Ethanol production in Brazil may drive deforestation in Amazon Term Paper - 1

Ethanol production in Brazil may drive deforestation in Amazon - Term Paper Example Our extreme weather temperatures (heat waves and extreme cold temperatures), super typhoons, droughts, floods, and similar occurrences have all been traced back by scientists and other experts to global warming. Due to these concerns, efforts to cut back on fuel or oil use have also been conceptualized and strong support for the use of alternative sources of fuel has been suggested. One of these methods is the use of ethanol from sugarcane as an alternative fuel source. Ethanol can be blended with or used directly as fuel and its properties create less pollution and environmental damage. Ethanol is already being utilized in different countries, including Brazil, Scandinavia, United States, Germany, Japan, and New Zealand, among others and many car manufacturers have made the necessary adjustments and accommodations in their cars in order to ensure that they would run well on ethanol fuel (Peyton and Nalco, p. 298). The use of ethanol is however, not without its problems. Brazilâ€⠄¢s ethanol is mostly made from sugarcane and some environmentalists have pointed out that the growing demand for the fuel may push sugarcane growers into the Amazon. Hence, the global demand for ethanol may threaten the Amazon rain forest in Brazil, causing large scale deforestation of the area. This paper shall now discuss the negative impacts of the ethanol production in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest. It shall also conceptualize possible solutions in order to alleviate these problems. Surveys reveal that from the years 1960 to 2007, the land area in Brazil planted with sugarcane increased from 1.4 million to 7 million hectares. With this increase in land cover for sugarcane plantations, the production of sugarcane also increased from 45 to 75 Mg/ha. Such an increase in productivity was caused by improved agricultural techniques and improved breeding programs (Martinelli and Filoso, p. 886). In recent years, the increase in

The Main Types of Investment Products Research Paper

The Main Types of Investment Products - Research Paper Example All these four asset classes have their own combination of growth and risk associated with it. The asset allocation strategy of an investor among the various asset classes is influenced by a multitude of factors and is as much art as it is science. While investors with more risk appetite will opt for equity-based investment products, an investor who prefers stability or in other words is a risk-averse will prefer Debt/Fixed income investment tools more. However, financial companies have designed investment products that are not pure-play Equity/Fixed income/Cash instruments but are hybrid in nature and have varied components of equity, debt and cash instruments. Pooled investments are managed by professional fund managers and are considered to be safer for individual investors. These pooled investments have exposure to almost all asset classes to spread risk, maintain growth rate and liquidity. Stock represents a part of ownership in a firm. Buying stock of a given company is equivalent to being a part owner of the company, and the investor, in essence, becomes part owner of all future earning of the company. The value of an investment in stock is dependent on the performance of the company. If the company performs well, the value of the investment goes, and vice versa. Investment in stock entails higher risk as compared to other investment products like fixed income/debt/bonds and cash instruments. Additionally, money invested in stock has lower liquidity as compared to other products. However, the possible upside of investment in stock is much higher as compared to other investment products. Investment in stock should be done only after proper research on the company, its future prospects, the market it is operating in and other factors influencing the company. It is very strongly recommended to invest in a group of companies (portfolio) rather than investing in a single company. By investing in companies from different domains and with varied market capitalization, the inherent risk can be substantially managed. However, developing and managing a well spread out portfolio requires a good amount of research, insight and constant tracking that may be difficult for an individual investor. One of the best ways of avoiding this effort is by investing in Mutual Funds. A Mutual fund is an investment company or a trust in which investors pool their funds and invest them in a wide variety of securities. (District Human Resources, n.d.) Â  

Law - Directors Duties Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Law - Directors Duties - Essay Example With the existing emphasis on corporate social responsibility, traditional common law notions had to be revised with a codification by the Companies Act Review. The codification of the Companies Act focused on 9 main sections, which define the duties that the directors owe to their companies. The first codification is section 171, which requires the directors to act within their powers in association with the company. Section 172 sets out the duty of the directors to promote the success of the company in a way that benefits the shareholders of the company. Section 173 requires the directors to exercise independent judgment in their actions and decisions, while section 174 of the codified version of the Companies Act requires the directors to exercise reasonable care, skill and diligence in actions regarding the company. Section 175 requires the directors to avoid conflict of interest, where the methods or authorizing such conflicts have to be sanctioned by either board or shareholder approval. Section 176 requires the directors not to accept benefits from any third parties, especially if the benefits could lead to conflict of interest with the company’s articles. ... Section 182 of the Company’s Act also clearly sets out the remedies available to the shareholders or the company if a director breaches the duty to the company. As already stated, the codified duties are performed by the director for the company, which means that only the company or statutory liquidator is able to act on the director’s breach of duty. However, a shareholder is also able to bring a derivative action against the director if needed. From section 260 of the Company Act 2006, a derivative action is one that can be brought by an interested party, mainly shareholder, against a director as a remedy for breach of fiduciary duty owed to the company. Section 175 of the codified Companies Act 2006 has generated a lot of debate and interest from different parties (Hannigan, 2009). Under this section, the director must avoid any situations which can have direct or indirect conflicts with the interest of the company (Companys Act 2009). This section overlaps with othe r sections of the Companies Act, for example, it is already required that the director act in the best interests of the company, which means that the best interest would not overlap with any other interests. Previously, the rule on conflict of interest required the director to take steps to mitigate the conflict. For example, the director would be required to remove himself from board discussions, and in extreme circumstances, remove himself from the board completely (Hannigan, 2009). However, the new rule requires the director to completely avoid areas where the conflict o interest might arise, unless the board has prior notice and authorization for the conflict of interest. From the codification of this section, it is evident that there has been a lot of

Principles of Pathology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Principles of Pathology - Essay Example Clinical pathology deals with the laboratory analysis of the disease through examining the bodily fluids such as blood. Laboratory testing is a common way to diagnose a disease thus clinical pathology is commonly used in hospitals. Molecular pathology is also a similar type which examines the diseases through molecular analysis. It is usually practiced to cover those diseases that have strange causes or are genetic (Woolf, 1998, p. 17). General pathology is a wide term which describes the scientific aspect of diagnosing diseases. It is a wide term that covers all the specialist features of pathology. The scientific aspect talks about the mechanisms of the cell during the disease process. This includes the injury and the effects on the cells, along with the body’s functions to repair these cells. The rupture and infections caused to cells is investigated to diagnose the disease, and in regard to the treatment of the disease, these cells are treated and repaired. The study of general pathology includes the cellular response to diseases and injuries such as inflammation, necrosis and wound healing, etc. (Spector, 1999, p. 236). Improvements in the study of pathology and eventually in the diagnosis process of a disease can cause many improvements in the treatment of that disease as well. Diagnostic tests need to be accurate and authentic in order to control the diseases from spreading and becoming uncontrollable. In many developing countries, these tests still lack quality and thus effect the patient management. The pathological study is a specialist area in science where the performance of the diagnostic tests are judged and observed clearly. The performance of these tests will be successfully achieved if the information and method of diagnosis is not biased. Inaccuracy is an obstacle to healthcare for the people who are severely infected but

Performance Evaluation Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Performance Evaluation Paper - Essay Example Secondly, in his evaluation the manager used terms that were not effective in the evaluation process. Instead of using the terms such as medium or low-medium, the manager could have used evaluation ratings such as outstanding, meets expectations, exceeds expectations, below expectations or unsatisfactorily (Robbins and Judge, 2007). In this way, it was possible for the manager to rate the engineer’s attitude. Thirdly, the current evaluation form used by the manager does not suggest methods of improving the negative aspects of the employees. Part A 1. Definition of the most commonly-used sets of evaluation criteria in organisations Productivity This is the volume of products or services that an employee produces during his or her duties. Employers mostly reward highly productive employees to motivate them and enhance higher productivity. Quality It means the originality of the work done by the employees. It portrays the innovativeness of an employee. Consistency This means prod uction of similar quality and quantity of work. Employers measure constituency by comparing the previous and the current evaluations. Attendance This is the rate at which the employees report to work. It involves checking the attendance records and valid reasons for absenteeism. Adherence to policy It means the extent to which the employees abide to the procedures that are set by the company. Part B. The relative value of the commonly-used evaluation criteria defined in Part A 1 As mentioned in the previous section, employers are keen to reward the employees who portray significant productivity thus motivating them to work hard. Even though the amount of products by the employees is a major evaluation criterion, it should not compromise the quality of the products. This is the major reason as to why managers evaluate the quality of the work done by employees. In the same way, consistency ensures that employees who depicts waxes and wanes during their duties are noted and adequate tr aining done to ensure they maintain unswerving performance (Robbins and Judge, 2007). Attendance ensures that employees are there when they are needed by their employers. Employees who are consistently at work are highly desired by the employers and their co-workers. Adhering to policies set by a company ensures employees’ safety and an improved working environment. Part C. Advantages of including supervisors, peers, and subordinates in the evaluation process It ensures that the ratings are anonymous. In this way, individuals provide open and honest evaluation that cannot be singled out from the multiple sources. In addition, inclusion of the various stakeholders ensures that ratings portray multiple perspectives that are ignored by the top-down technique of evaluation adopted by the traditional appraisals. In the same way, including supervisors, peers, and subordinates during evaluation saves time and it provides helpful performance feedback (Thomas, 1987). This is due to th e fact that there are no comparisons between workers, no goals and there are no figures involved in the process. Part D. Disadvantages of including supervisors, peers, and subordinates in the evaluation process One of the major disadvantages of including supervisors, peers, and subordinates in the evaluation process is that the possibility of giving dishonest feedback is high. For example, subordinates may give dishonest feedback

Global Marketing project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Global Marketing project - Essay Example Furthermore, some cultures prefer to use herbal drugs for purposes of cleaning their teeth. This cultural value is common in most countries of Asia and Africa (Jeannet and Hubert, 33). People might be reluctant to try new products, and hence the company should develop persuasive types of advertisements. Aesthetics is also another cultural factor that Colgate should consider while developing its marketing campaigns. Aesthetics refers to a sense of beauty or good taste. To have an aesthetic value, the company should consider the methods it uses to package the Colgate product. The company should package its products in a manner that is attractive to the eyes of its target customers. This involves using good colors to design the packages of the product (Jeannet and Hubert, 39). Furthermore, there is a need of developing a good brand name for the company. Language is an important factor that should determine the marketing capability of an organization. In developing a marketing campaign, an organization should use the language that is clearly understood by every people. For example, when marketing Colgate in England, the company should use the English language (Ryan and Calvin, 22). The same applies in China, and other regions of the world. Religion plays a role in determining the marketing campaign of Colgate. Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism are the major religions in the world (Paley, 56). For example, one of the religious principles of Islam is the separation of sexes. This would give the marketer an opportunity to access females, and advertise their products. Religion affects the consumption patterns of a particular group. The Islamic teachings does not allow for exorbitant profits, hence the organization will have to analyze its pricing strategy. Making exorbitant profits is a sign that the company is exploiting its workers and consumers. The level of education is an important element that a company has to consider while

Cross Cultural Leadership Essay Example for Free

Cross Cultural Leadership Essay Leadership is the process of getting work done through others. A leader encourages and motivates others towards accomplishment of certain pre-defined organizational goals. The management maintains the status quo whereas the leadership is responsible for predicting fresh solutions and methodologies. The leadership is responsible for motivating people to bring out their best. The modern leader must be multicultural because corporate success, profit, and growth depend increasingly on the management of a diverse work force. Cross-cultural leadership is a term that identify the diversity of work culture, the fact that the leader (or leaders) may come from social, linguistic, ethnic, or cultural groups but work would be remain same for all. Working with people from different countries, conducting meeting, dealing with clients, entertaining, negotiating and corresponding with colleagues or clients can be a beneficial to the employee to understand the intercultural differences. Understanding intercultural difference ultimately breaks down the barrier and helps to build trust and increase good relationship which yields concrete results in terms of business success. Few key components of cross cultural leadership skill are: Attitudes towards time, Commitments, Success Status Authority Accountability Planning Negotiation Rewards Teamwork Personal boundaries and social interactions Effectively managing a multicultural business requires at least a basic knowledge of employee’s culture and traditions. Familiarity with both is essential because each has a bearing on an employees every day behavior. Whether we realize it or not, culture and tradition are powerful principles we always carry with us. Culture is always with people even though people are unaware of it.