Oil and the U.S. economy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Oil and the U.S. economy - Assignment Example The US remains very dependent on these foreign oil reserves for its functioning economy which leaves us helpless to disruption. The US consumes more than 25% of the world’s oil and this is going up by 2% every year; 57% of this oil being consumed is imported from Canada, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, and Mexico (Churchill). What this means is the US is built around the use of oil for cheap, reliable energy. The US economy, from its most basic consumer base, cannot survive without it for very long. Despite the US’s clear dependence on foreign oil the US is less dependent on this oil as it was in 1973 and 1980. According to the New York Times, â€Å"the energy used for each dollar of gross domestic product in 1980 was almost 70 percent greater than it is today. While we have collectively wrung our hands over the decline of manufacturing in the country, it has also reduced the relationship between energy prices and growth† (Goolsbee). The US commuter is more dependent than ever though. People live farther from their work and drive more. Because fuel efficiency standards in the US stopped going up in 1990, fuel inefficiency creates a higher demand among US commuter for oil to fill their tanks. When oil prices go up dramatically like in summer of 2008 the US commuter was forced to make difficult choices, and the economy scaled back because the consumer was left in shock by such high prices. This oil shock was right before the economic downturn (Panzner). On the stock market commodity prices and stock prices have an interesting relationship. When commodities go down in value, stocks usually go up in value (Mitchell). This relationship causes some people to look at oil prices in relation to the US economy as a whole when thinking about where the US economy will be going. Oil prices are a big commodity that many analysts look at, and if oil prices change, commodities in general change. This is because oil

European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Essay

European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) - Essay Example n Foundation ‘the EFQM (European Foundation Quality Management) Excellence Model was introduced at the beginning of 1992 as the framework for assessing organisations for the European Quality Award; it is now the most widely used organisational framework in Europe and it has become the basis for the majority of national and regional Quality Awards’ (European Foundation for Quality Management, 2007). In fact, EFQM Excellence model has become quite known in organizations operating both in the public and the private sector. Its effectiveness regarding the measurement and the evaluation of organizational performance has been the main reason for the expansion of this model in many countries around the world; EFQM Excellence model has been proved to be equally effective in the private and the public sector. Current paper examines the particular aspects of EFQM Excellence model and the applicability of this model on modern organizations around the world. In order for the structu re and the role of this model to be clearly understood, the application of the specific model in a particular case is examined. In this context, the application of European Foundation Excellence model in Dubai has be considered to be a characteristic example of the effectiveness of this model both on the private and the public sector internationally. In order to understand the role and the development of European Foundation for Quality Management, it would be necessary to refer primarily to the general characteristics of this model the main aspects of its application (positive and negative – if any – aspects of the application of EFQM in firms operating within the international market). In this context, it is noticed by the European Foundation of Quality Management that ‘the Excellence model is a management model for excellence which can be applied to any organisation to evaluate qualitatively its performance; it enables private, public and voluntary sector organisations to compare their

Economic measurements Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Economic measurements - Essay Example Negative real gross domestic product indicates lower incomes, lower consumption and poor standard of living (Brezina 24). Largely, gross domestic product is a better economic indicator than its alternatives despite its shortcomings. Production is one of the ways of estimating a country’s gross domestic product. Using production in estimating the gross domestic product requires the subtraction of inputs used in the production process from the value of the final output. The value of the final good incorporates the value of inputs and the expertise used in manufacturing and caution is needed not to overestimate the gross domestic product. Overestimation of the gross domestic product happens when outputs are double-counted. Double counting is avoided by calculating and aggregating the value-added at different stages of production. The aggregate is called gross value added, it needs adjustment for taxes, and subsidies in order to derive a gross domestic product estimate (Stiglitz et al 112). Gross domestic product is an applauded economic indicator because it factors in inflation. This allows investors and firms to compare incumbent trends with previous periods. It does well in capturing the heath of an economy and it has a significant influence on markets (NAS 25). Gross domestic product is able to mark the beginning and the end of an economic recession. Gross domestic product is limited by its periodical release because its data may not be timely in capturing some changes in the economy. Its sensitivity to revision is a limitation as it can have significant changes in historical figures (Fioramonti 85). Alternatives to gross domestic product in measuring the economic growth and health of a country include green accounting that factor in the environmental impacts of production. There are alternatives that take into account leisure. Index of sustainable

The Importance of a College Degree Essay Example for Free

The Importance of a College Degree Essay Your education is the single greatest gift you can give yourself. While there are educational opportunities all around us, some of them come at a greater cost than others. A college education might require a hefty investment of time and money upfront but the payoff is much better over time than if you used your life experiences in order to achieve the same level of education that you can pack into 2, 4, or 5 years of an undergraduate education on the college level. In other words, over the course of your lifetime you are likely to pay far less for your college education than you would pay (in earning potential) for not having a college education. At the same time, each level of college education you receive increases your overall earning potential. This means that a one-year degree in a technical field will provide a modest boost from a high school diploma when it comes to earning potential but an associates degree will provide an even better boost. You will see an even more significant improvement in earning potential when you increase from an associates degree to a bachelors degree. The vast majority of students enter the work force upon completion of a bachelors degree. Those students, however, who remain in school for graduate studies often, find that a masters degree even further improves their lifetime earning potentials. The problem for most when it comes to making the jump between degrees and educational levels is cost. There are times in life when we simply need to get out of school and get to work. The good news is that it is gradually becoming easier for those with careers to further their education without sacrificing either their careers or their family during the process. Of course there will be some sacrifices along the way but it isnt an all at once or nothing endeavor. You can work towards your degree by taking online classes. The information age has made it easier than ever before to achieve the educational goals you need to meet in order to satisfy your dreams for the future. Your level of education will get your foot in the door when it comes to  certain jobs and your lack of education will limit you far more than a lack of experience will limit you in many cases. As time grows on, more and more companies are seeking employees that have degrees rather than those who have experience in the field. If you hope to remain competitive in the business world you need to arm yourself with the proper education. The following chart demonstrate the idea of how college can impact your personal financial goals. Check with your company to see if they offer any sort of incentives for employees continuing their education. You might be surprised to find that your company offers to match your tuition funds or even completely reimburse them if you are working towards a degree that will assist you in your job functions. There is no wrong reason to get an education. Even if you are applying for a job that wont use your specific degree, you might find that having a degree at all gives you a boost over other applicants for the same position. A college degree is becoming more and more necessary in todays business climate. You need to take every opportunity that is available to you in order to get your college degree.

Media Violence Essays -- essays research papers

Kenny Fuller Health The Impact of Media Violence I was reading in some of my information and it was talking about how â€Å"monkey see, monkey do† is a popular saying now days. Sixty years ago the television was invented. People looked at it as a technological curiosity (I got that part from the info). For some people now days TV is there best friend. Most of them are little kids. TV shows the news, tries to make us buy certain things, and it also shows violence. The only thing that it can do is replace written materials (Got that to). The bad thing is that these violent shows are dangering our society. Certain things on TV and movies have inspired people (I could think of any other word to use so I used theirs) to set their wives on fire, lie down in the middle of the roads, rape, steal, murder, and to do shootings. Out of 1,000 studies it is proven that media violence can have a negative affect on adults and even children. When people watch these shows it makes them more ag gressive and anti-social. After a few days of watching these shows people become less sensitive to violence and to victims of violence. After that happens they begin to have a hunger for more violence in entertainment and in real life. Media violence is especially damaging to young children between ages 8 and under. The reason for that is because they cannot tell the difference between the real life and their dreams. Some images on the TV and movies may seem so real to them that is might traumatize them (I go...

The Collapse of Ronan Point

Introduction The purpose of this paper is to consider the perceived failures associated with the famous collapse of Ronan Point on 16 May, 1968. Following a gas explosion, an entire corner of the 22 storey tower block in East London collapsed, killing 4 people and injuring 17. In order to analyse the failures that occurred, the paper will firstly look at the history of the building, its design and construction, before looking at the collapse itself and the perceived failures that were identified after the event. The building was named after the chairman of the housing committee of the relevant London Borough, Newham, and was one of many tower blocks built during the 1960s in a budget-driven and affordable way to deal with the growing demand for affordable housing in the region (Levy and Salvadori 1992). The very ethos of this affordable housing and the use of cheaper materials and cheaper construction approaches is arguably one of the first and fundamental contributory factors to the disaster (Griffiths et al 1968). Design and Construction The actual design and construction of the building was mooted as far back as the end of World War II, when much of the housing available in the London region was destroyed as a result of the war and there was a rapid demand for a large amount of housing. Other factors such as a lack of skilled labourers, as well as the changing housing policy which enabled multi-stories to be established, created a demand for the design and construction of buildings such as the one in question here. A prefabricated construction technique was used which involved the creation of much of the high-rise building which was then transported to the area for final construction (Cagley, 2003). The actual construction approach that was used here was that of the Larsen-Nielsen system which was composed of factory-built, precast concrete components designed to minimise on-site construction work. Walls, floors and stairways are all precast. â€Å"All units, installed one-story high are load bearing† (ENR, 1968 at p.54). Although this system was tried and tested, the approach was not designed to be used in a building of more than 6 storeys high. However, the building of this tower block was 22 storeys high and there was no recognition, at the construction phase, that this could potentially jeopardise the validity of the construction technique. The basic construction approach involved a precast concrete structure frame, with each floor of the multi-storey building being supported by the load-bearing walls directly beneath each other, floor upon floor (Bignell et al 1977). Collapse The collapse itself happened at 5:45 am in the morning when the tenant of one of the apartments on the 18th floor lit a match, unbeknownst that there had been a gas leak overnight. By lighting the match, an explosion took place and this ended up damaging the load-bearing wall which was present on the 18th floor and was acting as the only support for the corner of the 19th floor. When the corner of the 19th floor collapsed, this had the effect of the 20th floor collapsing. Once the floors above had already collapsed the pressure on the floors became unbearable and the domino effect continued downward, destroying the entire corner of the building (Delatte, 2009). The way in which the collapse took place meant that, essentially, it destroyed a portion of the living room all the way down the building, but left the bedrooms intact in most cases, with the exception of floors 17 to 22 the room which were in the immediate vicinity of the explosion. It was on these floors that all of the fata lities happened and due to the fact that the explosion had taken place early in the morning, the majority of the individuals who were in their bedrooms were unaffected (Delatte, 2009). Perceived Failures When looking at the perceived failures and causes of failure, it can be seen that the analysis is largely split into two distinct areas: first, considering the immediate cause of failure; the second looking at the fundamental flaws in the design and construction of the building that allowed such a dramatic reaction to the immediate event (Griffiths et al 1968). The actual investigation into the event which took place involved a government panel which was formed in order to look at the causes of failure and to consider whether or not there were other buildings which potentially could suffer from a similar eventuality, in the future. As stated previously, the construction approach taken for Ronan Point was replicated in many other buildings, with eight other exact replicas in occupation. Therefore, establishing the reason for the collapse is crucially important (Pearson and Delatte, 2003) One of the key factors that took contributed in the immediate event itself was found to be a substandard connection used in order to connect the gas stove in the relevant apartment. Whilst this meant that the gas leak had presented itself in a way that would not have been likely, had they used a different connection, as well as having the incorrect connection, it was found that over tightening had occurred during installation. This probably weakened the connection and allowed gas to leak out. Despite this, the evidence gathered suggested that the explosion itself was not substantial, as there was no permanent damage to the hearing of the individual in the apartment. This suggests that relatively little pressure was involved, although there was sufficient pressure to move the external walls of the building and to create a progressive collapse within the building (Levy and Salvadori, 1992). Broadly speaking, the progressive collapse is thought to have occurred due to the fact that there was a lack of alternate load paths available and there was no support for the structural frame available on the higher floors (Wearne, 2000). This meant that when there was an explosion on level 18, this took out the only support so that the floors above level 18 failed and this placed excessive pressure on the lower floors, until it ultimately collapse to ground level. Perceived failures, can be split into two distinct categories, the first being the cause of the explosion itself; the second looking at the repercussions of the explosion, which were extensive, given the magnitude of the explosion, which was relatively low. Procedure and Project Management Unsurprisingly, as a result of the collapse here, building codes, guidelines and regulations were advised not only in the United Kingdom, but across the globe. The building regulations, changed in 1970, state that any building with more than four storeys needs to have a design structure in place that would resist a progressive collapse of this nature (Pearson and Delatte, 2005, pp. 175). Apart from the construction mechanisms themselves, there were also concerns that failures had occurred in the project management, as well as failures to check procedures. The gaps between the floors and in the walls meant that the building had not been established in a way that was part of the original design and planning. In addition to the actual failure in the design of the property, concerns were also raised in the report in relation to the need for quality control of the construction processes taking place. For example, it was proven that during the construction, certain design factors had been ignored, with unfilled gaps between the floors and walls, throughout the premises, which meant that the building had little in the way of separation between the flats. Furthermore, in high rise buildings of this type, a relatively narrow staircase is acceptable, as there is thought to be enough fire protection between the floors. In the absence of this fire protection, narrow staircases w ould be unacceptable, in the event of a fire or explosion of this nature. Key Failures The analysis above indicates that there are several failures which together created the dramatic collapse at Ronan Point. These are: social pressures on the construction company to establish a large amount of housing accommodation, rapidly and cheaply; the use of constructions not aimed at high storey buildings of this nature; failures to put in place methods whereby there was no secondary support structure in place, in the event of a failure with any of the load-bearing walls; failures with the processes being followed, which resulted in the wrong processes being followed in the connection of the gas pipes, as well as other omissions during the construction process, with the failure to follow the design provided. It can be seen, that the project management would have, at least in part, dealt with many of these failures and would have either prevented the explosion, in the first place, or would have seriously reduced the impact of the explosion, once it did take place. The crucial factor in this analysis is that the explosion itself was relatively minor, yet the repercussions were large and it is this chain of events that requires attention when it comes to better project management, in the future. Recommendations for Better Project Management Certain failures took place at the design phase, when the design construction of the premises was selected, yet was not entirely suitable for a 22 storey building. This was arguably the first and crucial failure which could have been avoided with further research into the limitations of this design. However, the main focus of the recommendations presented here is in relation to the project management process, from the point at which the design was presented for the construction, to the point at which the building was completed (Pearson and Delatte, 2005). At the outset, when the project team came together, there was an opportunity to run scenarios and to check the validity of the chosen construction, given the design that were being presented and the need to establish a 22 storey building. By running these types of scenarios, it is likely that it would become apparent that the chosen construction design was simply inappropriate. Even without this element of the project management being undertaken and risk assessments being carried out, the next stage of the project management should have involved a strong quality control check for every aspect of the work. The fundamental design of the building was proven to be flawed; however, there were also errors during the actual construction phase, for example the use of the wrong connections when it came to the gas pipes installed. Although this, in itself, did not lead to the catastrophic collapse of part of the building, it did create a minor gas explosion which started the chain of events. Quality control processes at every phase of construction and fitting would have potentially prevented the chain of events from emerging, in the first place (Shepherd and Frost, 1995). Next Steps and Conclusions Bearing this in mind, there are several proposed changes and next steps which could be taken to prevent a similar failure happening in the future. Firstly, although the design used was accepted during this era, it was known that it would simply not be appropriate for the type of building which was being planned. This should have been noted, at the outset, with additional safety structures then planed so as to prevent this type of progressive collapse from taking place. Secondly, worst-case scenarios should be run, at the outset, to enable the project managers to ascertain whether any weaknesses existed. Moreover, although the rest of collapse in this case resulted in the building being destroyed, it was also not able to withstand strong winds and this also, ultimately, could have resulted in the building becoming uninhabitable. By running scenarios, such as high winds or explosion, these issues would have been highlighted and changes in the design could have been incorporated, from the outset (Pearson and Delatte 2003). Finally, quality control during the construction process was also not suitable. This should have been done with much greater consistency, to ensure that the smaller processes, such as the fitting of connections, was carried out to an appropriate standard, thus preventing the minor incident that ultimately led to the overall disaster. By following these clear project management approaches and ensuring that an individual was put in place, in order to manage quality and control, as well as any variables in this area, the collapse of the building could have been avoided, or at least the cause of the collapse mitigated against, so as not to cause loss of life and injury. References Bignell, V., Peters, J., and Pym, C. (1977). Catastrophic failures. Open University Press, Milton Keynes, New York. Cagley, J. R. (2003, April). The design professional’s concerns regarding progressive collapse design. Building Sciences, 27, 4-6. Delatte, N. J. (2009). Beyond failure: Forensic case studies for civil engineers. American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Reston, Virginia, 97-106. Engineering News Record (ENR). (1968). â€Å"Systems built apartment collapse.† ENR, May 23, 1968, 54. Griffiths, H., Pugsley, A. G., and Saunders, O. (1968). Report of the inquiry into the collapse of flats at Ronan Point, Canning Town. Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, London. Levy, M., and Salvadori, M. (1992). Why buildings fall down: How structures fail. W.W. Norton, New York, 76-83. Pearson, C., and Delatte, N. (2003). Lessons from the Progressive Collapse of the Ronan Point Apartment Tower. In Forensic Engineering, Proceedings of the Third Congress, edited by Paul A. Bosela, Norbert J. Dellate, and Kevin L. Rens, ASCE, Reston, VA., pp. 190-200. Pearson, C.,and Delatte, N. J. (2005) Ronan Point Apartment Tower Collapse and Its Effect on Building Codes. J. Perf. of Constr. Fac., 19(2), 172-177. Shepherd, R., and Frost, J. D. (1995). Failures in Civil Engineering: Structural, Foundation, and Geoenvironmental Case Studies, ASCE, New York. Wearne, P. (2000). Collapse: When Buildings Fall Down, TV Books, L.L.C., New York, 137-156.

Analysis of a Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen

Honesty in Marriage In A Doll’s House, Ibsen uses role reversal between Nora and Christine to show the importance of honesty in a good marriage versus dishonesty. Nora and Torvald have the dishonest marriage and that proves to turn out badly for their relationship in the end. Christine remained an honest person and ended up with a rekindled relationship with her old love. At the very beginning, everything seems fine with Torvald and Nora if Nora’s initial act of dishonesty is ignored. Torvald calls to her first. â€Å"When did my squirrel come home? (Act I) Right after answering him, Nora does her best to hide the macaroons she had eaten against Torvald’s wishes by stuffing the bag in her pocket and frantically wiping the evidence from her mouth. All is seemingly well between them besides Nora’s lack of willpower against cookies. When Christine comes on the scene, she is alone. She has come to where Nora lives to find work (even though she feels overworke d). She is completely honest about her situation with Nora though. From the beginning Christine seems to have nothing to hide.She explains how she spent her life taking care of her family and how she no longer has someone to care for other than herself. Later in the play, when Nora and Torvald go to the party, Nora’s mind is less on dancing the Tarantella and more on the letter Krogstad had written for Torvald. In the letter was the truth about how Nora was able to pay for Torvald’s treatment in Paris. All this time, Torvald was thinking the money came from Nora’s father when in reality, Nora illegally forged her father’s name in order to obtain a loan from the bank at which Krogstad was employed.Nora broke to law by doing business without a man and had not notified her husband. Now Nora is doing her best to stall Torvald in hope of not letting him read his letter from his letterbox. She does her best to be subtle by begging to stay at the party longer. T orvald refuses to give in to her pleas and eventually reads the letter. The result is not pretty. Torvald becomes furious, â€Å"And as for you and me, it must appear as if everything between us were just as before–but naturally only in the eyes of the world. You will still remain in my house, that is a matter of course.But I shall not allow you to bring up the children; I dare not trust them to you. To think that I should be obliged to say so to one whom I have loved so dearly, and whom I still–. No, that is all over. From this moment happiness is not the question; all that concerns us is to save the remains, the fragments, the appearance—† (Act III) Torvald’s idea of a solution is to do his best to hide the situation as best her can by trying to appease Krogstad. Then he wants to keep Nora as a prisoner in her own home while simultaneously isolating her from her own children indefinitely.All this time, Nora’s lies has cost her the relation ship she thought she had with her husband. At the same time, Torvald has been hiding his true self from Nora. She never expected him to react in such a way and this lead her to make, more than likely, one of the hardest decision’s she’s ever had to make. While Nora stresses about Krogstad’s letter, Christina decides to pay him a visit and does what Nora should have done with Torvald. Christine tells Krogstad the truth. She explains to Krogstad why they could not be together in the past.She explains how much she needed money to care for her helpless mother and two brothers. She could not afford to wait around for Krogstad. That much, Krogstad can understand. Notice how, their conversation does not involve any talk of shunning the other in anyway. Because Christine is honest with Krogstad, he accepts her the way she is, flaws and all. In the end, Nora feels it is best for her to be on her way even after Torvald changes his mind. Krogstad decides to forget the debt and not hold it over Nora’s head as blackmail any longer.Torvald gets really happy and tries to act as if everything can go back the way it was, â€Å"Listen to me, Nora. You don't seem to realise that it is all over. What is this? –such a cold, set face! My poor little Nora, I quite understand; you don't feel as if you could believe that I have forgiven you. But it is true, Nora, I swear it; I have forgiven you everything. I know that what you did, you did out of love for me. † (Act III) He wants to believe that since Krogstad has relinquished the bonds, the situation is all over and everything her said before is in the past.Unfortunately for him, Nora is not so sure. She thinks about how he was so ready to shun her and put her away like a common criminal. She realizes that Torvald is not the noble man she thought he was and she is not the woman for him. She is tired of living like a man’s plaything all her life. Torvald is the one who helps her realize it and she leaves. Christine and Krogstad decide to revive their lost love and live together as a happy couple. So in the end, Nora and Torvald go through their marriage and lying to themselves and each other.As a result, the marriage falls apart and Nora makes the decision to walk away. She hopes to find herself in the world by allowing herself to be honest. Christine walks in with no one. She hides nothing and stays honest with herself. This gives her the freedom to be honest with her long, lost sweetheart, Krogstad. Her honesty gives them both the ability to truly love each other, unlike Nora and Krogstad. Nora and Christine have essentially switched places all because Christine was honest and Nora was not.