The Hurricane

The Hurricane (Viewing Task) How well does the composer manipulate the audience to believe that Rubin Carter was wrongly accused based on racial discrimination (1000-1500 words) There are many ways the composer of the 1999 movie ‘ The Hurricane’ manipulates the audience to believe that Rubin Carter was wrongly accused based on racial discrimination. The key ways in which the composer does this is through the structure of the movie and the use of techniques such as non-linear structure and foreshadowing.This movie is about an African American man who is faced with many complications over the course of his life including being ‘wrongly accused’ of killing three people which led to life imprisonment. The composer positions the viewer of the movie ‘The Hurricane’ to believe that Rubin Carter played by Denzil Washington was wrongly accused based on Racial discrimination. This is cleverly done with the real Rubin Carter playing a key role in providing all the voice overs and having a strong influence in how the movie is directed and ‘seen’.Characterisation also plays a key role in the way the composer manipulates the audience to believe that Rubin Carter was wrongly accused based on racial discrimination. This is achieved by showing only Rubin’s side of the story and depicting him as being treated completely unfairly and unjustly which is completely biased. The composer is also able to manipulate the audience through his characterisation of the prison staff and police officers in the movie.They are portrayed as being corrupt and this is shown through dialogue such as the scene when one of the victims of a shooting is on his death bed and is asked by the police officers to identify whether or not Rubin was the man who shot him. When the man replies â€Å"no†, the police officer sternly asks â€Å"Sir look closer, are you sure these aren't the men? † as if to intimidate the victim into identifying Rubin as the perpetrator.The police officer is then portrayed to be racist as he goes on to say ‘I’m going to take you black ass down’ which contributes greatly to the perception that the police officer is corrupt and that Rubin Carter was wrongly accused based on racial discrimination. The movie depicts the opposing legal team that are battling for Carter to be kept in jail as very racist. They constantly refer to Carter with a sense of disgust because he is an African American. The use of these techniques only add weight to the views of Rubin Carter which in turn makes the movie completely bias and anipulates the audience to believe that Rubin’s side is truthful and correct and that he was genuinely a victim of racial discrimination. Non-Linear structure also contributes to the way the composer effectively manipulates the audience to believe that Rubin Carter was wrongly accused based on racial discrimination. Non-linear structure is where effects such as flash backs are used which in turn means that not all events that take place in the movie are in chronological order which creates the sense that something is hidden Isabella Moro Monday, 3 December 2012 1:55:18 PM AET r not yet revealed to place the viewer in a position where they are able to ‘fill in the gaps’. The use of non-linear structure is present through the whole movie but the main focus is on one particular scene where Rubin is arrested shortly after gun shots were fired. More and more of these scenes are revealed over the course of the movie persuading the audience that Rubin is innocent because the flash backs (especially those in black and white) are portrayed as being completely factual and non-bias.However, what we have to remember is that the story is still being told from Rubin Carter’s point of view and therefore the accuracy of the flash backs are un-reliable. By using non-linear structure, the composer has been able to subtly and successfu lly persuade the audience that the story is factual and has therefore achieved to manipulate their views. Non-Linear structure is a key way that the composer successfully manipulates the audience to believe that Rubin Carter was wrongly accused based on racial discrimination.Another technique used over the course of ‘The Hurricane’ is foreshadowing, this technique is also a very effective technique used by the composer to manipulate the audience into believing that Rubin Carter was wrongly accused based on racial discrimination. Foreshadowing shows the build up of something significant such as a key event or a change in a character’s attitude or core beliefs. Foreshadowing is shown in particular over the course of the movie when Rubin Carter is in jail.There is a build up over time showing the different emotions Rubin went through, from being depressed and showing a lot of anger towards everyone, to a complete change of character when he met Lezra and his three o ther Canadian friends. Rubin is then put in a position where he has to choose between whether or not to trust these ‘white’ people to help him, or if he is just going to go back to his shorttempered, depressed self. This is a significant part of the movie as all other events shown so far lead up to this decision.After deep thought and a mental battle Ruben decides to choose to fight for his freedom as he knows he has been unlawfully imprisoned due to racism. The use of foreshadowing in this instance tries to portray Rubin Carter as a tortured victim of racial discrimination. The use of foreshadowing in this movie is a key technique the composer uses to successfully manipulate the audience to believe that Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter was wrongly accused of murdering three innocent people due to a decision solely based on his race.In conclusion, the movie ‘The Hurricane’ is not a reliable representation of the events that led to the imprisonment of R ubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter and is in fact a bias depiction of the real life events told from the point of view of Rubin Carter himself. The movie expresses his views on how he was unfairly accused of murder because of his race. Through the use of characterisation, non-linear structure and foreshadowing the composer is able to manipulate and effectively convince the audience that Rubin Carter was wrongly jailed based on racial discrimination. The Hurricane (Viewing Task) Isabella Moro Monday, 3 December 2012 1:55:18 PM AET The Hurricane The film The Hurricane directed by Norman Jewison claims to accurately depict the life of injustice suffered by middleweight champion Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter. The director uses casting, characterisation, lighting and music in order to convince the audience of Carter’s innocence. Jewison uses evidence, in some cases false, to manipulate the audience into believing that the Hurricane is and always has been an innocent man. This clever manipulation is clearly evident in his casting and characterization choices of Lezra to emotionally vest audiences into his journey alongside Rubin Carter’s.This technique is also used to create and perfect the other cast members to guide viewer’s thoughts and opinions as the director wishes. Furthermore, the lighting and music are blatantly manoeuvred to garner an emotional reaction from audiences, this is apparent in the poignant scenes of Carter as the victim of tragic injustice. Without Jewison’s clear bias fi lmmaking, the audiences would have been left with a different view of Carter. Casting and characterization in the film The Hurricane are utilized to persuade viewers of The Hurricane’s innocence.The casting of the characters Rubin Carter, Lezra Martin, Lisa Peters, Sam Chaiton, Terry Swinton and Lt. Jimmy Williams was necessary to create the image of goodness, as we associate attractive people with being good and kind hearted. Athletically appealing actors have been cast in all these roles in order for us to automatically assume them to be good. However, Det. Sgt. Della Pesca and the Prison Warden (the major villains) are cast as old, overweight, balding men to assure us of their wickedness.By casting Rubin Carter as an attractive man the director persuades us into believing in Carter’s innocence. Furthermore, the character of Lezra Martin is carefully created to work as an audience stand in for the film. This technique is used so Lezra works as our stand in to Carterà ¢â‚¬â„¢s life. Lezra, like the viewer is new to Carter’s life and his story, while he learns about Carter, so do the audience, as he grows to love and trust Carter, so do the audience. Like Lezra the viewers become attached and emotionally vested in The Hurricane, so the questioning of his innocence becomes ludicrous to the viewers.The film technique of manipulating the viewer’s perspective is also found in the use of lighting. The use of lighting in the film The Hurricane positions the viewer into trusting that Hurricane Carter is an innocent man. Jewison’s use of lighting to persuade the viewer is evident in an early scene depicting Carter and Della Pesca facing towards each other, the only light in the frame is on the operating table behind them, so the audience can only see the side on silhouettes of both Rubin Carter and Det. Sgt.Della Pesca but no detail in their faces. In this scene, we see the stark contrast of their profiles, The Hurricane’s soft features and Della Pesca’s pointed and upturned features. This technique which has been used since the times of ancient Greek theatre is used to depict the proganist , usually the hero, with soft flowing features and the antagonist, usually the villain, with sharp, pointed features. By doing this, Norman Jewison has automatically positioned the audience to see Rubin Carter as a good and innocent man.This sort of positioning is also particularly evident in Jewison’s use of music in the film. Norman Jewison emotionally influences the viewer into believing that Carter is innocent through his meticulous use of music in The Hurricane. The audience slowly finds themselves emotionally attached to the story through subtle but effective music. At various points in the film a grave, slow, low, jazz melody plays which always coincides with a scene where the viewers are positioned to believe injustice is shown.When Della Pesca interrogates a young Rubin Carter, when Rubin is brou ght into the hospital of the victim, during The Hurricane’s first trail as well as when Carter is put into solitary confinement by the ruthless prison warden. The audience is persuaded into associating this music with injustice, so with the use of this music at the right point, such as when The Hurricane is imprisoned the viewers automatically believe it is injustice, which causes us to feel emotionally effected by this and believe in his innocence.Norman Jewison positions viewers of the film The Hurricane to see Rubin Carter as an innocent man. This is done through casting the protagonist’s role to an aesthetically pleasing man, the casting of the antagonist’s role to an older, unattractive man, the characterisation of Lezra Martin, the precise lighting of scenes and the meticulous use of emotion triggering music. Without these manipulative film techniques, viewers would have been left with a different image of Rubin Carter and a greater doubt of his innocence.

Electrochemistry experimen Essay

Introduction: Redox reactions are reactions where the oxidation states of the atoms change. The atoms are either oxidized or reduced, depending if they lose or gain electrons. Electrochemical cells are devices that cause a current from redox reactions. It is set up so that electrons lost from one of the reagents can travel to another reagent. This creates a voltage, which is also known as the electric potential difference. This voltage can be read if a high-resistance voltmeter or multimeter is connected to the circuit. Salt bridge is used to allow migration of ions between two electric cells to maintain neutrality of solutions. It is usually made up of a filter paper moistened with an inert solution or an inert solution/gelatine salt bridge to prevent oxidation of certain ions. This experiment is divided into 2 parts: part A and part B. Part A Objective: To investigate the effect of change in lead(II) ion concentration on the potential of the Pb2+(aq) |Pb(s) electrode Introduction: This experiment investigates the e. m. f. of the cell: Cu(s) |Cu2+(aq) |Pb2+(aq)|Pb(s). Keeping the ion concentration in the copper electrode system constant(1M) and varying the ion concentration in the lead electrode system, the effect of change in lead(II) ion concentration on the potential of electrode as well as the Kc of the above reaction can be found. Chemicals: Copper foil x1, lead foil x1, 1M Cu2+ solution, 0. 1M Pb2+ solution, saturated potassium nitrate solution Apparatus: 250 cm3 beakers, 50cm3 beakers multimeter, distilled water bottle, filter papers, electrical wires with electrode holders, forceps, 100ml volumetric flask,10ml pipette x2, dropper Procedure: 1. The 0. 1M, 0. 01M, 0. 001M, 0. 0001M Pb2+ solutions were prepared from 0. 1M Pb2+ solution by dilution(1 portion solution plus 10 portions water). 2. The copper and lead electrodes were cleaned with a sand paper. 3. The circuit was connected as the diagram below. 4. The e. m. f. was recorded when the data shown was stable. 5. The above steps(2-4) were repeated with 0. 01M, 0. 001M and 0. 0001M Pb2+ solutions. Safety precaution: Potassium nitrate solution: Contact with combustible material may lead to fire 1M Copper(II) sulphate solution: harmful and irritating to eyes and skin. –>Safety goggles should be worn. Experimental set-up Results: [Pb2+]/M log[Pb2+] E/V 0. 1 -1 0. 482 0. 01 -2 0. 502 0. 001 -3 0. 521 0. 0001 -4 0. 545 Graph of E against log [Pb2+]: Trend shown: Given the ion concentration in the copper electrode system constant, it is found that the potential of the cell drops as the lead(II) ion concentration increase. The electrode potential is inversely proportional to the ten folds of ion concentrations. Calculation: When the reaction Cu2+(aq) + Pb(s) –> Pb2+(aq) + Cu(s) achieves equilibrium, the net e. m. f. of the cell=0 volt. The equilibrium expression of this reaction is: Kc= [ Pb2+(aq)][ Cu(s)] /[Cu2+(aq)][ Pb(s)] The effective concentration of Pb(s)/ Cu(s) are independent of its amount present and can be considered as constant. This reduces the expression to Kc= [ Pb2+(aq)] /[Cu2+(aq)] = 1Ãâ€"1021 Conclusion The potential of the cell decreases ad the ion concentration of Pb2+ increases. Further Analysis: Using the Nernst equation: E=E? -0. 059/n log[ox]/[red], Take [Pb2+]=0. 1 M as an example, E=0. 47-0. 059/2 log(0. 1/1)=0. 4405(V) [Pb2+]/M log[Pb2+] E/V(calculated) E/V(measured) %difference 0. 1 -1 0. 4405 0. 482 9. 42% 0. 01 -2 0. 529 0. 502 5. 10%.0. 001 -3 0. 5585 0. 521 6. 71% 0. 0001 -4 0. 588 0. 545 7. 31% It is shown that difference is present between the calculated value and measured value. This may be because of different conditions, resistance of the multimeter or errors in preparation of various concentrations of solutions. Part B Objective: To find out the equilibrium constant by e. m. f. measurement Introduction: The equilibrium constant for the below reaction is found out: Ag+(aq) + Fe2+(aq) Fe3+ (aq) + Ag(s) By e. m. f. measurement on the cell Pt |Fe2+(aq), Fe3+(aq)|Ag+(aq)|Ag(s) Chemicals: 0. 1 M Fe3+ solution, 0. 2 M iron(II)sulphate, 0. 2M barium nitrate, 0. 4M silver nitrate, platinum electrode, silver electrode Apparatus: gelatine salt bridge, 250 cm3 beakers, 50cm3 beakers ,multimeter, distilled water bottle, electrical wires with electrode holders, forceps, 10ml pipette x2 Procedure: 1. Equal volumes of 0. 2M FeSO4 and 0. 2M Ba(NO3)2 were mixed and the precipitate was allowed to settle without disturbance. 2. Equal volumes of 0. 1M iron(II) nitrate solution obtained and the iron(III)nitrate solution were mixed. This was the Fe2+(aq)/Fe2+(aq) half-cell. 3. The 0. 4M, 0. 2M, 0. 1M, 0. 05M, 0.025M silver nitrate solutions were prepared from 0. 4M silver nitrate solution by dilution. 4. The silver electrode was cleaned with a sand paper. 5. The circuit was connected as the diagram below. 6. The e. m. f. was recorded when the data shown was stable. 7. The above steps (4-6) were repeated with 0. 2M, 0. 1M, 0. 05M, 0. 025M silver nitrate solutions. Safety Precaution: Silver nitrate: harmful and oxidizing; 1) Poisonous if swallowed or inhaled 2) Skin contact with silver nitrate solid or solutions is likely to leave silver stains on the skin. Barium nitrate is poisonous and very harmful if swallowed. It is also a strong oxidizer, so may be hazardous if mixed with flammable materials. Experimental Set-upResults: [Ag+]/M log[Ag+] E/V 0. 4 -0. 398 0. 023 0. 2 -0. 699 0. 005 0. 1 -1 -0. 030 0. 05 -1. 301 -0. 050 0. 025 -0. 025 -0. 053 Graph of E against log[Ag+(aq)]: Calculation: When the reaction reaches equilibrium, both forward and backward reactions proceed to the same extent. This means that both the half cell reactions would have the same potential to proceed, so that the net e. m. f of the cell =0 volt at equilibrium. From the graph, the x-intercept is log[Ag+(aq)]=-0.72, hence,[Ag+(aq)]eqm=0. 1905 Ag+(aq) + Fe2+(aq) Fe3+ (aq) + Ag(s) KC= [Fe3+ (aq)]/ [Ag+(aq)][ Fe2+(aq)] =0. 1/ (0. 1905X0. 1) =5. 2493(mol2dm-6) ~5. 25(mol2dm-6) Conclusion: The equilibrium constant for the reaction between Fe2+/Fe3+ and Ag+ is 5. 25 mol2dm-6. Discussion(for both parts): 1. Possible Errors: -The electrodes (Cu(s),Pb(s),Ag(s)) were not cleaned very well with a sand paper so that they are not conducting electricity in all parts. The e. m. f. measured may hence be underestimated. -The same ammonium nitrate/gelatine salt bridge was used several times in part II of experiment. Ions of previous measurement may remain in the salt bridge and change the concentration of ions in the next measurement. -The apparatus including pipettes, beakers and volumetric flask may not be washed to be very clean. The error in concentration may be enormous when handling very dilute solutions (e. g. 0. 001M, 0. 0001M, 0. 025M) -The electrode touched the salt bridge once so that the accuracy of measurement of e. m. f. was affected. The solution is not exactly passed. -Air gap may be present in the ammonium nitrate/ gelatine salt bridge, increasing the resistance of ion migration. 2. Difference in effect of ion concentration on electrical potential of cell: -In part A, the cell e. m. f. increases as [Pb2+(aq)] decreases. However, in part B, the e. m. f. drops as [Ag+(aq)]. This suggests that when the species is a stronger oxidizing agent in the reaction and undergoes reduction, the presence of its ions tends to increase the e. m. f. whereas the one which undergoes oxidation tends to reduce the e. m. f. The species with more positive standard reduction potential has a positive effect but the one with less positive potential has a negative effect. Reference: Physical Chemistry II by TM Leung and CC Lee( p. 295-298 &299-301).

The Action of Tiger Conservation

The Action of Tiger Conservation As the population of tiger in the world dwindles nowadays, everyone has the responsibility for the conservation of tiger especially tiger range countries. Over the past 100 years, tiger numbers have declined by 95 percent which leave only 3,200 and three sub-species have become extinct – with a fourth not seen in the wild for over 25 years (World Wild Fund for Nature [WWF] International, 2008). Since it is estimated that wild tiger number halved to 3,200, we can stop this decline if we act together now.In the countries where tiger population is facing extinction, government, conservation groups, and corporation have stepped many efforts to recover the threat of extinction. Government plays a vital role in taking steps to conserve population of tiger because without them a tiger conservation policy cannot be implemented. All of the governments throughout the species' ratige demonstrate greater resolve and lasting commitments to conserve tigers a nd their habitats, as well as to stop all trade in tiger products from wild and captive-bred sources (Dinerstein et al. , 2007).In Malaysia, the Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia which under Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment Government of Malaysia has introduced the National Tiger Action Plan for Malaysia in the year 2008. The aim of the Plan is to double the population of Malayan tigers from 500 to about 1,000 in the nation’s Central Forest Spine by 2020. This Plan identifies four objectives towards achieving following goal: 1. Secure the Central Forest Spine with strictly protected priority areas in landscapes connected with corridors. 2. Provide effective and long-term protection of tigers and their prey. . Promote and practice ecologically sound land-use, compatible with tiger conservation outside the priority areas. 4. Apply science in monitoring the efficacy of conservation actions and improving the knowledge of tiger ecology. (De partment of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia [DWNP], 2008). Furthermore, the vigilance of the Anti-Smuggling Unit officers and the Department of Wildlife and National Parks’ Wildlife Crime Unit prevented the smugglers from slipping their illicit haul through the Malaysia-Thailand border and into the illegal trade in tigers and their parts.Besides that, the law is being amended and other more stringent regulations are being finalized which allow for higher fines and longer jail sentences for poaching tigers. This is because as it stands, taking a tiger or any part of a tiger is an offense under the Protection of Wild Life Act 1972 which allows for a maximum fine of RM15,000 (USD4,000), a jail term of up to five years, or both. This is paltry compared to the fortune awaiting the smuggler when his illegal haul is finally sold (John ; Shepherd, 2009).According to the World Wild Fund for Nature (2008), India is home to the world’s largest population of tigers in the wild which is nearly to half of the world’s tigers or 1,400 of the 3,500 tigers. A major concerted conservation effort by the government known as Project Tiger. Project Tiger is a wildlife conservation movement initially spearheaded in India in 1972 by Indira Gandhi, the prime minister of the Republic of India from 1966 to 1977 to protect the Bengal Tigers.The project aims at tiger conservation in specially constituted tiger reserves representative of various biogeographical regions throughout India. Under the flagship Project Tiger program, the central government allocated a budget of USD17. 75 million to Indian tiger reserves during ninth five-year plan from 1997 to 2002 (Dinerstein et al. , 2007). The fundamental accomplishment has been the establishment of over 25 well-monitored tiger reserves in reclaimed land where human development is categorically forbidden.The program has been credited with tripling the number of wild Bengal tigers from roughly 1,200 in 1973 to over 3,500 in the 1990s. However, after that tiger conservation in India used to focus on an exhaustive, census-based attempt which known as tiger census to determine exact tiger numbers. A report was stated that the wild tiger population in India declined by 60% to approximately 1,411 by using tiger-census technique. It is noted in the report that the decrease of tiger population can be attributed directly to poaching.Now it has shifted to population sampling based on the mapping software known as Geographic Information Systems (GIS). In place of the tiger census, India’s Ministry of the Environment and Forests has launched a GIS-based program that monitors habitat. The new system uses a sample-based approach to estimate tiger populations and to evaluate whether tiger habitat is increasing, decreasing, or stable (Bobechko ; Stockton, 2004). Following the release of the report, the Indian government also pledged $153 million to further fund the Project Tiger initiative, se t-up a Tiger Protection Force to combat oachers, and fund the relocation of up to 200,000 villagers to minimise human-tiger interaction. Additionally, eight new tiger reserves in India are being set up. Indian officials successfully started a project to reintroduce the tigers into the Sariska Tiger Reserve. The Ranthambore National Park is often cited as a major success by Indian officials against poaching. On the other hand, India was seeking the support of World Bank and multilateral leader in highlighting efforts to keep alive India’s national emblem, the near-extinct wild tiger (Lamont, 2010).In Thailand, government of Thailand hosts world’s first inter-ministerial meeting on wild tiger conservation. The 1st Asian Ministerial Conference on Tiger Conservation will be held at the resort of Hua Hin, Thailand from January 27-30, hosted by the Royal Government of Thailand and co-organized by the World Bank, Save the Tiger Fund and other partners of the Global Tiger Init iative. All 13 tiger range countries were represented in Hua Hin. They include Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand, and Vietnam.It marks the first time that ministers from tiger range countries will come together to find ways to work together on tiger conservation. At the 1st Asia Ministerial Conference on Tiger Conservation, governments from the 13 tiger range countries (TRCs) showed unprecedented unanimity around the ambitious goal of total protection of critical tiger habitats and doubling the global number of wild tigers by 2022, the next Year of the Tiger. Thailand, the conference host, announced new commitments to improve and expand wildlife patrolling efforts.It was the first ever meeting of high-level representatives of the TRCs to discuss wild tiger conservation and signaled powerful convergence of political will, solidarity, and recognition of the urgency of the crisis facing the iconic symbol of Asiaâ €™s biodiversity. The meeting in Thailand was the latest concerted effort by governments and wildlife conservation experts set in motion by the Global Tiger Initiative (GTI) to date to consider local, national, and regional plans to address tiger conservation issues.Experts and practitioners of conservation in the TRCs continued discussions on best practices and adoption of policies embracing locally-targeted ‘tiger-friendly’ strategies in areas such as smart green infrastructure and landscape and park management, building on work from a conference on wildlife enforcement in Pattaya, Thailand last year, and the Kathmandu Global Tiger Workshop held in Nepal in October 2009 (Global Tiger Initiative, 2010). Thailand, the host government used the Hua Hin Ministerial meeting as a platform to announce new commitments, including expanding its Smart wildlife patrolling program in the Western Forest Complex.Thailand's Western Forest Complex – a 6,900 square mile (18,0 00 square kilometers) network of parks and wildlife reserves can potentially support some 2,000 tigers, making it one of the world's strongholds for these emblematic big cats, according to a new study by Thailand's Department of National Park, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation and the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society. The Western Forest Complex currently supports an estimated 720 tigers. These tiger densities were lower than those reported by Wildlife Conservation Society scientists from some protected areas in India with similar habitat, but better enforcement.For example, tiger densities of as many as 12 tigers per 100 square kilometers were measured in India's Nagarahole, Bandipur and Kanha forests, as opposed to four tigers per 100 square kilometers in Thailand's Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary. The Hua Hin Declaration was unanimously adopted by delegates at the ministerial meeting, reflecting minister-level agreement among the TRCs to redouble efforts on the groun d to halt the decline of tigers and assist in recovery of habitats (Wildlife Conservation Society, 2008).Where national governments supported in part by conservation groups, make a consistent and substantial commitments to tiger conservation, tiger do recover. Thus, conservation groups such as Malaysian Conservation Alliance of Tigers (MYCAT), World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF), and play a big part in taking steps to conserve population of tiger. Malaysian Conservation Alliance of Tigers is a joint programme of four non-governmental organization – the Malaysian Nature Society, WWF-Malaysia, TRAFFIC Southeast Asia, and Wildlife Conservation Society Malaysia Programme.MYCAT is established in 2003 because challenges to tiger conservation are multi-faceted and reaching solutions requires an integrated conservation approach. MYCAT was created to take a holistic approach to conservation by consolidating the resources and strength of the partners to produce a cohesive plan to save the tiger. MYCAT works in partnership with the Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia for integrated tiger conservation programme in Malaysia. MYCAT is the collaborative latform for the implementation of National Tiger Action Plan. MYCAT’s role is to increase communication and opportunities for collaboration among the partners whose tiger conservation priorities include habitat protection, human conflict resolution, law enforcement, monitoring of illegal trade, research, education, and public awareness. For example, MYCAT organized Race Against Time: Tiger Day at Zoo Negara, Kuala Lumpur on December 16, 2007. This nationwide awareness campaign is to reduce the incidence of people consuming tigers and tigers’ prey in all forms.Many people getting their hands dirty making plaster casts of tiger footprints, learning about the cruelty of snares, playing wildlife games and much more. Thousands took their first step in saving wild tigers by signing the pe tition for improved legislation. Furthermore, MYCAT had set up the 24-hour Tiger Crime Hotline at 019 356 4194 to encourage public reporting of possible crimes against and their prey. The need for a 24-hour hotline is clear: poachers and smugglers don’t just work between 9-5.The 24-hour Tiger Crime Hotline allows everyone to easily report suspected wildlife crimes or send report to [email  protected] net (Malaysian Nature Society, 2006). The World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF) is one of the largest international conservation groups. In this year, 2010, WWF has placed tigers at the top of their conservation priorities, fearing that the Chinese Year of the Tiger might hasten their extinction by spurring demand for the animal's body parts (Lamont ; WWF Global, 2010).Attaching top priority to remaining wild tiger populations around the world, WWF will witness the organization redoubling its efforts to preserve habitat and to give remaining species of wild tigers an earnest boost i n their struggle to remain viable. WWF has launched the â€Å"Tx2: Double or Nothing† tiger conservation campaign. WWF's Tx2 campaign aims to  put in place the necessary conditions to  double the wild tiger population by the next Year of the Tiger in 2022.The Tx2 campaign is all about setting the right conditions to enable our tiger population to double naturally in the wild. Monitoring of tiger populations, increasing patrol teams to reduce poaching threats and protecting tiger habitats are some of the ways to achieve this. Throughout 2010, WWF is focusing efforts on  securing emergency funds to halt poaching in the most critical tiger landscapes, securing political will and action to double wild tiger numbers, and protecting tiger habitat at an unprecedented scale, including clamping down hard on the illegal tiger trade.In addition, WWF outlined the current top 10 trouble spots for tigers in a first time interactive map that provides a unique overview of threats faced by wild tigers (WWF Global, 2010). Other than that, WWF-India strengthens patrolling capacity of Panna Tiger Reserve with vehicles. With the aim of strengthening tiger protection, WWF-India has supported Madhya Pradesh’s Panna Tiger Reserve with a four-wheeler and four motorcycles. The formal handover ceremony happened on Jan 26, 2010, the 60th anniversary of India becoming a republic.The vehicles are expected to strengthen the monitoring capacity of the staff of the tiger reserve and thereby deter poachers. They will help observe the tigers which were recently translocated here. In addition, they will be used to oversee the process of repopulation of Panna through future translocations (WWF-India, 2010). TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, is an international conservation group dedicated to ensure that trade in wild plants and animals are not threat to the conservation of nature.TRAFFIC is a joint programme of World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the World Conse rvation Union (IUCN). TRAFFIC also works in close co-operation with the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). TRAFFIC has done many works to conserve tigers. TRAFFIC monitors wildlife markets in Asia and elsewhere by identifying any tiger parts being traded (there are many fake â€Å"tiger parts† in circulation) and informing the appropriate authorities of required action to curb such trade.TRAFFIC also works with enforcement authorities and governments to take action to protect Tigers. For example, TRAFFIC India recently provided metal detectors and training to help park guards detect the use of illegal metal snares in Tiger reserves. TRAFFIC is also developing a database to monitor all seizures and trade in tiger parts. It is being modeled on ETIS, a database that has proved successful for monitoring illegal ivory trade and ensuring effective action is taken to curtail it.TRAFFIC also helps to raise aware ness about the conservation plight of wild Tigers. Besides that, TRAFFIC are also committed to assisting the Global Tiger Forum (GTF) and tiger range states with any technical assistance necessary to help the GTF fulfill its full potential as a significant global force for tiger conservation (TRAFFIC, 2008). On the other hand, the continuous decline in wild tiger populations worldwide which adversely impact both the biodiversity system and national heritage have also led to corporation heightening tiger conservation efforts globally.Thus, corporation also can play a role in taking steps to conserve the population of tiger. In Malaysia, the country's leading financial services group, Maybank which bears the face of the Malayan tiger as its iconic emblem, is taking action by entering into a two-year partnership with the Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tigers (MYCAT) in an effort to bring the plight of the Malayan tiger to the forefront. Maybank will be contributing RM1 million tow ards a dedicated outreach and research programme being spearheaded by MYCAT.While Maybank has been involved in supporting tigers in Malaysia's zoos, the rapidly declining tiger populations worldwide and appalling rate of poaching of tigers in our country have led us to take firmer action this time around towards the conservation of wild tigers as part of our golden jubilee corporate responsibility activities. As a result, Maybank decided to provide funds that will be used mainly by scientists to conduct research that aims to gather data that will help us conserve the fast-declining Malayan tiger from extinction.The Maybank & MYCAT alliance will also focus on raising public awareness among our rural and urban communities, and providing enforcement support to the authorities by assisting in collecting accurate, real-time information on wildlife crimes (Low, 2010). As a corporation, Maybank view this as an ideal opportunity to encourage our employees and the communities we operate in t o learn more about the importance of biodiversity balance and the role conservation efforts can play in protecting our Malayan tiger, a national heritage.This partnership also serves to remind people that nature is not just a commodity to be extracted or taken for granted, and if we are to progress, it must be with sustainability in mind. The project funded by Maybank will go towards supporting MYCAT in implementing the National Tiger Action Plan 2008-2020 – specifically research that aims to enhance the sustainability of the population of tigers and their preys by securing a safe dispersal tiger corridor at Sungai Yu, the last forest linkage between the Main Range and Taman Negara in Pahang along the Gua Musang-Kuala Lipis trunk road.Agricultural expansion along the road has created a forest bottleneck and there is only about a 10km stretch of forest left connecting these environmentally sensitive areas. The research will determine the response of wildlife to the past develo pment and current landuse patterns and establish benchmark data for future management. It will also estimate the tiger density in western Taman Negara and compare it to that of ten years go. Maybank's support will allow the public and policy makers to be informed of practical solutions based on careful research.Maybank employees will also have the opportunity to participate in the outreach programme as volunteers. Among the year-long activities planned with MYCAT are roadshows mainly at night markets and conservation education programmes in schools to create awareness among key communities in the country (Maybank, 2010). Nokia India, the leading mobile communications company in partnership with WWF-India, one of the largest conservation organizations in the country to save the tiger.Globally, Nokia’s environmental strategy is to drive the use of safe substances and materials in products, improve the energy efficiency of products and create effective take-back and recycling pr ograms. Energy efficiency and climate strategy are other important areas of continuous performance improvement by Nokia. Nokia has been involved in several conservation initiatives with the WWF Global Network. Nokia is extending this global vision to focus on local environment through its partnership with WWF by extend the relationship with WWF-India through Nokia in India.This is an important step in bringing corporate institutional support for conservation, significantly tiger conservation in India. This is also an important beginning at this critical time for conservation in our India. In July 27, 2008, Nokia India unveiled the ‘Tiger Wall of Hope’ in New Delhi as part of their support initiative for the Tiger Conservation programme of WWF India. The ‘Tiger Wall of Hope’ that has been created out of original pugmarks embedded in Plaster of Paris encased in acrylic are a grim reminder of the critical numbers of tigers left in the wild.As part of the assoc iation, Nokia and WWF-India will work towards providing education to the villagers for sustainable development, increasing awareness on tiger conservation, and identifying alternative livelihood programmes for the villagers around National Parks, specifically the Ranthambore National Park. Furthermore, Nokia will work with WWF in the following areas around Ranthambore to strengthen the existing community institutions and development of further institutions of the community to facilitate community empowerment, to provide education for sustainable development and ommunication outreach to the school teachers and students, villagers-including men and women, civil society communities around the Park and the forest personnel, and to strengthen sustainable and alternative livelihood programmes, to link them with existing schemes of other line departments of the Government of Rajasthan. In addition, Nokia has a robust community involvement program in Sriperumbudur, Chennai around its manufa cturing facility that has contributed immensely in improving the socio-economic fabric of the region and its employees.It is a matter of great privilege for Nokia India to be associated with WWF for the cause of tiger conservation that needs immediate intervention. This endeavor for tiger conservation is an extension of our commitment towards creating a positive impact on the society beyond Nokia’s technology, products, and services. (WWF-India, 2008) While the tiger as a wild species will most likely not go extinct within the next half century, its current trajectory is catastrophic.If this trend continues, the current range will shrink even further, and wild populations will disappear from many more places, or dwindle to the point of ecological extinction, in which their numbers are too few to play their role as top predator in the ecosystem. Leaving room for wide-ranging mammals such as tigers is vital and must become part of an effort to incorporate wildlife conservation into national and regional development agendas. Over the decades, we have realized that this problem is transnational and that science, economics, culture, public policy, and international dialogue all bear on preserving the tiger and its habitat.Conserving tigers, tiger habitat, and the natural capital they encompass must be part of the calculus that will continue to fuel Asia's growing prosperity (Dinerstein et al. , 2007). According to George Schaller, â€Å"Future generations would be truly saddened that this century had so little foresight, so little compassion, such lack of generosity of spirit for the future that it would eliminate one of the most beautiful and dramatic animals that the world has ever seen. † (DWNP, 2008)

Repulse travel Pharmaceuticals Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Repulse travel Pharmaceuticals - Coursework Example In order to find out the profitability of the product the Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) accumulated from the product needs to be calculated. Based on the financial data estimates the EBIT of the product is calculated. However the calculation of EBIT, the depreciation was also needed to be calculated on a straight line basis based on the formula: Depreciation= (Historical cost- Residual value)/ Life of the Asset (Gupta, & Sharma, n. d, p.376) In order to calculate the EBIT, the sales value was considered and the total amount of fixed cost and variable cost was subtracted to get the ultimate results (Correia, et al, 2007, p.3-4). Based on the calculation shown in Appendix 2 the company will reap a profit of ?185,000 annually from the launch of the new product. However the figures of sales are based on assumption. The change in market condition and the rise of competitor in the market however can cause a variability in the sales which has not been considered in the calculation of the EBIT or the operating profit of the product. After the profitability of the project is considered, a look at the total cash flow using the undiscounted method is taken into consideration. For the calculation of the cash flow, the difference of the cash inflow and the cash outflow is considered. An assumption has been made in the calculation of the cash flow as the cash inflows are taken to be constant for the five years. Total cash flow is calculated based on the formula of Total cash flow = Total of cash inflow – Cash outflow. (Ahmed & Meehan, 2011, p.599) The calculation done on Appendix 3 shows that the total cash flow of the company is ?475000 However the undiscounted method for cash flow evaluation does not provide a true picture as the future value of the money... The research analyzes the feasibility of the new product to be launched by Repulse Travel Pharmaceutical. During the analysis, the data have been taken based on the estimate of the research. The financial parameters which have been taken into consideration are the payback period, Net Present Value analysis, and Sensitivity analysis. The result of the payback period reveals that the product will take a period of 3.5 years to generate the total amount invested by the organization in its implementation. Considering the total lifetime of the project to be 5 years as decided by the company, the time period of 3.5 years seems predominantly long. However further studies were conducted and the result of the discounted cash flow analysis, involving NPV suggested that the project has a positive result and is quite viable to be implemented. In the sensitivity analysis factors of demand and the selling price was manipulated to observe the change in NPV under each case. The results show that the decrease in demand or the selling price of the product will put the product in danger. However it is suggested that the organization can implement the product if they can maintain a constant demand of the product and they should be specific in not decreasing the unit selling price below 10 percent from the original value of 7, as found in the sensitivity analysis. Further the organization must consider a thorough market analysis to understand how the product will perform in the market after a comparative analysis of the competitors.

Do you think political polarization is bad or good for democracy in Essay

Do you think political polarization is bad or good for democracy in the United States today - Essay Example pen are: ethnic or religious violence and counter attacks resulting in more violence; ideological integrity instead of taking opportunistic positions with the sole purpose of winning the ensuing election; fundamental changes in the electoral system making it inevitable for the candidate to encourage one’s core supporters than to appeal to the median voter; the system of proportional representation is conducive to the last choice. Political polarization is the normal process of democracy, but if it were to take an extreme posture it is bad for United States today, as the country has to tackle many issues at the global level. It is facing severe economic competition from China and the threat from the Muslim fundamentalists to its security is real. The need of the hour is not political polarization but total unity, irrespective of party affiliations. A strong opinion is expressed by the think-tanks and analysts of political situation in USA, that in recent times, increasing polarization is seen. Jim Jeffords’ resignation from the Republican Party in 2001 is one such instance. He felt that the party was increasingly on the verge of polarization and the moderate voices are not allowed say. Ex-President Bill Clinton expressed the view in Daily Show on 9/18/06 that he believes that the Republican Party stands for polarization. Democracy doesn’t mean that the ruling and the opposition parties need to be permanently at war with each other. The supreme objective is the good of the country, and the responsible parties understand this fact. At times, an ordinary citizen who has no deep understanding of the working styles of the politicians, thinks that some illusion of policy differences, some incidents of cross, are the harbingers of the split in the party. The Senators of the same party who sometimes cross swords in public through newspapers, electronic media, etc often have the hidden agenda. They wish to gauge the moods of the public and wish to please every

The significance of the global factors that shape national business Essay

The significance of the global factors that shape national business activities - Essay Example Hence, organizations must obtain knowledge of these global factors in order to make timely strategic business changes that can ensure long term business sustainability. International trade would assist a country to attract foreign investments and to improve its unemployment rate. This paper will discuss the impact of international trade and other key global factors (both positive and negative) on UK businesses. In addition, this will give an overview of EU and its various policies influencing UK businesses. International trade and UK businesses As the Penguin Dictionary define, â€Å"the exchange of goods and services between one country and another is called international trade† (as cited in Jain 2009. p.110). In most countries, international trade accounts for a significant percent of the gross domestic product. International trade is greatly assist countries to find out cheaper and potential markets for their goods and services. While analysing the impact of international trade on UK businesses, it seems that global trade helps the nation to grow its business sector. To illustrate, as per the DFID statistical data (n.d.), UK’s goods exports increased by 72% to $468 billion whereas services exports increased by 156% to $288 billion over the decade 1998-2008. Evidently, exports in UK have notably increased over the last decade and this situation in turn assisted UK business sector to gain more potential clients and suppliers. In addition, increasing exports indicate more revenues and profits for UK businesses and this growing inflow of money can aid UK business sector to promote its growth. Similarly, imports in UK have also dramatically improved during the 1998-2008 period. Over this decade, the country’s imports grew by 111.5% (Ibid). The significant rise in imports and exports promoted the development of other related business industries in UK. Market analysts opine that better international trade has greatly benefited UK business sector to spread risk during the global financial crisis 2008-09 and to maintain market stability to some extent. Finally, the international trade aid UK businesses to explore new potential expansion opportunities and to dominate the global business regime. Global factors influencing UK business Oil price is one of the major global factors influencing UK businesses. Recent reports indicate that oil prices are falling in UK due to fall in crude oil prices in the global market. This situation will certainly benefit UK business sector because falling oi l prices would assist businesses to improve their production costs and thereby profitability. The value of the Pound Sterling has been relatively stable for many years in spite of the recent global recession that dreadfully shook Europe. A stable currency encourages potential foreign marketers to establish trade relationship with UK businesses as it would allow them (foreign marketers) to enjoy high level of business certainty. In addition, the stable value of the currency contributes to maintaining stable oil prices, which in turn are helpful for the nation’s business sector. Similarly, a series of recent technological innovations positively influence UK businesses because the country’s technological landscape has highly developed and hence it is able to bear changes easily. Recently developed computer related technologies and automation of production lines have notably contributed to the expansion of UK businesses (Chaston 2009, p.100). At the same time, some negativ e global factors impede the growth of UK businesses. Many of the world’s leading economies including the United States are yet to recover from the impacts of the global financ

Academic Reading-Text Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Academic Reading-Text Analysis - Assignment Example In addition to giving a snapshot of the various ethical concerns embedded in architecture, this report goes further to put into perspective how architects may incorporate ethics in their practice with different stakeholders. Architecture is one of those sensitive professional fields that poses serious negative impacts to the stakeholders involved whenever ethical standards are ignored. Essentially, architectural ethics define the moral responsibility to do the right thing or make the right and best decision on variety of situations as mentioned in the introduction. Architectural work involves the consideration of a rich blend of cultural diversities. This necessitates the need for anyone in this profession to think about the cultural perspectives that may come up at any time in the working environment. This is yet another pointer as to why ethics may be necessary in the architectural profession. Professional ethics will demand that individuals be able to deliver high standards of service in their professional jurisdiction without compromise on grounds of cultural diversities. Architecture, in itself, has an ethical nature. As put clearly, it is one of the processes that are involved in the beautification of man’s natural habitat, to become a better place (Wasserman, Barry, Gregory, and Patrick 13). This provides an avenue for man to find satisfaction, both in the spiritual and emotional context. As such, the architectural professionals are obliged to come to the realization that their profession is not just about following a set of instructions, or doing things for the sake of it. Rather, they need to come to a conscious knowledge that they are actively involved in the process of bringing about fulfilment in human life. They are also a central part of the emotional and spiritual aspects that make life worth living. Ethics, being an integral part of the architectural profession, will, therefore, dictate all the decisions made by anyone in that field.

Copy Protection Of Fashion Design Is A Futile Exercise Speech or Presentation

Copy Protection Of Fashion Design Is A Futile Exercise - Speech or Presentation Example The main topic of the work is to study â€Å"high† fashion and mass production fashion in the USA. The goal of the work is to describe the core mechanism of new fashion ideas appearance and how it is related to copyright laws. It is through the practice of taking the design of one and re-imagining it that the fashion industry in America manages to thrive and exist even during the times of depression. The conclusion the writer makes is fashion for both men and women can only presented a certain number of ways. The only thing that keeps the design fresh and innovative are the various small modifications made by other designs based upon their predecessors work or their current imagination. The author points out that smaller fashion houses thrive on the basis of free enterprise and competition which allows fashion not to become an overpriced, elitist representation of modern civilization that can only be afforded by a few. The author also studies the problems of fashion industry i n the USA. The real problem in the fashion industry is not the fact that designers get â€Å"inspiration† from one another, but rather, that there are unscrupulous individuals who copy their labels which are protected under the trademark laws. The fashion industry of America does not need protecting, it thrives under the copycat enterprise. Those small fashion houses that create modified versions of the current trends don't misrepresent the items as high fashion. The actual harm comes from the fake designer label fashion originating in Asia that poses the real threat to fashion industry. . ... These small fashion houses have the ability to mass produce an exact replica or a modified replica (as is always the case) of the current fashion trends fresh off the fashion runway of New York. People like Furstenberg are elitists who, in my humble opinion, believe that high couture belongs only in the hands of the ruling elite, while run of the mill fashion belongs to everyone else. What is truly ironic about these people's cause is that they are led by a woman (Furstenberg) who would actually be found guilty of violating the IDPPA. She credits herself and bemoans the fact her design for a green wrap around dress, which is on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art has been redesigned and modified countless times by innumerable fashion designers without giving her the acknowledgment that is due her as the creator of the â€Å"original† design. However, a quick look into the history of this type of fashion design dates all the way back to the time of the ancient Greeks who had men and women sporting the earliest designs of the wrap as part of the dress fashion of ancient times. Not to forget also that, according to Johanna Blakely (2011) : â€Å"If credit were to be given to the â€Å"creator,† many students of fashion would probably think you meant Claire McCardell, a successful American designer who introduced a wrap-around dress to the American market in 1942. It was called the â€Å"popover† and it was originally made of denim, but she eventually transformed the design for dresses, coats and beach wraps. â€Å" The above scenario further proves the futility of copy righting a design to only one person for a period of 3 years as prescribed in the IDPPA. One only has to realize that fashion in every sense of the

Ghana and the Ashanti Tribe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Ghana and the Ashanti Tribe - Essay Example The issue of Ghana and the Ashanti tribe is one of great significance and interest, and in order to come to a better understanding on the subject matter, we must thoroughly discuss these topics, as well as any and all key related information. The aim of this paper is to do this, in order to provide a more intellectual and knowledgeable viewpoint on the subject matter at hand. This is what will be dissertated in the following. Ghana is a country in West Africa which borders the Ivory Coast to the west, Burkina Faso in the north and Togo to the east. Ghana was "inhabited in pre-colonial times by a number of ancient kingdoms, including an island Ashanti kingdom and various Fante states along the coast." (Wikipedia, 2006). Ghana became independent in 1957, and the country's population is now 21,029,853. The name Ghana is mostly symbolic, and was chosen for the nation - a reference to the Ghana Empire of earlier centuries. Ghana comprises of over 60 ethnic groups, with fifty two major languages and hundreds of dialects which are spoken in Ghana, and English, the official language of Ghana, is spoken by many. Like most other African nations Ghana has rich traditional cultures that differ from one ethnic group or tribe to the other. Generally, Ghanaians emphasize such communal values as; family, respect for the elderly, honoring traditional rulers, and the importance of dignity and proper social conduct. "Individual conduct is seen as having an impact on an entire family, social group and community; therefore, everyone is expected to be respectful, dignified and observant in public settings and in most every aspect of life." (Wikipedia, 2006). No part of Ghana, however, is ethnically homogeneous. Urban centers generally ethnically mixed due to migration in towns and cities in search of employment; rural areas, with the exception of cocoa-producing areas that have attracted migrant labor, tend to reflect more traditional population distributions. Prior to European colonization, the Ashanti Confederacy was a major state in western Africa, particularly from 1570 to 1900. Ashanti wealth was based on the region's substantial deposits of gold. These rich deposits led to much metalworking among the Ashanti. Ashanti was one of the few African states which was able to offer serious resistance to the European imperialists. Between the years of 1826 and 1896, Britain fought four wars against the Ashanti kings (the Anglo-Ashanti wars), one of which was notable as the first conflict in which the Maxim gun was used. "In 1900, the British finally subdued the kingdom and renamed it the Gold Coast colony. A revered figure in Asante history is Yaa Asantewaa, a leader of the resistance against British colonialism in 1896." (Wikipedia, 2006). The Ashanti people are known mostly for their colorful folktales and mythology, as well as for their religion. The most important god in the pantheon of the Ashanti of Ghana is Nyame, the omniscient, omnipotent sky god. Tano is one of the most important and famous gods of Ashanti. All the other gods of Ashanti, especially the river gods in particular, are believed to be the children of Tano, and therefore the Ashanti believe that the gods are the children of Nyame and that they serve as intermediaries between humans and Nyame. The Ashanti tribe is the tribe from which nearly half of the Ghanaian population is descended, and is the largest tribe in

Characteristics of Business Leadership Term Paper - 1

Characteristics of Business Leadership - Term Paper Example The Byte shop purchased their first fully assembled computer. It is here that the Apple Corporation became founded. The name was based on Jobs favorite fruit and the logo selected to play on the name of the company and the word byte (Lee, 2001). His highly innovative ideas of personal computers took him into changing the software industry and computer hardware. His invention changed the people idea of a Pc from a huge mass of vacuum tubes used by giant corporations to a small item used by the ordinary people. His development of the software for the Macintosh brought the use of windows interface and use of mouse that set a bar for all interface in software application (Halliday, 2003). One significant challenge Apple faces is Jobs himself. Majority of people believe he is Apple, and he has attracted a devotion of followers better known as the Mac faithful and recently the iphone and iPod fanatics. He is like a secular messiah to his followers and a cult leader to his competitors. The unmatched record of Apple’s products got found under his leadership and whose desire for sleek gadgets is unique in the business world (Halliday, 2003). The markets also are hyper about Jobs. To the world whenever he became faced with sickness the Apple share prices decline. The shares of the company significantly dropped by as much as 10 percent after the announcement of his medical leave. Rumors’ were also said that the company would be sued by its investors, who were unhappy with it’s about face on the health of its chief executive. Investors complained that the company was slow to tell about Steve Job’s honest medical status, and to incorporate a succession plan after his treatment of cancer. This is because of his influential role in vetting the organizations future designs (Lee, 2001). The other challenge was the lack of product blockbusters that will excite Apple lovers. Analysts believe that the company has no announcement to

International Business Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

International Business Finance - Essay Example Through competitor analysis, the company can differentiate the products supplied to these new regions, and effectively overcome the impeding competition from existing suppliers (Johnson 2012). Overcoming competition remains fundamental towards ensuring successful entry into international markets. Competitor analysis could assist the company in reaching competitive edge within the international business ventures. The production methods utilised by competitors can provide the company with possible production methods to use within these regions. This will also enable the company to analyse possible production technological advancements that could be introduced, and improve the production. Introduction of new production technology could enhance production and reduce production costs. Economic status The economic status shall include the analysis of the economic systems, within these regions, and institutions. This would provide the company with information regarding the availability of e ssential natural and human resources within the target regions. The available human resources could enable the company establish the best production methods, sustainable within these regions. The economic status shall enable the company to decide on strategic approaches to take when making market entries into these regions. In a libertarian economy, for example, market entry would be easier because of limited interference from governments (Glaeser, 2010). Most economies of Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia remain relatively static with considerable government regulation. Understanding of these factors would enable the company to strategise on effective methods of coping with the government influence (Jethani 2011). Government influence in these economies limits the freedom of conducting business and could frustrate investors when assumed. Political system The company should consider the political systems in existence within the target markets. The political system immensely affects th e policy formulation and economic stability of any country. The political systems within different countries determine the influences of government owned enterprises on private businesses. While the operation of government owned enterprises depends on political systems, their influence on private businesses could affect the operations of private enterprises (Hatch, et al. 2011). Political systems could therefore, affect private businesses through offering government enterprises better operating environments, hence instigating unfair competition. Bureaucratic political systems implement controls on private enterprises while letting government owned businesses to operate freely, giving government enterprises a competitive edge. International conflicts, influenced by political systems, could also have adverse effects on international businesses. Countries experiencing international conflict could have sanctions imposed on them, and participation in international activities, including b usiness, significantly affected. Legal factors The legal system within any country affects the capacity to effectively conduct business. An analysis of the legal systems remains essential in enabling the company to determine best operating methods, applicable within the legal systems. Existence of corruption within numerous African countries could become a hindrance towards stability of operations. Corruption could become deeply rooted vice in a country’s culture that it becomes inculcated into national values

Appiled Arts Essay Example for Free

Appiled Arts Essay Although we now tend to refer to the various crafts according to the materials used to construct them-clay, glass, wood, fiber, and metal-it was once common to think of crafts in terms of function, which led to their being known as the applied arts. Approaching crafts from the point of view of function, we can divide them into simple categories: containers, shelters and supports. There is no way around the fact that containers, shelters, and supports must be functional. The applied arts are thus bound by the laws of physics, which pertain to both the materials used in their making and the substances and things to be contained, supported, and sheltered. These laws are universal in their application, regardless of cultural beliefs, geography, or climate. If a pot has no bottom or has large openings in its sides, it could hardly be considered a container in any traditional sense. Since the laws of physics, not some arbitrary decision, have determined the general form of applied-art objects, they follow basic patterns, so much so that functional forms can vary only within certain limits. Buildings without roofs, for example, are unusual because they depart from the norm. However, not all functional objects are exactly alike; that is why we recognize a Shang Dynasty vase as being different from an Inca vase. What varies is not the basic form but the incidental details that do not obstruct the objects primary function. ?Sensitivity to physical laws is thus an important consideration for the maker of applied-art objects. It is often taken for granted that this is also true for the maker of fine-art objects. This assumption misses a significant difference between the two disciplines. Fine-art objects are not constrained by the laws of physics in the same way that applied-art objects are. Because their primary purpose is not functional, they are only limited in terms of the materials used to make them. Sculptures must, for example, be stable, which requires an understanding of the properties of mass, weight distribution, and stress. Paintings must have rigid stretchers so that the canvas will be taut, and the paint must not deteriorate, crack, or discolor. These are problems that must be overcome by the artist because they tend to intrude upon his or her conception of the work. For example, in the early Italian Renaissance, bronze statues of horses with a raised foreleg usually had a cannonball under that hoof. This was done because the cannonball was needed to support the weight of the leg. In other words, the demands of the laws of physics, not the sculptors aesthetic intentions, placed the ball there. That this device was a necessary structural compromise is clear from the fact that the cannonball quickly disappeared when sculptors learned how to strengthen the internal structure of a statue with iron braces (iron being much stronger than bronze). Even though the fine arts in the twentieth century often treat materials in new ways, the basic difference in attitude of artists in relation to their materials in the fine arts and the applied arts remains relatively constant. It would therefore not be too great an exaggeration to say that practitioners of the fine arts work to overcome the limitations of their materials, whereas those engaged in the applied arts work in concert with their materials.

Design of a Standalone Energy System

Design of a Standalone Energy System Design of a Standalone Energy System and its Comparison with Grid Connected System in Pakistan Abstract During last few decades the investment and interest in the development of solar energy is being increased. PV is becoming more and more popular in those countries which can bear large investment cost and can offer economic incentives to the investors and almost in all those areas of world which are looking for a clean environment and working hard for green energy projects. This thesis work covers the design of a standalone power system and comparison of this designed system with already existing grid connected system in Pakpattan, Pakistan. After preliminary designing, an estimation of system and different components sizing was made and on the basis of this sizing, different energy sources like PV, wind and diesel generator were tested. Also if PV can fulfill the daily load or a backup diesel generator would be needed. For preliminary designing, Sandia sheets and PVSYST were used but for the actual designing, HOMER was used because HOMER is more accurate and precise tool for designin g standalone power systems. Simulations were carried out and the cost of energy per kWh was 0.435$. Total initial capital cost was 6517$. Further economic evaluation was carried out and was compared with already existing grid connected system. On pure economic terms, this system does not seem to be economical feasible but when different recommendations were taken into account like government subsidy and carbon credit then this system was economically feasible over the 25 years which is the life of this project. 1. Project background and Introduction 1.1 Introduction The project with respect to this thesis is to design a standalone energy system and to compare it with already existing grid connected system. This system might be PV alone system, PV wind hybrid system, PV Diesel hybrid system or just diesel generator system. This system is designed for a Jamia Masjid (Islamic center) in Pakpattan, Pakistan. The exact site of the project is a colony of Pakpattan which is in the south-west of the city Pakpattan. The Pakpattan city is situated around 161 Km south west to Lahore. The climate and weather data is almost same for Lahore and Pakpattan. Furthermore it will be first project of its own nature in this area and it will help to design the systems for the residential areas by which a common person can get benefits and get rid of power failures. â€Å"Pakistan is located between latitude 24 and 37 degrees North and longitude 62 and 75 degrees East. Pakistan has Afghanistan in the north-west, Iran on west boarder, India is on the east, China in the north and the Arabian Sea is on the south† [1]. Pakistan is ageographical centre of the Asian Continent because it builds a type of bridge between Far East and Middle East; also it has a continental type of climate which can be characterized by extreme variations of temperature. Generally the climate of Pakistan is arid, means very high temperature in summer and low temperatures in winter. High altitudes change the climate in the freezing northern mountains which are covered by heavy snow. There is little rainfall. There are some differences exist distinctly in various locations, e.g. the coastal line along Arabian Sea is usually under warm conditions, whereas the Karakoram mountain range and some other mountains of far north are so cold, completely frozen and covered with snow that these are only visible and accessible by some international world-class climbers for a couple of months of May and June of each year. The variation of daily temperature could be 11 0C to 17 0C but in winters the minimum mean temperature is about 4 0C in January. Pakistan has tremendous recourses of energy but unfortunately due to mismanagement out of 170 million population just 65-70% has access to electricity. Demand is more than supply of energy to residential and industrial sector. Currently Pakistan is facing 3000 MW of power storage and it is expected that in year 2010 the demand will exceed supply by 5500 MW. The current power and electricity demand and supply gap shows that there is a big need to increases the current power generation capacity in Pakistan. [1] 1.2 Aim of the thesis The main aim of the project is to design an independent and stand alone energy system for an Islamic center in Pakpattan, Pakistan. During the attempt to design this independent energy system, there could be sub aims as well, which are the procedures and details of the design are presented with step by step. There are main following aims which are supposed to be fulfilled by this thesis. * To go through the core knowledge of the designing process. * Obtaining data for the boundary conditions such as load, solar radiation wind data, available components, cost for fuel, electricity and components. * Sizing of the system. * Optimizing the cost. * To get familiar with different tools used for designing and make selection between them. * Beyond from bookish knowledge, get to know some real and practical aspects of different PV systems and projects. The body and structure of the thesis is mainly divided into four phases. * Introductory part (Abstract, contents) * Main part (Introduction, Background, Description, Analysis, Calculation of the primary load for this specific project. Boundary conditions and design parameters. Economical look on existed grid connected system and Comparative study between this newly design system and already existing grid connected system in terms of economics, Results and Conclusion ) * Reference part (Reference list and Appendices) 1.3 Method As the aim of this thesis project is to design an independent energy system for Islamic center and then compare it with existed grid connected system. The main interest is to provide electricity for Islamic center without shortfall. To do so, first of all literature survey was carried out and was gone through different designing procedures for standalone independent systems. Different tools were also tried and testified, so that an appropriate design could be chosen. In this way Scandia sheets, PVSYST and HOMER were considered especially because these tools were used previously to design such systems. First of all load demand was calculated. Why these three tools were used, the reason is that Scandia sheets are very helpful in sizing different components of standalone energy system while PVSYST has very big database of PV modules, batteries, inverters and diesel generators in itself. After that when the sizing was done then specific components were chosen for this stand alone system. In HOMER there are different options to check weather PV, PV wind hybrid or PV diesel hybrid system is feasible After designing the system, its economic analysis was carried out using different economic parameters like pay back periods, net present value, benefit to cost ratio and internal rate of return. 1.4 Energy profile of Pakistan The energy profile of Pakistan is inadequate and there are always short falls of energy (electricity) especially during summer. Pakistan needs around 14,000 to 15,000 MW electricity everyday to meet all residential and industrial demands. But Pakistan can produce around 11,500 MW, so it means there is around 3000 MW to 4000 MW short fall. The reasons for this deficiency are limited fossil fuel resources, weak economy and mismanagement of the available energy sources. In 1.1, an overview of primary energy supplies in Pakistan is presented in MTOE (TOE: ton of oil equivalent. It is an energy unit which is equal to the energy of burning of 1 ton of crude oil which is about 42 GJ) [2] From 1.1 it is clear that energy supply of Pakistan is highly dependent on Oil and Gas, both contribute more than 79% of total primary energy supplied. The other sources like hydro- electricity, coal, nuclear electricity and imported electricity contribute about 21% of the total share. Pakistan has been growing in agricultural and industrial sector during last decade and thats why energy demand is being increased. As population and industry is growing, the daily demand will increase up to 20,000 MW in 2010. Natural gas has played an important role to meet the energy needs in recent years. But Pakistan needs to expand its energy resource on permanent bases. In order to overcome this energy shortage, Pakistan needs to develop its indigenous energy resources such as hydropower, wind and solar energy. Pakistan is one of the highest solar insulation areas of the world. [3] Here are the main sources of energy in Pakistan right now; * Natural Gas * LPG * CNG * Oil * Coal * Nuclear Energy 1.5 Renewable energy sources in Pakistan Pakistan is situated in such a special geographic location that it is blessed with abundant and inexhaustible Renewable Energy (RE) resources. These resources can play an effective and considerable role for the contribution towards energy security of Pakistan. When we look into current world energy scenario in general and energy scenario of Pakistan in particular, the development and adoption of RE technologies makes better sense. Government policies and objectives to develop RE technology are also matching with this sense so that the share of RE in overall energy mix should be at least 5% by the year 2030. Solar energy has 2.9 Million MW potential and wind energy has around 0.346 Million MW while Mini Small Hydel has 2,000 MW. [4] There is a significant potential of wind energy in Pakistan especially in the coastal belt of Baluchistan and Sindh, and also in deserts of Sindh and Punjab. However this renewable energy source has not been utilized. â€Å"AEDB collected the wind data of all Pakistan from Pakistan Metrological Department and was analyzed. On the basis of this collected data and analysis, it was stated that the coastal belt of Pakistan has a God gifted 60 km wide (Gharo-Keti Bandar) and 180 km long (up to Hyderabad) wind corridor† [4]. This wind corridor has the potential to generate 50,000 MW of electricity. AEDB has done other different surveys in Gharo and Jhimpir regions and some coastal area of Baluchistan. After these surveys it is concluded that in the south region most of the remote villages can be easily electrified through micro wind turbines. Furthermore it is estimated that in Baluchistan Sindh and Northern areas more than 5000 villages can be electrified through wind energy. [4]. In 1.2a and 1.2b wind and solar maps for Pakistan are shown. Sincere efforts and aggressive lobbying has been done by AEDB with national and international investors to invest and to make them realize the tremendous potentials of RE. AEBD is in negotiations with international companies to set up their business in Pakistan. However large wind mills have not been installed yet but 30 wind mills for water pumping have been installed on experimental basis in different parts of Baluchistan and Sindh. In southern coastal areas of Pakistan remote villages are currently electrified with energy and so far more than 17 villages have been electrified using micro wind turbines. Around 95% of total electricity generation is from hydropower in Pakistan. But during hotter months of summer, it cannot meet the energy requirements due to less productive. Also 70% of population lives in around 50,000 villages. Many of these villages are very far from the main transmission lines and also it is not economically viable to connect these small villages to the main gri d due to their small population. On the other hand solar energy has excellent and significant potential. Pakistan is one of those countries which receive solar radiations at high level throughout the year. Every day it receives an average of about 19 MJ/m2 of solar energy. Studies have been already done and solar systems have been developed and tested. [4] 1.6 Potential of PV in Pakistan The location of Pakistan is very ideal to take advantage of solar energy as a source of energy because Pakistan is in the Sun Belt region. Solar energy is available abundantly and widely distributed all around the country. Following shows solar insolation map for Pakistan. The map shows around 200-250 W/m2 per day. The Baluchistan province is very rich in solar energy. It receives around 19-20 MJ/m2 per day averagely which is equal to 1.93-2.03 MWh/ m2 per day with annual 8-8.5 mean annual sunshine hours. These conditions are ideal for PV and solar energy applications. [5] Solar energy is very good option for off-grid villages. There are around 75,000 off-grid villages which contains 4 million homes and every home accommodates around 4-5 people. These off-grid villages are situated in the Baluchistan and Frontier Province. AEDB has set a target to electrify a thousand villages via solar technology by the year 2010. In this respect the first contract has been given to the Sehgal electronics group (Pakistan). Each home which is electrified with PV will have around 400W power supply and lead acid batteries for overnight storage. There are also other plans to have local production using PV modules with and estimation of this production is around 3MW/year. [6] 1.6.1 Possible routes for solar PV in Pakistan The global demand of PV equipment is increasing day by day and due to this fact the prices for PV systems, equipment and electricity has gone down remarkably. PV could be exploited in Pakistan through following two routes. [6] 1.6.1.1 Off-grid or stand-alone sector Stand-alone or off grid systems generate electricity independently of the utility grid. Stand alone systems can be a very good option for the remote areas and very deep located villages, where the extension of power transmission lines would be more costly. Also it could be implemented in environmentally sensitive areas as parks, remote homes and cabins. In rural areas, it could be used for solar water pumps and farm lighting. [6] 1.6.1.2 Grid-connected sector Grid-connected PV systems supply extra power when the home systems power supply is not sufficient to fulfill the load. These systems remove the need of battery bank. In some situation, utilities allow net metering, by which the owner can sell extra power back to the utility. [6] 1.6.2 Current solar energy applications in Pakistan Both PV and solar thermal have a wide range of applications in Pakistan. Although the scale of utilization and adoption has been very small but it has been utilized for last 25 years in Pakistan. Different applications mainly PV and solar thermal applications are summarized as. [5] 1.6.2.1 Photovoltaics Eighteen PV stations were built by the government in the early 1980s to electrify different villages the country. The installed capacity was nearly 440 kW but due to the lack of technical knowledge and follow up, these systems could not perform as required. Currently in Pakistan solar energy is being used for telephone exchanges stand alone rural electrification, cathodic protection, highway emergency telephones and vaccine refrigeration in hospitals. In different parts of Baluchistan, about 20 solar water pumps have been installed for drinking purposes by The Public Health Department. The northern and western area of Pakistan are mostly hilly and mountain areas (Hindu Kush-Himalayas, HKH region), which are blessed with a lot of sunshine with 4-6 kWh/m2 daily average solar radiation. Seven solar stations were installed in this region in the late 1980s for lighting by different companies. The total capacity of these systems was 234 kW. They are not in operation now due maintenance pro blems. SIEMENS Pakistan has installed many stand alone solar systems in Pakistan. On the Lahore-Islamabad Motorway, it has installed power supply systems for many microwave-link repeater stations and more than 350 emergency call boxes. [5] 1.6.2.2 Solar thermal applications There are many applications which utilize the heat characteristics of solar energy directly. These applications are very simple, low price and easily to adoptable. These include heating and cooling of residential and commercial buildings, cooking, water heating for domestic and industrial use and drying agricultural products. A brief description of such applications in Pakistan is given here. [5] 1.6.2.3 Solar water heaters This technology is quite mature in Pakistan but very limited because of its higher capital cost as compared to conventional water heaters which operate on natural gas. But in last couple of years it has started to gain popularity because a number of public sector organizations are working to develop low cost solar water heaters. The prices of natural gas and electricity are increasing day by day, so people are adopting solar water heaters and also private sector has already started the production of such heaters. [5] 1.6.2.4 Solar cooker Different public sector organizations have been working to develop low cost and efficient design solar cookers. In HKH region of Pakistan, more than 2000 solar cookers are in use. This number is very small. It needs to be more popularized. Pakistan needs to reduce the use of precious forest resources as fuel wood and to replace it with solar cookers. [5] 1.6.2.5 Solar dryers Solar energy can be very good option for drying agriculture products. By this, we can get very good quality products at much less cost. Northern mountainous areas like Gilgit and Sakardu are very rich in fruit production like apricots which used to be wasted by tons every year. But now solar dryers are being used to dry large quantities of fruit, which is leaving a positive effect on the economy of this area. Different NGOs are working for the popularizing and the use of such dryers. [5] 1.6.2.6 Solar desalination Drinkable water is unavailable in many parts of Sindh, Baluchistan and southern Punjab and it is very critical issue. Underground water is available but it is highly saline. This saline water is not fit for drinking at all and causes many dangerous diseases such as hypertension. Solar energy can be utilized to convert this available saline water into drinkable water. Solar desalination is very simple, low cost and easy to use. Also it is very easy to adopt. A successful solar desalination project is in operation and it is working very fine and helping to change the life style of the population of Gawader in the Baluchistan province. It consists of 240 stills and each can clean 6000 gallons of seawater per day. [5] 2. Types of PV and PV Hybrid systems Generally the classification of PV systems is based on their operational and functional requirements, the configuration of their components and the connectivity of the equipment to power sources and electrical loads. PV systems are designed to supply DC and/or AC power and can operate interconnected with utility grid or independent of it. There are classified as;  · Grid-connected Photovoltaic systems  · Stand alone Photovoltaic systems 2.1 Grid-connected PV systems Grid-connected PV systems are designed to operate parallel with the interconnection of electric utility grid. Power conditioning unit (PCU) or inverter is very basic component in grid-connected PV systems. PV array produces DC power supply and the PCU converts it in to AC power supply which is consistent with the power and voltage requirements of the utility grid. PCU automatically stops the power supply to the grid when utility grid is not energized. [7] 2.2 Stand alone PV systems Stand alone PV systems or off grid systems are designed to operate independently. Mainly stand alone PV systems are used in isolated and remote areas where the connection with grid or electricity network is not possible. In this type of systems the storage system (batter bank) is very important component and storage is guaranteed by batteries. The design and sizing of such system should be done in a way that it could supply and meet the required load even in bad weather conditions or during winter months. For this surety these systems could be coupled with diesel generator, wind turbine or hydro generator and the systems after this type of coupling is called PV Hybrid systems. There could be different arrangements and designing methods of PV systems depending on the requirements and type of load to be fulfilled. In direct coupled system, DC power is supplied directly from PV array to DC load and there is no energy storage, thats why this type of systems can operate in sunlight hours which make them suitable for common applications like water pumps, ventilation fans and small circulation pumps used in solar thermal heating systems. In many other type of PV stand alone systems battery bank is used for the storage of energy and power inverters which can fulfill AC/DC loads at the same time. [7] 2.3 PV Hybrid systems PV hybrid systems are composed of combined solar energy with some other electricity producing sources like wind turbines, diesel generators or small hydro plants. The choice of other source of energy to be combined depends on the needs and the geographic situation and other specifications. The hybrid systems are best for the remote areas like islands and remote villages, also for remote applications like communication stations and military installations. Before go for designing a hybrid system, the specific energy needs and the available energy sources should be known. It means the potential for all available energy sources like solar energy, wind energy and hydro energy must be studied, so that the best combination could be made which can meet the specific energy requirements in best way of economy and availability. [8] 2.4 PV Diesel hybrid systems In remote areas the electricity has been produced by engine driven generators in the past. For those applications where we need a reliable and stationary generator is required, diesel generators are preferred. Petrol generators may provide electricity at lower cost due to their less frequent use. Engine driven generators are less efficient when driven at light loads (around 40 to 50% of their rated capacity) which can shorten their operating life and it results in high maintenance cost. When the engine is operated at light loads, the combustion temperature goes down which results incomplete combustion and carbon starts to deposit (glazing) on cylinder walls and this leads to premature engine wear and tear. In recent years, the cost of renewable energy technology has been declined continuously and also the concept of usage of alternative energy is growing day by day. Due to these two factors, the utilization of renewable energy has been increased for remote areas. Typically PV modules with small to medium size wind turbine are being used, but for some locations small hydro electric generators are suitable. In simple words combination of renewable energy sources and conventional energy sources with energy storage (battery bank) makes a Hybrid system which can give reliable and economic electricity supply. If we compare a system only with PV generator with a PV hybrid system, the second one reduces the batter size and improves the reliability of overall power supply. In hybrid system, the renewable energy source and battery bank try to reduce the run time of diesel generator. There is sufficient storage in these systems which allow the load to be shifted. Generally these type of systems a re installed in those locations where the logistics and costs of a reliable supply of fuel are not major contributing factors to overall system operation cost. [9] The displacement type systems are sized to decrease the fuel consumption of diesel generator by 70 to 90% as compared with a diesel battery system, so it relies mainly on renewable energy sources like solar. The engine driven generator still remains in the system to equalize the battery and it provides a backup for those periods when there is low solar input or high load demand. Such systems are installed in those locations where some attractive incentives for the use of renewable energy exist or fuel supplies are costly and unreliable. [9] Usually the conventional power supplies with diesel in remote areas are not flexible to react to the changes in load demand and varying operating conditions. This results in the compromises on reliability and efficiency. Significant changes in long term and short term load demand could happen as a result of * Increase or decrease of population; * Special community events; * Seasonal change in environmental conditions ( summer, humidity); * Change of consumer trends (increased use of home appliances) But renewable energy sources and batteries are modular in nature and can be upgraded without any problem when in future the load demand is increased with time. It means that we do not need to change the whole system. But as far as other components of the systems are concerned, they are different in their nature. For example inverters, battery chargers and PV charge controllers should be in such a way that the future increased demand should not exceed their rated capacity. Power conditioning devices are also inherently modular and they facilitate convenient system upgrade. [9] 2.5 Hybrid System configurations PV-Diesel hybrid systems produce AC power supply by the combination of PV array with inverter, which can be operated parallel or alternatively with engine driven generator. PV diesel hybrid systems can be classified as  · Series hybrid energy systems  · Switched energy systems  · Parallel energy systems 2.5.1 Series hybrid energy systems In this configuration, the power generated by generator is rectified first and then converted back to AC supply to fulfill AC demand which incurs much conversion looses. During low electricity demand periods, the diesel generator is powered off and the demand can be fulfilled from PV and stored energy. AC supply reaching to the load is converted from DC by an inverter. In series configuration the system efficiency is low because most systems pass large fraction of produced energy from battery bank which increases the cycling of the battery. [9] The SOC (state of charge) of the battery and actual load decide whether the diesel generator will operate or not, which depends on power supply from PV and diesel generator, load demand and the batteries are either charged or discharged. Solar controller is used to control such situations which prevent the overcharging of the batteries, when PV supply is more than the load and also the batteries are fully charged. The gain in energy is marginal for a good sized system but we can add a maximum tracking point which can improve the utilization of available PV energy. The system can be operated either in manual or automatic mode. This can be done by adding some extra components in the system. [9] There are certain merits and demerits of these configurations, they are as below. Merits * It has simplified electrical output interface as no switching of AC supply is required between different energy sources. * The supplied power to the load is not interrupted when diesel generator starts. * The inverter can produce a square wave, modified square wave or a sine wave depending on application. Demerits * The cycling of the battery bank increases which decreases the life time. * As diesel cannot supply power directly to the load, thats why system efficiency is low. * If there is some problem in inverter or in case of its failure, it results in complete loss of power. In this case diesel generator has to supply power directly for emergency purposes. * The cycling profile requires the large battery bank to limit the depth of discharge. 2.5.2 Switched configurations It is one of the most common configurations used, but it has some operational limitations. As the name shows, it operates either with diesel generator or inverter as AC source but no parallel operation of the main power generation source is possible. Switched configuration hybrid systems can be operated in manual mode but it makes the system more complex. In order to get rid of this complexity, it is desirable to add some automatic control unit. â€Å"This automatic control unit can work by adding appropriate battery voltage sensor and start/stop control unit of diesel generator† [9]. The advantage of this configuration is that the load can be fulfilled directly from diesel generator, which gives overall higher conversion efficiency. In this configuration both PV array and diesel generator can charge the battery. [9] This configuration has also certain advantages and disadvantages as Advantages * As the generator can fulfill the load directly, it improves the efficiency and reduces the fuel consumption. * The inverter can make a square wave, modified square wave or a sine wave depending on application. Disadvantages * Power supply is interrupted time by time as AC power sources are transferred. 2.5.3 Parallel configuration In this type of system PV and diesel generator supply the load separately when the load demand is low or medium. But when the load demand reaches at peck point, then PV and diesel generator combine and supply that peak load. In this configuration we use a Bi-directional inverter which has two functions * It can charge battery bank when excess energy is available from diesel generator (rectifier operation). * DC/AC converter (inverter operation). The bi directional inverter can also provide â€Å"peak shaving† which is defined as â€Å"the ability of parallel hybrid energy systems to supply load that exceed the power rating of the engine driven generator of the inverter from combine sources as part of the control strategy when the engine driven generator is overloaded †[19] Parallel configuration hybrid systems have also merits and demerits over other systems, like Merits * The efficiency of diesel generator could be maximized. * The maintenance of diesel generator could be minimized. * The system load could be fulfilled by optional ways. Demerits * It should be controlled by automatic control unit in order to make the operation of the system more reliable. * Operation of the system is much complex for untrained users 2.6 Power conditioning In PV diesel hybrid energy systems three types of conversion devices are used to control and conditioning of power flow. They are battery charge regulator, inverter and a rectifier. The rectifier or battery charger is included in the system to convert AC power generated by diesel generator to DC voltage. This is done to recharge the battery bank. Series type hybrid systems have always low efficiency because they use two conversions AC/DC and DC/AC. If we assume that both efficiencies of rectification and subsequent inversion of DC voltage are very high, lets say 90%, it will result a loss of 19% of total power gained in these conversions. This is the reason why parallel and switched cond systems have always more overall system efficiency. In hybrid energy system operation, usually the generator operates at 80% of its rated capacity. In switched or parallel cond energy systems AC power is supplied directly from diesel generator but the excess power which is more than the required load is used to recharge battery bank. This supply of power to battery bank is according to a defined battery charge strategy which takes the battery to high state of charge. In some modern parallel hybrid systems, a bi directional inverter unit is used. This bi directional inverter unit consists of solar controller, i