Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Leadership Essay A Good Leader

Leadership Essay A Good Leader The Qualities Of A Good Leader Introduction Leaders have an important role within an organisation related to its success, productivity and the performance of the employees. The fundamental task of a leader is to build and maintain a high performing team (Furnham, 2005, p.566). However, Yukl (2013, p.18) argues that there are numerous and diverse definitions concerning the concept of a leader as well as the term leadership, although a general consensus appears to suggest it involves a process of influencing and guiding relationships within an organisation . Guirdham (2002, p.15) emphasises the importance of leaders having good interpersonal and communication skills, which as Yukl suggest involves the ability to persuade others. Yukl (2013, p.18) further states there are additional factors that contribute to good leadership such as the situational context and the use of power. Another issue regarding the characteristics of leaders is that many theories and models have been based on Western perspectives (House and Aditya, 1997, p.409) and typically based on research with white males (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, CIPD, 2008, p.7). There is some cultural crossover in servant leadership, which according to Northouse (2013, p.219), was originally proposed by Greenleaf in the 1970s, and also has origins in ancient Eastern and Western philosophies; for example, it is deeply embedded in Arab-Islamic culture (Sarayrah, 2004, p.59). A further concern is raised by Mullins (2008, p.265) who states that determining who is a good leader is a subjective judgement and cannot be based, for example, on financial performance alone. The aim of the following essay is to investigate whether certain characteristics are related to good leadership and which can be identified in theories and models of leadership such as trait theory, transformational and charismatic leadership as well as authentic and servant leadership. Finally, there will be a brief discussion regarding interpersonal characteristics such as emotional intelligence and communication skills. Theories and Models of Leadership Trait Theories Trait theories of leadership proposed that successful leaders possessed distinctive traits or characteristics that differentiated them from unsuccessful leaders and subordinates. As Northouse (2013, p.7) mentions there are common phrases in use in society such as he was born to be a leader or she is a natural leader which suggest that people tend to think good leaders are born and not trained. The concept of leaders having certain characteristics dominated research prior to the Second World War. It was thought that individuals could be selected for leadership positions if they showed the appropriate characteristics or alternatively that traits could be taught to leaders (Furnham, 2005, p.571). Popular books, such as Stephen Coveys book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, propose that certain traits or characteristics can be learned. Covey (2004, p.46) states that our character, basically, is a composite of our habits. Covey continues saying that habits are consistent, can be learned or unlearned and express an individuals character and how effective or ineffective they are (Covey, 2004, p.46). Covey suggests that effective people are proactive, have a clarity regarding their life-goals, manage themselves, value and respect other people, are empathic and encourage positive teamwork (Covey, 2004, p.65). The seventh habit involves taking time to sharpen the saw which Covey translates as meaning time to refresh physical, spiritual, psychological and socio-emotional dimensions of a persons character (Covey, 2004, pp.287-288). A number of characteristics and traits related to good leaders have been identified; for example, Smith and Foti (1998, p.147) undertook a study investigating the characteristics of emergent leaders and found that the traits of dominance, intelligence and self-efficacy were significantly higher in emergent leaders than other individuals who were not classified as emergent leaders. According to Furnham (2005, p.572), good leaders usually possess characteristics such as persistence, innovation and a willingness to take responsibility for their actions. Yukl (2013, p.146) similarly identifies certain characteristics related to good leaders which include a high tolerance of stress, emotional maturity, personal integrity, motivation and self-confidence. However, Furnham (2005, p.574) suggests that although there are numerous traits, there appears to be little agreement regarding which characteristics contribute to a leader being effective. According to Zaccaro, (2007, p.6) trait theories are not able to explain how leaders characteristics adapt to different situations and contexts and thus a major criticism of trait theories is that they do not consider the wider context of culture, society or the interactions with the characteristics of subordinates (Zaccaro, 2007, p.7). Examining the characteristics of good leaders implies that leaders innately possess certain personality traits although it could be suggested that some good leaders can learn through experience (Bryman, Collinson, Grint, Jackson and Uhl-Bien, 2011, p.78). The notion that good leaders can learn skills through a dynamic learning experience is supported by other researchers; for example, Rodd (2006, p.13) proposes that practitioners within the Early Years profession can become leaders through demonstrating increasing competence and by developing the personal skills necessary to become a leader. Daly and Byers (2004, p.7) suggest that good leaders will also ensure that employees have the opportunity for training and professional development which in turn may help them to become good leaders. Kolb (1984, p.25) similarly supports the idea of learning leadership skills through experience and suggests that learning involves a constant change of ideas, perspectives and opinions which are not fixed and thoughts are formed and reformed through experience and continually modified by experience. The importance of having a flexible approach is emphasised by Daly and Byers (2004, p.187) ensuring that the leader is adaptable and can implement new ideas or procedures when necessary. Even early theorists such as Taylor (1911, p.7) argued that good leaders are not born and required systematic training instead of being reliant on some unusual or extraordinary man. It is further argued by Zaccaro (2007, p.10) that because being a good leader is complex there is probably an interaction of the leaders characteristics as well as an interaction with the variables present in different situations and contexts. Theories such as Fiedlers contingency theory (Fiedler 1967, cited in Northouse, 2013, pp.123-125) were developed primarily with leaders in the military and focused on how compatible the characteristics and style of the leader were with a specific situation. Thus, effective leadership is contingent on matching a leaders style to the right setting (Northouse, 2013, p.123). A problem with both trait theories and contingency theories is that they appear to focus on the characteristics of the leader and do not consider the characteristics of, the interactions with, or the role of, subordinates. Contingency theory does not explain why some leaders are better in certain situations than other leaders and also how organisations deal with a mismatch between leaders and certain situations (Northouse, 2013, p.129). Transactional and Transformational Leaders Furnham (2005, p.588) suggests that transactional leadership can be defined as a contract between the leader and a worker where the leader achieves what they want by offering some sort of reward which is desired by the employee. There is typically a limited relationship between the leader as in certain situations (for example in the military) transactional leadership is necessary as certain actions need to be undertaken without subordinates questioning or debating issues (Bass and Bass, 2008, p.41; Bryman et al. 2011, p.55). Transactional leadership does not appear to be concerned with the characteristics of leaders and is more concerned with creating structures and systems which allow the sharing of information (Bryman et al. 2011, p.61). Transactional leadership depends on contingency reinforcement which means the subordinate understands that a reward will be received when performance goals are achieved (Bass and Riggio, 2006, p.8). Transformational leadership developed from the foundations of transactional leadership with four further characteristics namely; charisma and idealised influence which indicates that the leader is admired, respected, and trusted; inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and consideration towards individual workers (Bass, Avolio, Jung and Berson, 2003, p.208; McKenna, 2005, p.411). By showing an interest in the personal development of followers there can be a subsequent increase in performance and productivity as well as creativity and innovation subordinates can often be creative which can then have an impact on the competitive advantage of the company (Bass, et al 2003,p.208). Bass and Bass (2006, p.41) also suggest that transformational leaders usually believe and support the goals of the organisation and are able to articulate the goals to subordinates and engage their support and commitment. Other characteristics identified in transformational leaders is that they show consistent behaviour and tend to have a strong focus on integrity, ethical principles and values together with being flexible and able to adapt to change (Judge and Piccolo, 2004, p.755). McKenna (2005, p.408) states that transformational leaders have characteristics such as vision and are able to motivate and inspire subordinates to share their vision. As Sir John Harvey-Jones, MBE, who was the chairman of Imperial Chemical Industries from 1982 to 1987 and has recently helped failing business shown in a BBC television programme called Troubleshooter states:- The vision is absolutely key to getting your troops together. It has to be qualitative, daring and grab the imagination. The test of it should be how quickly people will latch on to where you are going†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ (cited in Mullins, 2008, p.261). The characteristics of transformational leaders are important in an organisation because they are viewed as a more effective leadership style than transactional leadership for example. Bass and Riggio (2008, p.10) suggest that many subordinates are very loyal to transformational leaders and are committed to the organisation so productivity increases and improves which Bass and Riggio (2008, p.10) suggest is one way of demonstrating the efficiency of the leader. The characteristics of transactional and transformational leaders are not mutually exclusive and there may be occasions when a leader has to show transactional characteristics as well as transformational characteristics. An example is cited by Bass and Bass (2008, p.51) which states that famous leaders such as John F. Kennedy and Abraham Lincoln displayed characteristics of both transactional and transformational leaders. Transactional leadership, for example, has been found to be more effective in a well-ordered, stable environment whereas transformational leadership is suitable in organisations that are changing rapidly such as in times of financial upheaval (McKenna, 2006, p.418). Characteristics of Charismatic Leaders As discussed previously, one characteristic of transformational leaders is charisma (Bass, et al. 2003, p.216) although there are some leaders who are characterised as being so charismatic that they are referred to as charismatic leaders. Chio (2006, p.24) defines charismatic leaders as having three additional, core characteristics which are an ability to predict future trends and be visionary; being a creative thinker, and showing empathy and empowering colleagues. According to House, 1977, (cited in McKenna, 2006, p.411) charismatic leaders can motivate subordinates to perform effectively without having to invoke their position of power; they have a vision and the ability to convince subordinates to support that vision. Further characteristics include determination, energy, self-confidence and ability; in addition they are not afraid to be unconventional (McKenna, 2006, p.411). Although charismatic leaders are unusual and exceptional in the business world, Hellriegel and Slocum (2007, p.240) use as an example Richard Branson who demonstrates the characteristic of both a transformational and a charismatic leader. Branson is characterised as someone who is prepared to follow his instincts and take risks, venturing into new territories (Boje and Smith, 2010, p.308). Branson has a flair for being slightly eccentric and is not afraid of being unconventional which Choi, as discussed previously, describes as a characteristic of charismatic leadership. Branson makes a clear statement about his company, Virgin, as being different, colourful, iconoclastic and fun-loving (Crainer and Dearlove, 2008, p.43). Bransons character appears to reflect the character of his company; for example, he appeared dressed as a Virgin bride and also abseiled down a skyscraper to promote his company (Business Pundit, 2011, n/p). The CIPD (2008, p.8) report that there is some dislike for the celebrity-like focus on so-called charismatic leaders. In the US a study investigated fifty-nine CEOs of Fortune 500 companies and investigated the link between charisma and performance over a ten year period and found there was no relationship (Tosi et al. 2004, cited in CIPD, 2008 p.8). A criticism made by Alvesson and Spicer (2010, p.9) claims that by endowing leaders with characteristics such as charisma, gives them a heroic and unselfish quality which enables them to persuade followers to pursue goals almost unquestioningly. Furthermore, Alvesson and Spicer (2010, p.64) maintain that some transformational leaders can be perceived as saint-like. Chio (2006, p.37) claims that frequently the positive aspects of charismatic leadership are emphasised and dysfunctional characteristics, such as the abuse of power, are often minimised. Chio (2006, p.36) reports that there can be very strong emotional bonds between a charismatic leader and their subordinates and in certain situations individuals may sacrifice themselves for the sake of the group to maintain harmonious relationships with others (Triandis, 1995, cited in Chio, 2006, p.36). Thus charismatic leaders can use their influence malignantly; for example, there have been reports of charismatic leaders of religious sects who are able to persuade followers to commit mass suicide. The CIPD (2008, p.8) also report on the dark-side of charisma and suggest that although some leaders may superficially appear charismatic they hide undesirable characteristics such as dishonesty and greed. By the time such characteristics are discovered the organisation and employees may have suffered irreparable harm. Research undertaken by Collins (2001, cited in CIPD, 2008, p.8) investigated common characteristics in US companies quoted on the Stock Exchange whose performance was outstanding. The findings indicated that common characteristics included an unshakable belief in their company and also a deep personal humility. These CEOs were not at all charismatic and appeared to be quite unassuming. Collins also noted that failing companies had a CEO with a gargantuan ego causing the company to fail (Collins 2001, cited in CIPD, 2008, p.8). Interpersonal Characteristics of Leaders. Characteristics of Authentic Leaders As discussed in the previous sections there have been concerns regarding unscrupulous leaders; for example, although they may appear to be charismatic they may in fact have exploitative motives (Bass and Riggio, 2008, p.5). Consequently there is a desire for leaders who are genuine and authentic (Bass and Riggio, 2008, p.xii). There appears to be some parallels between authentic leaders and servant leaders although currently there is limited research in this area according to Northouse (2013, p.235). Servant leadership focuses on the empathic characteristics of a leader towards subordinates and nurturing each employees talents and potential which is beneficial for the organisation (Northouse, 2013, p.233). Servant leadership proposes that leaders want to serve others and emphasises the altruistic characteristics of leaders who are focused on the needs of their subordinates (Greenleaf, 1977, cited in Northouse, 2013, p.219). The characteristic of the servant leader are numerous and the underlying principles involve the way in which the leader treats subordinates in terms of honesty and treating them fairly. A successful relationship between the servant leader and followers is a two-way process and followers must be accepting of the principles of empowerment and the opportunity to grow. A characteristic of leaders which seems to be related to good leadership is emotional intelligence. Goleman (1998, p.317) defines emotional intelligence as the capacity for recognising our own feelings and those of others, for motivating ourselves and for managing emotions in ourselves and in our relationships. Emotional intelligence involves five key factors; self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills (Goleman, 1998, p.9). It is argued that emotional intelligence is of benefit to leaders as it contributes to an awareness of their own emotions and how to regulate them as well as recognising emotions in others and having the social skills necessary to deal with other peoples emotions (Goleman, Boyatzis and McKee, 2001, n/p). Guirdham (2002, p.545) suggests that there are certain qualities that followers look for in leaders and that a leader does not automatically gain the respect from subordinates. However, such qualities vary with different situations and the type of subordinates who are expected to follow. Gaining acceptance as a leader is also more difficult where there is prejudice concerning gender, race and ethnic group, and disability. Guirdham (2002, p.545) states that in general to be accepted by subordinates the characteristics of the leader need to include knowledge, competence, status, identification with the group, motivation, being proactive in promoting the groups goals and good communication skills. As Sir John Harvey says:- You only get a company going where you want it to by leadership by example and by honest and endless communication (cited in Mullins 2008, p.261). Communication appears to be a very important characteristic of a good leader together with interpersonal relationships which is also related to emotional intelligence as discussed previously. It has been found that directive, coherent and positive communication is an effective style for leaders (Guirdham, 2002, p.550). However, other characteristics are also necessary such as trust, the way in which leaders try to persuade or influence followers and the way in which subordinates are encouraged to participate in decision making. Conclusion It can be seen from the evidence presented that identifying the characteristics of a good manager is a complex task as there are many different traits or personality characteristics involved. Additionally characteristics cannot be identified in isolation and the situation or context must also be considered. Early research, for example trait theories, focused on the leader and did not consider the role or characteristics of the subordinates. This would appear to be relevant in contemporary society as employees are more empowered than they were in the past and are therefore less likely to blindly follow a leader. Transformational and charismatic theories of leadership identify many positive qualities in leaders; however, there is the issue identified by many researchers of deceitful leaders who can cause a company to collapse as in the case of Enron and other similar examples. The characteristics of a leader need to be genuine and authentic and the theoretical perspective of servant leadership emphasises the caring aspect of leaders towards their followers. Typically servant leaders are altruistic and are concerned about the well-being of others. There are a number of characteristics which appear to be more important than others although it is difficult to isolate only a few. However, one characteristic that does seem to be high on the list for good leaders is good communication and interpersonal skills (Guirdham, 2002, p.550). References Alvesson, M. and Spicer, A. (2010). Metaphors we Lead by: Understanding Leadership in the Real World. London: Routledge. Bass, B.M., Avolio, B.J., Jung, D.I. and Berson, Y. (2003). Predicting unit performance by assessing Transformational and Transactional leadership, Journal of Applied Psychology, 88 ,207-218. Bass, B.M. and Bass, R. (2008). The Bass Handbook of Leadership: Theory, Research, and Managerial Applications (4th Ed) New York, NY: Free Press. Bass, B.M. and Riggio, R.E. (2006). Transformational Leadership (2nd Ed), Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., New Jersey. Boje, D. and Smith, R. (2010). Re-storying and visualising the changing entrepreneurial identities of Bill Gates and Richard Branson, Culture and Organisation,16(4), 307-331 Bono, J.E. and Judge, T.E. (2004). Personality and transformational and transactional leadership: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology 89(5) 901–910 Bryman,A., Collinson, D., Grint, K., Jackson, B. and Uhl-Bien, M. (2011). The Sage Handbook of Leadership. London: Sage. Business Pundit (2011). Retrieved on 10/10/2014 from: http://www.businesspundit.com/10-greatest-virgin-pr-stunts-of-all-time/ Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD, 2008). Engaging Leadership: Creating Organisations that Maximize the Potential of their People. London, CIPD. Choi, J. (2006) A Motivational Theory of Charismatic Leadership: EnvisioningEmpathy, and Empowerment, Journal of Leadership Organizational Studies, 13, 24-43. Covey, S.R. (2004). The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change. New York: Simon and Schuster Inc. Crainer, S. and Dearlove, D. (2008). The heart of leadership, Business Strategy Review, The London Business School, (Autumn), 41-45. Daly, M., Byers, E. and Taylor, W. (2004). Early Years Management in Practice: A Handbook for Early Years Managers. Oxford Heinmann Education. Furnham, A. (2005). The Psychology of Behaviour at Work. East Sussex UK: Psychology Press. Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R. and McKee, A. (2001). Primal Leadership: The Hidden Driver of Great Performance. Harvard Business Review, 44-51 retrieved on 9/10/2014 from: http://hbr.org/2001/12/primal-leadership-the-hidden-driver-of-great-performance/ar/1 Goleman, D. (1998). Working with Emotional Intelligence. London: Bloomsbury Publishing. Guirdham, M. (2002) Interactive Behaviour at Work (3rd Edition) Essex UK: Financial Times/Prentice Hall. Hellriegel, D. and Slocum, J.W. (2007) Organisational Behaviour (11th edition) Thomson South-Western. House, R.J. and Aditya, R.N. (1997). The Social Scientific Study of Leadership: Quo Vadis? Journal of Management, 23(3), 409-473. Judge, T.A. and Piccolo, R.F. (2004) Transformational and transactional leadership: A meta-analytic test of their relative validity Journal of Applied Psychology 89(5) 755-768 Kolb, D.A. (1984). Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. McKenna, E. (2006) Business Psychology and Organisational Behaviour, 4th edition New York: Psychology Press. Mullins, L.J. (2008). Essentials of Organisational Behaviour. (2nd edition). Essex, UK: Prentice Hall. Northouse, G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice. London: Sage. Rodd, J. (2006). Leadership in Early Childhood, 3rd Edition. Maidenhead, Berkshire: Open University Press. Sarayrah, Y.K. (2004). Servant leadership in the Bedouin-Arab culture. Global Virtual Ethics Review, 5(3), 58-79. Smith, J.A. and Foti, R.J. (1998). A pattern approach to the study of leader emergence. The Leadership Quarterly, 9(2), 147-160 Taylor, F.W. (1911). Principles of Scientific Management. New York: Harper Brothers Publishers. Yukl, G. (2013). Leadership in Organizations (8th edition). London: Pearson Education Zaccaro, S.J. (2007). Trait-based perspectives of leadership. American Psychologist, 62, 6-16.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Investigation on Enzymes :: Papers

Investigation on Enzymes Introduction Sam and Sarah planned and carried out an experiment to see the effect of pH on the activity of the enzyme amylase which breaks down starch into sugar. They decided to investigate 5 different pH's 2,4,6,8 and 10. 1. The used a measuring cylinder to measure out 5cm3 of starch and placed it in a test tube. They then added acid or alkali until they got to pH2. They checked this using indicator paper 2. They placed the test tube in a rack on the bench and added 5cm3 of amylase which they had also measured using a measuring cylinder. 3. Immediately, they took out a drop of the mixture and placed it on a spotting tile which had 2 drops of Iodine in it. They repeated this every 30 seconds until they knew all of the starch had been broken down, so they stopped. 4. They then repeated the experiment at the different pHs'. 5. They did the experiment 3 times for each pH Aim Sam and Sarah planned to discover the effects of pH on the activity of the enzyme amylase which breaks down starch into sugar. Prediction I predict that the pH that the enzyme will work best at is 8 because amylase is mostly found in the mouth and salivary glands. This area is normally slightly alkaline, so the pH that this enzyme would most likely work best at would be 8. Table pH 2 4 6 8 10 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 Time (Min) 17 15 15 9 8.5 8.5 7 8 8 6 5.5 5 9

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Widespread use of renewable energy

The first oil daze in 1973 raised worldwide concern about dwindling energy supplies. High oil monetary value was a mark of depletion worldwide energy beginnings. Since 1960s no large oil resources have been discovered in the universe. It suggested that universe oil production will make its extremum within one or two decennaries ( Lauber, 2005 ) . The rise in oil monetary values besides affected the developing states ‘ development programs, which demand big sums of energy for their early procedure of industrialisation. For developed states, the fluctuation in oil monetary values caused economic and societal jobs such as unemployment, trade shortages and higher rising prices due to their great dependence on oil import ( Seitz, 2008 ) . Since the industrialised revolution the ingestion of universe energy has been uninterrupted. With the modern-day universe population growing, energy demand is lifting at a rapid rate, particularly in many developing states with a deficiency of reso urces on their ain land. It is predicted that between 1997 and 2020 energy demand will increase 60 per centum, 120 per centum growing will happen in developing states, particularly in Asia ( Hill, 2004 ) . If this tendency continued, the environmental jobs would necessarily deteriorate even farther. As a considerable proportion of the universe energy, fossil fuels account for the premier beginnings of C dioxide emanations, which are chief subscribers to the planetary heating. Acid rain concentrated by acerb gases from fossil fuels, amendss ecosystems and corrodes human edifices. It is going a terrible job in Asia with the turning ingestion of fossil fuels as the procedure of industrialisation accelerates ( Seitz, 2008 ) . The quickly spread outing usage of gasoline-powered vehicles could do terrible urban smog and spit little particulates, which are the greatest menace to people ‘s wellness ( Jaccard, 2005 ) . Sanderson and Islam ( 2007 ) maintain that the way of economic development necessarily caused environmental jobs related to the overly usage of environmental resources and clime can besides impact some sectors of the economic system such as H2O resources, agribusiness, conv eyance and touristry, which are vulnerable to climate alteration. In general there are three major solutions for the turning energy demand and world-wide environmental jobs, each of which has its attractive forces. First fossil fuels can be used more cleanly and expeditiously, which could lend to a decrease in energy strength and cut down the emanations of nursery gases. Energy preservation can take consequence in short term and straight execute on present energy system without great passage. The economic system in the United States increased 30 per centum while the oil ingestion declined 20 per centum between 1977 and 1985 because the state used energy much more expeditiously ( Seitz, 2008 ) . Second, atomic power emits no air pollution which could greatly turn to the environmental jobs. France shifted to atomic as its major power of electricity in response to the energy crisis, and by 2005 it reached one of the universe highest rates by supplying 80 per centum of its electricity from atomic beginning ( ibid ) . Third renewable energy involves uni nterrupted energy beginnings and produces small pollution to the environment. There is immense potency in this new energy beginnings to run into much of the turning energy demand and bit by bit replace fossil fuels with equal support ( Middleton, 2003 ) . For every bit long as the planetary economic system continues to development and operate on the footing of limited energy supplies, the great demand for energy services in the hereafter would do terrible energy crisis. Increasing energy efficiency can assist to countervail the rise in energy demand, but it is improbable to turn to all the extra demands ( ibid ) . Furthermore, the environmental taint caused by fossil fuels will go on to necessitate options. Lauber ( 2005 ) maintains that while the present cost of salvaging one ton of C by increasing energy efficiency is well lower than by utilizing renewable energy to avoid emanations, renewable power will play a function in the long tally, energy efficiency can merely work out short term job. Besides the safety and atomic waste jobs, a important growing in atomic power usage would increase trust on imported U. Dependence on energy imports would still be a first job for states with a deficiency of resources. In add-on, the atomic begi nnings besides face energy crisis as it is shown that the known militias of U will merely last for 60 old ages by present counts. ( Traube, 2004, cited Lauber, 2005 ) . Therefore, renewable energy seems to be a better option based on its two outstanding advantages: infinite beginnings and small pollution. Renewable energy may be defined as energy generated from natural resources in the environment such as sunshine, air current, tides and geothermic heat, which are continuously replenished. Harmonizing to the definition renewable energy will ne'er run out. For this ground, renewable energy could be an ideal solution to the energy deficit job. Additionally, renewable energy does non bring forth pollution straight, which will relieve the serious planetary environmental impairment. Renewable energy is really already in widespread usage: approximately 20 per centum of universe ‘s electricity production comes from hydroelectric dikes ; in many developing states biomass provides the lone power for cookery and warming ; India and China both have primary air current power electricity programs, with 2,000 megawatt marks ; Some Middle Eastern states are seeking to research the H production powered by solar energy as a long-run option to dependence on exporting oil ; The large-scale federal authorities in the United States received increasing R & A ; D support for renewable energy after the 1974 oil daze ( Elliott, 1997 ) . The widespread usage of renewable energy in many states clearly shows that the publicity of renewable energy engineerings provides great advantages for both rich and hapless states. In industrialised states, solar or weave energy necessitate extremely skilled and knowledge-intensive employers, which will be an drift to a new occupation hunting inclination. Using biomass with more efficient engineerings for cookery and warming in developing states where the biomass is normally used inefficiently and prodigally can convey big benefits such as a decrease in deforestation. Examples are the widespread usage of improved wood and wood coal cooking ranges in Kenya every bit good as the production of ethyl alcohol from sugar cane in Brazil ( Aˆmann, Laumanns and Uh, 2006 ) . However, â€Å" one renewable beginning may bring forth small or no pollution, but have other inauspicious environmental and societal consequence † ( Hill, 2004, p.325 ) . Hydroelectric dikes generate low nursery gas emanations but affect both up- and down-stream ecosystems and coerce many people who live along the river into taking from their places. Solar power does non bring forth direct pollution. During the procedure of fabrication and transporting solar panels, energy storage and keeping machines, nevertheless, pollution will be generated. Renewable energy has to confront three challenges in its practical application. First, the beginnings of energy are non uninterrupted. For illustration solar power can non be accumulated at dark and lupus erythematosus is generated on cloudy or showery yearss with small sunshine ( Hill, 2004 ) . The job with air current power is that the air current may non be blowing when and where it is needed. Therefore the large-scale storage of solar and weave energy is necessary and needs both proficient and fiscal support. Second, renewable energy has comparatively low energy denseness. Take the instance of solar energy, to run into the big energy demand, big countries of land are required to be covered with solar panels. Harmonizing to the US Electric Power Research Institute, to run into 25 per centum of America ‘s electricity demand about 6000 square stat mis of solar farms, an country peers to the Connecticut State, are needed ( Hill, 2004 ) . Biomass energy will confront the same ch allenge. Large land countries used for biomass energy demand to stay forested. This could do land-use struggles because the important growing of the universe ‘s population will necessitate increasing nutrient production and more land dedicated to agribusiness. There is a tradeoff between the two methods of land usage ( Jaccard, 2005 ) . The 3rd challenge involves inconvenient location of power workss. Large-scale solar power workss need to be located in countries with plentiful and long-time sunshine. The best air current power need the energy sites with reliable and strong air currents. These locations are normally far from energy ingestion centres. Transporting the power to clients requires substructures and complicated power line organisation. Peoples normally do non desire power lines near their places or schools and a deficiency of transporting substructures are all obstructions to the existent feasibleness. There are besides political and finicky barriers to the acceptance of renewable energy system. Many authoritiess prefer conventional fossil fuels to renewable energy â€Å" due to tradition, acquaintance, and the size, economic strength, and political clout of the conventional energy industries † ( Geller, 2002, p. 43 ) . In developing states loans for building renewable energy undertakings have been rejected by the World Bank and many-sided development Bankss due to their little undertaking graduated table, strangeness with the engineerings and higher investing hazard ( Martinot, 2001, cited in Geller, 2002 ) . In decision, despite those barriers and disadvantages, the widespread usage of renewable energy meets the demands of sustainable development in a long term. Whether in footings of increasing energy efficiency, switching to atomic power or developing renewable energy beginnings, the future effects can non be evitable. Even though renewable power engineerings were in most instances non to the full competitory commercially and the switch to renewable energy system will take a long period, their costs had the possible to fall quickly, and by 2020 should be able to surpass fossil fuels ( Lauber, 2005 ) . Nuclear power was evaluated as being more expensive than renewable energy and as keeping small opportunity of cost decreases in the hereafter. At the present phase different beginnings should be used together and the development of renewable energy should be given more accent.MentionsAˆmann, Dirk, Laumanns, Ulrich and Uh, Dieter ( 2006 ) Renewable Energy: a planetary reappraisal of en gineerings, policies and markets London: Sterling, VA: Earthscan.Elliott, D. ( 1997 ) Energy, Society and Environment: Technology for a Sustainable Future. New York: Routledge.Geller, Howard ( 2002 ) Energy Revolution: Policies for a Sustainable Future. Washington, DC, USA: Island Press.Hill, Marquita K. ( 2004 ) Understanding Environmental Pollution ( 2nd ed. ) . Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.Jaccard, Mark Kenneth ( 2005 ) . Sustainable fossil fuels: the unusual suspect in the pursuit for clean and digesting energy Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.Jamie Sanderson and Sardar M.N. Islam ( 2007 ) Climate alteration and economic development: SEA regional modeling and analysis. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.Lauber, V. ( Ed. ) ( 2005 ) Switch overing to Renewable Power: A model for the twenty-first Century. London, GBR: Earthscan Publications.Middleton, Nick ( 2003 ) The planetary casino: an debut to environmental issues ( 3rd ed. ) London: Arnold.Seitz, J L ( 2008 ) Global Issues ( 3rd ed. ) . Blackwell: Malden MA ( USA ) .

Friday, January 3, 2020

Becoming American By Film Review - 931 Words

Nashali Paulino Pysch 325 Becoming an American â€Å"Becoming American† is short film that informs the viewer about the process of immigrants getting jobs in America. Immigrants both gain and lose many aspects of what make them who they are when coming to America. This film teaches many things that people don’t probably know about Hispanic immigrants and allows others to understand what immigrants stand for. Immigrants take up a decent portion of the population in the united stated. People from near and far flock over to American to try to achieve the American dream. This basically means they are trying to obtain better opportunities found in the United States that cannot be acquired in their home countries. In the short film â€Å"Becoming American† we learn that the main reason why immigrants, especially Latinos go to American is to work to support their large families. Coming from a family immigrants, I know that concept family is everything and like the people in the film demonstrate important measures should be done to support your family. However one important fact that I didn’t know prior to seeing the film was the idea that most immigrants are quite healthy. Although I do not tend to generalize specific races or types of people, American media often portray immigrants as being a negative thing. However we learned from the film that immigrants bring important values with them from other countries such as maintaining proper health and a strong family. According to the filmShow MoreRelatedCadillac Records1086 Words   |  5 Pages  The film Cadillac Records is a biopic that retells the story of a few major RB artists during the 1950s and 1960s. The film mainly focuses on the characters Muddy Waters and the Leonard Chess. The film later includes other famous artists such as Chuck Berry, Etta James, and Little Walter. 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