Who Killed the Electric Car Essay Example for Free

Who Killed the Electric Car Essay In 1996, electric cars began to appear on roads all over California. They were quiet and fast, produced no exhaust and ran without gasoline.. Ten years later, these futuristic cars were almost completely gone. Who Killed the Electric Car is a documentary which unfolds a complex set of events around the development and demise of the modern electric car. The story stems from California from the early 1990s to 2006. Chris Paine, the film maker has woven together interviews and archival footage of over 65 people involved with the events. The narrative begins to unfold with a brief history of the first electric cars created in the early twentieth century. These electric vehicles were killed off nearly 100 years ago as gas/petroleum powered internal combustion engine (ICE) cars became cheaper. The worsening problems of gas/petrol cars are illustrated: smog, high child asthma rates, CO2 emissions and global warming. [Later we also see the use of the US Military in the Middle East. The loss of life and financial cost of war are not mentioned]. The film then commences the story of the modern EV in 1987 when General Motors and the SunRaycer, won the World Solar Challenge, a solar electric car race in Australia. General Motors CEO, Roger Smith challenged the same design team to build a prototype practical electric car which became known as the Impact when announced in 1990. The project expanded to small scale production vehicles with the aim that it would give GM several years lead over any competitor car companies. The Californian Air Resources Board (CARB) saw this as a way to solve their air quality problem and in 1990 passed the Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate. The ZEV Mandate specified increasing numbers of vehicles sold would have to be Zero Emission Vehicles. For the car companies, there was only two options: Comply with the law or fight it. In then end, they would do both. The movie continues to reveal what the various suspects did to kill the reality of the electric car, and the efforts of EV supporters to save them. Oil companies stood to lose enormous profits if EV sales took off and they colluded with others to kill the electric car. To comply with the ZEV Mandate, in 1996, GM started leasing small numbers of the production car, called the EV1. Other car companies also produced electric vehicles by converting existing production models and leased them to drivers. But the GM board of directors never really wanted the car to succeed as they didnt think they would make profit from the car. They saw losses from development costs and the virtual absence of maintenance and replacement parts which, for gas cars, bring ongoing profits. They were worried that the popularity of the car was growing and that other US states were considering ZEV Mandate laws which meant that they may have to convert all their cars to electric drives which represented even bigger losses.

Cultural diversity :: essays research papers fc

Many people are affected by cultural differences, but if one tries to break the barriers, the attempt is usually received with open arms and graciously. I remember when preparing for my trip to Germany friends asked why I chose Germany. I responded with â€Å"why not?† Then I was confronted with reasoning like â€Å"look what happened in World War II, you do not know their language,† and my favorite, â€Å"all there are is Nazi people over there.† I looked at them for a second then replied with something to the affect that I have always had a fascination with World War II and especially Adolf Hitler and Germany. It is true that I do not know the language, but English is becoming more and more a universally recognized language, and while it is true there are Nazi types of people there, I’m sure there is an equal amount of â€Å"hate† right here in the United States. While this is interesting, it so far simply doesn’t respond to the assignment , which is to respond to an essay from Language Awareness. You need to make clear from the start what essay you’re responding to. Not deterred by other’s comments, I set off for Germany in November of 2002. This was post 9/11 so I was a bit nervous. The first jaunt was from Cleveland to Toronto where I had my first encounter with traveling outside the United States. Toronto has many Muslim people. As I approached the security gate to get into the area where I was to board the plane, I noticed a Muslim man yelling in Arabic or some other Middle Eastern language to someone across the security gate. By yelling, I mean angrily and forcibly. Being that this was my first international trip and only my 2nd airplane ride in my life, I was already nervous to begin with. Add the fact that it was post 9/11, I was nervous as hell. I thought to myself, â€Å"Did World War III break out in the hour that I was in the air to Toronto?† Then I realized that just maybe the person was upset about having to unbuckle his belt or something trying to get through the gate. I landed safe and sound in Frankfurt which has the largest airport in at least Europe. This is where I had my first cultural shock. I knew I had less than

Mintzberg and Management Essay

Throughout the 20th century a strong focus was placed on the principles behind management with Henri Fayol’s 1916 publication ‘Administration Industrielle et Gà ©nà ©rale’ being one of the first books aimed solely at deciphering and understanding the intricate concepts of management. In his book Fayol presents his classical model of management from the perspective on an executive. Fayol lists and discusses fourteen principles of management which, although non-exhaustive, provides a guide on the execution of what he proposed to be the five elemental processes of management. These five primary processes consisted of planning, organizing, commanding, coordinating and controlling which advocated Fayol’s support of a dynamic system of management. In response to changing contexts, other new theories have been placed forward by other distinguished academia such as Henry Mintzberg (1973), John Kotter (1982) and C.P. Hales (1986) which offer more concurrent perspectives on the concept of management. Born in 1841 Henri Fayol had, after a three decade career as a mining practitioner, committed himself to the promotion of his theories on administration in 1916 through the publication of his book ‘Administration Industrielle et Gà ©nà ©rale’ up until his death in 1925. Contextually influenced by the bourgeois environment of a post revolutionized France, Fayol advocated the notion of a flexible system of management which could be applied to more than just one setting. In his book, Fayol devotes more time and focuses on the five processes of management in contrast to the fourteen management principles as claimed by (Fells, M.J., 2000, p. 358). The first element, planning, is defined â€Å"both to assess the future and make provision for it† (Fayol, 1949, p.43). He goes on to describe that this dynamic plan must take into account a list of factors such as resources, work-in-progress, and future trends. Organizing considers the functional components of organizations along with the personnel and discusses the ideal conditions required of them. Commanding considers the responsibility that falls on every manager. The goal of managers is to achieve maximum contribution from personnel towards the welfare of the company through a number of factors. An example of these factors would be elimination of the unproductive, having a thorough knowledge of personnel and their respective binding agreements and an aim to be a role model. The third element of  management is coordinating which is defined as the harmonisation of resources in their optimum proportions in order to achieve results (Fayol, 1949, p. 103). The indicators of a well coordinated organization include efficient departments which harmonize well with the rest, are well informed of their responsibilities and also work to constantly adjusted schedules based on circumstantial demands. The last element, control, focuses on the timely verification of plan implementations. This element is applicable to all the other processes and its sole purpose is to identify any complications, amend any issues and prevent future recurrences. Due to their flexibility in implementation, the correlation between the introduction of Fayol’s model and the sharp rise in US productivity levels as well as living standards supports his approach to management (Fells, M.J., 2000, p. 348). Fayol’s approach is supported by another academic source (Hales, 1989, p. 12) which claims that â€Å"Fayol grasped the essence of management† through his classical formulation of the management functions. In 1973, Henry Mintzberg provided a new conceptualization about the roles of managers through his book ‘The Nature of Managerial Work’. Through his composition Mintzberg proposed and argued that the previously accepted role of managers which adhered to a systematic approach of planning, organizing, coordinating, leading and controlling were in fact false as through his diary analysis, Mintzberg was able to demonstrate that â€Å"the manager is not a planner in a reflective sense, and no amount of admonition in the literature will make him so. His milieu is stimulus-response.† (Mintzberg, 1973, p. 182). By performing an unstructured observation and interview procedure over a two week period, Mintzberg concluded the activities of his study managers could be categorized into three sets of behaviors or roles. He conceptualized these clusters of roles as: interpersonal, informational and decisions (Pearson et al, 2003, p. 696). Mintzberg also recognizes that all managers at some time exercise each of these rules but also that different levels of managers will give different priorities to them (Mumford, 1988, p. 3). In terms of contemporary management, Fayol and Mintzberg have contributed greatly to the understanding regarding the concept of management. However  both authors are not exempt from criticisms regarding their approaches. Fayol’s approach is widely considered to be too theoretical whilst Mintzberg’s approach has been criticized for not being theoretical enough. Despite their differences in approach, fundamentally the two theories not only share the same ‘elements’ under the guise of differently labelled terms, they compliment each other in terms of validity due to the strong correlation between results regarding the behaviour of managerial positions. (Fells, M.J., 2000, p. 359) supports this judgement as the journalist goes on to state that not only are Fayol’s principles still relevant, they are interrelated at an elemental level with the model of Mintzberg. (Lamond, 2004, p. 350) reinforces this argument through study conducted on a large sample of male and female managers of different ages and at different managerial levels. Not only did the survey confirm that there were indeed a central set of manager functions, as placed forward by Fayol, there were also a generic set of managerial behaviours as proposed by Mintzberg. In concluding despite their contextual differences, Henri Fayol’s ‘Administration Industrielle et Gà ©nà ©rale’ and Henry Mintzberg’s ‘The Nature of Managerial Work’ fundamentally share the same innate elements. This is supported by the results which derived from studies conducted by academic sources such as (Lamond, 2004) as well as the research by other academic sources (Fells, M.J. 2000), (Pearson et al, 2003), (Hales, 1989) and (Mumford, 1988). Subsequently both approaches are considered valid and have without a doubt contributed greatly to contemporary management theory. Bibliography Fells, M.J. 2000 â€Å"Fayol stands the test of time.† Journal of Management History, vol 6, no.8, 345-360 Lamond, D. 2004, â€Å"A matter of style: reconciling Henri and Henry.† Management Decision, vol. 42, no.2 p. 330-356 Pearson, C.A.L. And Chatterjee, S.R. 2003, â€Å"Managerial work roles in Asia. An empirical study of Mintzberg’s role formulation in four Asian countries.† Journal of Management Development, vol. 22, no. 8 p. 694-707 Hales, C. 1989, â€Å"Management Processes, Management Divisions of Labour and Managerial Work: Towards a Synthesis.† International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, vol. 9, no. 5/6, p. 9-38 Mumford, A. 1988, â€Å"What Managers Really Do† Management Decision, vol. 26, no. 5, p. 28-30

Organ Donations Ethical Issues - 2085 Words

Unregistered Organ Donations: Ethical Issues Introduction and Background A major, worldwide public health issue exists that many, if not most, people are either unaware of or, at best, paid little heed to. It is the issue of organ donations. Many thousands of people in countless countries suffer from major health issues that require these people receive organ transplants. If they do not receive these transplants, they will die from organ failure (Cohen, Bistritz, Ashkenazi, 2015; Kennedy, 1979). The problem is that there are only a relatively few number of organs available for transplant compared to the number of people who need transplants (Jahromi, Fry-Revere, Bastani, 2015). To deal with this issue, the U.S. and the UK have adopted organ donation systems, which require explicit consent from donors before their organs can be donated to others. These type of systems are called â€Å"opt-in† systems. Organs can only be used if donors or their relatives, upon the death of the potential donors, have specifically authorized the removal of organs (English, Sommerville, 2003). Under an opt-in system, people who wish to donate their organs after their deaths must officially register this preference. If they do not register, then the law and the health care system presume they do not wish to donate. This, at least, is how the system works in theory. In practice, however, even if a potential donor has not officially registered as a donor, upon the death of the individual,Show MoreRelatedEthical Issues And Risks Of Organ Donation1550 Words   |  7 PagesOrgan Transplantation is the surgical approach to replacing failing, diseased or infected organs from on e person, with healthier biological tissues or organs from a donor whose structures function well. Many people agree that to take and use organs from another source is justifiable within certain ethical boundaries. However it is when the need for organ transplants becomes overwhelming that these initial boundaries are questioned and challenged. This would result in the death of many patients asRead MoreLegal And Ethical Issues Regarding Organ Donation849 Words   |  4 Pagesmany as 4,500 people waiting for an organ donation to save or significantly improve their life. In 2012, there were 2,124 lucky Canadians who received an organ transplant and an unfortunate 256 people who died while waiting (Government of Canada, 2013), which leaves 2,120 waiting for a transplant each year. â€Å"Composer David Foster pushed ‘presumed consent’ for organ donations† by Grant, suggests that Canada moves to an opt-out organ donation system to improve donation rates. I understand that there areRead MoreThoughts and Ethical Issues Surrounding Organ Donation1060 Words   |  4 Pagesdoing right by God. People need to know that the selling of the organs can make things worst in the country that can cause lots of problem for people who do not have the money to pay the price for organs. It comes a time that if someone needs an organ real bad to help save their life and do not have the money to pay for the organ, what will happen then. There would be people who would like for people to be able to just donate organs so they can help save lives in our country without looking forRead MoreOrgan Donation And The Ethical Implications1441 Words   |  6 Pagesbecoming an organ donor can save lives and improve the quality of life of the recipient. When an individual is in need of an organ transplant, it is typically known that they are in need of an organ that facilitates a restoration of physiological functioning and will often mean the difference between life and death. A vast majority of individuals are apprehensive about what happens to their bodies after thei r death. In this paper we will go through the origins and history of organ donation, the processRead MoreOrgan Supply Vs Organ Demand : Ethical Issues That Arise1727 Words   |  7 PagesKirubel Tesema Debra Berry English 102-1417 23 June 2015 Organ Supply vs Organ Demand: Ethical Issues that arise Organ donation has the power to change a life ending incident into a life giving one. Throughout the United States many patients are suffering due to the lack of a vital organ, because there is more demand than supply of organs, many patients die without ever receiving one. Although organ donation saves many lives, there have been questions in regards to ethics that surround it. PeopleRead MoreAdvantages Of An Opt Out Organ Donation System1724 Words   |  7 PagesThe advantages and disadvantages of an opt-out organ donation system for 16 years and older in New Zealand. Introduction: Although anyone can donate their organs after death, New Zealand New Zealand’s organ donation rate is considerably lower compared to other courtiers in the world. According Organ Donation New Zealand (2017), there are approximately 550 people on current transplant waiting lists. In 2016 there were 61 donors resulting in approximately 200 transplant operations (ODNZ, 2017). AsRead MoreEthics and Organ Donation1598 Words   |  7 PagesPaper Ethical Issues Related to Organ Donations In 1983 Dr H Barry Jacobs, a physician from Virginia, whose medical license had been revoked after a conviction for Medicare mail-fraud, founded International Kidney Exchange, Ltd. He sent a brochure to 7,500 American hospitals offering to broker contracts between patients with end-stage-renal-disease and persons willing to sell one kidney. His enterprise never got off the ground, but Dr Jacobs did spark an ethical debate that resultedRead MoreThe Transplantation Of Tissue By Dr. Harold Neuhof928 Words   |  4 PagesI am a firm believer in organ donation, and as a matter of fact I’m a card carrying organ donor. It is my personal belief that every deceased or brain dead person that has the potential to save a life though donating an organ should have the opportunity. After reading this weeks assigned reading my belief in the organ donation process has grown even stronger. Early examples of tissue transplants can be dated back to 2500CE by Hundu text (Howard, Cornell, and Cochran, 2012). Fast forward a coupleRead MoreOrgan Donation : Organ Organs1054 Words   |  5 PagesOrgan Donation Organ donation occurs when a failing or damaged organ, is replaced with a new organ, through a surgical operation. The two sources of organs for donation come from a deceased person and a living person. The organs that are received from a deceased person are called cadaveric organs. A person can indicate on his or her driver’s license if they want to be an organ donor after they die. There are some states that allow for family consent for organ removal, regardless if the deceasedRead MoreEssay on Organ Donation1638 Words   |  7 Pagescurrent process of procuring organs for transplantation. It will also explore technology on the horizon and alternates to donation. The waiting list for transplant surgery far exceeds the current supply. Black Market organ trade in this, as well in foreign countries is alive and well. Donation is not able to keep up with demand. We have to take measures to ensure those in the most need are taken care of. We already allow people to sell eggs , sperm and blood why not other organs? I will attempt to show