Saturday, August 31, 2019

Event Planning and Management

Thinking about who will be there, what the environment will feel like, the food hat will be catered, the activities that will go on, and the souvenirs are all part of what gets an event planner excited when creating events. Lights, camera, action! The pharmaceutical company Is excited to host an event providing to their customers. The anticipation will be built by making fliers, making invitations, posting online, and of course, word of mouth. The first time the event becomes Justas thought is probably almost Just as excellent as when the event Is actually happening.It creates imagination and hope for the exact image of what the event is going to look like. The pharmaceutical company is looking forward to targeting out to those who are in the medical fled or at least have Interest In the medical field so these people can network with one another. The start of the planning will be the most fun and most stressful time as the company will need to look into the budgeting and participatio n of the event. Dealing with the event Itself Is one thing. But dealing with the people of the event is another.It is important to look into where the attendees will park, the cost of the parking, and how to deal with the entrance and exit traffic. The hermetically company will have to get together with a parking company. When the guests arrive, the flow of them entering the event will be an issue as well, so it will be important for someone to control the flow of arrival. We would like the atmosphere of this event to be casual for the guests to feel comfortable enough to speak with one another without feeling too awkward.The temperature of the room will lean towards on the cooler side so it will allow the guests to walk around a lot and not sit down too much. Temperature affects what a person feels like doling_ If It Is too hot or too cold, nobody wants to be there. However, if it is too comfortable, no one would want to do anything. A nice chill breeze would motivate the guests to want to get up and participate In activities. The food and beverage that will be catered out to this event would be cocktails and small appetizer in which the servers would be walking around servings to the guests.If it were a sit down plated entree, it wouldn't allow the guests to Interact much with everyone. Of course, there would be enough tables and chairs for all guests to sit down, relax and have good conversation with one another. It is never fun to have an event full of strangers and having the host of the vent create awkward Ice breakers. The important part of an event Is the connection strangers have with one another after attending the event by sharing a common ground.As for the pharmaceutical company, the best type of activity for the attendees and their guests Is to have slideshows of what their company Is about, raffles, trivia questions pertaining to the medical field, a comedic emcee, and a mingle hour, In which the guests will have a chance to talk to each other an d ask another, perhaps sometime in the middle of the event, a dance session with a DC would be fun and appropriate. The show is over and now it is time to thank the guests and have them remember this special event.A photo booth will be located inside the venue having costumes and accessories to wear so the guests can have fun with the pictures. Aside from pictures, memorable mugs and water bottles with the logo of the company will be printed on the outside will be given out to every guest attended. Since the importance of the event is for the guests share their experiences, the six â€Å"As† are all important and crucial for this event. The eagerness of the pharmacists, their customers, and guests, the flow of the traffic of the event, the environment, the food, the entertainment, and the gifts.These are the crucial aspects of the event and allows the guests to look back and remember this certain day. Professional events are Just like any other social gathering, yet there are special procedures to keep in mind. Event coordination is a core competency required for professional event management. This presentation examines the techniques and procedures required for producing a successful and sustainable event. This paper will help you determine the needs and resources of an event and implement the logistics and operational procedures to ensure a safe and enjoyable event experience for all in attendance.In addition, the information may ensure repeat business with the same happy client. It helps greatly to enlist the services of a professional event coordinator. Professional event coordination is the integrated implementation of all the operational and logistical requirements of an event, based on the scope of event elements included in the event design. It is the Job of the professional event coordinator to package and manage that event experience. But how does one decide on the appropriate coordinator to help with the party at your business?Fortunately, th ere are many reliable and licensed professional event ordinate's likely very close to your home or business. There are numerous ways to approach the details inherent in a professional event that allow the professional event coordinator to ensure that attention is given to the entire scope of the event and that it is structured and thorough. One resource is a framework for the Event Management Body of Knowledge, the International EMBODY Model, devised by a coalition of experts in event management (www. Embody. Org).This framework includes a definition of the phases, processes, and core values of event management, as well s the functional areas and categories to which these are applied. It is the functional domains that provide a systematic and comprehensive approach to the responsibilities and opportunities associated with professional event coordination. Some of the key areas for a particular event include administration, or the financial, human resources, information, procurement, stakeholder, systems, and time management necessary for the party.In addition, design is also crucial. This entails the content, entertainment, environment, food and beverages that are available, production, program, and theme development and management. Next, the coordinator will need to keep a keen eye on marketing for the event, including the plans, materials, merchandise, promotions, public relations, sales, and sponsorship (donor) management for the venue. This can also lead to the important area of operations, or attention to the appropriate attendees, communications, the event.And lastly, the leader will need to be cognizant of all the applicable risks inherent in producing an event of the scope you are planning, such as the requisite compliance, decision, emergency, health and safety, insurance, legal, and security management. If, for example, an event planner were preparing a party for a work function at a local pharmaceutical company private after-hours party for group of 200 important customers, they would need to take into consideration all of the points raised above.If the pharmaceutical company wanted to highlight certain elements of local design and regional pain to the party, this may include a detailed discussion with the party event coordinator. For instance, if the Corporation were located in the southwest of the United States, they can hold their event at a popular museum located in the area. Furthermore, they could feature delicacies that speak to the regional Tex-Mix flare. Next, the event coordinator will need to prepare a proposal for your event.This must take in to consideration the various elements that make up a successful party plan. These need to incorporate the six established guidelines for party functions, including anticipation, arrival, atmosphere, activity, appetite, and amenities. Collectively, these are known as the 6 As of a successful event. We will approach each one in turn. The first is the anticipation of the event. It is human nature to want something to look forward to. The first dimension of the event experience is the anticipation created with the announcement of the event.You might create the foundation for an entire marketing strategy, such as with an incentive program, or set the stage for a spectator spectacle such as an entertainment or sports event. You are thereby establishing expectations and building excitement for the event through the initial communications. The invitations, notices, brochures, publicity, advertising, and/or promotions that will create this anticipation must be planned from the very inception of the event and incorporated into the budget and the timeline.These materials must be designed to prepare the individual for the event experience. They must be timed appropriately to reach the recipient in enough time to inform, yet should not be so early that the anticipation wanes. Sometimes numerous impressions will be required to build and sustain anticipation. When the c oordinator is through with her plan for the party, your guests will be chomping at the bit to attend the big party! Next, you will need to be prepared for all the guests to arrive at your fun event. The Journey begins the moment the decision is made to attend an event.Plans are armed, tickets are purchased, reservations are made, schedules are established, and hundreds of other personal and professional details are put in motion in order for the attendee to arrive at the right time and place for the event. As the professional event coordinator, you may or may not be responsible for arranging such details for the attendee or guest, but you should consider all these aspects to determine what you can do to facilitate the logistics of the arrival. Plans should be put in place to help facilitate the arrival of your guests.This includes transportation from their home location to the destination of the party. This should also incorporate information for any attendees who may be traveling f rom a course you Just want to feel welcome as they reach their destination and as you your responsibility to make them feel as comfortable as possible. Many aspects of a frustrating travel experience could be mitigated with a warm welcome that redefines that first impression. This can include anything from welcome signs and personnel at the airport and banners around town to a welcome basket in a guest's hotel room.You want to communicate that the travelers are in the right place and you are glad they are here. In addition, there should be plenty of easily read signs to help your guests noted then arrived at the correct location. Creation of welcoming entrances is also helpful to keep your guests on the right track. Next, you will want to consider helping your attendees navigate the party location and area. This is all part of a successful atmosphere for your party. The atmosphere of an event relies on the physical environment, both inherent in and imposed on the venue or event site .Each component of the physical site, from theme dcore and props to the location of the toilet facilities, will have an impact on the experience and alp your attendees feel right at home while they are visiting with you (Allen, 2009). Next, you want to be sure to have ample and appropriate events planned as activities at your event. It may be as simple as conversation with fellow guests or as complex as a showy multimedia production incorporating music, dancing, laser shows, ceremonies, and interactive demonstrations.It may be passive, with the attendees or guests as spectators, or it may be active, with the guests participating in the action. The task for the professional event coordinator is to incorporate and hieroglyph the appropriate activities so they increase the value of the event experience. Whatever the case, it is crucial to have exciting plans the guest to participate in all at your party. Of course, your guests are going to want to eat something while they attend your e vent. Food service must be incorporated into the event plan so that it meets the needs of the guests and serves the purpose of the event.It should never be an afterthought. Consider the comment of a disgruntled guest leaving a hospitality reception after seeing the long lines at the buffet: â€Å"Even free food is only worth so such. † Different guests will have different requirements as far as their dietary needs. It is the responsibility of the event coordinator to determine these needs well beforehand and make sure they are fully met at the party. Finally, you have presented a great party and the event has been an overwhelming success! Once the event is over, all that is left are the memories.These memories can be enhanced through the employment of layers of detail and numerous tokens of acknowledgment and appreciation. These details do not necessarily need to be costly; they Just need to be thoughtful. These are the niceties and features of the event experience that add t o the comfort of the guest and provide a physical reminder of the great time that they had at the event. Congratulations on a Job well done! Keep in mind that hiring a company for your party services may appear like sound advice, but it's almost as easy to underestimate how professional staff can undermine the intimacy and rapport of a party.It may be irrational, but it's hard to fight against human nature and some guests wont be able to maintain the same type throughout the room. For events where intimacy is an important component of the verbal ambiance, a professional party planner is an incredible resource to minimize the intrusion of commonplace party chores (Pickett, 2012). As you are such a success at your last party, many local individuals are interested in contacting you for your services. Your reputation as even caught the eye of your town's mayor.This elected official wishes to use your services impressive investiture ceremony and inaugural ball six weeks from now. Given w hat you have learned from your last event, you're sure that you will be able to provide an exciting an innovative plan to celebrate the mayor's recent election victory. We will need to revisit the 6 As from the last event to help us plan the party. Remember that the first area for a successful event is always anticipation. As mentioned previously, this includes providing buzz for your event and sending out appropriate invitations to those on the guest list.The mayor wishes to incorporate his campaign issues of supporting youth programs, strong law enforcement, and certainly, we can help him with that agenda. It may make sense to offer but representatives from the local youth programs also attend the event. You may also ask them to bring banners or posters the highlight the points of their youth orgasm. This can also help reminded voters your attention to the local community and the mayor's support for community pride. As your guests arrive at the event, you will want to repeat the s uccess of your last party.This may include facilitating their transportation to and from the event site, as well as arranging accommodations for any out-of-town attendees. An elegant welcoming sign is an excellent way to show your guests that they are appreciated and welcome at your fancy event. You may also want to position the mayor at the entrance your party to shake hands with notable high profile guests that have chosen o attend. The next step is to coordinate the atmosphere of your party. Here is a place for you to really shine. You may choose to set up clearly labeled photographs of the law enforcement from your local area.These photographs can highlight some of their exceptional work and dedication service to help your town. As before, you can include members of local law enforcement to attend the party as well. They will be able to provide a visual example how the Mayor supports the police in his given community. Now, as we considered previously, your guests may want to hav e delicious food and drink to enjoy at the party. This is an exceptional way to highlight several local and communication favorites to help with the catering.

If You Have to Ask and Pleasant Personality Essay

1.What Is A Pleasant Personality? No matter what you create in life before you can create it you have to know and understand what it is that you are creating. If you are not consciously creating then you will create through default with the outcomes being random, unpredictable and often unpleasant. A personality is your set of characteristics which is made up of your attitudes, your beliefs, your knowledge, your perceptions, your behaviours, your interests and other personal traits that you hold. Your personality communicates your quality as a person . Your pleasant personality distinguishes you and is what makes you appealing to others. We have all met and interacted with those who have unpleasant personalities and have experienced the upsets created that come from our exchanges with them. In order to consciously create your pleasant personality you must first be aware of what your attitudes and behaviours are towards people and life. You have to take ownership of your knowledge rather than pretending not to know or worse, refusing to acquire knowledge and skills . You have to examine your beliefs and your attitudes . Further, what mood level do you operate in? Can you move easily through the different moods or are you chronically stuck or fixed in a low mood level or in the pretense of a high mood level that you really don’t feel? 2. Your Pleasant Personality  Your pleasant personality is defining you for those with whom you come in contact or interact with. What do you want people to know about you? How do you want to be perceived by others? What characteristics do you have? Are you helpful? Are you an inspiration to others? Do you have a sense of humor? Are you dependable? Are you empathetic? Are you friendly? Each of us has a unique blend of characteristics that contribute to our individual personalities. Draw on the best of these characteristics, the most positive of them and use your attributes and abilities to create your own, one of a kind, pleasant personality! Make a list of them if you have to. Your pleasant personality will shine through whatever identity you are wearing, be it your business identity, your spousal identity, your parental identity, your friend identity or any other number of identities you wear as you play your games in life. You may not wear the same identity to MacDonald’s as you would to the Four Seasons but your pleasant personality will co-ordinate with any identity that you consciously and purposefully choose to wear. 3. Why Develop A Pleasant Personality? You can be the smartest person in the world and you can be willing to tackle whatever task is at hand but if you have failed to develop a pleasant personality you will be hard pressed for an audience and it is unlikely that you will be chosen as a vital member of a team. It is therefore vital that you develop a pleasant personality. It is essential as you go out and about in life that you be aware of what your personality is saying and demonstrating about you. Whether you like sales or not every time you interact with another or others you are giving a sales pitch. You are building a reputation and you are telling others who you are not just by your name but by the knowledge you have and the level or responsibility you take for that knowledge. Of equal importance is the personality you use to convey your messages to others. 4. What Are The Consequences Of Having A Pleasant Personality? From the above you will have identified the characteristics of your pleasant personality. If you find that your personality has been predominantly unpleasant ask yourself, â€Å"What have been or could be the consequences of having an unpleasant personality? Keep asking yourself that question until all the consequences of having an unpleasant personality have been brought to view. Then, with your identified characteristics of a pleasant personality ask yourself, â€Å"What have been or could be the consequences of having a pleasant personality? Keep asking yourself that question until all the consequences have been brought to view. If you find that you already have a pleasant personality your having defined the characteristics of that personality will allow you to take full ownership of and empower your pleasant personality. Ask yourself, â€Å"What have been or could be the consequences of having a pleasant personality? Keep asking yourself the question until you have viewed all the consequence thereby acknowledging yourself while raising your confidence level. Having a pleasant personality and using it to its full extent will empower you in life and it will serve to empower and inspire others. Then, as Dr. Seuss so aptly put it, â€Å"Oh the places you will go.†

Friday, August 30, 2019

Night VS. Maus Essay

Libraries, bookstores, and even school classrooms are swamped with many explanations of the Holocaust. So many survivors have a story to tell, so many people have a point to make, and so many more people simply want to try to understand the horror, or maybe help others to understand it better. Elie Wiesel’s Night and Art Spiegelman’s Maus are two greatly admired works of art which are flooded with the shocking dreadful summary of the Holocaust works. During the tenth grade one of my favorite books was Maus. Another one of my beloved stories was Night. Although they are very different, they also have similarities. Art Speilgman’s Maus is a comic book and it tells the tale of Vladek, Art’s father. Vladek and his wife Mala are survivors of the terrible tragedy known as the Holocaust. Throughout the story, it tells all about Vladek going through life’s trials and tribulations. There are even parts of Vladek’s story that he doesn’t want Art to tell. I personally believe Art wasn’t wrong for telling them anyway because why would he tell some of the story but not all? I think skipping parts would mess up the flow of the story. On pages 85 and 86 of Maus is the â€Å"Hanging scene.† This is a very important scene because both books have a hanging scene. In Maus, Anja’s father comes into the room with a horrific look on his face and says â€Å"They just arrested my friend, Nahum Colon, and his son.† In Maus, you see how the emotions in the words. In Night, it is much darker and cruel because you feel worried when you read it. You have to i magine what the expression on each person’s facial expression is. Maus’s hanging scene embraces the reader to understand better and show how serious the Holocaust really was in my opinion because in Night only the people who know of the hanging are the people at the concentration camp, where in Maus everyone in the street knows. Though both books have lots of similarities, there are also many differences. Maus is a graphic, â€Å"comic book† novel while Night is a regular book. Even though both story tellers were at the same place, they were treated differently. The survivor in Maus had used skills like using a different language and disguising himself. Vladek could speak Polish, English, and German. He also used his skills he picked up from working elsewhere to mend shoes. While in Night Eli was only  a child at the time and he was trying to do basic work and keep his father going. Elie was manipulated easily by other Jews. The other Jews would tell him to just abandoned his father and fend for himself and he began to think that he should do it. Elie also didn’t have any plugs or connections to ensure his safety or to get a good job but, sometimes he did get lucky. Another contradictory feature that differs is the relationship between Art and Vladek in Maus, and Elie and his father in Night. Vladek always seemed to need Art around to stay with him and help him to deal with his health issues, but Art didn’t hastate in say no. Art was married and wanted to embrace his relationship with his wife more than he did with his father because Vladek was self-centered and did what he wanted to do at all time. He loved being there for his father, but didn’t want to deal with his ways. Unlike that with his father, Elie always took it upon his to be there for his father through everything. Elie’s father meant the world to him and when things was wrong Elie blamed himself for not doing more than enough to keep his father up and in shape to stay up with him. The relationships between Elie and his father were a lot closer than Vladek and Art because Elie’s father was all he had left, so he didn’t want to risk losing all that h e had.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Aircraft accident Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Aircraft accident - Term Paper Example The victim had serious burns on the face, stomach and hands. The other body parts had minor burns and stretch marks.   His shoes were scattered on the left hand side of his body and this tells that he dropped dead from the aircraft.   There were no signs of the victims trying to escape. The first victim was later identified as Mark Henderson. Body 2 was found towards to the tail of the aircraft just a few inches from the cockpit. The victim appeared to be a female adult aged 30-40 years. She was wearing a blue checked trouser and a sky blue top with long sleeves. The victim had severe burns on the face, back and hands. The other body parts had numerous bruises. There was a lot of blood oozing from the head and left arm. The victim was later identified as Jean Rhodes. No further evidence in form of body parts, clothes that was found to indicate the existence of the third person. The Forensic team was satisfied that the victims of the aircraft accident were two, a male and a female aged 30-40 years and having been on private jet, the victims might be probably be a couple on a vacation trip. According to the NTSB 830 reporting and preservation of aircraft wreckage, the jet crash site is fatal due to the death of the passengers on board. In addition, the death occurred during a flight. The lead investigator of NTSN arrived at the crime scene at 1440; two minutes earlier after our arrival, hence had no information on the initial happenings to the accident. According to the eyewitness- Peter and the police who had arrived.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Nike Global Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 14

Nike Global Company - Essay Example It must be pointed out that these countries have cheap availability of skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled labor resources because of poverty, inconsistent economic growth rate, and sporadic employment generation. Obviously, Nike, being a multinational company, focuses on branding and charges relatively higher prices for its brands so it observed considerable costs saving when it produced and contracted in these nations. Also, the governments of these countries are unable to successfully implement labor reforms and policies thereby enabling Nike to manipulate labor resources of poor countries. Nike was allegedly involved in illicit practices such as paying low wages, work overload, inflexible working hours, discrepancies in recruitment and selection program, use of poisonous chemicals and inputs in production process, non-availability of fringe benefits and medical facilities to employees, workplace harassment, exploitation and induction of child labor within its production sites loc ated in the aforementioned Asian countries. This is where Nike was heavily criticized by media personnel, human rights and community welfare organizations for not fulfilling labor laws outside US market while making profits at the expense of poor labor. (Ferrell and Jackson, pp. 547 - 549) Nike had no other option but to rebuild its image in front of concerned actors thereby maintaining its reputation and goodwill in the marketplace. Its sales reduced substantially and public image shattered when private information was disclosed by renowned newspapers and electronic media channels. Nike, as a response, launched campaigns to provide clarifications and in turn strengthen its relationships with its potential customers. This strategy was although a move in the right direction as Nike visited the high school, college and university students that extol Nike’s quality and product range and make purchase decisions accordingly.

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Critique of a Journal Acticle on Organizational Leadership Article

Critique of a Journal Acticle on Organizational Leadership - Article Example Owing to the importance of the impact of leadership on performance of the organization, several research studies have been conducted in order to analyze whether there is a relationship between charismatic leadership and the organizational performance. This report presents the critique of one of the such article on the relationship among leadership and organizations performance. The title of the article is â€Å"Does CEO charisma matter? An empirical analysis of the relationships among organizational performance, environmental uncertainty, and top management team perceptions of CEO charisma†. Summary of the article: The article selected for this report is written by Agle, Nagarajan, Sonnenfeld and Srinivasan (2006) and the research study analyzes the organizational performance and identifies relationship with the charismatic style of leaders as well as environmental uncertainty. In addition to this, the research also identifies the relationship between the perception of top tea m management about the charisma of CEO. Leadership style and the organizational performance has been one of the most important topics of today’s world as leaders have an important role to play in motivating everyone in the organization and ensuring that the organization performs at its optimum level. In this research article, information has been collected using both primary as well as secondary research methods in order to perform the analysis. In primary research, questionnaires were filled by people in the top management as well as CEOs of different organizations to analyze the relationship between the variables discussed above. Because the article had a larger sample size, 770 questionnaires were filled and returned therefore the results shown by this research would have a more reliable relationship. Strengths of the article: One of the major strengths of this research study is that data has been collected using larger sample size, as well as more respondents from each or ganization; therefore the research study would give better and more authentic results because of less susceptibility in comparison to other research study conducted on similar topics. 128 of the CEOs were included in the research which is a major strength as the data has been collected using different organizations. Both primary and secondary sources of data collection method have been used. The response rate of this article was the highest in comparison to other research studies that have been conducted on similar topics. Another major strength of this article is that the study analyzed the organizational performance using different criteria like Return on assets, return on equity, sales growth, return on sales and stock return which would reflect better organizational performance whereas other studies previously conducted have not considered these criteria of measuring organizational performance. Weaknesses of the article: One of the major weaknesses of this research study is that it included only firms operating in the United States therefore the results from other parts of the world may have a different result because of differences in organizational culture, organizational procedure and policies etc. For the purpose of data collection method, small firms have not been included so the results might not reflect relationship betw

Monday, August 26, 2019

Business Intelligence Application Design Case Study

Business Intelligence Application Design - Case Study Example The integrated business intelligence constructions from most design companies are not described as organic, but they emerge because of incorporating proprietary business intelligence technologies (Mantyla and Gerwitz, 2009). BI applications are a critical part of the organization’s definition giving vital information or data to various branches of the enterprise (Gale Research Company and Gale Research In., 1978). Information Technology departments should ensure that challenges facing the growth of business intelligence applications are identified and corrected. Information consumption in an organization increases with the development of new technologies. When the problems related to information flow are tackled in a professional and timely manner, the enterprise will realize business intelligence standardization (Prabhu, 2011). Figure 1: The integrated design created to define the new composition of enterprise BI, and aid organizations grow from past descriptions of poor business intelligence technologies and ineffective departmental business intelligence applications Since 1990s, business intelligence products and applications were represented formatively. During this era, enterprises realized that they had to include various BI competencies to meet the increasing user needs. Consequently, the range of business intelligence competencies can be combined into ‘Schemes of BI’ platforms (these contain five different sets) (Khosrowpour, 2005). The schemes of business intelligence platforms are: (1) data mining-advanced analysis; (2) OLAP and visual analysis; (3) enterprise reporting; (4) scorecards and dashboards; and (5) alerts and mobile Apps. Considering the changing market demand, a number of business intelligence developers create various products designed to cater for the requirements of the listed schemes of business intelligence (Mantyla and Gerwitz, 2009). Several companies have embraced various products of

Sunday, August 25, 2019

NonVerbal MisCOmmunication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

NonVerbal MisCOmmunication - Essay Example In my locality, this sign would generally be taken to mean peace, love or victory. The foreigner, an Italian, reacted not as I expected. He murmured some harsh words and threw a stream of insults at me beneath his breath. I really did not understand why the Italian responded negatively to my humble appeal for love and peace. I felt humiliated especially considering that so many people in the venue had witnessed my move and the foreigner’s reaction. Several years later, I came to realize that the V-sign is an insult in Italian culture, quite the opposite of what I meant. In order to avoid conflicts that arise from non-verbal communication, I always try to learn people’s cultures and thereby improve my intercultural communication skills as much as I can by reading books on intercultural communication, in line with Novinger’s suggestion (Novinger, 2001). I have become more careful on the gestures that I use when

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Life Philosophy. What is My Philosophy How Do I Live My Life Essay

Life Philosophy. What is My Philosophy How Do I Live My Life - Essay Example In that sense, our life will continue even after our death; but where and how? Socrates is believed to be the first philosopher who tried to find the meaning of life. He tried to explain the life in terms of a person’s commitment towards the state. Even though he had not written anything; he transferred all his knowledge and opinions about life to his disciples or students. Plato, one of the prominent students of Socrates, was responsible for spreading the thoughts of Socrates to the external world. Each and every person has a life philosophy. It will start from the birth and will end with death. Life philosophy of a person can change periodically based on his/ her life experiences and the knowledge he acquires from the world. In this paper I briefly explain my life philosophy until now with respect to the arguments of Socrates. I have started to think something about life when I was around eight years old. From that period onwards, I started to listen, the opinions of my pare nts, priests and other people about the meaning of life. I had lot of doubts at that period since all these people talked about good and evil. They taught me that only good people will get salvation whereas bad people will go to hell. I was very much afraid of my life at that period. My parents told me that the life in hell is a miserable one whereas the life in heaven is an eternal one and also enjoyable. I never liked the idea of going to hell because of the miseries waiting for me there and decided to make a conscious effort to go to heaven. But, it was difficult for me to strictly adhere with the norms for getting salvation. I found it extremely difficult to handle the pressure going in the routes to heaven. My worries about life continued till I became around 15 years of age. From that period onwards I started to enjoy my life and had given less importance to the norms of a moral life. I think both my physical and psychological needs started to change drastically during this pe riod which prevented me from opting for a moral life. I started to neglect the moral views about life and looked only at the materialistic aspects of life. I thought life is for enjoyment and there is no pint in worrying about the future life. I thought the present life is the important one and the creator will manage our future life. I thought we came to this world unknowingly and the creator is responsible for sending us here and it is his responsibility to make necessary arrangements for our future as we have no control over our life. But, from 18 years onwards, my life philosophies again started to change mainly because of my learning about Socrates and his teachings through Plato. I was very much attracted by the way in which Socrates met his death. Even when his life was in jeopardy, he never tried anything to rescue it. He never gave up his views and philosophies about life. He has given less importance to his personal life and gave more importance to the wellbeing of the nat ion. He never considered what other people said about life and argued that what other people will say clearly doesn't matter and only the opinion that counts is not that of the majority of people generally, but rather that of the one individual who truly knows (Socrates: Philosophical Life). The above teaching of Socrates has influenced me a lot. I have realized that life is precious to all and it should be lived as per our own ideas and knowledge rather than the ideas of others. Moreover, I have realized that truth has a significant role in life and it is impossible for a society or nation to progress using false means. The argument of Socrates that the truth alone deserves to be the basis for decisions about human action has influenced me

Friday, August 23, 2019

Martin Luther Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Martin Luther - Essay Example In his early life, Martin Luther dedicated himself considerably to the monastic life. His journey to create the foundation for a religious movement within the Catholic Church and generally within Christendom started when he joined the Augustinian friary in Erfurt, Germany. He established a strong movement in Germany that would later be duplicated and repeated in other parts of Europe. This led to the start and growth of a backlash against the corruption that was rampant in the old church (Bishop 1). It should be noted that the Protestant Reformation was a protest for reform in the church; the movement led by Martin Luther strongly disputed the claim made by the then church leaders that freedom from punishment for sin by God could be bought with money. According to his interpretation and understanding of the bible, he believed that the leaders of the old church were misleading the congregation for their own selfish purposes. It is on the basis of this that Martin Luther sought to refo rm the church by providing teachings and interpretations that he deemed to be factual and right. He taught that salvation is received as a free gift of the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, and not earned by good deeds as claimed by the leaders of the old church (Mullet 27). Martin Luther was dedicated to challenging the primacy of authority of the Roman Catholic Church at the time. He began challenging this authority by questioning the understanding of the origins of salvation, which he argued cannot be found in the hands of human beings or in membership within a religious institution (Mullet 20). He provided a new understanding of salvation which he said was grounded in faith in Jesus Christ and was only granted through the God’s grace. Also, he challenged the over indulgences by the church leaders which he argued would set the stage for religious or spiritual confrontation. His message resonated well with majority of the

Nintendo Reviving a Company Transforming a Market Case Study

Nintendo Reviving a Company Transforming a Market - Case Study Example Yes. Nintendo has tried its best to keep the game appealing for long. Nintendo put in vast sums of money to make sure Wii’s accomplishment does not disappear like many of the games consoles developed prior to this period. Nintendo created many games, for example, Zelda and Super Mario. Nintendo merged with two other corporations to guarantee new games string and launched games, for example, Capcom for the Wii gaming Console and Final Fantasy. The Wii is here to stay because the release of these games will go beyond appealing to gamers and raise the Wii’s impression to one dominating the industry. It is in the conclusion of the evolution stage and the start of the maturity stage. Nintendo is utilizing a superb marketing mix technique. This is because they have developed a famous product and are experiencing an immense growth. When the company’s growth started to stagnate, they started developing additional, innovative and creative product enhancements and features to keep clients fascinated. For example, it has introduced the steering wheel, balanced board, and competitors’ video games such as Monster Hunter and Final Fantasy series. The company is making correct decisions by innovating, inventing and intensifying the product. This will extend the deterioration of the product. Nintendo should look into the future before the Wii product finishes the maturity phase and moves into the waning phase. Nintendo will have to either add other dimensions of interactivity or contest with other superior products from other companies. The Wii should concentrate on targeting young children and hard core gamers. Nintendo should build on the motion-sensing control technology and basic graphics; this will fascinate any client. Nintendo should also concentrate on promotion, product, placement and price. The next product should provide different customizations and features and be a development on the previous product. The price should

Thursday, August 22, 2019

The Republic Of Panama Essay Example for Free

The Republic Of Panama Essay Thesis statement. Some economists believe that the Republic of Panama could become the next world business center but others are skeptical about it. Panama is a country in Central America that borders both the Caribbean and the Northern Pacific Ocean between Colombo and Costa Rica .The geographical coordinates of panama are 900 N and 8000 W. Panama has an interesting history as a former colony of Spain starting from the 16th century up to 1821 when it broke ranks with Spain to affiliate with Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela to form the Gran Colombia. This lasted up to 1830 but nevertheless, Panama remained under the control of Colombia. It was through the US backing that Panama was able to break free from Colombia in 1903 when in return, the Panama government signed a treaty with the US to usher in the construction of Panama Canal by the US army corps of engineers. The construction lasted from 1904 to 1914 and upon completion; the canal was to remain under the US control. It was until 1977 that an agreement was signed and subsequently ratified to complete the transfer of the Panama Canal from the US’ stewardship to Panama’s. This was after the deposing of the dictator Manuel Noriega in 1989 that the entire Panama Canal was transferred to Panama together with the areas supporting it, and the US military barracks – an exercise that was completely consummated at the turn of the 21st century. Panamanians have a project underway to double the canal’s capacity (Rigole, 2003).This project is already underway since it began in 2007 and is expected to come to conclusion at the end of 2015. The strengths of the Republic of Panama. Panama’s climate is that of tropical maritime and is hot, humid and cloudy with a protracted rainy season starting from May to January and January to May being the dry season. Based on this, Panama, a country that has 24.4% of its total land as arable land, has a steady food supply since it produces in large scale grain crops such as maize, rice, wheat, cassava, potato, sorghum, millet, and industrial crops such as sugarcane, coffee, tropical timber, peanut, oranges and sesame. Other foodstuffs that are indigenous to Panama include beef (and this is due to the large scale cattle rearing activities in the country), and fishing. The fishing industries thrive herein due to the preponderance of shrimps and lobsters. Although the agricultural output of Panama is not large enough to sustain large scale exports, yet it is reliable enough to sustain steady food supply to sustain the entire population of Panama. An economy that can sustain its population’s food demand stands a higher chance to develop economically to become a business center than its counterpart that lacks these prospects. The economy of Panama is fairing well with the major exports being melons, bananas, water melons, lobsters and shrimps, sugar, coffee and clothing. Of these total exports, the principle market is the US which is now procuring 44.5%. Its imports on other hand entail machinery and transport equipments, chemicals and chemical products, mineral and mineral products, electrical and electrical products and foodstuffs. Panama’s principle source of imports is the USA which makes up 27% of this. The currency used in Panama is balboa, with its mainstay of economy being the industrial sector which account for the 67.1% of the economy. The economic dominance of Panamanian industry is due to the fact that Panama is a country rich in mineral resources such as limestone, deposits of coal, molybdenum, copper, salt and clay. The industrial sector is mainly driven by the processing of paper and paper products, food and beverage processing, textiles and clothing, petrol refining, petroleum products, chemical refinery, light assembly and tourism. America, Spain, Netherlands Costa Rica, Japan, and Sweden form the major trading partners of Panama. The gross domestic product of Panama is 15.5 billion according to the 2005 estimates while the Purchasing Power Parity which is also known as the GNI was American dollar (USD) 7,310. The consumer price inflation remained at 2.8% according to the 2006 estimates. At the same time, unemployment was rated at 13.6% (Institute of Central Business, 32). Given the geographical size of Panama, it enjoys a favorable population of 3,287,500 according to 2006 estimate, and a steady population growth rate of 1.6 % according to 2006 estimate. The population occupying the urban area is rated 58%. However, this should always be checked against the availability of natural resources. A country that has a big population pitted against scarce national resources always experiences lapses in foreign investments since socio economic problems such as unemployment, overcrowding, explosion of diseases, and insecurity are always likely to ensue. Debts are always likely to set in as the government seeks to rectify the situation through foreign borrowing. Such states are always subject to inability to fund the public sector and government projects. Foreign investors shy away from such situations since the securities of their investment in such situations are always in danger of default. At such a time, the government will mostly seek to reverse the situation by selling its securities but this only worsens the situation since this will also lower the worth of these securities Panama’s population distribution is also fairly balanced. The age bracket between 1-14 years makes up 30% of the total population while the bracket representing 15-59 makes 61%. The bracket representing 60 and above accounts for 9%.The age distribution of Panama provides it with adequate labor force since the most productive age group falls under the bracket that ranks the highest. A country or any geo political entity that is about to be considered world business center must have a large working power. A country with a dense transport system, Panama has 116 airports of which 54 have paved runways, a comprehensive road network covering 11,643 km of which 4,028 are paved, 800 kilometers of waterways including the 82 km Panama Canal. In addition to the above, there are 5,764 merchant marines being served by 3 ports and terminals; the Balboa, Colon and Cristobal (Woods, 161). Panama enjoys a fairly balanced political leadership that has taken the form of liberal democracy. The government is well balanced with a clear system of separation of powers whereby the executive, the legislature and the judiciary are clearly separate and autonomous to exercise their duties without interference from any arm. In addition to this, under the aegis of the judiciary, the civil law system and the judicial review of the legislative acts recognize the importance of the International Court Justice. Panama plebiscites after every five years- a process which sees the president and his vice president either being installed into or exiting power depending on the verdict of the majority votes (Schreck, 189). International trade and investments thrive well in democracies and not in communist societies since the former entrenches the concept of free market or the liberalization of the market. Liberalization of the market allows free global flow of capital. Weaknesses of the Republic of Panama Reasons against the notion that Panama cannot arise to become the next world trade center are diverse. The most prominent one argues that as a country, it is still suffering the historical financial crisis of the 80s. In 1980, Panama had a high foreign debt that had accrued as a result of high import rate against the export rate. The explanation behind this was that its high consumption was on imports since there were no local industries. Since 1983 the country has been registering pluses, but the present situation is still tough since Panama has a standing debt which claims 81.2% of its GNP. Although this according to established economies is not very large, yet strictly speaking, Panama will not be able to extricate itself from debt since its debt- to- export ratio is high. The only recourse is to have the 1989 Braddy Initiative to offer Panama an extension implemented, but even this will take 39 years for Panama to clear the debt (World Bank, 217). Other social and health underpinnings can still stand in the way towards the establishment of Panama as world business center. Panamanian medical services are still below the World Health Organization’s standards since out of 10,000 patients, there are 17 doctors (2004 report).On another front, out of 1,000 people, only 13% are landline telephone subscribers. Similarly, out of 100 people interviewed, 16% were internet users, and out of 100 people interviewed, 4.6% were personal computer users. No form of foreign or domestic investment can effectively take place without proper social amenities, communication and communication services. BIBLIOGRAPHY. Institute of Central Business Studies. Mesoamerica. US: University of Virginia, 1982. Rigole, Mark and Langlois, Claude- Victor. Panama. Panama: Ulysses Travel Guides, 2003. Sarah, Kristina. Frommer’s Panama. Central America: John Willeys and Sons, 2007. Woods, Sarah. Panama. Panama: Bradt Travel Guides, 2005. World Bank. Poverty Assessment in Panama: Strategies for Poverty. Panama: WB Publication, 2000.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Efficient Technology To Save Energy In Construction Environmental Sciences Essay

Efficient Technology To Save Energy In Construction Environmental Sciences Essay The literature review has numerous objectives. These objectives exist to assist the researcher dealing with the relevant problem to give meaning to the findings. The more information the researcher can collect, the more the researcher can undertake the relevant research problem stated (Leedy, 2005:65). This chapter will discuss what importance green energy has on the saving of natural resources and energy in South Africa. The result of previous studies on the related research problem is analysed and discussed. 2.2 The introduction of Green Energy to the environment Green Construction has only been in use since the 1970s, making it a relatively new concept. Green Building is not just for environmentalists, but for all people who like to breathe clean air (Montoya, 2010). Gibberd (2009) stated that Green Energy in South Africa is still a relatively new concept, although awareness has dramatically increased in the last two years (2007-8) due to: Electricity shortages More local awareness of potential water shortages Rising global awareness of climate change issues Demand from international organisations operating in South Africa. Buildings consume a major amount of the worlds energy. Most of the structures that are built and inhabited are highly inefficient in their energy use. For example; Inefficient heating and cooling systems and poorly designed lighting systems can increase a buildings energy use significantly. Energy generation is one of the greatest contributors to global pollution. Inefficient energy use also affects a buildings long-term operational cost (Montoya, 2010). Kibert (1994) explain sustainable construction as creating the environment healthy by utilizing resource efficient, ecologically foundation principles. This highlights the acceptance of construction and design techniques that are resource efficient and that will not compromise the associated health of the residents, builders, public, future generations or the health of the environment. The substantial negative environmental impacts of buildings have lead to the emerging concept of green buildings which are designed to be energy and water efficient, use non hazardous materials and provide healthy productive environments (Kilbert, 1994). 2.3 Discussing the different objectives in the form of a literature review, based on previous research 2.3.1 Different types of Green Energy Technology to be utilize 2.3.1.1 Wind energy Wind energy uses the power of the wind to produce electricity. A wind turbine the modern equivalent of the windmill uses the winds energy to generate electricity. It is the biggest work producer and is required strong winds. Wind turbines are large and, the area below the turbine can be use for farming due to the reason that it use small space, it may be unattractive looking equipment. Wind turbines also make a noise to operate (Hick, 2002). Wind power is possibly the technology with the best potential to provide large amounts of clean, renewable energy in the decades to come. Wind turbines are already a cost-competitive source of electricity in a number of parts of the country. Wind power, like some other forms of renewable energy, is an irregular resource. Wind turbines can only generate electricity when the wind is blowing (Sargent, 2006). Wind energy systems fairly low costs have also helped in decreasing our trust on the traditional natural resources. Use of wind power plants is environmentally friendly, and helps to keep the general environment clean with continuously supply of clean, inexpensive energy, that can be transmitted to many homes and buildings (Habjance, 2010). By using wind energy instead of conventional one based on natural resources, you will be able to not only decrease your electricity bills but youll also help our planet recover from pollution and climate change problem (Habjance, 2010). 2.3.1.2 Hydropower Hydropower use water to produce energy. This is the most constant of green energy sources. Disadvantages that occur are it have an effect on the ecology and lead to downstream problems. The decomposition of soil and vegetation along the riverbed can cause the build-up of methane. Methane is a causal gas to greenhouse effect (Perry, 2002). Hydropower is the cheapest way to generate electricity today. No other energy source, renewable or non-renewable, can match it. Producing electricity from hydropower is cheap because, once a dam has been built and the equipment installed, the energy source which is flowing water is free (McGraw, 2009). Hydropower enjoys several advantages over most resources of electricity power, including reliability, low operating cost, doesnt produce waste products, acid rain or greenhouse gases (Draper, 2003). A dam on the river, which store water in a reservoir, is the most common type of hydropower plant used. Water thats being released from the reservoir flows through a turbine, which leads it to spin, which turn on a generator to generate electricity. Hydroelectric power doesnt require a large dam to operate. Hydropower plants can use a water canal to channel water through a turbine (Konrad, 2010). Hydropower doesnt pollute the air but construction and work of the dams can affect natural water systems and also affect wildlife and fish population Hydropower today provides about 20 % of the worlds electricity and is the main energy source for more than 30 countries (Eastley, 2008). 2.3.1.3 Solar energy Solar Energy uses the sun to generate energy. It is beneficial because the method can be installed in an existing building and it does not use space. The area which the solar energy collectors utilize is large, which lead to more materials used. Solar radiation is controlled by geography, which is dependent on daytime. Solar energy technology is limited to non-cloudy days and daytime hours (Hick, 2002). Solar energy like the other renewable energies available is safe and also environmentally friendly. No emissions occur, due to the fact that the sun is the fuel, unlike coal-powered stations (Draper, 2003). Solar power is electricity generated from the levels of natural energy contained within the suns rays. The sun shines down on our earth, providing solar energy to the surface. This solar energy is usually recognized as solar radiation and contains a large amount of energy we are able to harness (Eastley, 2008). Solar power is the most common form of renewable energy in each region, used by over half (52%) of industry professionals today and expected to grow to 76% in the next five years. The most dramatic growth is expected in wind power use (57% expected in 2013, up from 20% today), followed closely by geothermal power (expected to double from 22% today to 45% in 2013) (McGraw, 2009). Solar energy technologies use the energy and light of the sun to generate heat, cooling, electricity, industry and businesses. A large variety of different technologies have been developed that can take advantage of solar energy (Anselmo, 2003). When solar power technology is in position to transfer it to valuable energy, the fuel is free and will never be affected by the energy market. It symbolize a clean alternative to the fossil fuels which currently pollute the air and water, contribute to global warming and threaten public health. Given the great quantity of solar energy, this will play an important role in the future (Anselmo, 2003). 2.3.1.4 Geothermal Energy Geothermal energy is heat inside the Earth. This heat can be as steam or hot water and can be use to generate electricity and heat buildings. The environmental impact of geothermal energy depends on how it will be utilized (Draper, 2003). Cameron (2005) stated that geothermal energy is a very efficient and powerful manner to obtain renewable energy from earth through natural route. This can be executed on small scale to provide heat for residential unit, or on a large scale for energy production through a geothermal power plant. Geothermal energy is a renewable energy source because the heat is constantly generate inside the Earth. Geothermal energy is used around the world to heat homes and to generate electricity by excavating deep holes and pumping steam or hot water to the surface. The use of stable temperatures near the surface of the Earth can heat and cool buildings (Eastley, 2007). Energy in the ground is actually stored energy from the sun. At six feet below the surface, the earths temperature is a constant 10-15Â °C (40-60Â °F) all year round. This latent energy is a steady heat source, even in the coldest winter (Smith, 2002). The pressure of the thermal energy increases with depth, the temperature of the Earth increases when getting to centre. The global average for Earths geothermal gradient is in the region of 30Â °C/km (Smith, 2002). 2.3.1.5 Biomass Energy Biomass is the oldest fuel known to humanity and is still widely used in developing countries, where it accounts for about 35% of primary energy consumption. Biogas can be utilized for electricity production on sewage plants and used conveniently for heating, cooking, space-heating and water heating (Montoya, 2010). Biomass is a clean renewable energy resource produced from waste of natural and human activities. Biomass excludes organic material, which in geological processes transform into material such as coal and petroleum (Draper, 2003). Biomass energy offers an alternative source of energy. The use is environmentally friendly due to the fact that the biological mass is reduced, recycled and the used again (Anselmo, 2003) 2.4 The availability of Green Energy Technology and Resources in South Africa South African designers are aware of Green designing and it is one of the most compelling factors when designing a building, but African professionals have completely different design considerations that instigate constraints in attaining green architecture (Cadrecha, 1997). South Africa has a great quantity of resources for wind, and has large space of open land and infrastructure, which have the potential to become a wind powerhouse. A single province alone, wind has the potential to produce 10 times the national wind energy estimates. Even though is highly favoured by green lobbyists, wind power has problems to conquer. It costs can be up to three to four times as more than a coal-generated power (Lawrence, 2006). Eskom calculated that the reasonable working wind resource on the coasts is approximately 1 000 megawatts. Wind farms can be built fairly quickly; will take a year to build one that will provide 100 megawatts (Gcabashe, 2004). Nations such as Denmark have shown that it is possible to obtain as much as 20 percent of their electricity supplies from the wind. While wind industry analysts suggest it is possible to have up to 40 percent wind power as part of a smoothly functioning electricity grid (Sargent, 2006). According to Eskom (2008) it will use its proposed $3.75-billion World Bank loan to roll out lower carbon technologies, such as important solar-thermal and wind power, as well as to fund construction of the Medupi coal-fired power station. Lemercier (2009) noted that a factor is the lack of ability to move past its coal dependability, and the funding from the government to Eskom and its coal objective. A starting point for this would be dealing with the issues of renewable energy and putting a stop to the monopoly of Eskom. South Africa is in front between the rests of the African countries when it comes to incorporate alternative/renewable energy sources. Wind, biofuels, solar, and potential wave energy are among South Africas growing awareness (Lemercier, 2009). Njobeni (2010) stated that green building is becoming the standard between hotel chains and large companies and while a 34% decrease in carbon emissions is very motivated, if any country can do it, so can South Africa. According to South Africa Wind Energy Statistics 2004, there are approximately 30 000 windmills in our country. Wind energy is the fastest developing of all renewable energy and one of the inexpensive renewable energy sources available. It can be soon the cheapest way to generate energy on large scale, but can be more costly than other energy sources. The benefits for ecology make it a very acceptable energy source, in areas with appropriate climate conditions (Draper, 2006). South Africa has good wind potential, particularly at the coastal areas of Eastern and Western Cape. The Klipheuwel wind farm is operating close to Cape Town and the Darling wind farm is likely to operate early 2007 (Gcabashe, 2004). (Draper, 2009) stated that South Africa has a substantial growth area for green energy. The need to meet growing electricity demand, combined with the need to reduce carbon emissions in response to the pressures of climate change, means there is great potential to use the countrys abundant of wind and solar energy resources. South Africa has fair potential for hydroelectric, and the establishment of small hydroelectric projects can help provide a sustainable future energy contribution. There are 6 000 to 8 000 potential sites in South Africa suitable for small hydropower-utilization under 100 megawatts (Lemercier, 2009). Steiner (2008) stated that with the abundant of natural resources, South Africa is consider as a primary candidate for increased utilization of renewable energy. The country is dependent on coal burning for power generation, although having a number of hydroelectric plants and only one nuclear power station. Every energy source, whether its green or otherwise, it requires energy. The generation of this energy will create pollution during its production. Green energies impact is minimal (Cameron, 2004). Wong (2006) stated that new energy sources are available for almost every one and it is free to use. Energy sources like the wind, water and sunshine are for everybody and are free to use. Technology is just required to convert these sources in to useful energy. The present installed hydropower in South Africa reached a capacity of 2,267 MW, generating on average annually about 4,368 GWh. This represents about 2, 3% of the total energy output in South Africa (Klunne, 2009). Khumalo (2008) stated that the largest hydroelectric power plant, Drakensberg Pumped Storage Facility, in South Africa is 1 000 megawatt, part of a larger design of water management that delivers water from the Tugela River to the Vaal watershed. Earth prevents a large quantity of energy radiated by the sun. After absorption and reflection in the earths atmosphere, the total radiation reaching the land area is roughly 1 kilowatt per square meter at noon on a sunny day. Direct solar energy can heat water or buildings and generate electricity in solar cells (Cameron, 2005). Areas in South Africa average 2Â  500 hours of sunshine per year, and the average solar radiation levels range between 4.5 and 6.5kWh/m2 in one day. The annual 24-hour global solar radiation average is about 220 W/m2, when compared to the USA with about 150 W/m2, and Europe and the United Kingdom about 100 W/m2. South Africas resource is thus one of the highest in the world (Cameron, 2005). McGraw (2004) stated that the utilization of solar energy is the most available resource in South Africa. It provides a number of potential uses and the solar-equipment industry is developing. Biomass is renewable, the making of waste products will always be occurring, plants and trees die and the cycle will always continue. This ensures that sources will always contribute to biomass (Cameron, 2005). South Africas Bio-energy project is established in Durban. The Ethekwini (Greater Durban) Municipality use gas from three of its landfills to produce electricity to the city. New plant such as PetroSA, Mosselbay is also in operations (van Heerden, 2006). Sargent (2006) estimates that there is potentially 1.26 billion GJ of energy available annually from biomass residues. Biomass energy could thus theoretically provide 50 % of the national demand. Several types of alternative energy are easily available, commercially feasible and practically applicable (van Heerden, 2006). 2.5 The importance of Green Energy in modern environment Renewable resources have a lack of ability to make carbon-based warming and polluting the air and water. The cost of the resources is not always cost-effective, however if the environmental costs of utilizing fossil fuels are accounted for, renewable energy is the greatest practice to deal with. The indirect savings on health and there are no harmful emissions (Leipoldt, 2001). Renewable energy does not reduce natural resources nor does it destroy the environment. Renewable energy technologies tap into natural cycles and methods, convert the available and current energy into usable forms, the saving of energy and natural resources is crucial in our country as well as planet (Muller, 2002). Previously studies shown that the concern and awareness of the public about global warming is not only a purpose of logical information. Both sociological and psychological factors have an influence on the enthusiasm of the general public to accept the reality of global warming, and to support the climate policies (Sandvik, 2008). Even though renewable energy sources have energy security characteristic and positive environmental, most renewable technologies are not capable to compete economically with fossil fuels through the projection time outside some of the regions (Battle, 2010). Winkler (2003) invested that renewable energy and energy efficiency is important to reduce the negative economic, social and environmental impacts of energy production and consumption in South Africa. Renewable energy contributes relatively little to primary energy and even less to the consumption of commercial energy. Winkler (2003) stated that the Ethekwini project illuminate 9 000 homes which necessitate 10 Megawatts of electricity to be produced. Amount up to 80 000 tons of coal could be saved annually, which would be burnt and contribute to the greenhouse gasses currently present in the atmosphere. Biomass energy brings abundant environmental benefits; reduce water and air pollution, reducing erosion and increasing the soil quality, and improving wildlife habitat (McGraw, 2005). Renewable energy sources are wonderful options because it is limitless. It wont run out, as fossil fuels will eventually run out on which electricity currently depends upon. Also another great benefit from using renewable energy is that many of them do not pollute our air and water they way burning fossil fuels does (Hick, 2007). Even in view of the scarcity of the supply if fossil fuels as a source of power, it makes important sense to be actively considering using alternative forms of energy (Anaya, 2006). South Africa depends a great deal on fossil fuels and nuclear power stations to generate its electricity supply. The result is a system that lacks diversity and security, threatens the health of people, prevent future generations from clean air, clean water and energy independence and jeopardize the constancy of planets climate, (Winkler, 2003). According to Smith (2002) renewable energy resources is capable of meeting an important proportion of South Africans energy needs, and can help ease the problems of power shortages, power shutdowns and saving on natural resources. A commitment to renewable energy development can: Increase economic development and creates new family wage jobs Create competition to control and prevent fossil fuel prices to increase Protect the economy from fossil fuel price increases and supply shortages or disruptions Reduce a growing reliance on imported electricity ad fuel Protect the natural resources for the future generations Most renewable energy finances are used on workmanship and materials to construct and maintain the facilities, rather than on expensive energy imports. Renewable energy investments are generally in the nation. Meaning that, energy money stays home and creates jobs and fuels the local economies (Cadrecha, 2009). Estimates show that natural resources can only supply our energy demands for another fifthly to seventy years. With the discovery of alternative energy sources, the world has start focusing on renewable energy sources as the answer. There are many disadvantages and advantages to this (Hick, 2002). 2.5.1 Advantages Renewable energy sources have environmental, health, economic and cost advantages over fossil fuels. Environmental No contribution to global warming No polluting emissions We can use it repeatedly without depleting it Health Healthier and safer indoor and outdoor surroundings Personal pleasure Renewable energy sources are vital to sustainable human life on earth Economic and Cost Low cost applications when counting all costs Enhanced asset value and profits Reduced operation costs Require less maintenance on their plants Fit into existing buildings and it does not affect land use 2.5.2 Disadvantages Difficult to produce large quantities of electricity required While it is also new technologies, it is costly to initiate Availability of skills and knowledge The economical benefits United States of America will achieve with utilization of Green Energy by 2025 Job Creation 297,000 new jobs from renewable energy expansion Economic Development $263.4 billion in new capital investment $13.5 billion in income to farmers and ranchers, and $11.5 billion in new local tax revenues. Consumer Saving $64.3 billion in lower electricity and natural gas bills by 2025 Climate Solutions Two percent reduction in power plant global warming pollution from todays levels by 2025-the equivalent of taking 45.3 million cars off the road. The impact of green energy technology from the governments point of view Renewable energy have numerous important points to South Africa, it reduces the demand on the electricity network, put a stop to the need for additional power stations to be built to meet demand for power and keeping electricity cost. Lastly it creates opportunities for the introduction of the creation and funding of incentives for projects and products (Eskom, 2009). The considerable negative environmental impacts of buildings have led to the emerging concept of Green Buildings which are designed to be water and energy efficient, use non hazardous materials and provide healthy productive environments, and also reduce their energy consumption to less than half of what a conventional building uses (CIDB, 2009). South Africa generate approximately 34 000 megawatts of electricity to supply the present requirement, and this figure is increasing annually. The greatest economical method available is to utilize the natural resources supplies of low-quality coal (Eskom, 2009). AGAMA (2003) stated that a study evaluated the role that renewable energy could play in job creation. The projected electricity demand for the year 2020 is expected to be 267 TWh, increasing from the 2000 electricity generation figure of 181 573 GWh. If an additional 62 TWh is to be generated by renewable energy technologies and coal capacity, around 52 000 jobs will be created, which have a good impact on the jobless in South Africa. 2.7 The cost implication involved with Green Energy South Africa lagged behind in the implementation of solar water heating mainly due to the high costs involved. A typical residential solar water heating system reduces the need for conventional water heating by about two-fifths (Gibberd, 2008). Hick (2002) stated that one of the causes there are not a large amount of solar energy technology systems and installations is by reason the cost involved, as the cost of fossil fuels stays lower than the first investment towards the present availability of solar panels, there will not be a large shift towards solar electricity construction. Green energy technologies are a costly action and can be argue if the investments are meaningful. If a person feels that the technology investment is worth it, the technology is available to be used. For corporation, individual and housing there are remarkable technologies on the market. Businesses that concentrate in these energy sources are advancing and new concepts are being develop that are better (Wong, 2008). Wind and solar are intermittent technologies which can only be utilize if the resources are available. When built, the costs of operating wind or solar technologies when there source is available is generally much less than the cost of operating conventional renewable generation. But high construction costs can make the total cost to build and operate renewable generators higher than those for conventional power plants (Cassidy, 2010). What is the cost per kWh for wind/solar/geothermal? Can be difficult to answer (Konrad, 2009). Some of these revenues have been used for public expenses, but usually on social goods such as national electrification rather than environmental benefits. The challenge for renewable electricity is that these factors have enabled Eskom to keep tariffs low Cassidy, 2008). The National Energy Regulator of SA last year announced SAs renewable energy feed-in tariffs, which the renewable industry said were attractive enough to stimulate investment (Njobeni, 2010). The higher the demand for electricity increase, the more power stations are compulsory. This will lead to large requirement of capital in turn, it will increase the consumer energy costs (van Heerden, 2010). With government encouragement to utilize wind and solar technologies, their costs have come down and are now in the same league as the increased costs of fossil fuel technologies due to likely carbon emission charges on electricity generation from them (Cassidy, 2005). Of course it is expensive. Not many energy sources can compete with fossil fuels on a purely economic basis. But we cant go on like this forever. Either we manage to make the difficult decisions required to move away from fossil fuels, or we will simply find ourselves at the mercy of events outside our control. My preference is for a planned transition, even if it is difficult (Rapier, 2004). Alternative energy in all its forms is not so far competitive on the price front for everyday users. It will work with help from the government subsidies or good corporate of the nation who will pay a premium to market them as being green (Muller 2008). Muller (2008) stated solar is more expensive than any other resources, but wind is in fact cheaper than a new gas plant or a new nuke, although it is not cheaper than a coal plant. According to Hansen (2009) its too expensive. At the moment fossil fuels are the cheapest form of energy. Kornevall (2007) stated that solar panels are so expensive at present that it is about 10 times more than fossil fuels when comparing it in terms of cost per unit of energy output which only wealthy people can afford to install them. When utilize the alternative energy technology is required to convert the energy sources into forms that can be used. This technology can be costly, but will save money in the future. Several governments are endorsing it, can profit from tax credits and other benefits. Therefore, at the best price the investment can be valuable for all parties (Young, 2008). Paul (2009) stated energy is becoming very costly and by utilizing it, it has negative side effects, for which the price is paying for. To avoid a condition where only the wealth people can effort it, the course should be change and different route should be taking into account. Although renewable energy is usually more costly than conventionally produced supplies, alternative power reduce pollution and to preserve fossil fuel (Waker, 2004). The price of electricity in South Africa is very low compared to other countries. Numerous countries have also embarked upon large build plans and programs and the gap between South Africa and the rest of the world is expanding (Eskom, 2009). 2.8 The barrier to installation, implementation and utilizing of Green Energy Technology According to Layham (2010) the following factors play a role in the prevention of Implementing Green Construction, in other words these are hindrances which needs to be dealt with in order for Green Construction to be implemented: Construction Products Characteristics of construction products should be optimized towards improving their sustainability performance, with considering the variables such as climate, culture, advancement of industrial development, and others. Manufacturing of Construction components can contribute to improving sustainable performance in various ways, ant typically they are 1) reducing the embodied energy of the components, 2) To alleviate the emissions from producing construction components CIDB (2009) stated, while Green Construction is not yet standard practice, and a relatively new concept, the need for Green Construction has drastically increased from 2007-2008 due to electricity shortages, water shortages, rising global awareness of climate change issues and the demand for international organisations operating in South Africa. Government agency (2009) stated that there is no need to tender but tariff will be required, and other says one must bid to generate renewable energy. This lends itself to investor ambiguity and confusion, which is a barrier to utilize the technology. According to Morris (2008) the entity that has control over the planning process can also influence the degree to which the renewable energy market can be opened, hence the fear that Eskom, if it develops the national plan, will once again dictate. Renewable energy market players believe that the market for renewable energy has major room for expansion, the renewable energy target could be expanded up to 15% rather than the currently predict 4% penetration, which takes us to the bottom of why who is tasked with the development of South Africas future energy plan is such a politically sensitive issue (Fakir, 2009). According to Munnik, AGAMA (2003) there is significant barriers to the further implementation of renewable energy that need to be addressed. The key issues include the following: Many renewable energy technologies remain expensive, on account of higher capital costs, compared to conventional energy supplies for bulk energy supply to cities and large industries. Implementation of renewable energy technologies needs significant initial investment and may need support for relatively long periods before reaching profitability. There is a lack of consumer awareness on benefits and opportunities of renewable energy. Financial, legal, regulatory and organisational barriers need to be overcome in order to implement renewable energy technologies. 2.9 Conclusion The purpose of this chapter was to outline the importance of Green Energy

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Ethiopia PESTEL Analysis

Ethiopia PESTEL Analysis Political Context For much of the twenty century, Ethiopia was ruled by highly centralized governments. The current ruling party EPRDF has governed Ethiopias since 1991 . Since taking power of the EPRDF has led an ambitious reform effort to initiate transition by more democratic system of governance and decentralize authority .It has involved devolving powers mandates first by regional Empires then to woredas, district authorities, kebeles authorise and/or village authoised. Although the formal ethiopians state structure has been transfornance from highly centralized system to federal increase decentralized one a no. of challenges remain .National elections in 2005 2010 , and the hugely uncontested local elections in April month of 2008 , illustrated the fragility of the democratics transition Dominance by EPRDF , weakened state by opposition .In May 2010 parliamentary elections resulted in a 99.6 percentage of huge victory for the ruling EPRDF this allies ,reducing the opposition from 174 to only two seats in the 547 lower. January 2009 Ethiopian Parliament passed legislation by regulate civil society organize.. While many CSOs had long argued for new coherent framework. the new law is restrictive in demarcating areas of operations for different types of CSOs (for example receiving more than 10 percent of funding from external sources from many activity areas ) .The government DAG , comprising multilateral donors bilateral donors , agreed that the implementation of the CSO law will be reviewed regularly through their joint High-Level Forum structures. Country Conventional long form : Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia conventional short form : Ethiopia local long form: Ityopiya Federalizing Demokrasiyawi Republic local short form: Ityopiya former: Abyssinia, Italian East Africa abbreviation: FDRE Government type Federal republic Capital Name: Addisababa geographic coordinates: 902N, 3842E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of we shin ton, DC during Time) Administrative divisions 9 ethnically based states ,( singular kilo) self governing administrations* , Afar, Amara (Amhara), Binshangul Gumuz, Dire Dawa*, Gambela Hizboch (Gambela Peoples), Hareri Hizb , Oromia, Sumale Somali, Tigray, Ye Debub Biheroch Bihereseboch na Hizboch. Independence Oldest independent country in Africa one of the oldest by world at least 2,000 years ( may be traced it to the Aksumite Kingdom , which was coalesced in the first century B.C.) Constitution Ratified 8 December 1994, effective 22 August 1995 Legal system Civil law system International law organization participation Has not submit by ICJ jurisdiction declarare, non-party state to the Ictus Suffrage 18 years of age; universal Executive branch Chief of state : President GIRMA Woldegiorgis ( since 8th October 2001) Head of government : P.M MELES Zenawi (since August 1995) Cabinet: State Council of ministers, ministers selected by the prime minister and approved by the House of Peoples Representatives. Elections: president elected by two department , chambers of Parliament for a six-year term (eligible for a second term) ; election last held on 9 October 2007 (next to be held in October 2013); prime minister designated by the party in power following legislative elections election results : GIRMA Woldegiorgis was elected president : percent of vote by the House of Peoples Representatives 79% Legislative branch Bicameral Parliament consists of House of Federation (or upper chamber responsible for interpreting the constitution and federal-regional issues) (108 seats; members chosen by state assemblies to serve five-year terms) and the House of Peoples Representatives (or lower chamber responsible for passing legislation) (547 seats; members directly elected by popular vote from single-member districts to serve five-year terms) elections: last held on 23rd of May 2010 ( next to be held in 2015) election results: percent of vote NA; seats by party EPRDF 499, BGPDP 9, APDO 1, SPDP 24,ANDP 8, GPUDM 3, FORUM 1, HNL 1, independent 1 Judicial branch Federal Supreme Court (the president and vice president of the Federal Supreme Court are recommended by the prime minister and appointed by the House of Peoples Representatives; for other federal judges ,Prime minister submits to the House of Peoples Representatives for appointment candidates selected by the Federal Judicial Administrat Council) Political parties and leaders Afar National Democratic Party or ANDP [Mohammed KEDIR]; All Ethiopian Unity Organization or AEUO [Hailu SHAWEL]; Arena Tigray [GEBRU Asrat]; Argoba Peoples Democratic Organization or APDO [Abdulkader MOHAMMED]; Benishangul Gumuz Peoples Democratic Party or BGPDP [Mulualem BESSE]; Coalition for Unity and Democratic Party or CUDP [AYELE Chamois]; Ethiopian Democratic Party or EDP [MUSHE Semen]; Ethiopian Federal Democratic Forum or FORUM (a UDJ-led 6-party alliance established for the 2010 parliamentary elections) [Dr. Moa FRISSA]; Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front or EPRDF [MELES Zenawi]; Gambella Peoples Unity Democratic Movement or GPUDM; Garage Peoples Democratic Front [GIRMA Boggle]; Harari National League or HNL [YASIN Hussein]; Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement or OFDM; Oromo Peoples Congress or OPC [IMERERA Gudina]; Somali Democratic Alliance Forces or SODAF [BUH Hussein]; Somali Peoples Democratic Party or SPDP [Abdulfetah Shack ABDULAHI]; South Ethiopian Pe oples Democratic Union or SEPDU [TILAHUN Neodesha]; United Ethiopian Democratic Forces or UEDF [BEYENE Petros]; Unity for Democracy and Justice or UDJ [Dr. NEGASSO Gadara] Political pressure groups and leaders Ethiopian Peoples Patriotic Front or EPPF; Ogden National Liberation Front or ONLF; Oromo Liberation Front or OLF [DAOUD Ibsen] International organization participation ACP, Fad, G-24, AU, FAO, COMESA, Interpol,G-77, IFAD, IAEA, PCA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFC, ICRM, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, UPU, IOC, WFTU, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITSO, WHO, ITU, ITUC, UNISFA, MIGA, UNWTO, NAM, OPCW, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, WCO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer) Diplomatic representant in the US chief of mission: Ambassador GIRMA Birru chancery: 3506 International Drive Washington ,NW , DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 364-1200 FAX: [1] (202) 587-0195 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles consulate(s): New York Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador E. BOOTH Donald embassy: Entoto Street, Addis Ababa mailing address: P. O. Box no. 1014 , Addis Ababa ,Ethiopia. telephone: [251] 11-517-40-00 FAX: [251] 11-517-40-01 Flag description Three equal horizontal bands of green on top of flag , yellow, and red ,yellow pentagrams single yellow rays emanat from the angles between the points on a light blue disk centered on the three bands; green represent hope the fertilize of the land, yellow , while red stands for sacrifice heroism in the defense of the land; the blue of the disk symbolize peaces pentagram represents the unity equality of the nationalities and peoples of Ethiopia. Note: Ethiopia is the oldest independented country in Africa, three main color of her flag ( adopted californias 1895) were often adopted other African countries upon independence that they became known as the Pan-African colors; the emblem in the center of the current flag has added in 1996. National anthem Name: Whedefit Gesgeshi Woud Enact Ethiopia ( March Forward ,Respected Mother Ethiopia) lyrics/music: DEREJE Maluku Mengesha/SOLOMON Lulu note: adopted 1992 Group All, APLAA, Sahel Region Africa, Africa President: Girma Woldegiorgis The presidency is a very large ceremonial post , and has been held since 2001 by Girmas Woldegiorgis, veteran parliamentarian and civil aviation official. Presidents serve 6 year terms and are elected by parliament . mister woldegiorgis had re-elected by 2007 . Prime minister: Hailemariam Desalegn After serving as dy. prime minister foreign minister to his veteran predecessor Males Zenawi year 2010, Hailemariam Desalegns was sworn prime minister in September 2012. Relative outsider in the ranks by the governing Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front , Mr. Hailemariam became acting prime minister on the dedte Mr. Meles in August but faced a backroom struggle to gain the approval of the Front leadership before assume by the most powerful post in the country. Mister Hailemariam was work in acadamic regional government while many EPRDF luminaries came to the fore through fighting against by communist government in the 1980. He benefited from a scheme Mr. Meles launched in 2009 he to bring technocrats into central government of state , earned a reputation as a loyal aide to the prime minister. Economic overview of Ethiopia Economic Overview Ethiopia, with a population of about 84 million (2012), is the second-most populous country in Sub-Saharan Africa. One of the worlds oldest civilizations ,Ethiopia is also one of the worlds much poor countries .At USdollar 390 , Ethiopias per capita income is much lower than the Sub-Saharan African average of US$ 1,165 in FY 2010 , ranking it as the 6th poorest country in the world ( Atlas Method). After the major drought in 2002/03 that resulted in GDP contract , Ethiopia has been one of the fastest growing economies in African countries . Official statistics indicated that an average real GDP growth of 11 percent over the last six consecutive years . its robust growth performance and considerable development gains came under threat during 2008 and 2011 with the emergence of twin macroeconomic challenges of high inflation and a difficult balance of payments situation .Problem was exacerbated by the high fuel and food prices in the global market. Though Ethiopia made progress in tackling the 2008-2011 macroeconomic challenges . The recent surge of inflation depicts the countrys vulnerable macroeconomic condition .Annual end of period inflation which stood at 16.5 percent in February 2011 , more than twiced reaching 36 percent in February 2012 . Food inflation rate was increased from 13 percent to 47 percent while non food inflation , decreased moderately from 22 percent to 21 percent during the same period .It is unlikely that inflation will rapidly fall towards the GTP goals of single digits within 2012 .Monetary factors played a key role in driving the inflation rate in Ethiopian states .For instance, reserve money used by the National Bank as monetary policy anchor grew by 51 percent in February 2011 . It was very large due to the accumulation of foreign exchange reserves without any offsetting mechanism and increased borrowing by public enterprises for infrastructure investment which in effect contributed to the increase in money supply. In an effort by control inflation rising cost of living , Government has been take various measure including imposed tight cash controls on government expenditure, temporarily introducing price caps (which were subsequently lifted ) on selected goods increase the salary of civil servants by 35 to around 39 percent. In early January 2012, the National Bank of Ethiopia lowered reserve requirement after the banking sector faced severe liquidity problem . This also lowered the minimum reserve ratio of deposit from 15 percent to ten percent , at the same time the amount of liquid assets as a proportion of deposits was also reduced from 25 percent to twenty percent . This measure was not accompanied by the appropriate sterilization mechanism and contributed to a sharp increase in money supply from 32 percent in December 2011 to 35 percent at the end of January 2012. While Ethiopias economy is expected by continue grow at a healthy pace macro situation will remain under stress in the foreseeable future Ethiopias economy is based on agriculture which accounts for 85% of total employment and41% of GDP. Coffee remains a major export crop for Ethiopia .The agricultural sector suffers of poor cultivation practices frequent drought.But recents joint effort by the Government of Ethiopia donors have strengthed Ethiopia agricultural resilience , contributing for a reduction in the number of Ethiopians threatened with starvation . 5 year Growth and Transformation Plan that Ethiopia unveiled in October 2010 presents a government-led effort to achieve the ambitious development goals of Country .The banking, insurance, and micro-credit industries are restricted to domestic investors but Ethiopia has attracted significant foreign investment in commercial agriculture , textiles, leather and manufacturing products . Under Ethiopias constitution ,State owns all land and provides longterm leases to the tenants ; land use certificates are now being issued in some areas so that tenants have more rec ognizable rights to continued occupancy and hence make more concerted efforts to improve their leaseholds .While GDP growth has remained very high , per capita income of Ethiopia is among the lowest in the world. GDP (purchasing power parity) $94.76billion (2011est.) $88.13billion (2010est.) $81.6billion (2009est.) note: data are in 2011 US dollars GDP (official exchange rate) $30.5 billion (2011 EST.) GDP Real growth rate 7.5 %( 2011est.) 8 %( 2010est.) GDP per capita (PPP) $1,100(2011est.) $1,000(2010est.) Note: data are in 2011 US dollars GDP composition by sector Agriculture: 41% industry: 13% services: 46% (2011 EST.) Population below poverty line 29.2% (FY09/10 EST.) Labor force 37.9 million (2007) Labor force by occupation Agriculture: 85% indu1111stry: 5% services: 10% (2009 EST.) Unemployment rate NA% Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 Total: 24.9% male: 19.5% female: 29.4% (2006) Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest10%: 4.1% highest 10%: 25.6% (2005) Distribution of family income- Gina index 30(2000) 40 (1995) Investment (gross fixed) 22.9% of GDP (2011 EST.) Budget Revenues: $5.355billion expenditures: $5.988 billion (2011 EST.) Taxes and other revenues 15.2% of GDP (2011 EST.) Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) -2% of GDP (2011 EST.) Public Debt 42.3%ofGDP(2011est.) 48.3%ofGDP(2010est.) Note: official data cover central government debit , including debt instruments issued/owned by government entities other than the treasury and treasury debit owned by foreign entities; the data exclude debt issued by sub national entities , as well as intergovernmental debt. debt instruments for the social funds are not sold at public auctions Inflation rate (consumer prices) 33.2 %( 2011est.) 8.1% (2010 EST.) Central bank discount rate NA% Commercial bank prime lending rate 15 %( 31December2011est.) 14.5% (31 December 2010 EST.) Stock of money $4.93billion (31December2008) $4.229 billion (31 December 2007) Agriculture products Cereals, sheep, pulses, fish coffee, oilseed, hides, cotton, sugarcane, cattle, potatoes, kyat, cut flowers,goats; Industries Food processing, textiles, chemicals, metals processing, beverages, leather,cement. Industrial production growth rate 9.5% (2010 EST.) Electricity production 3.715 billion KWh (2008 EST.) Electricity consumption 3.357 billion kWh (2008 est.) Oil production 0 bbl/day (2010 est.) Natural gas production 0 cup m (2009 est.) Exports $2.75 billion (2011 est.) $2 billion (2010 est.) Imports $8.25 billion (2011 est.) $8.46 billion (2010 est.) Exchange rates Birr (ETB) per US dollar 17.2 (2011 est.) 14.41 (2010 est.) 11.78 (2009) 9.57 (2008) 8.96 (2007) Fiscal year 8 July 7 July Socio culture overview of Ethiopia Religion Ethiopia is declared as a multi-religious country . Most of the Christians live in the highlands , as well as the Muslims mainly inhabit(live on) the lowlands .Adherents of traditional faiths are primarily concentrated in the southern regions. Ethiopian Orthodox 43.5%, Protestant 18.6% (which include Ethiopian Orthodox Tirades Church and the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yeses), Muslim 20.5%, traditional (2.6%)Catholic 10.3%, all others 0.6%.[1] Small Ethiopian Jewish community, although most have migrated to Israel. Languages There are 90 individual languages of Ethiopia according to Ethnologue , with the 1994 Ethiopian census indicating that some 77 tongues were spoken locally in Ethiopia .Many of these languages belong to the Afro-Asiatic family (Semitic and Cushitic). Osmotic languages are also spoken here,Additionally, Nilo-Saharan languages are spoken by the nations Niloticethnic minorities. Amharic 32.7 % as a 1st Ethiopian language, Oromigna 31.6%, Tigrinya 6.1%, Somali 6.0%, Sidamo 3.5%, Guragigna 3.5%, other local languages; English (major foreign language taught in schools), Arabic. Amharic is the official national language . Amharic was also the language of primary school instruction , but was replaced in many areas by local languages such as Tigrinya and Oromifa . English is the most widely spoken foreign language and is taught in all secondary schools. Age structure 0-14 years: 46.3% (male 20,990,369 or female 21,067,961) 15-64 years: 51% (male 22,707,235 and female 23,682,385) 65 years and over: 2.7% (female 1,388,301 / male 1,037,488) (2011 EST.) Population growth rate 3.179% (2011 EST.) Birth rate 42.59 births/1,000 population (2011 est.) Death rate 10.79 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.) Net migration rate -0.01 migrant(s)/1,000 population Note: repatriation of Ethiopian refugees residing in Sudan is expected to continue for several years; some Somali, Sudanese and Eritrean refugees , who fled to Ethiopia from the famine or fighting in their own countries , continue to return to their homes . Urbanization Urban population: 17% of total population (2010) rate of urbanization: 3.8% annual rate of change (2010-15 EST.) Major cities population ADDIS ABABA (capital) 2.863 million (2009) Sex ratio At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2011 EST.) Infant mortality rate Total: 75.29 deaths/1,000 live births male: 86.03 deaths/1,000 live births female: 64.23 deaths/1,000 live births (2011 EST.) Life expectancy at birth Total population: 56.56 years male: 53.99 years female: 59.21 years (2011 EST.) Total fertility rate 5.97 children born/woman (2011 EST.) Major Infectious Diseases Degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoa diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever vector borne diseases: malaria respiratory disease : Meningococcal meningitis animal contact disease: rabies water contact disease : Schistosomiasis Nationality Noun: Ethiopian(s) adjective: Ethiopian Literacy Definition: age 15 or above can read and write total population: 42.7% male: 50.3% Maternal mortality rate 470 deaths/100,000 live births (2008) Age: 35.1% (2003 EST. Legal overview of Ethiopia WORKING CONDITIONS OF WOMEN Section 87. General. (1) Women shall not be discriminated against as regards payment and employment on the basis of their sex. (2) It is prohibited to employ women or female on types of work that may be listed by the Minister as particularly arduous or harmful to their health. (3) No pregnant women shall be assigned to eork in night between time limit 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. or be employed on overtime work. Section 88. Maternity leave. (1) An employer shall grant time off to a pregnant women worker without deducting her wages , for medical examination connected with her pregnancy, provided ,She is obliged to present a medical certificate of her examination WORKING CONDITIONS OF YOUNG WORKERS Section 89. General. (1) For the purpose of this Proclamation , young worker means a person who has attained the age of fourteen but is not over the age of 18 years. (2) It is prohibited to employ persons under fourteen years of age. (3) It is prohibited to employ young workers which are on account of its nature or due to the condition in which it is carried out, endanger the life or health of the young workers performing it. Section 90 . Limits of hours of work . Regular hours of work for young workers shall not exceed seven hours a day. Section 91. Night and overtime work : It is prohibited to employ young workers on: 1.night work between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.; 2.overtime work; or 3. weekly rest days; or 4.public holidays LABOUR COURTS Section 137. Establishment of labor divisions. (1) There shall be set up labor divisions, as may be necessary, at each regional first instance court , each regional court which hears appeals from regional first instance courts and at the Central High Court . (2) The Minister shall submit the no. of labor divisions to be established in accordance with subsection (1) of this section to be determined by the appropriate authority. Section 138. Labor division of the regional first instance court. (1) The labor division of the regional first instance court shall have jurisdiction to settle and determine the following and other similar individual labor disputes: (a)disciplinary measures including dismissal; (b) Claims related to the cancellation or termination of employment contracts; (c) Questions related to hours of work,leave remuneration and rest day; (d)questions about the issuance of certificate of employment; (e) Claims related to employment injury. (F) Unless provided for in this Proclamation , any petty and criminal offences under this Proclamation. CONTRACT OF EMPLOYMENT Division 1. Formation of contract Section 4. Elements of a contract . (1) A contract of employment shall be deemed formed where a person agrees indirectly or directly , to perform work for and under the authority of an employer for a definite or indefinite period or piece work in return for remuneration. Section 5. Form. Unless otherwise provided by law , Contract of employment shall not be subject to any special form. Section 6. A written contract of employment ,Subject to the provisions of the relevant law , a written contract of employment shall specify the following: (1) The name ,address and contact details of the employer; (2) The name, age, address and work card number. if any of the worker; (3) The agreement of the contracting parties made in accordance with section 4(3) of this Proclamation; and (4) The signature of the contracting parties. Section 7. Contract of employment not made in writing .(1) Contract of employment is not made in written form , they shall, within fifteen days from the conclusion of the contract , give the worker a signed and written statement containing the requirements specified under section 6 of this Proclamation Section 10. Contract for definite period or piece Duration of contract of employment Section 9. Contract for an indefinite period . Any employment contract shall be deemed to have been concluded for an indefinite period except for those provided for under section 10 hereunder. work. A contract of employment may be concluded for a definite period or for piece work in the case of: (1) The performance of specified piece work. (2) The replacement of a worker who is not temporarily present due to leave or sickness or other causes; (3) The work performance in the event of abnormal pressure of work; (4) The performance of urgent work to prevent damage or disaster to life or property , to repair breakdowns or defects in works, materials, plant or building of the undertaking. (5) Irregular work, It relates to a permanent part of the works of an employer but is performed at irregular intervals; (6)seasonal work which relates to the permanent part of the works of an employment but is performed only for a specified period of the year which is regularly repeated in the course of a number of years; (7) Occasional work It doesnt form part of the permanent activity of the employer but which is done intermittently. TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS Section 23. General. (1) A contract of employment shall only be terminated upon initiation by the employer or worker and in accordance with the provisions of the law or a collective agreement or by the agreement of the two parties. (2) The amalgamation or division/transfer of ownership of an undertaking shall not have the effect of terminating a contract of employment. Division 1. Termination of contract of employment by law or by agreement Section 24. Termination by law. A contract of employment shall terminate on the following grounds: (1) As on expiry of the period or on the completion of the work where the contract of employment is for a definite period or piece work; (2) Upon the death of the worker; (3) On the retirement of the worker in accordance with the relevant law; (4) When the undertaking ceases operation permanently or due to bankruptcy or for any other cause; (5) When the worker is not able to work due to partial or permanent incapacity. Section 25. Termination by agreement. (1) The parties have rights to terminate their contract of employment by agreement, provided however that waiver by the worker of any of his rights under the law shall have no legal effect. (2) Agreement termination shall be effective and bin. DETERMINATION OF WAGES Section 53. General. (1) Wages means the regular payment to which the worker is entitled in return for the performance of the work that he performs under a contract of employment. (2) For the purposes of the following payments shall not be considered as wages: (a) Overtime pay; (b) Amount received by way of transfer expenses , per diems , transport allowance, hardship allowances, and similar allowance payable to the worker on the occasion of travel or change of his residence; (c) Bonus; (D) Commission; (E) Other incentives paid for additional work results. (f) Service charge received by customers. Section 54. Conditions of payment for idle time ( 1) Unless otherwise provided for in this Proclamation or the relevant law , salaries shall be paid only for work done. (2) Notwithstanding subsection (1 )Section, a worker shall be entitled to his wage if he was ready to work but, because of interruptions in supply of tools and raw materials or for reasons not attributable to him was not able to work ding on the worker only where it is made in writing. 5.7 MODE AND EXECUTION OF PAYMENT Section 55. General. Wages shall be paid in cash , provided that where the worker and employer so agree, it may be paid in kind . Wages paid in kind may not exceed the market value in the area of the payment in kind and in no case may then exceed 30 per cent of the wages paid in cash. Section 56. Execution of payments : 1) Unless otherwise agreed, wages shall be paid at the place of work and on working day. (2) In case the payment mentioned in subsection (1) of this falls on Sunday or a public holiday, the day of payment shall fall on the preceding working day. Section 57. Payment in person. Unless otherwise provided by collective agreement or law, wages shall be paid directly to the worker or to a person delegated by him. Section 58. Time of payment. Wages shall be paid at such intervals as are provided for by law or collective agreement or work rules or contract of employment. Section 59. Deduction from wages,1) The employer shall not deduct from , attach/set off the wages of the worker except where it is provided otherwise by law or collective agreement or work rules or in accordance with a court order or a written agreement of the worker. PREVENTIVE MEASURES Section 92. Obligations of an employer( An employer shall take the necessary measures) to safeguard adequately the health and safety of the workers; he shall in particular: 1. Comply with the occupational health and safety requirements provided for in this Proclamation; 2.Take appropriate steps to ensure that workers are properly instructed and notified concerning the hazards of their respective occupations and the precautions necessary to avoid accident and injury to health; ensure that directives are given and also assign safety officer; 3. Provide workers with personal protective equipment , materials and clothing and instruct them of their use; 4. Register employment accident and occupational diseases and notify the labor inspection of same; 5.arrange, according to the nature of the work , at his own expenses for the medical examination of newly recruited workers and for those workers engaged in hazardous work. 6. Ensure that the workplace and premises do not cause danger to the health and safety of the workers; 7.take appropriate pre-executions to ensure that all the processes of work s