced a series of geothermal maps of Ireland, reviewed the current status and utilisation of geothermal energy resources in Ireland, and provided strategic recommendations regarding future utilisation in the context of International Best Practice. Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (2004)Â   The final output of this study, apart from the written report is a series of geothermal maps showing measured and modelled geothermal subsurface temperatures at various depths ranging from 100m to 5000m. This is useful for researchers, consultants and decision members interested in exploring geothermal potential at any location. Sutainable Energy Authority of Ireland (2004)Â   (Retrieved 8/11/2010) 2.2 The Kyoto Protocol 2.2.1 Global Warming and Climate Change Global Warming is the phenomenon whereby the earths surface temperature rises over time which causes climatic change. Global Warming is caused by the release of Green House Gases (GHGs) into the atmosphere thus creating what has become known as the greenhouse effect. The primary GHG is Carbon Dioxide (CO2) which contributes to global warming through the process of burning fossil fuels. 40% of all CO2 emissions are from power plants, 33% from motor vehicles, and 3.5% from aircraft. (http://globalwarming.com/2009/03/causes-of-global-warming/) (30/11/2010) 2.2.2 Introduction of the Kyoto Protocol The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is an international environmental treaty formed by the United Nations (UN) at its Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992 with the objective of stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. [1] Climate Lab http://climatelab.org/United_Nations_Framework_Convention_on_Climate_Change Retrieved 12/11/2010 The treaty provided for updates or protocols that set mandatory emission limits. The principle update is the Kyoto Protocol which was initially adopted in Kyoto, Japan on 11th December 1997 and came into force on 16th February 2005. Under the Kyoto Protocol, participating Annex 1 countries (industrialised countries and member states of the European Union) agreed to commit themselves to a reduction of four greenhouse gas emissions of 5.2% collectively from 1991 levels. 188 states ratified the protocol including 37 industrialized countries. [2] UNFCCC http://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol/items/2830.php Retrieved 12/11/2010 One major obstacle for the establishment of the protocol was the refusal of the worlds largest CO2 emitter, the United States, to sign the treaty. The second major obstacle is that rapidly developing nations like China and India face no legal obligation to meet the limits set out to reduce their GHG emissions. China is the worlds second largest CO2 emitter. 2.2.3 Ireland and the Kyoto Protocol Ireland signed the Kyoto Protocol on 19th April 1998 and ratified it on 31st May 2002. [3] UNFCCC http://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol/status_of_ratification/items/2613.php Retrieved 12/11/2010 While the Kyoto Protocol required Annex 1 countries to reduce its GHG emissions by 5.2% between 2008 and 2012, the European Union wishing to show leadership in this area undertook to reduce emissions by 8% for the same period. Although an 8% reduction was sought across the EU, Irelands target was an increase of 13% in emissions based on 1990 levels which is the base year for Kyoto limits. This value reflects growth in the economy and expected future growth. This increase is compensated by bigger reductions in other countries. [4] Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Ltd. (HKEX) http://www.hkex.com.hk/consul/paper/cp200906dm_e.pdf Retrieved 12/11/2010 The National Climate Change Strategy (NCCS) was published in October 2000 as a basis for government policy in relation to climate change. Its aim was to set Ireland on a pathway to reaching its targets in relation to the Kyoto Protocol. http://www.environ.ie/en/Environment/Atmosphere/ClimateChange/NationalClimateChangeStrategy/PublicationsDocuments/FileDownLoad,923,en.pdf Retrieved 20/12/2010 Irelands emissions peaked in 2001 at a time when Ireland was experiencing high employment, a strong economy, and further growth was anticipated. The years to follow showed reduction in emission levels yet the targets set out under the Kyoto Protocol remained what appeared to many to be an over ambitious target. 2002 showed that Ireland was 23% above emissions for 1990. In 2005 emission levels stood at 25% above base level. In 2004 and 2005, when it became apparent that more needed to be done to ensure Ireland met its targets, the government intensified its efforts to reduce carbon emissions. The 2006 budget saw the introduction of excise relief for biofuels and the introduction of new building regulations to provide higher standards of energy conservation. [5] Irelands Pathway to Kyoto Compliance Review of the National Climate Change Strategy http://www.environ.ie/en/Environment/Atmosphere/ClimateChange/NationalClimateChangeStrategy/PublicationsDocuments/FileDownLoad,1289,en.pdf Retrieved 12/11/2010 The National Climate Change Strategy 2007 2012 was published in order to show clearly the measures by which Ireland will meet its 2008 2012 commitment, to show how these measures will sustain post 2012, and to identify the areas in which further measures are being researched and developed to enable Ireland to meet its 2020 commitments. The report states that electricity generation from renewable sources provides the most effective way of reducing the contribution of power generation to Irelands greenhouse gas emissions. [6] National Climate Change Strategy 2007 -2012 http://www.environ.ie/en/Publications/Environment/Atmosphere/FileDownLoad,1861,en.pdf Retrieved 12/11/2010 The strategy shows the range of measures which have been developed that aim to reduce Irelands carbon dioxide equivalent by 17 million tonnes (Mt). With regard to electricity generation, the aim is 15% of energy to be generated from renewable sources by 2010 and 33% by 2020, biomass to contribute 30% of energy input at peat stations by 2015, support for combined heat and power projects, and formation of the National Ocean Energy Strategy. 2.2.3 Looking Beyond 2012 Steps have already been taken to introduce a new treaty to operate once the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012. The 15th meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP 15) agreed the Copenhagen Accord to the UNFCCC in December 2009. Whilst not legally binding, the Accord endorses the continuation of the Kyoto Protocol. 114 countries representing over 80% of global GHG emissions have agreed to the accord including Ireland. Many have concerns regarding the Accord because it is not legally binding and no legally binding replacement exists for the Kyoto Protocol, the Accord was drafted by just 5 countries, and the Accord sets no real targets to achieve emission reductions. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8423831.stm (23/12/2010) 2.2.4 The Stern Report The Stern Report on the Economics of Climate Change was published for the British Government in 2006 by economist Nicholas Stern, chair of the Grantham, Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics. The key message of the Stern Report is as follows: What is going to happen to the climate over the next 20-30 years has already been determined and is irreversible. Actions over the next 20-30 years will affect what happens in the decades to come. Climate change threatens the basic elements of life including access to water, food, health, land use and the environment. Stabilization of all GHGs at 550ppm is recommended. The costs of stablilizing the climate are significant (1% of global GDP) but manageable. Delay would be dangerous and much more expensive. Action demands and international response. The key actions outlines by Stern include: Increase in efficiency of energy use. Strict emission trading rules to support the transition to low carbon development paths. Extensive use of renewable and other low carbon technologies. Fivefold increase in low carbon technologies Research and Development. Reduction in deforestation. Freris, L Infield, D. (2008) Renewable Energy in Power Systems. West Sussex, UK: Wiley 2.3 EU Policy 2.3.1 General European countries generate more than 4000 GWh/year from geothermal sources predominantly in Italy, Iceland, Turkey and Russia. Direct use such as GSHP usage is however, much more widespread with usage in most European countries. http://ec.europa.eu/energy/library/geotherm.pdf (23/12/2010) High availability and low carbon emissions make geothermal energy one of the best prospects for influencing GHG emissions in Europe. The European Union has been one of the most consistent supporters of the Kyoto Protocol. Member states of the EU have made a commitment to be met by 2020 known as the 20-20-20 target. These are to reduce GHG emissions 20% below 1990 levels, ensure 20% of EUs energy comes from renewable sources, and ensure a 20% reduction in primary energy consumption compared with projected levels, to be achieved by improving energy efficiency. These commitments were outlined following the need for a follow on from the Kyoto Protocol which expires in 2012. In 2005 renewable energy accounted for just 8.5% of energy consumed in the EU. The need to in4crease this figure is recognized by the EU and measures have been taken to encourage member states to expand their renewable energy production and to rely less on conventional carbon emitting energy production systems. Europe is also at the front of cutting edge new geothermal energy research with an ongoing European Hot Dry Rock (HDR) project at Soultz-sous-Forets in France which is supported by the EU. 2.3.2 Blue Book on Geothermal Resources The EU published its Blue Book on Geothermal Resources in 2002 in order to identify a series of measures which could promote the use of geothermal energy sources across the EU. The publication corresponded with the need for Europe to expand on renewable energy sources in order to meet its targets of 12% by 2010. The publication acknowledges that expanding use of geothermal resources will show a significant reduction to CO2 emissions and thus help make Kyoto targets more achievable. A geothermal energy generation plant produces on average just 136 g/kWh of CO2 compared to 1042 g/kWh for a typical coal fired power plant. The report recommends that the EU increase the exploitation of geothermal energy in the EU and associated countries and to support European firms within the sector to improve their share of the world market. The Blue Book outlines 12 measures the EU proposed to take to enhance the usage of geothermal technologies in Europe as follows: To stimulate the creation of European consortia and joint ventures among different subjects interested in investing in geothermal projects in Europe and abroad. To favour National Geothermal Associations and the European branch of the International Geothermal Association (IGA). To support the newly created European Geothermal Energy Council (EGEC). The maintenance and improvement of the EUs existing research and financing programmes. To promote the environmental benefits of geothermal energy through favourable financing conditions such as tax exemptions or reductions, tax incentives, financial incentives for end users, loans and special interest rates for investment in RE resources. Geothermal energy should be included in specific target projects and demonstration projects both as an environmentally friendly resource and as an indigenous energy supply for saving imported fossil fuels. To establish an insurance system for EU countries in order to cover the geological risk. Implement proper actions devoted to the systematic integration of geothermal energy into existing and new EU and national RE development programmes. Promote directives in order to acknowledge RE investments (including geothermal) with an extra price or a contribution for the KWhe/KWht produced which corresponds to the external benefit derived from the substitution of conventional energy sources. Increase the use of information brochures and actions of the Multi-energy type, with the objective of increasing the level of information and confidence of using geothermal energy by decision-makers, private and public operators, town planners, designers, even within EU programmes. Promote a detailed study for the evaluation, in quantitative terms of the external benefits from substitution by geothermal applications. Considering the good development perspectives of this application, special attention could be devoted to the promotion and support for the GSHP market. 2.3.3 Energy 2020 Energy 2020 A strategy for competitive, sustainable, and secure energy was published by the European Commission on 10th November 2010. It sets out ambitious targets for member states with regards to energy. Known as the 20-20-20 policy, member states are required to: Reduce GHG emissions by 20%, rising to 30% provided that other developed countries commit themselves to comparable emission reductions and economically more advanced developing countries contributing adequately according to their responsibilities and respective capabilities. Increase the share of renewable energy to 20% Make a 20% improvement in energy efficiency. There is also an ambitious target of 80 95% emission cuts by 2050 amongst EU and other industrialized countries. These targets are fully supported by the European Parliament. The commission proposes to focus its initiatives on the traffic and building sectors which it believes provide the biggest potential for energy savings and to provide investment incentives and financial instruments to promote energy reductions. 2.4 Irish Policy 2.4.1 General Irelands policy regarding energy and renewable energy is largely based upon meeting targets set out under both the Kyoto Protocol and the European Commissions 2020 energy targets. A White Paper released in March 2007 sets out the Governments Energy Policy for 2007 2020 which includes reaching 15% of energy produced from renewable sources by 2010 and 33% by 2020. To date, progress has been made mainly due to the wind energy sector. Since 2006, Ireland introduced a feed in tariff which pays a fixed rate for energy input to the national grid from renewable sources. 2.4.2 The REFIT Scheme Between 1995 and 2003 Ireland operated a tender or Alternative Energy Requirement (AER) scheme to promote RES-E. This scheme was replaced in 2006 when Ireland introduced the Renewable Energy Feed-In Tariff (REFIT) as a major instrument towards encouraging expansion of the RES-E sector in Ireland. The scheme financially rewards input into the national electricity grid from renewable sources outlined in table x.x below. As part of the scheme there is a 15 year guarantee which aims to provide investor security. Geothermal energy is not currently included in the REFIT programme which is one major obstacle to the growth of the geothermal electricity generation sector in Ireland. The National Renewable Energy Action Plan (2010) outlines plans to extend the scheme to include Anaerobic Digestion/High Efficiency Combined Heat and Power (CHP) biomass technologies, ocean (wave and tidal) energy and offshore wind. 2.4.2 Delivering a Sustainable Energy Future for Ireland Building on the energy Green Paper and related consultation process conducted during 2006, the Irish government released a energy White Paper in March 2007 outlining the Irish Governments Energy Policy Framework 2007 2020 to deliver sustainable energy future for Ireland. Ireland faces similar energy challenges to those being confronted worldwide. The document also reasserts Irelands prohibition of the use of Nuclear energy in Ireland on grounds of safety fears, security, economic feasibility, and system operation. 2.4.3 Geothermal Energy Development Bill 2010 In a debate with The Joint Committee on Climate Change and Energy Security on 16th September 2009, GT Energy who have since submitted a planning application to South Dublin County Council to develop a Geothermal Energy Plant at Newcastle, Co. Dublin, outlined their concerns regarding obstacles they faced with the existing legislative framework. They outlined that their investors and board of directors were uneasy with the lack of legislation and scope within planning regulations to allow for their proposed development. Arising from this debate and increasing pressure from other sources, the Department of Communications, Energy, and Natural Resources decided to draft the Geothermal Energy Development Bill 2010. The bill is currently in draft form and publication is expected in July 2011. The bill will allow for the licensing of companies to explore for and develop deep geothermal energy resources. Under the EU Directive on the Promotion of the Use of Energy from Renewable Sources (2009/28/EC), Ireland is required to generate 16% of its gross energy consumption from renewable resources by 2020 and 12% of its heat consumption. As Ireland is currently highly dependent on the use of fossil fuels for energy production, it is vital that measures are taken to expand the use of available renewable energy options. Already, large scale hydroelectric and wind energy developments are operational, but further advances are needed. The move by the Irish Government to draft a Geothermal Energy Bill is another step towards regulation and legislating what could become another major large scale renewable energy production industry for Ireland. The need for the Bill is based on the feeling that Ireland lacks a comprehensive legal and regulatory that provides the allocation of ownership interests and ancillary rights in the resource. Third party interests were also not protected in a systematic manner and as a result, potential investors in the sector are deterred from making significant commitment in Ireland. The bill will be able to grant exploration and development licences for deep geothermal energy resources and regulate the ownership of resources, ancillary rights and the protection of third party interests. The Bill aims to pursue two main policy objectives by facilitating the development of large scale geothermal energy in order to increase its contribution to Irelands renewable energy targets and to avoid over regulation of small scale projects. The EU Directive on the Promotion of the Use of Energy from Renewable Sources (2009/28/EC) has set a target that 16% of gross energy consumption in Ireland will need to come from renewable sources by 2020. The Directive recognises geothermal energy as one of the means by which this target can be met. The heat market in Ireland consumes approximately one third of primary energy supply and is very highly dependant on fossil fuels. Alternatives to fossil fuels for direct heating include biomass, Combined Heat and Power (CHP), and geothermal energy. The introduction of this legislation is also based on the introduction of regulation and legislation in other countries. Sweden, for example, has inferior geothermal resources compared to Ireland, and yet its utilisation is much greater. This can be attributed to Swedens regulatory system which provides a solid licensing system and security for potential investors. Article 10.1 of the Constitution states that All natural resources, including the air and all forms of potential energy, within the jurisdiction of the Parliament and Government established by this Constitution and all royalties and franchises within that jurisdiction belong to the State subject to all estates and interests therein for the time being lawfully vested in any person or body. This in effect, gives ownership of the geothermal energy resource to the Irish State. 2.4.4 National Renewable Energy Action Plan (2010) The National Renewable Energy Action Plan (2010) was published under the requirements of Article 4 of Directive 2009/28/EC on renewable energy. The plan sets out Irelands national targets for the share of renewable energy from different sources in 2020 and demonstrates how Ireland will meet its overall national target established under the Directive. Irelands overall target is to achieve 16% of energy from renewable sources by 2020 however, the government has set a target of 40%. Although ambitious, in the past Ireland has surpassed the target set undet the 2001 European RES-E Directive which required an increase from 3.6% RES-E in 2001 to 13.2% in 2010. In 2009, this target was already surpassed with Ireland achieving 14.4% RES-E. This increase is largely attributed to the development of onshore wind sources. In terms of transport, the plan outlines the governments two pronged strategy to increase the use of biofuels and accelerated development and use of electric vehicles in Ireland. A target of 10% of electric vehicles has been set for 2020. A target of 12% renewable heat by 2020 has also been set. Initial focus will be on biomass but geothermal resources will also be considered in due course. http://www.dcenr.gov.ie/NR/rdonlyres/C71495BB-DB3C-4FE9-A725-0C094FE19BCA/0/2010NREAP.pdf 2.5 Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) 2.5.1 General The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), formerly the Irish Energy Centre, was set up by the government in 2002 with the mission to transform Ireland into a society based on sustainable energy structures, technologies and practices. The Geothermal Energy Resource Map of Ireland final report was published by SEAI in July 2004 along with resource mapping which was compiled following extensive testing and research carried out by The CSA Group. The report focuses mainly on the use of geothermal for heating purposed rather than electricity production. The report looks at historic use of geothermal energy in Ireland, current use, and possible future uses. It found that Ireland is particularly well suited for the use of Ground Source Heat Pumps (GSHPs) as suitable temperatures for this technology can be found at relatively low depths. Various examples of current geothermal use in Ireland are outlined. 2.5.3 Geothermal Usage in Ireland to Date Ground Source Heat Pumps are the most common type of geothermal energy utilisation in Ireland to date with over a thousand domestic installations up to 2004. GSHP technology is examined in more detail in Chapter 3. Apart from domestic usage, geothermal energy usage is quite limited in Ireland with only a handful of installations in offices, universities etc. Tramore Civic Offices, Co. Waterford mains supply flows through a purpose built 500,000 litre reservoir. Some of this water is then piped through an open loop to a heat exchanger. The mains water transfers the heat but is kept separate to the heat exchange operation in order to keep it potable. UCC Art Museum uses drilled borehole technology with water rising at 20 litres/sec to 2 heat exchanging units to heat the 3 storey building. Mallow Swimming Pool, Co. Cork also uses a borehole to provide heat for the swimming pool. The water is approximately 19.5Â °c and is boosted by conventional means at the pool. 2.5.3 Geothermal Resource Mapping As part of their report, CSA also compiled a comprehensive set of maps showing Irelands geothermal properties at various locations and depths. In order to carry out the mapping, CSA embarked on a process to gather as much information as they could from exiting boreholes, from previous studies and from data available from Imperial College, London, Minerex, Tara Exploration etc. A database was formed consisting of borehole ID, co-ordinates, depth tested, basal temperature, surface temperature (assumed to be 10Â °c where not available), depth (20-100m intervals), temperature (20-100m intervals), geothermal gradient (20-100m intervals) and finally inflection point in the geothermal gradient profile, where applicable. 2.5.3 Geothermal at shallow depths (0-100m) The report finds that Ireland is particularly well suited for the exploitation of Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) technology. GHSPs are heating systems that pump or transfer heat to or from the ground. These systems use the earths relatively constant temperature to provide heating, cooling, and hot water for homes and commercial buildings. This technology is the most common use of geothermal energy in Ireland to date. Typically in Ireland, horizontal closed loop systems are used, positioned 0.6 1.0m below ground surface although often as deep as 2.0m. Soil temperatures in Ireland range from 10ËÅ ¡c 11ËÅ ¡c. (Aldwell and Burdon 1980) 2.5.4 Geothermal at medium to deep depths (100-5000m) One of the major limitations of this report in terms of its deep geothermal resource assessment is that there was only a very limited amount of deep geothermal data available on which assessment could be based. It is therefore, not possible to identify locations where good deep geothermal resources exist outside a few known locations. The results from the measurement and modelling of 98 boreholes as part of the study indicate that the best proven potential for medium and deep geothermal resources in the Republic of Ireland are in the northeast and northwest midlands where temperatures of up to 40Â °c 60Â °c are recorded at depths of 1000m. From the study it is also interpreted that at 2500m depth from surface there is potential for temperatures of 60Â °c generally north of the Limerick Dublin line with hot spots in the region of 80Â °c in Co. Clare, the east midlands and Co. Cavan. At 5000m depth values greater than 100Â °c are predicted north of the Limerick Dublin line. Figure x.x is the Lindal diagram which shows the applications for geothermal resources depending on temperature. http://www.gns.cri.nz/var/ezwebin_site/storage/images/media/images/lindal-diagram2/31871-1-eng-GB/lindal-diagram.jpg

Glaucoma Essay -- Vision Sight Opthamology Disorders Essays

Glaucoma Glaucoma is a common and important health problem. It is one of the leading causes of blindness in Western Society (Hoskins & Kass, 1989). It is responsible for ten percent of all blindness in the United States and continues to be the second or third most common cause of blindness in the world (Bunce, Fraser, & Wormald, 1999). It is estimated that two million people in the United States have been diagnosed as having glaucoma. Glaucoma is known to affect about two percent of Caucasians beginning at the age of 40 with an increasing risk for those over the age of 60. This risk is especially high if a member of the family has glaucoma or diabetes. Further, there is a higher risk of a glaucoma diagnosis for African Americans over the age of 40. Glaucoma results from increasing intraocular pressure, pressure inside the eye, which can lead to irreparable damage to the retina and the optic nerve, which connects the retina with the back of the brain. Intraocular pressure is determined by the balance between the rate of the aqueous humor production (found between the cornea and the lens) and its resistance to outflow at the angle of the anterior chamber. In most cases, increased resistance to aqueous humor outflow causes elevated intraocular pressure. Lowering intraocular pressure constrains or slows the progress of glaucoma. There are many conditions that individuals may encounter as a result of glaucoma. Chew et al. (1999) found high intraocular pressure or the presence of glaucoma to be an identification for decreased life expectancy. After minor modifications were made for risk factors such as age, sex, hypertension, diabetes, cigarette smoking, and body mass index, which are known to be associated with higher mort... ... B., Hiller, R., Podgor, M. J., Sperduto, R. D., & Wilson, P. W. F. (1999). High intraocular pressure and survival: the Framingham studies. American Journal of Ophthalmology,128, 440-445. Gorin, G. (1977). Clinical glaucoma . New York: Marcel Dekker, Inc. Horn, F., Jonas, J. B., Junemann, A., Korth, M., Martus, P., & Wisse, M. (1998). A multivariate sensory model in glaucoma diagnosis. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, 39, 1567-1573. Hoskins, H. D., Jr., & Kass, M. (1989). Beckner-Schaffer's diagnosis and therapy of the glaucomas (6th ed.). St. Louis: The C. V. Mosby Company. Lewis, S. H., & Brinzolamide Primary Therapy Study Group (1998). Clinical efficacy and safety of brinzolamide (azopt^tm), a new topical carbonic anhydrase inhibitor for primary open-angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension. American Journal of Ophthalmology, 126, 400- 408.

Gay and Lesbian Same Sex Marriage is a Civil Right :: Gay and Lesbian Marriage Must Be Legal

Interracial marriage is a topic that has been out of the national limelight for quite some time because most people in the United States have grown to accept it. When the Supreme Court ruled for the right for couples to marry interracially in 1967, they called the laws preventing interracial marriage nothing more than an attempt "to maintain white supremacy" (Stoddard 413). The conclusion of the United States Supreme court was that because laws against interracial marriage served no purpose other than discrimination, they should be eliminated. The modern gay rights movement has sparked a similar controversy among lawmakers; The question of whether or not same sex marriages should be legal in the United States. In the aforementioned case, the Supreme Court ruled that marriage is "one of the basic civil rights of man...[and is] essential to the orderly pursuit of happiness" (Stoddard 413). Despite this decision that has been standing for more than thirty years that clearly states that marriage is a basic civil right, there has been widespread controversy about same sex marriage. The opposition to this basic right has been met by opposition with weak arguments such as: Citing Judeo/Christian legend saying that homosexuality is wrong; saying that since same sex couples could not reproduce, they should not be allowed to marry; the term "same sex marriage" is a contradiction in terms because the word "marriage" implies the union of a man and a woman. Amongst others, these are the fleeting arguments against same sex marriag e. These are attempts of people who are trying to maintain a heterosexual supremacy, the very same ideal of "white supremacy" that the Supreme Court ruled was unconstitutional in 1967. Like the laws against interracial marriage once did, the laws that exist today against same sex marriage serve no purpose other than that of discrimination. These unjust laws should be abolished. The source of much of the discrimination against same sex marriage is rooted in religious beliefs. It is almost impossible to hear a conservative politician talking about the subject of same sex marriage without a reference to The Bible. The infamous reference that has so many jumping at the throat of homosexual marriage is in the book of Leviticus, and it reads: "The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the Israelite people and say to them: .

Case Study of The Prodigy :: GCSE Projects History Music Band Essays

Case Study of The Prodigy My task in this case study is to write about a band/artist that has reached public prominence in the last 10 years within the u.k and that have also had at least one top 20 single within the u.k singles chart. Their music must be completely original and they must have produced at least 1 hit album. The band I am about to write about in this case study is the Dance/Rap band whom some people call the techno terrorists, The Prodigy. Early History The Prodigy consisted of 5 original members, 2 dancers, 1 DJ and 2 M.C.s, however before these 5 met the Prodigy didn’t exist and only was a thought inside the DJ and musical genius Liam Howlett’s head. Howlett was certainly the musical force behind the Prodigy sound. He was born in 1974 in Braintree in Essex. He was educated in music as a classical piano player. As he grew older he began to listen to early ska and punk and by secondary school Liam had become very much attracted to the hip-hop scene and listened to bands like Grand master flash and Run Dmc. Only a few years later, still very much influenced by hip-hop, Liam had saved up enough cash to by two decks or turntables and became the DJ for a rap band called â€Å"Cut to Kill†. The band eventually secured a record contract with a record company named â€Å"Tam Tam records†. Yet the record deal excluded Liam, despite the fact that the band used one of his tracks to win the contract. After this betrayal Liam left the band, started to loose faith in the rap scene and started to look for brighter more promising areas in music. While Liam was DJ-ing in the hip-hop scene, a new wave of illegal music had taken to the underground scene – Acid House. This used technology to create fast and powerful head stimulating beats that could never be simulated or created by human beings. The only way to experience this sort of music was to go to large illegal warehouse parties that eventually formed the foundation for what is now known as a rave. Liam’s first experience of this was at a place called the barn in Rayne, he thought it was the best thing he had ever been to and even begin DJ-ing at some of these illegal underground events. This was then where Liam met dancer Leroy Thornhill and singer/dancer Keith Flint.