SWOT analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

SWOT analysis - Assignment Example As the CEO of the Samsung smart Phone Company and based on the analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunity and threats I would focus mainly on improving on the areas that pose a challenge to the company to ensure that my competitors do not face the Samsung Company out of the market. I would also improve on the quality of my products, hardware and also the operating systems. Additionally, I would take advantage of the opportunities open to the company to see on how I can incorporate them in the operations of the company so as to release better and improved products. Consequently, I would also create a business environment that is ready to accept technological change as the world is dynamic and it keeps on changing and therefore the use of modern technology will result in improved and new products in the market. This ensures that the company will be able to stand the heat from its competitors. Lastly, SWOT analysis aids the company in knowing the attitude of its customers by how they purchase the product; this will ensure that the company continues to improve on their

Kite Runner response text analyses Essay Example for Free

Kite Runner response text analyses Essay The Kite Runner tells us, through Rahkim Khan that, True redemption is when guilt leads to good again Rahkim Khan states. Throughout the course of The Kite Runner there are many characters that have committed sins and subsequently attempted to redeem themselves. The Kite Runner structured around main characters, Amir and Baba and their acts of betrayal. The impact of these acts continues to be felt throughout the novel manifesting itself in Amirs guilt ridden narrative. However, guilt is not enough. The need for redemption and atonement is what these characters seek. There is away to be good again the kite runner shows that this is along painful but ultimately positive journey. Amirs feelings of guilt spring from incidents of betrayal throughout his childhood. Since 1975 when Amir watched as Hassan was raped in an alleyway by Assef, I ran because I was coward. I was afraid of Assef and what he would do to me Amir feels guilty for his cowardice s but it was not fear that drove him away the real reason Amir ran was Baba. Amir was so envious of Baba and Hassans friendship that he thought Assef was right. Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay the lamb I had to slay to win Baba. He was just a Hazara wasnt he? This event not only affected Hassan and Amirs friend ship but still made Amir highly jealous of Babas concern for Hassan, I havent seen much of Hassan in the last few days Baba said I couldnt help hating the way his brow furrowed with worry Amirs selfish personality handy caps his chance to be good again and redeem himself for the past. Amir places Hassan in the position to be framed and sets him up for theft of Amirs birthday presents, this incident clearly shows that Amir approaches atonement the wrong way. I lifted Hassans mattress and planted my new watch and a handful of afghani bills under it then I knocked on babas door and told what I hoped would be the last in a long line of shameful lies. Hassans loyalty leads to Ali and his departure to grant Amirs wish, I wanted Baba all to myself Amirs actions changed his and Babas life forever. Amir has stolen his fathers right to a best friend, his relationship with his hidden son and taken away Ali and Hassans job and security within their family. In many respects, Amirs adult personality is now the direct result of this childhood, feelings of guilt and betrayal. Amir attempts to redeem himself by planting money in Fahibs family house I did something I had done 26 years earlier: I planted a fistful of crumpled money under a mattress. He also tries to ally his feelings of guilt by taking Sohrab out of Afghanistan and back to America, the way he should have done with Hassan. In All Amirs efforts, he does become a better person once he is situated in America however he doesnt redeem himself for what he did as a child. Nothing will, It didnt make everything all right, it didnt make everything all right. Amir is not all to blame for his insecurity and lack of self-esteem, this personality is the result of Babas bad parenting. If I hadnt seen the doctor pull him out of my wife with my own eyes, Id never believe hes my son. Baba is not a supporting father towards Amir or Hassan. Throughout the book, Baba tries to redeem and atone himself for neglecting a secret child. He attempts to achieve this by raising Hassan equality to Amir however by doing this it disallows Baba to be close to Amir as feelings of guilt towards Hassan arise; hence taking the right to a loving family away from Amir and Hassan, for not speaking the truth. Babas betrayal is directed at Ali for sleeping with his wife. Theres only one sin and that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft Baba illustrates his deduction to atone for his actions using his wealth he builds and orphanage for illegitimate or orphaned children. Baba feeds the poor with his ceremonial lamb money. Baba also using his courage and urge to fight for what is right this is evident when he protects the afghani women in chapter ten from the Russian soldier, ill take a thousand of his bullets before I let this indecency take place. Babas decision to abandon home and his country are a evident sign of sacrifice to secure Amirs long-term welfare and happiness. His attempts of redemption and atonement to be good again result in his feelings of achievement the day that he dies. Tonight I am much too happy If The Kite Runner tells us anything it is that redemption is a life long task, through which a person seeks to become Good Again. A person needs to forgive themselves of their sins and absolve them of guilt in order to go on living their lives. Throughout the corse of The kite Runner, we learn that guilt is not enough. To be good again is more than the journey of redemption and atonement it is the destination.

My First Time on a Plane - Personal Narrative Essay -- Papers

My First Time on a Plane - Personal Narrative When I was seven years old I went on my very first holiday abroad, to America. I can remember waking up at Five o'clock in the morning to catch an early flight from Heathrow airport. I was so excited I forgot about the daunting effort of getting up so early. My Mum, Dad, Brother, grandparents and I set off on the long journey to the airport, then Orlando Florida. I remember the white taxi van used to transport us to the airport with its incredibly tiny seats, which made getting any sleep impossible. Sitting next to my brother, who was in a very irritable and annoying mood, made this slightly harder. There had been a major accident on the motorway that held me in suspense not knowing whether we would get there in time to catch the flight. When we finally arrived at the airport my brother was ordered to go and find a luggage trolley, which I remember he was very unenthusiastic about doing. The only part of checking in I can remember is when my Gran couldn't understand a word the Pakistani steward said only made worse by my Gran's hearing impediment. The eleven-hour flight over to America was one of the most exciting parts of the holiday for me. Trying to work out how to put the seat belt into the little lock contraption puzzled me for a while. Even though it was so long ago the thought of playing games on the plane with the onboard games console still excites me today. After about five hours of exploring the onboard entertainment, it all got a little boring. So I turned to looking out the window and asking my granddad what was below us for entertainment. I remember asking my gran... ...hird day my mum insisted that we visit sea world that you can see back in the U.K. but we went anyway and saw a huge whale in a really small tank. But we were assured 'he loves it here'. I was not convinced. The rest of the holiday we spent in Miami. When we arrived in Miami the first place we went to was Palm Beach, which was slightly better than the littered beaches at home. The sand was bright yellow and the water was really blue. Miami, despite its much-hyped reputation is a very strange place. Before I knew it, the holiday was over and we were travelling back to Britain. The eleven-hour journey flew past. When we arrived back in Britain, I didn't know what day it was. So we all slept continuously for three days. The holiday was the best holiday abroad I have ever had and would really like to go back again.

America Favorite Car Brand

An automobile is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor. Most definitions of the term specify that automobiles are designed to run primarily on roads, to have seating for one to eight people, to typically have four wheels, and to be constructed principally for the transport of people rather than goods. Basically, automobiles stand a very important position in this society.A survey conducted from February 10th to February 13th, 2013 by researchers at Lab42 found that of 500 American car buyers, the Toyota car brand occupies the first position in terms of brand loyalty with consumers. Consumers are loyal first to the Toyota brand than to any other car brand. According to this survey the second and third positions are occupied by Chevrolet and Honda respectively. The survey focused on the fuel economy, driver ease, dependability, and second hade value.Toyota Motor Company will be the most loyalty-inducing brand in the United States. Besides Toyota and Honda, there are few more company were participate in this survey such as Ford, Nissan, Mazda, and others. When Americans think of repeat car buying they seek out Toyota. Toyota America’s favorite car brand is also top of mind when making new car purchases. The Toyota brand has commonly been known to be excellent in the following seven areas: safety, performance, value, design, environmental friendliness and technology.Descriptive research is very common in business and other aspects of life and most of the marketing research we have heard about or participated in can be categorized as descriptive research (Brown, 2012, p. 33). Basically, this purpose of this survey is to know what customers prefer and why. References Brown, T. J. , & Suter, T. (2012). MR. Ohio: Mason. Epstein, Z. (2013). Trouble Brewing for Apple: Survey says half of IPhone users in China ‘want to own’ Galaxy S4. Retrieved from http://bgr. com/2013/04/15/iphone-galaxy- s4-survey-china-439099/

Going Green in Hospitality

Hospitality Studies Report GOING GREEN IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY Word count: 1328 ? Introduction3 Benefits3 Are there actually disadvantage of staying the same? 3 The definite advantages of changing3 What people think4 Are there side effects? 4 Knowledge aquired4 Financial5 Conclusion5 Bibliography6 ? Introduction The effects of global warming continue generating intense debate among businesses that see it as a major threat to their operations.In this regard the global community is seeking partnerships with governments and other stakeholders to formulate policy guidelines that will act as means of ensuring that they adopt green technology in their operations to counter this threat. Failure to do this will result to irreversible decline in profits, deterioration of people’s health through emergence of killer diseases like skin cancer and closure of businesses. Benefits The hospitality industry has not been left out in adopting green technologies in their operations to ensure they slay this global phenomenon.In doing this they have realized the immense benefits that come with the green technology in almost all areas of their industry. The use of renewable power like solar energy, wind power and bio fuels reduces the energy costs incurred in the hospitality industry a great deal. Due to their nature of operations they require power throughout; when preparing food, entertaining guests and also when cleaning. This therefore means they incur huge electricity bills through out and this can be reduced by the adaptation of green technology.Installation of solar panels or wind power can reduce these expenses in a great way and this can increase their profits and enable investment in other projects like expansion. Are there actually disadvantage of staying the same? The use of green technology reduces the pollution of the environment. The damage that is usually done to the environment when hotels use petroleum products is very catastrophic. They use the product o n large quantities especially in cooking.Diesel products for instance emit a lot of hydrocarbons into the air that cause global warming, which is known to hamper marine life and make some species of the marine bio diversity extinct. This affects the product range available for offer to their clients. They also poison most fish species which make them unfit for human consumption. These diesel emissions are also known to be carcinogenic and cause a lot of cancer related ailments that pose a very great danger to the workers in the industry and to the whole world at large.However all this can be avoided if the industry adopts green technology. There are no side effects of using green energy since they are environmentally friendly and they use ecologically friendly resources. The definite advantages of changing The industry has also come alive to the fact that ecotourism is a major attraction to many people who want to conserve the world we live in. (Hotelinteractive. com. 2008) People a ppreciate and value those involved in environmental conservation and most like being associated with them.Many organizations and governments prefer holding their meetings and conferences in venues that are accredited by environmental conservation agencies as compliant to set green standards. The hospitality industry being a major player in this field does not want to be left behind. This is because those who comply and champion these interests will attract wide clientele and this will be a major boost to their businesses. Many players in the industry have sought to comply with the set standards to ensure they remain competitive in the industry.The industry has therefore invested heavily in imparting the required knowledge and skills to its staff and other stakeholders to ensure best practices. They are then seeking certification from recognized regulatory institutions that also continuously monitor their progress through regular visits and checks. What people think The adoption of g reen technology by the hospitality industry improves the public image and the perceptions that people have towards the industry. â€Å"Going green is no longer a request, but rather a demand. † ( Nowpublic. com. 008) The world today is doing everything to combat global warming which is seen as a major threat to future earnings of almost each sector in the global economy. This will also attract a lot of customers to those who will be seen to be compliant. The hospitality industry is therefore viewed as one of the environmentally sensitive industries and this places it strategically on the global arena of attaining sustainable development. Are there side effects? The players in the hospitality industry must embrace the use of renewable sources of energy like wind power and solar energy.Such installations will ensure minimal environmental pollution and also availability throughout. This is because the sources such as sun and wind are naturally available and apart from installati on costs and routine maintenance there are no other major associated costs. The electricity bills and the costs of running stand-by generators will be done away with and profits will increase both in the short and in the long run. Knowledge aquired The industry players should also minimize the amount of wastes that is usually dumped. This can be done through recycling most of these wastes.For example , a hotel can recycle waste paper into scratch pads, the cartridges used by printers and fax machines can be refilled when empty instead of being dumped, they can also install soap and shampoo dispensers in their facilities to reduce the waste from small plastic bottles, they can also replace toxic and hazardous cleaning agents with good friendlier biodegradable cleaners, they can also donate reusable dishes and other cutlery to charities instead of dumping and also they should install recyclable bins in all areas for collection of waste cans and plastics.When these measures are underta ken, the industry will enjoy the enormous benefits associated with the green technology. The industry players should also invest heavily in the provision of skills and knowledge to the stakeholders who must be involved in the attainment of desired objectives. The stakeholders are mainly their workers, customers and also their suppliers. They should organize workshops and seminars to educate them on the necessity of adopting the green technology.When they fully understand the benefits they will commit to observe and adhere to the standards set in the industry and this will ensure attainment of desired results.? Financial The adoption of the above measures will nonetheless be an uphill task to most of the players in the hospitality industry. Most of these measures like installing and maintaining solar and wind energy systems require huge budgets and skilled workers. Most of the players in the industry are midlevel enterprises that lack the financial ability to manage such capital-inte nsive projects.Also those who carry out these projects may take a long time to recover and return to profitability. Nonetheless the hotels will save BIG money in the end. Conclusion The green technology should be implemented by all the industries not only the hospitality industry. This will enhance the realization of the aspired results which will guarantee the global population of a better environment to live in. This is because global warming is a major threat to all industries regardless of the area of specialization. Failure by the industry players to implement these policies will be threatening the same businesses they rely on. Reference List Patrice A Kelly (2008) So you want to go green [Internet] Available from: http://www. hotelinteractive. com/article. aspx? articleid=12180 [Accessed 2 May, 2012] Commonwealth of Pennsylvania †¢ Department of environmental protection (Unknown) Fact Sheet [Internet] Available from: http://www. google. com/url? sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&sourc e=web&cd=2&sqi=2&ved=0CCsQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Finfohouse. p2ric. org%2Fr ef%2F03%2F02592. pdf&ei=mcWiT6X9HMTsOdbgmd0I&usg=AFQjCNGbSE_1baXV5YwYwqMxCkhfrYUsUg [Accessed 30 April, 2012]Ursula Tillmann (2008) Hotels going â€Å"Green† demanded by guests [Internet] Available from: http://www. nowpublic. com/environment/hotels-going-green-demanded-guests [Accessed 2 May, 2012] Roza Gazsi (2011) Hotels going green – So much more than a pleasant stay [Internet] Available from: http://www. ecowizer. com/2011/03/hotels-going-green-so-much-more-than-a-pleasant-stay/ [Accessed 3 May, 2012] Epa. gov (2011) Why go green [Internet] Available from: http://www. epa. gov/region2/p2/hospitality/why/index. html [Accessed 3 May, 2012] Bibliorgaphy Gogreencleaning. bravehost. om (Unknown) Go green! Cleaning products [Online Image] Available from: http://www. google. com/imgres? um=1&hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org. mozilla:en-US:official&biw=1280&bih=657&tbm=isch&tbnid=xEbt0DfSpFO7FM:&imgre furl=http://www. gogreencleaning. bravehost. com/&docid=TTradC0z9xRMaM&imgurl=http://gogreencleaning. bravehost. com/myPictures/gogreen. jpg&w=390&h=448&ei=TdiiT8mXPMGfOufoqdMI&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=1032&vpy=93&dur=1870&hovh=241&hovw=209&tx=161&ty=150&sig=111890973347592325663&page=1&tbnh=125&tbnw=101&start=0&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:6,s:0,i:158 [Accessed 3 May, 2012 ]

The Childrens Crusade Essays

The Childrens Crusade Essays The Childrens Crusade Paper The Childrens Crusade Paper James Millette Ms. Kelzer World History 11/28/11 By June, 1212 about 30,000 kids under the age of twelve had showed up to support and go on the journey to capture back the holy land. (Kreis, Steven) Even wealthy children had snuck outside of their families to join. The children’s crusade seemed like it would be successful and had good intention, but had a huge lack of sense of leadership and planning. He had led him and his army into a dispute against all factors of nature. At him being so young of age, that had also caught up with him. It has been said that the children’s crusade was a set up to try and shame the king and his army to go and fight for the holy land. The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem. The Crusades were originally started in response to a call from the leaders of the Byzantine Empire for help to fight Muslim Turks expanding into Anatolia, these Turks had cut off access to Jerusalem. The main series of Crusades occurred between 1095 and 1291. This Holy Land was extremely important to Christians because it was where Jesus Christ had lived. The church had taken the process a step further, claiming crusading as doing a sort of deed to God for sins that had been done. This created a desire to fight for Christianity, and a motivation that kept Western Europe in tact, causing thousands of ordinary people to join the cause. The origin of the Children’s Crusade however, was from the increase of religious feeling among the peasants and laymen. Mobs of children, who belonged to religious communities and carried the belief of recovering Jerusalemm had assembled. A boy named Stephen, who was twelve years old and was from Cloyes in the Orleannais. He was born out of a poor family, which was neglected in their town. He supposedly had come upon Christ while he was sleeping and was ordered to give a letter to the king and also preach the crusade. The king had turned him down, but Stephen began to go across town and he preached. His letter had told his followers that crossing obstacles like the sea would be easy for them: it said that the waterways would part and let them cross through. According to the church, this crusade wasn’t really a crusade because they weren’t blessed by a pope. The church believed they couldn’t bless if a crusade was bound to fail, but they thought that by sending these kids would put shame on the popes and make them actually put together a crusade and capture Jerusalem. The amount of inspiration Stephen had towards his religion was immeasurable. He had gone and preached promoting the crusade against Muslims of the east of Spain and had been turned down by nearly everyone who he had come across. After he had received the letter from Jesus he arrived at the entrance of Abbey of Saint-Dennis and had announced that he would lead an â€Å"army† of children to rescue the holy land. In the summer of 1212 three armies of children, each more than thirty thousand strong, setout from France and Germany, to walk to Jerusalem and rescue the Holy Sepulchre from the armies of Muslims. The leaders were children, boys only twelve or thirteen years old; they preached in churches, at shrines, and on highways. Now, this was an act that took major amounts of courage but children cannot lead other children and Stephen being only twelve years old, he wasn’t ready to lead either. When it comes to leadership, Stephen lacked highly in it as a whole. Mostly all of his army had set on foot and Stephen had designed a cart for himself. At his sides were several boys on horseback who were from richer families and could afford these things. It wasn’t fair to the other 30,000 kids that had to suffer on foot. Money distribution had become a huge issue. There was no money to buy food or water or any means of transportation anywhere. Stephen had also made his army believe that the sea would spread for them and they would be able to cross, none of this happened. A few days later, two merchants, Hugh the Iron and William the Pig, confronted Stephen with a deal. They offered to provide seven ships, to the mass of children, free of charge. All of the boys and girls boarded their ships and set out to Palestine. It took about 18 years until the story of the tragedy had been talked about The fact that Stephen was only twelve years old and had come from a poor peasant family really had an effect on his sense of power. It seemed as though people didn’t respect him. On top of that he didn’t know how to read nor write, he was in a way looked at as a fool even at such a young age. It was wrong for the king to even let him step foot out on his own. The morals of the king were that he would shame his own army into fighting the crusades, but this didn’t work and the king had sacrificed 30,000 other children’s lives. When there is a mass population of kids, disease also comes into play. As the journey went on, many kids became diseased and those diseases had carried to both the kids and the towns that they had traveled through. Before reaching the sea, over half of the army had either died from disease, starvation or heat exhaustion. This was considered a very painful journey, some kids had wandered off to seek food or just to go home. Since Stephen didn’t know how to read, for days even weeks the children wouldn’t hear from anyone and they had come across towns out of luck. Once reaching the city of Marseilles, they were kindly greeted and were given rooms to sleep in. Now these rooms were only given to the more wealthy, most of them stayed out on the streets and scavenged whatever food they could find. EBSCO Publishing Service Selection Page. Web. 13 Dec. 2011. The Childrens Crusade. History Learning Site. Web. 28 Nov. 2011. Children’s and Shepherds’ Crusades: Were the Children’s and Shepherds’ Crusades Class Protests of the Poor Against the Wealthy? History in Dispute. Ed. Mark T. Abate. Vol. 10: The Crusades, 1095-1291. Detroit: St. James Press, 2003. 32-39. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 11 Nov. 2011. Kreis, Steven. The Childrens Crusades (1212). The History Guide Main. Web. 11 Nov. 2011

Finding the concentration of sodium carbonate Essay Example

Finding the concentration of sodium carbonate Essay Example Finding the concentration of sodium carbonate Paper Finding the concentration of sodium carbonate Paper Finding the concentration of sodium carbonate:Mass (Na2CO3 transferred to volumetric flask)= [mass (weighing bottle) + mass (Na2CO3)]-[mass(weighing bottle after emptying)]=15.24g 12.59g=2.65gMolar mass (Na2CO3)Na=23C=12O=162Na x 1C x 3O = molar mass= (2 x 23) + 16 + (3 x 16)=106Number of mols (Na2CO3) = mass/molar mass=2.65g/106=0.025molNumber of mols (Na2CO3) = concentration x volume10000.025 mol. = conc. x 250cm31000Concentration (Na2CO3) = 0.1 mol.dm-3ResultsTitrationInitial Burette Reading (cm3)Final Burette Reading (cm3)Difference (cm3)1 (rough)0.0032.0032.0025.0036.2531.2531.1032.3031.2040.0031.2531.25510.0044.3034.30The first and last results are not included in the average since the first is only a rough titration so that later ones can be more accurate and the last is an anomalous result.Therefore the average is:(31.25+31.20+31.25) / 3 = 31.23cm3We can now number of moles of calcium carbonate using this equation:Number of moles = concentration x volume1000=0.1251000=0.0025 mol.The following reaction took place:H2SO4(aq) + Na2CO3 (aq) Na2SO4 (aq) +H2O(l) + CO2 (g)There is a 1:1 ratio of sulphuric acid to sodium carbonate.Therefore the number of moles of H2SO4 will be the same as those of Na2CO3.Number of moles of H2SO4= 0.0025molsNow we can work out the concentration of H2SO4 with this equationNumber of moles = concentration x volume10000.0025 mol. = conc. x 25cm31000Concentration (H2SO4) = 0.08 mol.dm-3 (2 d.p.)Evaluating Evidence and procedures.The final titration was an anomalous result 34.30cm3. A result much larger than the average of 32.23cm3 (3.07cm3 larger). All the other results (apart from the first which is only a rough titration so that later ones can be more accurate) were 0.05 of the average.The anomalous result could be down to a number of reasons. Such as the conical flask not being rinsed properly, leaving a small amount of water in the bottom, diluting the solution further. There may also have been errors in the readings. Or simply missing the end point by not swirling enough or turning off the burette quick enough.Out of the 5 results collected 2 have been ignored, this leaves us with only 3 results to find an average with.Another factor to consider is percentage error.% Error = actual error/ size of measurement x 100The balance that was used has an error of + or 0.005g. 4 measurements were taken:12.57g% Error = 0.005/12.57100=0.04%15.24g% Error = 0.005/15.24100=0.03%12.59g% Error = 0.005/12.59100=0.04%2.65g% Error = 0.005/2.65100=0.19One drop from the burette has a volume of approx. 0.05cm3, this gives an error of + or 0.05. The average titre was 32.23cm3; therefore the following % error occurred:0.05/32.23100= 0.16%There may also be error when using the pipette, if used correctly the error is + or 0.06cm3 therefore:0.06/25100=0.24%The volumetric flask could also produce an error; if the bottom of the meniscus rests on the calibration line the error is 0.2cm3. So:0.2/250X100= 0.08%The largest % errors are produced when using the burette and pipette. Therefore more care is to be taken when taking readings from them.The total % error =0.78%. Therefore the results can be 0.78% larger or smaller than the results I collected: 0.78% of 32.23cm3= + or 0.25. Therefore the exact result is between 31.98and 32.48.The errors in procedure could arise in the following:* Solution in volumetric flask partially mixed.* Burette and pipette not rinsed properly* Conical flask not rinsed properly between titrations.* Acid not added drop by drop as the end point approached.* Swirling not a continuous action, allowing the end point to be missed.* Too much or too little indicator.The middle 3 results are the only results accurate enough to use as evidence. If I were to use these results as evidence I would only include the middle three results and then continue until I had 10 results within 0.1 of each other. The % error of the experiment was very small (0.78%) this means the three useable results appear to be reasonably accurate.There are many ways to improve the experiment:* More repetitions, the more repetitions you do the more accurate your end point should be and the average would be more accurate as you are taking into account more results.* Ensure the pipette, burette and volumetric flask readings are done at eye level on a horizontal surface. This makes the readings the readings more accurate.* Use a thinner burette so that changes in volume are even more noticeable and lowering % error.* Add the solution in drips rather than a steady stream. This would make the end point much more accurate.If the experiment is performed in pairs it would make the burette readings more accurate, as 1 person could swirl the solution and the other could handle the burette. This would allow the swirling to be constant as the burette handler could concentrate on finding the end point accurately.

Positive Degree of Adjectives and Adverbs in English

Positive Degree of Adjectives and Adverbs in English In English  grammar, the positive degree is the basic, uncompared form of an adjective or adverb, as opposed to either the comparative or superlative. Also called the base form  or the absolute degree. The concept of positive degree in the English language is one of the simplest to grasp.    For example, in the phrase the big prize, the adjective big is in the positive degree (the form that appears in a dictionary). The comparative form of big is bigger; the superlative form is biggest. C. Edward Good notes that the raw adjectivein its positive statemerely describes the noun modified; it doesnt care about how this particular person or thing stacks up against other members of the same noun class (Whose Grammar Book Is This Anyway? 2002) Etymology From the Latin, to place Examples and Observations Yertle the turtle was king of the pond.A nice little pond. It was clean. It was neat.The water was warm. There was plenty to eat.(Dr. Seuss,  Yertle the Turtle. Random House, 1958)There were three nice, fat little pigs.  The first was  small, the second was smaller, and the third was the smallest of all.(Howard Pyle, The Three Little Pigs and the Ogre. The Wonder Clock, 1988)It was a large heart with lots of hearts growing smaller inside, and piercing from the outside rim to the smallest heart was an arrow.(Maya Angelou,  I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Random House, 1969)Few  things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a  good  example.(Mark Twain,  Puddnhead Wilson, 1894)The tone of the trombone is allied in quality to that of the French horn. It also possesses a noble and  majestic sound, one that is even larger and rounder than the horns tone.(Aaron Copland,  What to Listen For in Music, 1939)Humanity has advanced, when it has advanced, not because it has been  sober, responsible, and  cautious, but because it has been  playful, rebellious, and  immature.(Tom Robbins, Still Life with Woodpecker. Random House, 1980) Marys parents  traveled far  to trade and to search for food.(Shannon Lowry, Natives of the Far North. Stackpole, 1994)The inspirational value of the space program is probably of far greater importance to education than any input of dollars.(Arthur C. Clarke,  Profiles of the Future: An Inquiry into the Limits of the Possible,1962) Three Degrees to Consider   Adjectives change form to show degree of comparison. There are  three degrees of comparison: positive, comparative, and superlative. . . .The  positive degree  describes one item or one group of items. The positive form is the form used in dictionary definitions. (A.C. Krizan et al., Business Communication, 8th ed. South-Western, Cengage, 2011)Adjectives change form or add more or most to show comparison. Almost all one-syllable adjectives- as well as many of two syllables- add er to their positive (noncomparative) form to show comparison with one thing; this form is called the comparative form. To show  comparison  with two or more things, these adjectives add est; this is called the superlative form. Some two-syllable adjectives and almost all adjectives with three or more syllables show comparison with one item by placing the word more before the adjective; they show comparison with two or more items by placing the word most before the adjective.(Peder Jones and Jay Farness, College Writing Skills, 5th ed. Collegiate Press, 2002) Pronunciation: POZ-i-tiv

ECON DB2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

ECON DB2 - Essay Example Cap and trade allows for tradable pollution permits. A tradable permit policy sets specific targets on total emissions and allows reallocation or auctioning of pollution permit allowances to industry polluters to meet their objectives. Companies that are able to limit their emissions more cost-effectively have the incentive to avoid purchasing more permit allowances and even sell their permit allowances in excess to polluters with higher demand of compliance. Under this type of approach, emission are set by the cap, however, the overall costs for compliance may be uncertain. With regards to Cap and Tax, a regulatory system is set that provides incentives for polluter companies to find cost-effective mechanisms for controlling their emissions. Firms will therefore pay taxes for their emissions if at all it is cheaper or reduce their emissions to avoid the imposition of tax for their damages to the environment. In cases of taxes to regulate emissions, the cost of compliance is known, but the levels of emission may be rather uncertain. A command and control approach sets fourth Emissions standards that are generally more stable as compared to carbon market controls. It is undeniable fact that trading markets, more so for carbon emissions can be unpredictable. Profiteering requires stability with a fairly of a secure investment decisions. With preset Emissions standards, companies can plan and diversify their investments into more energy efficient technologies that results into emission of emit less carbon. A key benefit of market mechanism is that it gives incentives for innovative continuous emissions reduction. In cases of inflation, market mechanisms are advantageous because they allow automatic adjustments to new prices and as such no legislative action is needed. An externality refers to a cost or a benefit of activities

Application implement into a business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Application implement into a business - Essay Example Wrapped wire method also is said to have a digital use of circuit for using solder less boards. Advantages of wrapped wire are as follows, it is reliable method, it is relatively cheap, can be used to make a permanent circuit, the last but not the least it is fast and easily to change the system for better operation. Although, this method is highly preferred in most of machines which consume relatively high voltage, they are associated with demerits such that connection to the lead square must be made with solder to the head of the IC socket where the pin wire is heading to. Therefore, capacitors, resistors and transistors soldered to the IC to complete the circuit (Kraslawski & Turunen, 2013). Another disadvantage is that, low current is associated with few number of mA, thus reducing working capacity of the machine. Prototyping environments and processes regarding to a computer system Environment is a key factor that should be considered before buying and setting a prototype system. For instance, a computer is one of the electronic gadgets that require sensitive attention to be considered. Therefore, wrap wire method and printed circuit board are used because they are safe, highly reliable and so on. Computers requires a steady flow of current such that, connection of wires from a power supply to the entire system should be very competed to avoid failure of current from reaching the destination. Additionally, printed circuit board helps machines to keep steadiness flow of current to the junior elements such as transistors and capacitors which maintains functioning of a computer. In a computer system there two types of prototypes namely, hardware prototype and software prototype (National Research Council, 2008). Hardware prototypes are mostly concerned with fixing all the physical functional parts of a computer. These parts include motherboard elements, monitor, a nd switches among other physical part of a computer. On the other hand, software prototypes are concerned with installation of programs, such as micro soft office, VLC, internet among many programs, as one can prefer (Russell, M. T. (2008). Defining an accessibility technology for the prototype in a business In order to achieve desirable and accessible prototypes many companies have found it as a

The Ideas of an Ideal Social Order and Separation of Power in the US Assignment

The Ideas of an Ideal Social Order and Separation of Power in the US - Assignment Example Linkage groups in the US House of Legislatures are responsible for keeping people on what is happening by giving them information and being involved. The initiator's intention was to enable Congress members to provide the connection between citizens and government. James Madison gives an explanation that public views are good when passed through a medium of a special body of citizens that can represent the interest of their country. The groups are of four types and are known as linkage institutions in the United States since they play a vital role in involving citizens to the government. These groups are not part of the government, but exclusive of them, the United States will not be able to maintain democracy. Examples of such ways by which American national government represent the interest of its citizen include Broad points of view represented by political parties that present people with alternative approaches on how the government is operated. By electing people to public offic e, each party seeks power so that its positions and values become public policy. Interest groups manage people with common welfare. They also influence government through citizen’s attitudes to support their points. They usually represent a closely related set of apprehensions. An important role played by the media is connecting people to the government. Most citizens find out about candidates for office, the burning issues of the day and also public official activities through, newspapers, radio, television and also the Internet.

The American colonization, on the eve of Revolution Essay

The American colonization, on the eve of Revolution - Essay Example A few years later, the parliament passed the Tea Act to save the East Indian Company from bankruptcy. It removed all the duties on tea exported by the British thus giving them undue advantage over other exported tea to America. On the day, the first shipments of the tea arrived in Boston, three members of the Sons of Liberty dressed as Indians boarded the ships and threw all the tea into the sea later known as the Boston Tea Party. For the first time, leaders of the twelve colonies, excluding Georgia met in Philadelphia and convened the First Continental Congress to create a single unified stand and response to the laws and policies passed by the British Parliament. Through the congress, they filed a petition called the Declaration of Rights and Grievances to the British king. At the height of the revolution, all of the thirteen colonies convened again as Second Continental Congress. An Anglo-American philosopher in the name of Thomas Paine wrote a pamphlet entitled â€Å"Common Sense† and asked whether â€Å"a continent should be ruled by an island†. Only a few Loyalist Americans then were ready and willing to defend Great Britain. This was due to the continuing clashes between the Patriots and British troops. The Patriots then were the primary army who are fighting against the British. These clashes further advanced the growth of American patriotism. The Second Continental Congress took the ultimate steps. They organized an army to continue the fight called the Continental Army with George Washington as the commander-in-chief. The Patriots then were the staunch supporters of the continuing revolution while the Loyalists would still want to be part of the British Empire. Most of the Loyalists then were wealthy and politically powerful people in the American society. These include the merchants, lawyers and landowners. And the Patriots were

Research proposal-Anxiety levels of a new graduate family nurse Essay

Research proposal-Anxiety levels of a new graduate family nurse practitioners (FNP's) - Essay Example Results shall have implications on the means to facilitate the learning process and make it as effective, efficient, and as less stressful as possible. Numerous empirical studies have noted that nursing as a profession is intense and stressful. In fact, it has been noted that the likelihood of occupational stress-related burnout is specifically high in this field (BÃ ©gat, Ellefsen, & Severinsson, 2005). In fact, nurses’ psychosocial work environment, including their experience of anxiety and stress level, does strongly influence their sense of well-being (BÃ ©gat, Ellefsen, & Severinsson, 2005). The current study asserts that newly graduate nurses, particularly those in family practice settings, similarly experience stressful situations. Such stress may be discussed in light of the framework proposed by Benner (1982) taking off from the work begun by Dreyfus & Dreyfus (1980), which depicts the learning process undergone in becoming an expert in the profession (Benner, 1982). These stages, beginning from novice and incrementally progressing to expertise level, have been specially adapted to the learning stages that a nurse goes through (Davidson, 1992). The current study aims to determine the anxiety levels of new graduate family nurse practitioners in family practice settings. Apart from establishing these levels, these shall also be compared across time, through 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. In doing so, the research may impart data on how to address these anxieties, and to effectively expedite the learning process. Menzies (1960) investigation of nursing services in a general hospital is popular, and depicts numerous ways of dealing with the intense and complicated anxieties arising from the job. Nurses are in intensive and frequent contact with people who are physically ill or injured, often gravely. The recovery of patients is uncertain and will not always be

The American colonization, on the eve of Revolution Essay

The American colonization, on the eve of Revolution - Essay Example A few years later, the parliament passed the Tea Act to save the East Indian Company from bankruptcy. It removed all the duties on tea exported by the British thus giving them undue advantage over other exported tea to America. On the day, the first shipments of the tea arrived in Boston, three members of the Sons of Liberty dressed as Indians boarded the ships and threw all the tea into the sea later known as the Boston Tea Party. For the first time, leaders of the twelve colonies, excluding Georgia met in Philadelphia and convened the First Continental Congress to create a single unified stand and response to the laws and policies passed by the British Parliament. Through the congress, they filed a petition called the Declaration of Rights and Grievances to the British king. At the height of the revolution, all of the thirteen colonies convened again as Second Continental Congress. An Anglo-American philosopher in the name of Thomas Paine wrote a pamphlet entitled â€Å"Common Sense† and asked whether â€Å"a continent should be ruled by an island†. Only a few Loyalist Americans then were ready and willing to defend Great Britain. This was due to the continuing clashes between the Patriots and British troops. The Patriots then were the primary army who are fighting against the British. These clashes further advanced the growth of American patriotism. The Second Continental Congress took the ultimate steps. They organized an army to continue the fight called the Continental Army with George Washington as the commander-in-chief. The Patriots then were the staunch supporters of the continuing revolution while the Loyalists would still want to be part of the British Empire. Most of the Loyalists then were wealthy and politically powerful people in the American society. These include the merchants, lawyers and landowners. And the Patriots were

It's FAMILY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

It's FAMILY - Essay Example Among these authors, Nicolas Cage has tried to uphold the positive sides of a family in his film â€Å"Family Men†. In â€Å"Lottery†, Shirley Jackson talks about the cruelty and superstition of member family members. Whereas in the poem, â€Å"Daddy† Sylvia Plath disparages the conservative control of a father over a girl, Hayden appears to be confused about how to assess his father’s control as well as his care for the child. But in the story â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find†, Flannery O’ Connor tells about the fakery of a family member, namely the Grandmother. But she considers all men and women as members of a common human family. After all, authors present both the good and bad sides of family life and family members. They, to a great extent, reflect Charlotte’s view of the negative consequences of family. Thesis: Though family is important for human life, the authors say that it has both the good and the bad sides and some author itative family members can be harmful for other members. Like Charlotte Gilman, Sylvia is preoccupied with the harmful dominance and control of family members such as a father or a husband on a girl or a woman. In the poem â€Å"Daddy† by Sylvia Plath deals with the negative consequences of a father influence on a child. In the poem, the poet compares her father with a number of imagery, such as daddy, shoe, devil, commander of Jewish extermination, etc to portray the unhappiness that her father caused to her. She compares her father with someone protective; but obviously for her protection, this protection is dark and choking. This is evident in her use of the imagery of black shoe. Shoe protects one’s feet but its blackness means that it is a dark protection (Plaths â€Å"Daddy†). Both Charlotte and Sylvia agree that conservative attitude of family members like father and husband harmful for a woman because they make her passive and choke

Ghost Story - The Caretaker Essay Example for Free

Ghost Story The Caretaker Essay OI LOSER! PICK UP THE CRAP! This is the way he always got treated. No one gave a second thought about him. They thought that just because he was the caretaker who picked up the rubbish, he didnt deserve any respect.but they wished theyd have gave him some. After 10 years of cleaning up after people who just didnt care. People who laughed at him for dont his job, picking up their rubbish. Peeling up snotty tissues in the rain in his bright yellow Rain Mack, whilst they laughed at him through the window, he pretended he couldnt see them. After 10 years or this, every day, he has had enough. On his 10 yeah anniversary of being shouted at and just being disregarded, he had decided, this was it. The end, for him anyway. He walked into his stockroom, the one they banged on the door every single time they walked past, every single person. They thought it was funny, but they didnt know that he sat in there crying, through the pain of how they treat him. He didnt even get treated right by the teachers; they shoved him in a room with the boiler. This was it. He walked, slowly, slowly walking. But then he tripped over a mop. He could imagine the laugher of the kids if they had seen that, then theyd run away with his rubbish picker and hide it, so hed have to spend the rest of the day looking for it. He couldnt tell anyone, who would care. He got back up and climbed onto the steel chair, and put the noose round his neck and tied it to one of the pipes. He was rocking the chair, from side to side, slowly, trying to knock it from under his feat, but then, no, he wouldnt let them know that they had got to him. He wouldnt give them that satisfaction. He took the noose off from around his neck, and decided. He was going to make a change. He wouldnt let them get to him anymore not matter how hard they tried. He got off the chair, but then he slipped, he fell, the chair as well. The chair fell toward the boiler. He didnt realise that when he had fallen over the mop it had knocked a valve off the boiler, gas was leaking out, he could smell it. The chair was going for the boiler, he tried to get up but he hit a shelf and it fell off. Cleaning products, bleach, and floor cleaner poured all over him. This chair hit the boiler, and made a spark, then there was no more, he was no moreor was he? BE QUITE CASEY! shouted a nervous Anne. Whats there to worry about? No ones here. We saw it go up in flames, only that freaky caretaker was here, and hes long gone. Casey smirked, Helen and Mark gave out a little giggle, but Anne didnt. Why do we have to do this here? Why are we doing it? Anne asked. Why Not? said Casey Dont be a dick Casey! Anne exclaimed. OK Anne! Its just a Ouji Board, its not like they really work! So why are we doing it Casey? Just shut up! shrieked Helen to Anne, Its just a bit of fun, why dont you go home if youre so bothered? Maybe I will! At this Anne started to make her way back through the ruins of the old high school, what were left of it after it blew up. Loser! muttered Casey, Helen and Mark laughed. OK! This is it. You ready? Yeah! said Helen, a bit nervously Whatever! Mark said coolly as ever. They sat down in a circle, which the Ouji board in the middle, they all put a finger on the glass and then Casey asked Is there anyone there? The glass slowly moved towards yes, OH MY GOD! WHICH ONE OF YOU IS DOING THAT? asked Helen, quite scared by now. Not Me! exclaimed Mark and Casey at the same time. Whatever, said Casey, Lets carry on. Helen was quite nervous by now, she was scared, she wasnt expecting anything to happen. Who were you? Casey asked, as he watched the glass, it moved again, and pointed to the letters G, E, O, R, G, and E. George? Mark muttered. Whos George? The glass began to shake angrily it violently it moved to T, H, E, C, A, R, E, T, A, K, E, R. The Caretaker? Casey asked, Isnt he dead? Isnt that kind of the point of this? Said Mark. Whatever! Said Casey, I know one of you is behind this, I dont remember no George! As If! Said Helen, we know its you, this stuff isnt even real! Well then! said Casey quietly, Well find out now! GEORGE WHOEVER YOU ARE! WILL YOU COME TO US? At this it all went silent, and then they all looked at each other and started to giggle, then the floor started to shake, the glass shoot out of their hands and landed on YES! There was a bright light, and more shaking. But then it stopped. All was silent and dark again, apart from a small ball of light inside the glass. They looked at each other in shock. Then Helen quickly rose to her feet. This isnt funny any more you tw.! She had stopped, Casey and Mark didnt know why. She looked in pain, then she rose from the ground, then they noticed, she had a mop through her stomach, and she was suspended in the air. Then moved to the side and they saw itthe horribledisfigured, ghost. Helen was there, dead, attached to the mop; the ghost opened its mouth and said, Remember me now?! The ghost was burnt, all over, his skin melted and hanging off! He wasdisgusting. Mark jumped up and ran for the door, he got passed George and then he cackled evil. Mark ran down the corridor, as fast as he could, then he heard a sound behind him, he looked round and George was chasing after him with the floor cleaning machine. He was getting faster, and faster. Mark ran round the corner and bang into someone. ANNE! Mark screamed, I thought youd gone! Mark, what wrong? What was that noise? Theres no time to explain! Hes coming! Who? Anne asked ME! Mark was being lifted up off the floor by a rubbish picker, and then thrown onto the floor. From where he once stood, now stood George. Anne screamed, and turned around, and ran. ANNE WAIT! Mark screamed, but Anne was running, and he tried to, but George stood there with his floor cleaner, Mark tried to run away, he couldnt get up, so he crawled. But he wasnt fast enough. George ran at him with the floor cleaner and ran over him with it. It chopped him in to pieces. He was gone. NOOOOOO! Screamed Anne, she ran back, Why, why are you doing this? You called me! Ill see you soon At this George just disappeared and left the Remains of Mark, and Anne, who lay there crying on the floor. She sat their crying for at least 30 minutes, she couldnt bring herself to move. Then she heard it. ANNE?! It was Casey, he was still alive. She ran down the corridor, CASEY! WHERE ARE YOU? she ran around screaming. She couldnt find him, where was he, then she say him, lying on the floor, by the stairs. CASEY, She ran up to him, he was hurt, badly. Casey are you OK? Anne, I thought youd gone I came back, come on, we have to go, George, hell come for us! I cant move, he beat me with a broom, but I escaped, then I fell down the stairs. You need to stop him, you have to. How Casey, how can I? Im not as strong as him! Why is he doing this? We called him, he came, not hes getting revenge for all the things we did to him But it wasnt just us. Anne said, starting to cry. I know. But were here now. How do I stop him? Asked Anne rising to her feet! The Glass! Then she heard a noise, George came from round the corner with a Lawnmower. He ran up to Casey and lunged at him with it. Anne knew he was dead. So she ran, and ran, and ran. It seemed like she has been running for hours. She knew she had to hide, she couldnt find an exit, and the ones she could has collapsed during the explosion. She saw a small room, and ran it, and locked the door. Then she looked around and realised where she was. She was in Georges room; she saw the Ouji board on the floor, then George, stood there in the corner. He had a pair of tree trimmers in his hand. Anne knew this was it for her. Even if she could reach the door in time, she wouldnt be able to open it. Ready to die Anne? George asked, but the she noticed and thought back to what Casey has told her, the glass THE GLASS! She shouted What? George asked? The Glass, youre not going to kill me, or anyone else! She ran across the room and picked up the glass with the small ball of light in it. No Anne, NO! I WONT GO BACK AGAIN! George screamed. Its too late now She threw the glass on the floor, it smashed and a bright white light flooded the room. Anne was blinded by it. And then it was gone, she was alone in the room. She got up, and slowly unlocked the door and walked out. She walked around the school and looked for an exit. Eventually she found one and walked out. As she walked away, she didnt know what to do first, tell Mark, Casey and Helen parent what had happened, go to the police or just go home and cry, but she knew she has to get away from the school. But as she walked, she heard a low laugh, more like a cackle, coming from inside the school.

Risk Analysis of German Banks

Risk Analysis of German Banks During this assignment, the German banks data were compared to that of France and Italy banks. A simple regression analysis was performed. The data suggests that there are great variations in the basic principles when are applied in finding out the exact risks. In general, it is noted that that the France and Italy banks are more riskier than the German banks. In the financial institutions, the risks are assessed in a very particular manner. The purpose of discussing risks is to encourage the investors in the banking sectors. Therefore the managements and high level authorities in the banking system apply the various tools in addressing the risks. It is very eminent that the with out the support of the banking systems by and large the businesses can not grow, as these should be. Therefore there must be some ways of addressing the risks in the very first place. Including to satisfy the share holders and stakeholders, and other stakeholders, (Watson and Head, 2005). There are eminent differences in between the emerging market financial systems and the banking systems of developed countries. However the reasons for this significantly. It is noted that the various researchers, scholars, and academicians have shown divided ideas. As we can that some of them had a firm view about the unstable macroeconomic environment, and rest of the scholars have come forward with the point about weaker risk management practices, (Beck et al. 2003). Keeping the importance of risks assessment and its management, the followings are highlighted, so that this issue can understood in an acceptable way. Literature of Review: The banks invest their money in the different projects, such as buying of shares, construction projects, and other financial intuitions. There is also a fact that the management s in the banks monitor, evaluate and judge the performance of their projects during and after the completion of projects. Similarly, Ma, and Eli (2005) indicated that the implementers in the banking sectors must get the lessons for the previous years, failing to this would be failure of the whole project. Basically they (Ma and Eli) did support the theory of application, which suggests that investing directly to the system do not justify the action. There must be a some kind of rational in addressing the risks in the financial and highly competitive environment. In addition, to above, according to Bank for International Settlements, (2002) and Topping (2005) while highlighting the importance of risks evaluation and its management indicated that the some of the factors which contribute the risks are such as, the changing nature of macroeconomic risks, new forms of risks to the banks, and whether or the abilities, skills and other measures have really improved in addressing the issues of risks. In very simple words, it is found that the risks increase when the banks do not imply certain methods. These methods are related to see and judge the results of previous years when there were projects in the pipe lines. Some of the high rated researchers, scholars and professionals such as Chris (2008) and Topping (2005) basically indicated the following levels are addressed and if done, then there are less chances of increasing risks, such as: Risk identification: This is very basic stage where the banks can identify the risks. In simple meaning in the inputs are discussed broadly, and its implications are noted before, during and after the completion. In broader sense, this is done at the sites, where projects will be launched. Particularly, the following points can help in identifying the risks, such as: †¢ Who will take responsibility for risk identification? †¢ Process for risk identification, including existing and new products, and †¢ Regularity in reviews. Risk measurement: The followings nine factors can be measured during risk measurement such as: Capital, Assets, Market risks, Earnings, Liabilities, Business, Internal Controls, Organisation, Management. Whereas while talking about frequency of risk measurement, the followings should be noted very carefully, such as: Sources of data, it includes market prices and position information Risk measurement tools, given the complexity and level of risk assumed, Ability to measure risk at both transactional and portfolio levels. Methodology to ensure all identified risks are monitored, Accuracy, and clarity of monitoring reports, Involvement of management and staff in having the reports, Comparability of output against predetermined limits. http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pubs/policy/p10.pdf The benefits of risk assessment: There are multi-layered assessment benefits to the banks and financial institutions. It include such as to make profits and distribute among the shareholders. It helps the clients for the banks others (employees) satisfied. This brings more jobs to the public and indirectly helps in boosting GDP. The risk assessment keeps busy the staff in doing their professional work. It can be seen that the supervisors need to spend time on-site discussing the issues with senior bank management. The time taken to perform this work will vary from bank to bank depending on the size and complexity of the institution. However, following a risk assessment, the supervisor will be better placed to decide on the intensity of the future supervision having obtained a better understanding of a banks risk profile. The intensity of supervision and the amount and focus of supervisory action will increase in line with the perceived risk profile of a bank. One advantage this has for banks is that the cost of supervision, in terms of management time or through direct costs. WE have to agree that the banks pay high costs for initial assessments, and in turn if their projects are completed, the banks then take benefit of having high wages and other facilities. The bank official especially in the third world are highly paid. Table 1 shows the three pillars in the banking sector Pillar 1 Minimum Capital Requirements Pillar 2 Supervisory Review Pillar 3 Market Discipline Market risk _ No changes from Basel I Credit risk _ Significant change from Basel I _ Three different approaches to the calculation of minimum capital requirements _ Capital incentives for banks to move to more sophisticated credit risk management approaches based on internal ratings _ Sophisticated approaches have systems/controls and data collection requirements as well as qualitative requirements for risk management Operational risk _ Not explicitly covered in Basel I _ Three different approaches to the calculation of minimum capital requirements _ Adoption of each approach subject to compliance with defined ‘qualifying criteria Banks should have a process for assessing their overall capital adequacy and strategy for maintaining capital levels _ Supervisors should review and evaluate banks internal capital adequacy assessment and strategies _ Supervisors should expect banks to operate above the minimum capital ratios and should have the ability to require banks to hold capital in excess of the minimum (i.e., trigger/target ratios in the United Kingdom; prompt corrective action in the United States) _ Supervisors should seek to intervene at an early stage to prevent capital from falling below minimum levels Market discipline reinforces efforts to promote safety and soundness in banks _ Core disclosures (basic information) and supplementary disclosures to make market discipline more effective Source: KPMG, 2003. The Table 1 above shows the details of three pillars. These guidelines are apparently seems to be quite added information for the banking managements. But again there is an inverse argument, who accepts the challenges, threats and then commits to carry out the assessments, so that the future risks could be minimised at least. Methodology and Data: The data for the banks regarding Germany, France and Italy was analysed by the Excel programme. During this analysis, a simple linear regression was carried out. There were altogether 8 parameters which were used. However in case Germany banks were compared to that of France and Italy. The parameters were such as, index, loans, equity, LA, NIM, ROAA, ROAE, and CIR. As a matter of fact these parameters are the base lines for the banks to work/operate in the competitive financial markets. Results and Discussions: The results of the analysis are presented below. It has already been indicated that the German data is compared to that of France and Italy. The Figure 1 below shows that the relationship between the German banks and France banks seems to be very poor. It means that the ways the German banks are applying are entirely different to that of France and vice versa. Figure 2 discusses the regression analysis of German banks versus Italy banks on the basis of index. It can be seen that again the relationship still very week. The data regarding loans is presented in the following Figure 3, in this case German banks were compared to that of France banks. The results show that the way the German banks are obtaining or lending loans are not comparable to that of France. It can also be seen from that Figure 3 that R2 value is too weak. Figure 4 shows the data comparison between the German banks and Italian banks. Again the regression analysis indicates that there is not good relationship between the two. Even when we look at the equation, it suggests that Italian banks approach is entirely negative to that of German banks regarding extending loan facilities to the businesses. In reality equity is the very important parameters, banks work against equity either way. It means if banks are getting loans from other financial institutions, it works on the basis of equity. It also argued here that the poor relationship between the German banks and France clearly demonstrates that there are more risks for the France banks when compared to German banks (Figure 5). Figure 6 highlights the comparison between German banks and Italy banks. The relationship between the two still very poor. It can also be seen that this relationship is negative. The data regarding LA is presented in Figure 7 and the relationship between German banks and France is indeed very poor. The results of LA regarding German banks and Italy banks suggest that there is negative relationship between the two. The same can be seen from Figure 8. Figure 9 suggests that the relationship regarding NIM for German and Italy banks negative, it means no relationship at all. The data concerning NIM is presented in the Figure 10. It can be seen that the relationship between the German banks and Italy very poor. As this relationship shows negative relationship. The analysis of ROAA regarding German and France banks is given in Figure 11. The negative relationship shows there is no strength in particularly applying the same approach. Again this ratio is highly important to note the differences in the banks. The results of analysis are given in Figure 12. It can be seen that there exists negative relationship between the German banks and Italy banks. Data regarding ROAE ratios is compared between the German and France banks. The same can be seen in Figure 13. The negative R2 value indicated the weakness of the relationship. Figure 14 suggests that the relationship between the German and Italy banks is negative. It means that the way the German banks are calculating ROAE is not same in case of Italy. The data in reference to CIR is shown in Figure 15. The comparison between the German and France banks shows that there is a negative relationship. The comparison about CIR between Germany and Italy clearly shows that there exists negative relationship. The same data is shown in Figure 16. When we look at the Figures above, in most of the analysis conducted for the various parameters show that there is a negative relationship. It means that the strength of the approach differs. As a matter of fact, it is argued that the methods of calculating risks are nearly similar in the German, France and Italy banks. So a question arises, why it is so? There could be many reasons behind the explanations. But very viable and quite acceptable refers to the non availability of the data during the months and years. The data shows big gaps, and further suggests the approaches in calculating risks in the banks are not same as in regarding Germany. Conclusions and recommendations: When we look above, it can be seen that there are different ways and means are being used by the three countrys banks in calculating the various ratios, including loans and debts. It is also very clear that there is no relationship when the data were tested through regression analysis. There is likely possibility that the German banks are not using those principles, where are used by the France and Italy banks, or vice versa. Concerning recommendations, it is suggested that the German banks if use the similar way of in disbursing loans especially; there is high probability that the risks could be deep down compared among the three countrys banks.

Essay --

Growth and development are two major themes you here time and time again in environmental planning. And rightly so, for if done wrong, they can drastically hinder a society. With that said, Costa Rica is a perfect case study for planning done right. This memo will briefly discuss how Costa Rica made a large leap forward - Using historic population statistics, and crude birth and death rates (Demographic Transition Model), I will tell a story of growth and development done right. Population Growth and Distribution Today, Costa Rica is one of the most stable, prosperous, and least corrupt Latin American countries. As of 2013, Costa Rica has a population of 2,357, 516; 40% of which, live in the Nation’s capital San Jose; the rest is thinly spread across the country. Originally San Josà © was only a small agricultural village with highly fertile soil. However, a few years after winning their freedom from Spain in 1821, the good people of San Josà © and Alajuela combined forces and defeated the pro-Mexican Democrats of Heredia and Cartago. Upon which cemented San Josà © as the capital of the blooming nation (Anywhere Costa Rica). The population slowly rose until after the Second World War- when the city’s numbers increased significantly. Today, over 309 thousand people live in the city with another estimated million in the surrounding suburbs (Anywhere Costa Rica). Development Since 1984, Costa Rica has seen a decrease in population (growth rate dropping from 2.8 to 1.2 by 2015) and infant mortality rates (dropped by half in just 29 years), as well as, an increase in life expectancy. What changed in that short amount of time (United States Census Bureau)? Well, the short answer is the country transitioned from an early industrial soc... ... one percent (Costa Rica). At 9% in 2013, they haven’t reached their goal, however, they’ve managed to cut back 5% in just 20 years. Costa Rica was blessed early on, due to a global interest in coffee beans, with prosperity and wealth; however, it wasn’t until they created a game plan, one with the people in mind that they truly began to progress, fiscally and socially speaking. Granted, Costa Rica isn’t considered a top tier country, but they are by no means at the bottom. With that said, Costa Rica’s young population won’t remain young forever! Much like the baby boomers of the U.S, Costa Rica will have to adjust heavily for the needs of their future elderly. Although, Costa Rica is relatively small, it has a rich history spanning back several millennia; and has positioned itself as one of the most stable, prosperous, and least corrupt Latin American countries.

Political Science – Eyes on the Prize Submission

On August 28, 1955, Emmet Til's body was found lying in the river. Two local men were arrested and charged with murder. This was a significant event during the 50's because it was very rare that a black man could press charges on a white person. Mose Wright was the uncle of Emmet Til. He said that the two men came to his door and asked if he had 2 boys from Chicago. They did this because earlier on, Emmet had walked into a store and said â€Å"bye baby† to a white woman. This was considered talking fresh. Emmet didn't know any better because he was from up north. His body was found maliciously beaten and it was barely recognizable. Emmet's mother insisted on the body being shipped back up north for an open casket funeral. The picture of his casket was published in Jet Magazine. Roy Bryandt and the girl's brother-in-law were the one's arrested for committing this horrible crime. During the court case the blacks were forced to sit together and away from everyone else. It took the jury one hour to find these men not guilty. Martin Luther King, jr. was asked to head the boycott and Montgomery Improvement Association. Coretta Scott King, MLK's wife, testifies that he was weary at first of accepting this position because he wasn't sure if he was qualified enough. He was a new minister and a young man. He finally came to the conclusion that if no one else would do it, he would accept the position. While the members of the Montgomery Improvement Association were on a bus ride, shots were fired at them. Martin Luther King, jr. and ED Nixon's houses were both bombed. The Montgomery Improvement Association also headed the bus boycotts. James Meredith was a young black man that applied to a University in Mississippi. Medgar Evars was the head of the Mississippi State NAACP and counseled James Meredith through this troubling time. After a long fight, the court ruled James Meredith must be accepted. (He was of course qualified. ) On September 20th, Governor Barnett personally flew up to the University of Mississippi and turned James away. On September 25th, James tried to register at the Jackson location and again, Governor Barnett was waiting and also blocked the door entrance so Meredith could not even enter. On Saturday the 29th, Ross Barnett had an engagement to attend to. He was the half time speaker at a football game. On Sunday, September 30th, 100 US marshals were sent to help James Meredith register. President Kennedy was to make a speech in the state of Mississippi also. At 8:00 Mississippi University turned into a battlefield and no one even heard the President's speech. The mob targeted the media but the marshals were instructed not to use guns. 35 marshals ended up being shot and 2 people were killed. James Meredith finally registered at a private office in Oxford and contested this; â€Å"I've been living a lonely life for a long time. † Brown v. Board of Education ruled segregated schools were unconstitutional under the 14th amendment. NAACP shut down schools in Alabama due to white violent resistance. Aubrey Lucy was a black female and went to a white college. Riots caused the board to suspend her temporarily. She ended up being expelled. President Eisenhower thought this of the desegregation of schools, â€Å"Too much, too fast. † The desegregation of schools and getting whites to comply with it got so bad that in Little Rock, Arkansas national guards had to be brought in to sustain the peace. Central High School in Arkansas only admitted white students. 8 blacks went to register on the first day, accompanied by their parents. The National Guard turned these students away as their presence would surely cause a riot. Seven of the eight black kids had made arrangements to walk to school together. Elisabeth Eckford had not heard of this arrangement. She walked alone to school and met a mob. She would not speak to the press at all. She sat down on a bench, shocked, amazed and afraid. The first peaceful sit-in occurred in Nashville, Tennessee. One day, black students entered the diner and sit at the counter where they were not allowed. They sat there and did homework, talked, and would not leave until they were served. A recollected memory from one of the black women at the sit-in is that of a white waitress who repeatedly kept dropping dishes. She was so frightened that she just dropped one dish after another. Once black students were tired of sitting, others would come in their place. This went on for 3 weeks. 80 demonstrators were arrested and charged with unorderly protest. After this, the blacks decided to not buy from downtown. After 1 month the boycott closed a lot of stores down town. Blacks who worked down town were struck by random acts of violence. A car struck Z. Alexander Lubee's house. He was a man who defended the protesting students. 147 windows in the medical college across the street were shattered because it was so loud. Freedom rides were bus rides in which interracial passengers sat backwards and drove through the south. For example, the blacks would sit in the front and the whites in the back. They wanted to create a crisis so the government would react and enforce the law. The first freedom ride was on May 1st 1961. 7 whites and 6 blacks were to be the first freedom riders in Washington D. C. The night before the ride they all sat down to have dinner. One freedom rider recalls that it was kind of like â€Å"The Last Supper. † More and more freedom rides continued and on the first occasion, mobs firebombed the bus and blocked the exit. 12 riders were hospitalized and the bus was of course destroyed. Gov. John Patterson of AL said, â€Å"Stay home, fools! † The FBI had information that the busses were going to be attacked but did nothing. Patterson refused to provide protection for these riders. 40 miles away from Montgomery there was no protection for these riders. MLK telephoned Kennedy to tell of the violence. Patterson then said he couldn't guarantee the safety of MLK Jr. George C. Wallace was the governor of Montgomery Alabama in 1963. He was strict, severe, a segregationist, and a racist. He was closely affiliated with Eugene â€Å"Bull† Connor. â€Å"Bull† Connor was a KKK member and the commissioner of public safety in Alabama at the time. Also, during this time the freedom riders were attacked on Mother's day. People looked upon it as these students ruined mothers day and disgraced them or some nonsense like that. SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) and SCLC (Southern Christ Leadership Council) were two student groups that fought for civil rights. These two organizations at one time spawned a rivalry for one another because SNCC supposedly wanted more attention. During the times of these organizations was a movement called The Albany Movement. In conjunction with the Albany Movement 500 people were jailed. Laurie Pritchett was the chief of police in Albany at that time. He made sure that the jails would not fill up from the mass arrests that were being made. He stuffed 65 people in a cell built to hold only 10. Arrested persons were also sent to jails in other towns to make sure there was enough room for all. In July 1962, MLK Jr. as sentenced to 40 days in jail. He was however, released 3 days later. His bond was paid at Pritchett's request. The Albany Movement continued on without MLK Jr. for the time being. MKL Jr. was depressed at the fact that Albany was still segregated. Bull Connor also tried to run for mayor in this time but lost. The SCLC organized â€Å"project c† confrontation. The headquarters would be at 16th street Baptist Church. The goal was for demonstrations to target 3 main stores down town. 21 people were arrested the first day in Birmingham. Also, during this time there were 2 mayors and 2 governments in Alabama. One government would just not leave. This was a major cause of the unorderly conduct in Alabama. Connor remained head of police in Birmingham AL. Demonstrations continued and badly affected businesses. Courts finally ordered the demonstrations to stop. MLK Jr. along with SCLC planed the second phase of project C in room 30 at the Gaston Motel. Children led phase 2. They were kept out of school and told to go and protest/demonstrate. Connor brought in police dogs and turned fire hoses on the kids. Finally, the jails filled up and there was an agreed one-day of truce. Friday May 10, 38 days after project C, The Birmingham agreement was made. After this, police still beat blacks and blacks in turn rioted. The March in Washington had 200,000 people show up. It went from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial. Some speakers even rewrote their speeches as not to ruin Kennedy's proposal. MLK Jr. gave his â€Å"Let Freedom Ring† speech and was from this point on seen as the true leader of the movement. On September 15th, the 16th street Baptist Church was bombed and temporarily halted the project. 15 were injured and 4 kids were killed. The freedom summer in Mississippi was a basic invasion. It was designed to â€Å"open up† Mississippi. People risked beatings, arrests, and their lives. William J. Simmons of the White Citizen's Council wanted to protect the white way of life. The Citizens Council opposed integration. Ross Barnett, a racist, went so far as to foreclose mortgages and punish whites that went against him. He denied loans and passed white-only laws. Blacks outnumbered whites 4-1 in some counties. 1961 was the last of the freedom rides and the end of Freedom Summer. Medgar Evars traveled to Mississippi to help organize the boycott on Capital Street. Hundreds were arrested for marching in the demonstration. After Kennedy's strongest speech on civil rights in 1963, Medgar Evars was shot in the back in his own driveway after getting out of his car. The wife and kids were inside and as soon as they heard gunshots, hit the floor, as previously rehearsed. His wife came out shortly after to find her husband dead. It was concluded that a member of the White Citizen's Council shot Medgar Evars. There were 3 men, Goodman, Chaney, and Schreoner, which drove to investigate the burning of a black Methodist Church. At around 3 O'clock their blue Ford station wagon stopped outside Philadelphia by the sheriff, Ceasil Price. They were released at 10pm but that was the last anyone saw of them. They disappeared and Johnson issued a search and FBI involvement. Hoover of the FBI said he wouldn't protect people and that it was a matter to be dealt with by local authorities. 6 weeks later the bodies were found and Chaney, the only black man in the group, had a fractured skull. Dave Dennis of CORE blames the people who committed this crime just as much as those in Washington for not supporting or enforcing their laws. Everyone knew the men who committed this crime would be found not guilty because they were white. During this time 80 arrests were made and thousands of arrests were made. After this, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the 1964 Civil Rights Act. SNCC opened 41 freedom schools in Mississippi. Whites were now teaching blacks and living in black homes. Civil rights workers invaded the state. As soon as the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed blacks lined up to register to vote. They were told to move to the sidewalk. Less than 1% of blacks were able to register to vote. Sheriff Jim Clark arrested Amelia Bointon, a highly respected community leader during this time. This caused 105 teachers to protest down at the courthouse (Teacher's March). This occurred in Selma, AL. Clark was confronted in the courthouse about his brutality towards blacks. He said he didn't know what they were talking about. The Selma to Montgomery march was a response to Jimmy Lee Jackson's death. A state trooper shot Jimmy because he wanted to protect his mother. Marchers were beaten. One white that marched with the blacks was badly injured. He was told there were no doctors for â€Å"people like him†. SCLC opposed the march but 600 people gathered to march anyway. The marchers crossed over the Edmund Pettus Bridge and there were state troopers waiting for them on the other side. The marchers were ordered by Wallace to stop or brutality and tear gas would be enforced. MLK Jr. asked if they could sit down and pray, which they did. He then ordered the marchers to get up and turn around to avoid the fight. SNCC called this turn around a sell-out. Stokly Carmichael of SNCC withdrew from the Selma Campaign.

General Hideki Tojo: war criminal Essay

World War II is one of the events in the modern history of mankind which is looked upon with mixed reactions considering what was lost and was created because of this war. This was a showdown not just of superpowers, but also of the most influential leaders in different countries. One of these leaders is Hideki Tojo of Japan, who led the country and its soldiers in the Pacific theater of operations during World War II versus Allied forces led by the United States. This was a set of many different battles, which, on a whole, was deadly and costly for both camps. Many would say that General Hideki Tojo was just a man doing his job consistent with the political, economic and military directions of the country. Like any other soldier and leader, Tojo was expected to make decisions that will appear harsh and inconsiderate to human life, but is this really the truth? Many dare challenge this. They believe that just like any other individual, Tojo always had options and choices and he was never forced to just one course of action that he did not wanted or approved. The truth is that he has options. How he selected his own course of actions especially during World War II speaks a lot about how Tojo is the archetypal villain and evil, in consideration to this man’s values as reflected in his goals, ambitions, actions and perspective. Bringing a villain like General Hideki Tojo to trial for his evil during World War II is a case that will be strongly supported by many different important reasons and justifications why such accusations are real and suitable for some like Tojo. These reasons and justifications would be laid out, spread and explained to ascertain Tojo’s undeniable complicity and role in atrocities and undesirable actions during World War II. Hideki Tojo’s trial regarding his military and political actions during World War II will feature the discussion of several different proofs that will establish Tojo and his role in these atrocities and unacceptable acts even during war time. There are four important aspects that serve as proof to establish Hideki Tojo’s acts of atrocities and unacceptable war time behavior during World War II. It led many people to believe that he was indeed the villain that endangered and put to slaughter not just the lives of the enemy but lives of his own men as well. The first proof of Tojo’s evil is his influence and active, conscious and direct role in the hostile imperialism of Japan. Tojo is described as â€Å"one of the most aggressive of the Japanese imperialists (Keegan, Wheatcroft 291). † Of course, history will show that no effort at expansion and imperialism is not without violence. The fact that this is expected, it does not mean that Tojo and his imperialist expansion-related violence, crimes and hostility will be accepted. On the contrary, if Tojo was indeed in favor of humanity, he should have learned from the lessons of the past like the imperialist tendencies of Europeans in the past. He should have seen this could result to death and bloodshed. He should have never subjected his people and other people in such condition wherein death and destruction is the main result. However, the self-centered, greedy and power hungry Tojo moved forward with his dreams of expanding by controlling other countries and territories through the use of military force. This resulted to the death of many people, Japanese and non Japanese alike. It was a deadly and lethal combination. Tojo had access to power and was war hungry. He looked at war as a necessity for Japan at the time, which is disputable even today (Benford 119). â€Å"Tojo has assumed for himself the three posts of prime minister, war minister and chief of army staff and was totally responsible for the conduct of the war and was determined that only war could bring Japan what it rightfully deserved (Benford 119). † Wohlstetter expressed the importance of this development (Wohlstetter 324). â€Å"Tojo has thus concentrated enormous power in his own hands, far more than any Premier of modern times. He is jingoistic and anti-foreign, particularly anti-Russian. He has strong pro-Axis leanings (Wohlstetter 324). † History has dubbed the attack on Pearl Harbor as an ignominy which will go down in history books as a dastardly act that will be continuously frowned upon. Because of the style and approach, Japan, and particularly Tojo, who was Prime Minister at that time (Gudykunst 276), took in this particular incident. It resulted to the deaths of many individuals; many of those are non-combatants and innocent civilians. The attack on Pearl Harbor is considered as one of the most evil of all forms of attacks during war time history and in World War II. It is an unforgettable and unacceptable act on the part of the Japan. If this is the case, then what does this say about the people who conceived and planned and executed it, among the many high ranking top brass of Japan to approve it is Tojo? It is Evil, pure evil. â€Å"Tojo ordered Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, and then led his nation in war for three years (Weston 182). † It is one thing to cause death in the battlefield, but it is another to resort to killing even non combatants and civilians just to inflict damage to the enemy and to help one side come closer to victory (it is explained this way because even though Japan’s attack was a serious blow to United States, Japan, in the end, did not win). In this event, Tojo resorted to a Machiavellian thinking. He believed that the end justifies the means. However, in the end, it was completely unfortunate that despite the sacrifices used as a means, they still were not able to achieve the ends. In this perspective, how will the sacrifice of men be seen, considering the failure to achieve the objective? Tojo’s military leadership that resulted to the deaths of many soldiers did not automatically make him an evil leader. What made him an evil leader is the fact that he did not conducted himself accordingly. His actions are often irrational to the point that it is immoral and unethical even during the state of war among nations. Pearl Harbor is an excellent example of this condition. Tojo’s hands are stained with the blood of the innocent, people who should have not been directed and accorded with hostility. They are nonetheless victimized by a man whose evil has become legendary – and heavily criticized – even before World War II would end with Japan accepting defeat eventually. The evil of Tojo is not just limited to Pearl Harbor. As a powerful and influential man who directed military actions during World War II, Tojo is responsible for the lives of men. These were military and non-military people that were hurt or killed throughout World War II in places that Japanese soldiers and soldiers controlled and conscripted by Japan operated in. It is no secret that after World War II, investigations about many different war crimes resulted in the surfacing of information regarding the presence of these atrocities. Even though this are undertaken by Tojo’s underlings, it was Tojo who is responsible in grooming and managing men who should know how to handle themselves admirably during war. Tojo’s lack of that same sense reflected in how his followers acted. As they say, the actions of members reflect the characteristics of the leader. Tojo is evil because he was directly or indirectly responsible for the acts of atrocities committed during the duration of World War II in places Japan controlled or fought in. Soon, investigators were able to fully judge beyond reasonable doubt that responsibility for war crimes rests on the shoulders of Tojo, for which the punishment is death. In the end, Tojo was arrested, and proven as a war criminal (Benford 119). For the enemies of Japan during the World War II, it is easy for them to say that Japan and its leaders are bad because of their acts of hostility towards them (Japan’s enemy). The real extent of evil inside a man is not found in how he treats his enemies, since hostilities are expected between and among enemies. The true evil is found in how a man appreciates the lives of the man that follows him and how he uses the faith and trust that his followers give him. It is in this last aspect of the proof of Tojo’s evil that one can truly see that Tojo is not evil in the eyes of his enemies, but is evil in consideration to what he had his men undergo, do and suffer. The achievement of an imperial domination which was close to impossible and was something that Japan as a country wanted but what the selected few desired for themselves. These individuals include Tojo. In analysis, Japan and its position economically and politically at that time allowed them many other options. For one, the battle was in Europe among old and new enemies. The reason why it spread in Asia and the Pacific is because of Tojo’s megalomaniac tendencies that endangered the lives of many men, not to mention the deaths of thousands and even millions of others as well. It is not easy to look of Hideki Tojo without bias, and why not? His curriculum vitae, during World War II, is proof of his responsibility in the military actions that resulted to death, destruction and acts of atrocity, among others. History and related literature gave Tojo many different titles besides the one’s he officially owned at one time, titles which he earned because of his actions. For example, he was described as â€Å"supreme war lord (Butow 440)†, and not just military leader. Notice the impact that the writer was going for when using the term â€Å"war lord† in consideration to what was being implied and how the writer was trying to describe Tojo more accurately and vividly with the use of such term. Evans described Tojo as â€Å"an arch enemy (Evans 329)† and placed Tojo alongside other unpopular megalomaniac who was also responsible for death, destruction and atrocity including Hitler and Mussolinni. He was described as standing side by side and among the most hated men during that time. â€Å"During World War II, the three most hated men in the world were Hitler, Mussolini and General Tojo Hideki (Weston 182). † Hill believes that he was an aggressor similar to Hitler (Hill 86). â€Å"Hitler and Tojo were planning every imaginable step and they had jointly executed a policy of world aggression (Hill 86). † Works cited Benford, Timothy B. Pearl Harbor Amazing Facts! Utah: American Book Publishers, 2001. Butow, Robert Charles Joseph. Tojo and the Coming of the War. California: Stanford University Press, 1961. Evans, David. Ramblin’ on my mind: new perspectives on the blues. Illinois: University of Illinois Press, 2008. Gudykunst, William B. Communication Yearbook. California: Routledge, 2002. Hill, Richard F. Hitler attacks Pearl Harbor: why the United States declared war on Germany. Colorado: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2003. Keegan, John and Andrew Wheatcroft. Who’s who in military history: from 1453 to the present day. London: Routledge, 1996. Weston, Mark. Giants of Japan: The Live of Japan’s Most Influential Men and Women. New York: Kodansha America, 2002. Wohlstetter, Roberta. Pearl Harbor: warning and decision. California: Stanford University Press, 1962.

Bhopal Essay

This case was created by the International Dimensions of Ethics Education in Science and Engineering (IDEESE) Project at the University of Massachusetts Amherst with support from the National Science Foundation under grant number 0734887. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. More information about the IDEESE and copies of its modules can be found at http://www. mass. edu/sts/ethics.  © 2008 IDEESE Project. Bhopal Gas Disaster Chronology The timeline below documents the incidents leading up to and resulting from the 1984 Bhopal Plant Disaster. Use the key below to quickly find information on government measures relating to specific organizations, Indian national legislation, casualties, and economic conditions and profitability. A timeline documenting ensuing legislation can be found at the end of the main chronology. Key brown = central (India), state (Madhya Pradesh), or city (Bhopal) government measures relating specifically to UCC, UCIL, Bhopal plant, or immediate neighborhood of plant green = general India national legislation relevant to conduct of business red = casualty-producing plant incidents violet = economic conditions relevant to Bhopal plant profitability ___________________________________________________________________________ UCIL= Union Carbide (India) Limited UCC= Union Carbide Corporation 956 Indian Parliament adopts Companies Act of 1956 which requires affiliates of foreign companies to register as separate companies under Indian law and imposes limits on foreign investment and participation in all Indian companies. Union Carbide reduces its share of ownership in its Indian subsidiary (then called National Carbon Company (India) Limited from 100% to 60% in accordance with new Indian law by registering as an Indian company and selling shares to Indian citizens. All but one or two UCIL board members, all UCIL executives, and all regular or seasonal employees are Indian nationals. 1966 Indian market for fertilizers and pesticides is expanding as government adopts a range of policies, including efforts to increase yields and reduce post-harvest losses of crops to pests, to make India self-sufficient in food. India had depended heavily on outside food aid in earlier part of the decade, and government wished to end this. The domestic production of pesticides in 1966 is 14,000 metric tonnes, well short of what the government wants to supply to farmers. Union Carbide India Ltd (UCIL) establishes a new Agricultural Products Division to take advantage of growing Indian market for fertilizers and pesticides. Initial activity involves only local formulation (diluting â€Å"technical grade† concentrate to make products for sale to users). UCIL applies for license to carry out the whole production process in India. 2 of 19 1968 Government of India approves UCIL plans to build fertilizer/pesticide formulation plant in Bhopal. State of Madhya Pradesh leases land in the Kali Parade area of Bhopal for the plant to UCIL on a 99-year lease in an area zoned for industrial use. The area around plant is relatively unpopulated at time though there are two lakes nearby and the main Bhopal railroad station was about 2 miles from the plant site. Total population of City of Bhopal is estimated to be about 300,000 (the 1961 census put it at 102,000 but considerable in-migration from surrounding countryside had occurred). Adoption of India’s 4th five-year plan, to run 1969-74. Plan goals include reducing â€Å"unwholesome dependency on foreign agencies,† particularly foreign corporations. The Plan outlines goals of requiring foreign investors to enter into joint ventures rather than establish wholly-owned subsidiaries, and reaffirms requirements to train and employ Indian nationals at all levels of operation, to use made-in-India equipment and components whenever they are available, and to transfer technology to Indian affiliates. These requirements meant that the government was strongly interested in having chemical plants located within the country develop capacity to undertake all steps from raw material through intermediate chemicals through final product on-site rather than relying on imported intermediates. 969 Bhopal plant begins operating. Initial operations consisted of making raw fertilizer and formulating (diluting to usable strengths) pesticides with US-origin â€Å"technical grade† chemical concentrates. UCIL industrial chemists develop a method of producing alpha-napthol that UCIL anticipates being able to scale up to economically competitive prod uction volumes. UCIL is reconsidering its business plan as the large-scale making of alpha-napthol turns out to be more challenging than it anticipated. Government of India begins pressing UCC and UCIL to have UCIL plants shift from formulation using US-source chemicals to full production in India. It makes issuing an operating license for the Bhopal plant conditional on its using domestically-made alpha-napthol. Government of India establishes National Committee for Environmental Planning and Coordination. 1970 1972 1973 Indian Parliament adopts Foreign Exchange Regulation Act 1973. Among other strong controls on flows of money in and out of India it establishes a scheme for government control over Indian firms’ decisions on hiring foreigners as employees or contractors. Indian Government approves UCC-UCIL Design Transfer Agreement and Technical Services Agreement under which UCC will provide the basic process design of a plant capable of producing SEVIN (a carbaryl pesticide used on cotton and other crops) and training for Indian operators of plant. Design Transfer Agreement limits UCC to provision of the process design and materials specification. Detailing the design and building the plant are to be undertaken by Indians nationals employed by or contracting with UCIL. Government also uses powers to license technology imports to guide selection of suppliers of components for plant to Indian firms as much as possible. 3 of 19 Engineers employed by UCIL who will be involved in plant design visit UCC Technical Center in West Virginia to earn about US plant specifications and start process of adapting them to India’s conditions. 1974 Indian Parliament adopts legislation requiring that Indian companies partly owned by foreigners reduce foreigners’ ownership share. For companies with 60% foreign ownership, the new legal maximum is 50. %. UCIL complies by the end of 1978 through sale of additional shares of stock offered only to Indians; these shares were held by 24,000 different persons or entities, with the Government of India itself holding 25% of UCIL stock. Indian Parliament adopts Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) and Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Acts. These establish the central government as the main standard-s etter while leaving enforcement to state governments. Both Acts increase penalties for causing pollution but do not specify any emissions or ambient standards. 975 New Master Plan for City of Bhopal establishes a separate district for â€Å"hazardous industry† in an open area 15 miles from center of town, and zone the area where UCIL’s plant has been constructed for commercial and light, non-hazardous, industry only. City authorities want UCIL to move its operations to this area. Indian Government licenses UCIL to produce up to 5,000 tons of carbaryl pesticides a year in Bhopal plant UCIL hires Humphreys and Glasgow Consultants Private Limited, an Indian subsidiary of Londonbased Humphreys and Glasgow, to detail the plant design and supervise construction. 976 Madhya Pradesh Town and Country Planning Board classifies the UCIL plant as â€Å"general industry† rather than â€Å"hazardous industry. † This allows plant to stay in its established location rath er than move to Bhopal’s new hazardous industry zone. Bhopal plant begins production of pesticides and begins $2. 5 million project to expand alphanapthol production unit to accommodate Sevin production. India hit by drought; farmers need loans from government to ride out the loss of harvests. They also cut back on pesticide purchases. 1978 Bhopal plant’s new alpha-napthol unit’s components fail soon after startup. 2 million reconstruction project begun. Production of pesticides continues using alpha-napthol imported from UCC’s US plants. 31 Oct 1977 4 of 19 UCC and UCIL decide to shift Bhopal plant to methyl isocyanite (MIC) process to produce SEVIN because parent UCC regarded this process as more economical and efficient than its previous way of producing it. New Bhopal MIC unit based on design of UCC’s MIC unit in Institute, West Virginia. (See separate page on alternative methods for production of SEVIN or similar carbamate pesticides. winter P rogress review of Bhopal project at UCC headquarters. Concerns about cost of building plant and reduced estimates of potential pesticide sales lead to consideration of whether Bhopal project can be scaled back. Decision is to continue as construction is too far advanced. Welding spark ignites nearby chemicals because welder unaware of and supervisor did not point out nearby flammables. Fire causes Rs. 6. 2 million ($730,000) in property damage, but no injuries to workers. 20 UCIL engineers sent to UCC’s West Virginia MIC plant for training in plant operation and safety. UCC engineers sent to India for pre-startup inspection of Bhopal plant report multiple deficiencies in safety measures. They also advise UCIL management of need to develop contingency plan for alerting and evacuating nearby population in event of major gas leak. UCIL management later reports it had developed such plans; city and state government officials claimed in 1984 that they were not aware of any such plans. UCC Eastern Division brings up question of Bhopal plant at a global strategy meeting because of concern that it, like Institute WV plant, is too large for the market. Proposals to export part of Bhopal plant’s production are not adopted because of potential negative effects on UCC subsidiaries in other countries. UCC sends 8 US engineers and technicians to Bhopal plant to assist with startup and early operation of MIC unit. 1980 Government loans to farmers come due. Farmers shift to less expensive pesticides. Many of the newer pesticides are synthetic pyrethroids that are also safer in Indian conditions than carbaryl types like Sevin. Indian Government upgrades National Committee for Environmental Planning to cabinet-level Department of Environment. Both national and most state governments (including Madhya Pradesh) have Pollution Control Boards to inspect and enforce environmental laws. March Government approves UCIL application to retain 1 UCC engineer through 31 May 1981; renews approval through 31 May 1982 and then to 31 December 1982. 7 of the 8 UCC engineers and technicians sent from West Virginia return home. The remaining engineer continues to serve as plant manager until June 1982, then remains as a consultant. 24 Nov 1978-79 1979 June 5 of 19 fall A second UCC engineer team visits the Bhopal plant and repeats warnings about ack of contingency plan. Rebuilt alpha-napthol unit started up; fails again and is shut down. Alpha-napthol imports continue. Bhopal plant returns a modest profit for the year. National census puts City of Bhopal population at 895,815. Significant populations of recent arrivals from the countryside have settled in shanty towns near UCIL plant. 1981 June UCIL/UCC review of Bhopal plant operation show s that the variable cost of producing alphanapthol in Bopal is 4x the US cost and the variable cost of producing SEVIN in Bhopal are 3. 5x US costs. UCC and UCIL are both aware that new-formula pesticides coming onto market in India and other countries are likely to reduce demand for SEVIN. UCC wants UCIL to import MIC from UCC plant in West Virginia; Government of India refuses permits because it wants the making of MIC undertaken in India. 24 Dec 1 supervisor and 2 workers exposed to phosgene leak during a maintenance operation; one of the workers dies from effects of phosgene inhalation. UCIL management says he was at fault for removing his gas mask; workers claim supervisors gave insufficient warnings. Accident reported to UCC; UCC response plan includes additional training and some design changes. 1982 uncertain 10 Feb Feb UCIL notes growth of shantytowns near the Bhopal plant and asks the city to establish a â€Å"greenbelt† zone around it to prevent further shantytown expansion. City does not act. 25 workers injured when a pump seal fails and significant quantities of MIC, phosgene, and hydrochloric acid gases escape into plant. Some treated on-site; 16 sent to local hospital Workers help a local journalist get into plant; he observes and writes about poor condition of plant and lax safety routines. Local newspaper publishes the story but its warnings that a massive leak is likely are ignored. India Labor Department investigates the Dec. 1981 fatal accident and recommends corrective measures. Bhopal plant is operating at less than half capacity because of weak market for its products. Local competitors making cheaper pesticides continue gaining market share. spring Either UCIL asks UCC to send engineering team to inspect plant, or UCC does on own initiative (accounts vary, usually consistently with author effort to show UCC was or was not in close control of plant during the post-disaster litigation). 6 of 19 2 April May 3 electricians suffer minor burns when one drops a screwdriver into an electrical panel and it shortcircuits. State inspectors recommend better insulation of circuits. UCC engineers inspect Bhopal plant, issue Operational Safety Survey on conditions in plant, warn there is real danger of a runaway reaction; suggest measures to avert danger UCIL management report s to UCC on follow-up, saying they will undertake all suggested measures, but do not act on the recommendation to increase the range of the firewater spraying system from 15 meters to 35 meters so it can reach the top of the MIC vent pipe. The last UCIL communication on followup, dated 26 June 1984, says all changes have been made except one to the SEVIN feed tank, which will be completed when the needed control valve is delivered in about a month. summer Jagannathan Mukund, Indian citizen trained at Institute WV plant, replaces US national Warren Woomer as plant manager. UCIL has to admit failure of efforts to scale up alpha-napthol production; alpha-napthol unit shut down as too unprofitable to run. Worker transfers begin. Aug Sept fall 6 Oct Splash of liquid MIC at plant injures a chemical engineer UCIL applies for extension of its Foreign Collaboration Agreement with UCC through December 1987 so it can continue importing alpha-napthol. Indian government approves UCIL application for renewal of Foreign Collaboration Agreement with UCC, but only to 1 Jan 1985. Leaks of MIC, hydrochloric acid, and chloroform injure 3 workers seriously enough to require brief hospitalization; 15 others less affected are given first aid at plant. Some panic in neighboring shantytown. State inspectors note several violations of normal operating procedures and recommend measures including red tags on equipment that should not be used. Labor unions complain to Madhya Pradesh Ministry of Labor about conditions in plant. Also begin occasional public demonstrations. Madhya Pradesh state labor ministry inspectors inspect plant but they are mechanical engineers with limited competence to assess safety of chemical plants. Labor Ministry officials do enter complaints with courts, but these will not be taken up for some time owing to long list of pending suits. Madhya Pradesh minister of labor says the plant is safe and berates opposition for its worries during question time in a December session of the state legislature. 31 Dec Warren Woomer, the last remaining American employee, leaves Bhopal plant. 7 of 19 1983 Various cost-cutting measures undertaken. Staff morale declines through the year as layoffs and resignations take effect. Experienced workers leave and are replaced by less experienced workers from other units of Bhopal plant or other UCIL plants. Madhya Pradesh State Pollution Control Board requires companies to declare what they are emitting into the air. UCIL declared carbon dioxide only, not the other gasses (including phosgene and MIC) that occasionally leak. Board lacks sufficient inspectors to follow up, even after animals die from drinking water from a stream just outside the plant polluted by fluid runoff from the plant. Sept. fall Dec. Chief of National Pollution Control Board visits plant area while in Bhopal. Orders UCIL to fix flaws in effluent evaporation pond that permit leaks onto adjacent land. UCIL complies. Proposal to salvage investment in Bhopal plant by converting part of it to produce new carbofuran pesticide and supply it to India and other markets are rejected as economically unfeasible by UCC. Jumper pipe connected between pressure valve header and relief valve header on MIC tanks to simplify maintenance. Bhopal plant manager Jagannathan Mukund given UCC safety award for operating 12 months without serious incident. 1984 Bhopal plant operating at 1/5 capacity owing to weak demand. Losses near $4 million since 1980. Successive reductions in personnel mean only 1 supervisor and 6 workers are present on each shift in the MIC unit (company guidelines state that the MIC unit should have 3 supervisors and 12 workers on each shift). Training of supervisors and workers has become less rigorous. April Madhya Pradesh government legalizes the shanty towns that have grown up just outside UCIL plant since 1978 by granting dwellers certificates of ownership of the land they occupy. Bhopal population estimated to be close to 900,000 and the shanty towns are notably larger than they had been in 1981. UCC approves UCIL proposals to write off the alpha-napthol unit, sell rest of Bhopal plant while retaining MIC unit, reduce UCC ownership share of UCIL to 40% so UCIL can be more independent. Neither the UCC share reduction nor the plant sale had been carried out by December. May June or July Bhopal Town Planning Board lists 18 factories as â€Å"obnoxious† and therefore to be monitored particularly carefully. UCIL’s Bhopal plant was not included on the list. Sept UCIL engineers inspect plant, report to UCIL top management that 1) gas scrubber is functioning poorly, 2) there are poor communication between plant production and maintenance staff, 3) workers lack instruction on what do in event of runaway reaction, 4) safety meetings are held only half as often as specified in company rules. 8 of 19 UCC engineers survey MIC plant in Institute, West Virginia. They report concerns about some aspects of plant operation there and possibility of a runaway reaction in the MIC storage tanks (larger than the tanks installed in the Bhopal plant). Oct UCC considers idea of dismantling Bhopal plant and shipping equipment to Brazil or Indonesia. Asks UCIL to draw up feasibility study and cost estimates. UCIL reports back 29 Nov. Question of what to do is pressing because the plant will have no source of alpha-napthol when UCIL’s Foreign Collaboration Agreement with UCC expires on 1 Jan 1985. 7-22 Oct Remaining phosgene and methylamine stocks at Bhopal plant are used up in making a last batch of MIC. 42 tons are put into Tank E610; about 20 tons into Tank E611. UCIL plan is to withdraw it a ton at a time In November and December and react it with alpha-napthol to produce SEVIN. The storage tanks are isolated and the MIC production unit is shut down for maintenance after the batch is finished; MIC unit production workers are assigned to other tasks. 31 Oct Curfew imposed in Bhopal after inter-communal riots sparked by news Sikh guards had assassinated Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Plant activities curtailed for several weeks because curfew affects ability of second shift to leave work and of third to arrive for work on time are affected. MIC drawn down in small batches. Nov last week of Nov. According to later testimony of plant workers, the position of second-shift maintenance supervisor was eliminated. Dec condition of plant safety systems at start of second shift Safety System vent gas scrubber (uses caustic soda to neutralize toxic gas exhaust from MIC plant and storage tanks before release thru vent stack or flare) flare (burns toxic gasses to neutralize them) Condition on 2 Dec 1984 on standby since MIC not in active production but could be activated b y plant operators in event of need insufficient capacity to burn large volumes of escaping gas; shut down in November for replacement of a corroded pipe; MIC process vents rerouted to the vent gas scrubber while repairs proceed shut down June 1984 and coolant (Freon) drained for use elsewhere in plant refrigeration system (keep MIC at temperatures of 0-5 degrees C (32 to 42 degrees F) where it is less reactive) firewater spray pipes (to control escaping functional but insufficient height to reach gasses, cool over-heated equipment or douse top of vent stack fires) 9 of 19 afety valve between MIC storage tanks and MIC holding tank in SEVIN production area operational; designed to hold MIC in at normal pressures and release it if pressure too high. There are 2 competing versions of events on December 2nd between 9 and 11 pm. The first is preferred by most authors who have studied the events; the second is offered by only a few. *See note at end for more information about the controver sy. Divergent accounts of how water entered Tank E610 Version 1: water-washing of pipes 8-9 pm Second-shift production superintendent orders MIC plant supervisor to flush several pipes running from the phosgene system to the scrubber via the MIC storage tanks. MIC unit workers are in charge of the flushing, but maintenance department is responsible for inserting the slip bind (a solid disk) into pipe above the water washing inlet as plant manual requires. These take 30 minutes-2 hours to install. The MIC unit workers were apparently not aware that installation is a required safety procedure, and slip bind is not installed first. Temperature of MIC in tanks is between 15 and 20 degrees C . 9. 30 Water washing begins. One bleeder valve (overflow device) downstream from the flushing was blocked so water did not come out as it was supposed to. It accumulated in the pipes. A worker shut off the water flow but the plant supervisor ordered that the washing resume. By then water had risen past a leaking isolation valve in the lines being washed and got into the relief valve pipe 20 feet above ground. by 10. 30 pm Water has flowed from the relief valve pipe through the jumper pipe into the process pipe through valves normally kept open. Water gets Water washing proceeded as described but none of the water used for washing traveled far enough down the right pipe to enter Tank E610. Version 2: sabotage 10 of 19 through an open blow-down valve that is part of the nitrogen pressurization system. It is unclear whether the valve had been left open or had failed to fully seal when last closed. Water then flows into tank E610 via a normally-open isolation valve. 10. 30-10. 45 pm Second shift goes off work; third shift comes on. Washing continues after second shift worker briefs third shift worker on progress of the job. around 10. 30 pm A disgruntled worker removes a pressure gauge on a pipe leading to Tank E610 and connects a water hose to the coupler. Water enters Tank E610 Shared account of responses to detection of problems 11 pm Third shift control room operator notices pressure gauge connected to Tank E610 has risen from a reading of about about 2 psi at the start of the shift to 10 psi. This is within the normal 2-25 psi range, so arouses no concern. Control room lacks any reliable way of monitoring tank temperatutre. about 11. 30 pm Workers in area notice MIC smell, see MIC leak near the scrubber. Find MIC and dirty water coming out a branch of the relief valve pipe on the downstream side of the safety valve, away from the tank area. They set up a water spray to neutralize the leaking MIC and inform control room personnel of situation and their actions. They then take their regular tea break, continuing to discuss the situation and what they should do next. 3 December about 12. 15 am Control room operator notices that control room pressure indicator for Tank E610 reads 25-30 psi about 12. 30 am . Control room operator notices that needle on pressure indicator for Tank E610 is pinned to the maximum reading of 55 psi. Control room operator goes out to tank area to check gauges on tank. While in tank area he hears a safety valve pop, hears rumbling in tank, and feels heat emanating from it. Returns to control room to engage the gas vent scrubber. Caustic soda does not flow as it should. A cloud of gas escapes from the scrubber stack. by 12. 40 am Plant supervisor suspends operation of the MIC plant, turns on the in-plant and external toxic gas sirens. External sirens audible in nearby neighborhoods are turned off after about five minutes. Operators turn on the fire water sprayers but water cannot reach the gas cloud forming at the top of the scrubber stack. Efforts to cool Tank E610 with the refrigeration system fail because the Freon had been drained. Gas escapes for about 2 hours. 11 of 19 efore 1 am Plant supervisor realizes that tank E619, the designated spare, is not empty, so workers cannot relieve the pressure in E610 by transferring any MIC to E619. by 1 am gas smell is obvious outside the plant; nearby residents awake at the time or awakened by noise and sm elling the gas odor start fleeing in panic. 1. 30 am Bhopal police chief informed of leak and panic by an on-duty officer who ran to his house; no significant police mobilization follows. about 2. 30 am Bhopal plant external siren for warning the neighborhood is turned on again about 3 am Army engineer units with trucks are mobilized after a retired brigadier general requests help evacuating workers from his factory near the UCIL plant (but not under the strongest gas concentrations). Army unit then expands operations to assist general populace by transporting injured to hospitals and clinics. Some mobilization of city ambulances. Medical personnel hearing of situation head to hospitals and clinics. before 8 am Madhya Pradesh governor orders closure of plant plus arrest of plant manager and 4 other employees. afternoon Head of India Pollution Control Board informed of accident. Efforts to learn details from Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board fail because phone calls cannot get through. Phone conversation with UCIL office in New Delhi (also unable to get phone calls through to the plant) provides some information about possible causes. ate afternoon Indian Central Bureau of Investigation takes control of plant and UCIL records there. CBI agents begins interviewing plant supervisors and workers; bar entry by anyone else, including other UCIL employees. Dec Many government offices and businesses in Bhopal closed; dead buried or cremated in accordance with their f amilies’ religious traditions; initial treatment of injured proceeds 18-19 Dec Under government supervision the MIC still in storage at the UCIL is plant is neutralized by combining with alpha-napthol to make finished pesticides. Local population leaves town as a precaution. 1985 July 1985-98 1994 1998 Madhya Pradesh government rejects UCIL application for renewal of operating license. Plant closed Some work on cleanup of plant site by UCIL. UCC sells its share of UCIL to McLeod Russell (India) Limited. McLeod Russell renames UCIL Eveready Industries India, Ltd. State of Madhya Pradesh takes over plant site from Eveready Industries. 12 of 19 *Note on the two versions of how water reached storage tank 610. Timelines of the alternate possibilities are constructed from the works of several Indian authors who collectively used interviews with plant staff, court depositions by plant staff, interviews with local residents and officials, UCIL executives and UCC technicians, and UCIL or UCC documents obtained during the post-disaster litigation. Most of the detail comes from Paul Srivastava, Bhopal: Anatomy of a Crisis (Cambridge, MA: Ballinger, 1987),and Sanjoy Hazarika, Bhopal: The Lessons of a Tragedy (New Delhi: Penguin Books India Pvt Ltd, 1987), who take different views but are careful to acknowledge areas of uncertainty. The initial exposition of the water-washing explanation was provided in an Indian government report, S. Varadarajan et al. â€Å"Report on Scientific Studies in the Factors Related to Bhopal Toxic Gas Leakage (New Delhi: Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Dec 1985). The sabotage theory was developed by consulting engineers from Arthur D Little, Inc. commissioned by UCC to investigate the causes. It was publicly laid out in Ashok S. Kalelkar, â€Å"Investigation of Large-Magnitude Incidents: Bhopal as a Case Study,† in I. Chem. E. Symposium Series No. 110 The Institution of Chemical Engineers 1988, p 561. Version 1 in the timeline, favored by local and international trade union representatives, local activists, the Indian government, transnational environmental and consumer organizations, and most technical experts (see Chemical and Engineering News 4 July 1988) is based on known water-washing activities. Proponents of version 2, favored by UCC after its investigators were able to visit the plant in early 1985, point out that the water washing occurred a good distance away from the storage tanks and there is no evidence water ran through the connections from the washing area to the storage tanks. They also point to evidence that the pressure gauge on the pipe leading into Tank 610 was noticed to be missing when tank area was surveyed before 10 am on Dec 3rd and a replacement gauge was installed. The most thorough summary of this version is Themistocles D’Silva, The Black Box of Bhopal 1993 who does state clearly that he was a UCIL employee – though not at the Bhopal plan t – in the 1980s. ) Even if sabotage were involved, no commentator thinks the saboteur was trying to cause a catastrophic gas leak; knowledge of safety hazards among the workers was spotty enough that very few of them understood the full effect of introducing water into the MIC storage tanks. The controversy was sharpened in the course of the extremely acrimonious litigation between the Government of India and UCC. UCC first raised the sabotage allegation in 1985 and repeated it in 1988 but never named the suspected saboteur. A worker believing he is the suspect publicly challenged UCC to name the suspect and denied that he had any involvement in sabotage. UCC planned to wait until the trial before the Indian Supreme Court to do so; out-of-court settlement made that unnecessary and it never publicly revealed the full basis of its suspicions. In a FAQ section of its website on Bhopal (www. bhopal. com) Union Carbide’s answer to the question of if there was sabotage why hasn’t the company named anyone, it says that the name is known to Indian enforcement authorities. While a useful way to avoid libel suits, the continuing refusal to provide a name response is interpreted as weakening UCC’s claim by those who reject the sabotage theory. Notice that the contending versions of events between 9 and 11 pm on December 2nd only provide different explanations of how water got into MIC storage tank 610. Everyone who has studied the disaster agrees that the injuries to neighboring residents were caused by an unneutralized cloud of leaked gas that escaped through the vent, and that the reaction producing this cloud was triggered by water contamination. Though the concrete shielding of the storage tanks cracked above Tank 610 (indicating that its temperature 13 of 19 got above 400 degrees F), the tank itself was found to be uncracked when inspected after remaining contents were neutralized and removed in mid-December 1984. There is no substantial disagreement about the conditions of the safety systems that night or on the responses of the supervisors and workers after the small MIC leak was noticed around 11. 30. Nor is there any significant disagreement about the inadequacy of contingency plans for in-plant response and evacuation of neighboring settlements, the poor communication about hazards with city and state authorities, or the insufficiency of warnings to surrounding settlements when the gas cloud formed. Descriptions of the extent and timing of action by city officials, state officials, army units in Bhopal, and national government officials also vary very little; controversy about government response is focused on the adequacy of actions in the days, months, and years following the disaster. 14 of 19 Bhopal Gas Disaster Chronology: Ensuing Litigation 985 March UCC and Government of India investigatory teams conclude independently that runaway chemical reaction causing MIC gas cloud was caused by water getting into Tank 610 Indian Parliament adopts Bhopal Disaster Relief Act making Indian government the sole legal representative for all victims of the Bhopal disaster. US Federal Dist rict Court consolidates all lawsuits pending in US about Bhopal gas leak into one case, Union of India v. Union Carbide Corporation. rest of year Victims and victim advocates complain about lack of effective relief. rest of year UCC stock declines; total stock value of company in December put at approximately $3 billion. UCC sells off assets (mainly petrochemicals and consumer product divisions) for $3. 5 billion and borrows $2. 8 billion to fend off $5. million takeover bid by GAF (General Analine and Film, another specialty chemical maker) 1986 Government of India lawyers and UCC lawyers begin discussion of an out-of-court settlement. Union Carbide proposes a settlement amount of $350 million under arrangements that it estimates will generate a fund for Bhopal victims of between $500-600 million over 20 years. Government rejects this offer as insufficient. Indian and foreign activist groups supporting victims have already publicized their own estimates contending that damages are at least $3 billion if loss of animals, loss of income from inability to work, loss of business in the weeks after the gas release, and related damages are also taken into account. April U. S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration proposed a $1. 4 million fine against Union Carbide Corp, based on results of its September 1985 inspection of five of 18 plant units at Institute, West Virginia. OSHA alleges 221 violations of 55 health and safety laws, listing 72 of the 221 as â€Å"serious† (the category for violations creating conditions in which there is substantial probability of death or significant injury. US Federal District Court rules on a preliminary motion in Government of India v. Union Carbide Corporation; invoking forum non conveniens doctrine it determines that trials relating to injuries suffered in the Bhopal disaster should be held in India. March May 5 of 19 Sept. Dec. Government of India proceeds against UCC in District Court in Bhopal, seeking $3 billion in total compensation for 630,000 persons in Bhopal area. Bhopal District court orders UCC to hold $3 billion in unencumbered assets as collateral while lawsuit pending. This to prevent consc ious a run-down of assets, rumors of which were rife in USA and India at the time. UCC offers $50 million, then $80 million in compensation, amounts derived from typical Indian settlements. Amounts widely criticized, viewed as insulting by victim groups, rejected by Government of India. 1987 Jan rest of year 1988 Victim lawsuits continue in Indian courts. State of Madhya Pradesh also files criminal charges against Warren Anderson, then CEO of UCC, and several UCIL executives or plant supervisors for their roles in causing the disaster. 1989 Feb Under prodding by Indian Supreme Court, UCC and Government of India agree to a $470 million settlement of all Bhopal gas leak-related claims. Supreme Court endorses settlement, making it binding on both parties. It also grants immunity against criminal charges arising from the gas leak. The $470 million is paid to the Government of India as sole legal representative of the victims. 36 special courts established in Bhopal to deal with applications for compensation Value of UCC stock rebounds somewhat with news of settlement. UCC CEO Robert Kennedy (replaced Anderson in 1987) completes reorganization of UCC into a holding company with 3 main divisions: chemicals and plastics, industrial products, carbon products. 1990 Oct 2 groups of victims file class action suits in Texas alleging that India failed to represent them adequately because of government agencies’ ownership of UCIL stock, and therefore did not secure them sufficient compensation. Consistent with 16 of 19 US Court of Appeals upholds US District Court ruling that Bhopal disaster litigation should proceed in India rather than the USA. UCC sells off last petrochemicals and consumer products divisions norms of mutual respect for court decisions, US courts refuse to review the Indian Supreme Court’s ruling. Nov. Government of Madhya Pradesh submits final list of names of victims to be compensated for injuries suffered in gas leak to Indian Supreme Court. Total deaths attributable to gas exposure put at 3,828. 1991 Oct Indian Supreme Court confirms compensation settlement, issues ruling modifying certain parts of 1989 judgment. These include UCC establishment of a trust fund to support a new hospital in Bhopal to treat victims’ ongoing health problems and revoking immunities from criminal charges. District Sessions Court in Bhopal reinstates charges of â€Å"culpable manslaughter not amounting to murder† and lesser charges relating to voluntary infliction of harm against Warren Anderson and 8 UCIL executives or supervisors. 1992 Apr 1993 Mar. NY Times reports that India has paid 700 Bhopal claims; government attributes delay to complexities of verifying the claims given chaotic record keeping at the time. Victim advocates blame on government incompetence. US Supreme Court declines to review federal court decisions in 1990 cases dismissing suits against India. UCC establishes the trust fund. Oct. 1994 Apr Nov Dec Indian Supreme Court approves UCC plans to sell its 50. 9% share of UCIL; proceeds to be given to Trust Fund for hospital in Bhopal. UCC completes sale of UCIL to McLeod Russell (India) Ltd. of Calcutta for approximately $93 million UCC provides initial payment of proceeds into Trust Fund. Ten-Year Impact of Bhopal Disaster on UCC year ending 31 Dec. 1984 total assets $10,518 million capital $7962 million year ending 31 Dec. 1994 $5028 million $2479 million 17 of 19 net sales net income R&D spending employees [from UCC annual reports] $9608 million $323 million $265 million 98,666 $4653 million $379 million $136 million 12,004 1999 Jan 2000 Mar Class action suit, Bano v. Union Carbide Corporation, filed in US Federal Courts by Haseena Bi and other organizations representing residents of Bhopal seeking compensation for gas-leak related injuries and for further harm from exposure to contaminants afterward under US Alien Tort Claims Act. US District Court dismisses Bano case UCC completed payments to Trust Fund, which now totals $100 million. Construction of hospital is complete and physicians and other staff being recruited. Aug 2001 Trust Fund-financed Bhopal Memorial Hospital and Research Centre begins treating patients. 2004 July Indian Supreme Court orders government to release all additional settlement funds to the victims. Indian newspapers reports after all claims were paid there was still about $327 million in the fund because of interest earned while the money was in escrow pending distribution. Indian nationals file Janki Bai Sahu v. Union Carbide Corporation in US Federal District Court. Suit seeks compensation for personal injuries claimed to be result of exposure to contaminated water and remediation work at former UCIL plant after the gas leak. Nov 2005 Apr Indian Supreme Court grants Indian Government Welfare Commission for Bhopal Gas Victims request for an extension of deadline on distribution of remaining funds and extends it to April 30, 2006. Indian newspapers report that approximately $390 million remains in the fund. US Federal District Court dismisses two of the three compensation claims raised in the Janki Bai Sahu case. Dec 18 of 19 2006 Sept Indian newspapers report that the Welfare Commission for Bhopal Gas Victims has completed paying out all claims to listed victims of initial gas leak. The Second Circuit Court of Appeals in New York upholds the dismissal of claims in Bano vs. Union Carbide Corporation. Federal District Court dismisses remaining claim in Janki Bai Sahu case. 2007 Mar A group of Indian citizens files a new class action suit, Jagarnath Sahu et al. v. Union Carbide Corporation and Warren Anderson, seeking compensation for damage to six individual properties allegedly polluted by contaminants from the Bhopal plant, as well as the remediation of property in 16 colonies [squatter settlements] adjoining the plant. Federal Courts issue a stay [suspension] of proceedings pending resolution of appeal in Janki Bai Sahu case as the issues in litigation are so similar. -end- Nov 19 of 19