Strategic Planning and Control Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Strategic Planning and Control - Coursework Example arefully meted plan that makes it possible to forecast their strategic position in the industry within the short to long term basis (Utterback, 2004). In this business report, the planning and control cycle is used to strategically plan and control the future of Mobile Inc for the next five years. As part of the planning and control cycle, there will be the analysis of opportunities, identification of aim, exploration of option, selection of best option, detailed planning, planning of evaluation, planning of implementation, and closure of plan. The report is presented by Huang tianchi, Ma sichao and Lang liang, who are senior research officer, head of marketing, and head of corporate affairs of Mobile Inc respectively. Mobile Inc is a global communication giant with empowered spirit to reinvent the way in which the world connects and communicates. The company offers communication solutions that put individuals, businesses, organisations and governments on the go with just a click of a mobile icon. As far as the external business environment is concerned, the company can be said to have its toughest competition. These competitions are better highlighted with Porter’s five forces. The first force that Mobile Inc faces is the threat of new entrants. The mobile phone industry is one that operates a fair market structure, which means that new firms can easily enter the market with very little restrictions (Mallon, 2008). Meanwhile, studying the trend of entry into the mobile phone industry, Nielsen, Nykodym and Brown, (2011) noted that most new entrants come in as existing giants who are very successful in other industries, particularly software development and computer manufacturing. As a result of this, these new entrants come in with very formidable operating capital, posing much competitive threat to existing companies. Given Mobile Inc long years of service to customers however, it is expected that the company will be able to overcome this threat of new

Swot Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Swot - Research Paper Example As at 2011, the sales of the worldwide subsidiaries totaled to $65 billion despite the product recalls and the legal issues that the Company has battled in recent years. Other than dealing in medical products, Johnson & Johnson Company also produces baby and beauty products whose consumption is overwhelmingly popular in many of the consumers in the world market. With this, this essay will delve into the SWOT analysis of the Johnson & Johnson Company and the ways in which the company may improve its operations in order to increase the profit generation levels. List of Johnson & Johnson products Acuvue contact lenses Corn Huskers Lotion Johnson Baby powder Aveeno Ponstan Euthymol Healthy Woman Johnson’s Baby Combatrim Ideally, the products manufactured by J & J are in three categories namely medical devices, diagnostics, and health care products with its employee base amounting to one hundred and twenty nine thousand people. As of 2012, these products brought in $67.2 in revenue s, which translated to high profit margins for this pharmaceutical product manufacturer. SWOT Analysis Strengths One of the leading reputation that the Company holds is that it has attracted the admiration of many because of its involvement in the manufacture of consumer products that meet the quality standards in the globe. In 2011, the company received recognition from the UN for an award through its active participation in its campaign dubbed ‘Healthy Mother, Healthy Baby’, which influenced its brand to retain its market acceptability across the globe. The other strength that J & J Company has been that it operates in more than fifty-seven countries hence lowering their business operations risks through the widespread investing. The other strength is that J & J as a brand has been in existence for many years hence influencing its target market to have immense trust in the products manufactured by the parent company or its subsidiaries. Further, J & J has a vertically integrated supply chain in that the subsidiaries of this company have unity because they all have a common owner despite the fact that each of the supply chain members produces different products (Harrison, Lee & Neale 263). Therefore, J & J has control of its supply chain as this has helped in the improvement of coordination among the various subsidiaries spread across the globe. Moreover, J & J has diversified in the products that it manufacturers in that the Company has stable operations as this lowers the operational risk while increasing its value (Hendrikse J & Hendrikse L 41). This means that if one of the production systems brings in losses, then the other arms provide cash flow that may be applied in making investments. Therefore, this strength has helped J & J to operate in volatile markets and be profitable even when it is experiencing challenging times. Weaknesses Over the years, J & J has had to battle various challenges such as various litigations and product recalls that have made the Company to record dismal performance. Product recall In 2010, a subsidiary of J & J voluntarily recalled children’s medicine accessible over the counter totaling forty-three that appeared to have been endangering the lives of the users. McNeil Consumer Healthcare did so after conducting a routine check on its facility and ascertained that the products produced did not meet the quality and

Managing and Leading Quality Services Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Managing and Leading Quality Services - Essay Example The policy that selected to audit is ‘Promoting Positive Behaviour’. My workplace caters for children with Additional Support Needs (ASN) and these children often display a range of extremely inappropriate behaviours such as spitting, hitting, kicking and throwing. Both in terms of individuals and as part of such an establishment, we have a duty of care and a responsibility to ensure the safety of the children as well as the staff members. With this in requirement mind it is clear to me that it would be appropriate to audit our current policy of ‘Promoting Positive Behaviour’. This is a generic policy published by the local authority and it does not take into account the varying needs of children whom my organization serves. There are some issues arising from the absence of a clear policy or guidelines on how to promote positive behaviour imbedded into the practice of my establishment. The Rationale, Justification and Purposes: Rationale: Proper discipline i s a mandatory prerequisite for facilitating good learning. No matter the nature or extent of indiscipline, it is an obstacle to both teaching as well as learning. At the organisation, I think that every child has a right to access the best education which can be offered in partnership among school, community and the parents. The organisation’s Positive Behavior Policy forms part of â€Å"Safeguarding Policy Portfolio† (Promoting Positive Behavior n.d.) and exhibits our commitment to safeguarding the welfare of all students. Thus, our organization needs to focus on reliable, strong and fair management of learner behavior to establish a safe, congenial and purposeful atmosphere in which every child may develop his or her complete potential. Providing such a high quality learning atmosphere is a significant precondition for learners to attain the maximum possible levels of achievement. â€Å"Parents, teachers, and students work together to create an environment that is s afe and supportive and that promotes learning. It encourages children to think and learn actively and to be hopeful, trusting, loving and healthy† (Positive Behavior Policies and Procedures 2010, p. 2). Every child will also be asked to conform to the principles and rules of the school and parents will be kept educated so that they can support and encourage the use of system. The policy for promoting positive behavior is mainly based on encouragement through recognition of the positive aspects in children. This, in turn, will inspire them to mould their behavior appropriately. Also, when other children observe such encouragement, it will motivate them to imitate such behavior. The policies of the organization must reflect the policies and guidelines of the present local authority and government. At the same time, as procedures symbolize an accomplishment of policy and must evolve over time as new apparatus emerge, new processes will be planned, and the risks connected with an area modified in response to changes in the external or internal environment. Justification: There have been numerous initiatives and investigations in the UK over the last several years with regard to promoting and encouraging positive approaches to behavior and actions. Schools report that their chief concern relates to low level interruption although there are some schools and students that experience severe problems. â€Å"The school needs to be confident that its policies and practices in relation to behavior are positive and

American us history to 1877 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

American us history to 1877 - Essay Example While it could be expected for the government and the system to have certain rights associated with liberty and life, yet the King of Britain was found to incorporate laws that completely restricted the freedom of the colonies of the United States, and the colonies had been patiently suffering. The King had refused his assent to laws that were needed for the benefit of the public as a whole. He also didn’t allow his Governors to pass those laws that were more important needed immediate attention (The Declaration of Independence). The King restricted the accommodation of people from large districts and would allow them only if they renounced the right of representation in the legislature. He chose unusual and uncomfortable locations that were far away from the depository of public records for meetings with legislative bodies intending to exhaust them by making them comply with his measures. He obstructed the laws for Naturalization of Foreigners preventing the population of the States. Not only these, he also affected the independence of the military and civil power (The Declaration of Independence). Considering these above mentioned activities of the King, the Declaration of Independence was written to explain these reasons that restricted the independence of the States and that the States wanted to take measures against such tyranny of the King of Britain. The Representatives of the United States of America thus assembled to the Supreme Judge of the world and wanted their intentions to be supported that were meant for the good of the public in general giving them the right to be free and independent (The Declaration of Independence). From the above study, it could thus be learnt that the Declaration of Independence was written in order to reach out to the common mankind with the injustice and tyranny that they were been targets of under the rule of the then

Organizational Security Plan Essay Example for Free

Organizational Security Plan Essay For every organization and business, physical security is a necessary aspect of protecting its facility, properties and employees against unwanted criminal activities. To choose the best organizational security plan possible, the organization must first conduct a thorough risk and threat assessment to assist in developing physical security plan. Basic physical controls focus on three levels of protection, which is the outside perimeter, the inside perimeter and the interior of a building. Each of these security levels must include at least two to three forms of security measures to make physical controls effective. An organization that is pursuing physical security should follow the recommended security best practices and implement the necessary steps to ensure the most effective physical security possible. At its core, physical security helps achieve protection of the personnel and assets by keeping the theft and other malicious criminal activities. Outer, Inner and interior Perimeter Security To better understand how to effectively implement security measures on the three basic levels of protection, there must be a clear distinction between the outer, inner and interior perimeter security. The outer perimeter of a property is usually defined by the property lines. The facility’s outer perimeter is fenced with a distinctive access point of entry, such as gate. The main purpose of establishing the outer perimeter security is to control all the traffic entering and leaving the property, meaning only authorized personnel and visitors should be granted the access pass the entrance gate. For an organization to decide which type of outer perimeter security is the most suitable one for its purposes, it needs to weigh the pros, cons and the cost of an intruder entering the property versus the physical security available. External Building Security External Security is the next line of defense, right after the perimeter security. External Security must take into consideration various factors that can potentially influence the security measures’ settings, such as weather and natural events. The organization must evaluate the value of what needs to be secured and protected in order to better apply appropriate external security measures. Such assessment of valuables should be objective; there is a difference between external security of high tech laboratories and the one of a small business owner. Each facility has very specific security needs, financial resources and abilities to implement appropriate measures of protection. Many large scale organizations and business use fencing and a gate as a primary source of external building security. Fencing is a clear sign of the property’s perimeter and it means the property is private and any unauthorized trespassing will be reported to local law enforcement authorities. Some private residence owners even use dogs as an external building security. There are various ways to find the most suitable tools, and it should be done so after a thorough consideration of the risk and threat assessment. Lighting is another great security tool to scare intruders or at least make their work more difficult and exposed to the surrounding. Nowadays, there are many sophisticating lighting systems that can be configured to fit exactly the building’s needs. Some lights can be turned on at all times during dark hours. Such approach is however more used for internal lighting and implemented by various companies and their office branches such as UPS, Pet Supermarkets or other retailers. Exterior lighting is extremely important for large outside perimeter, where the facility is fenced, has a main entrance point and even is guarded by a security officer. That security officer cannot have good visual perspective at night, however with the fence being lightened and the building exterior having lighting set up throughout, it allows the security officer to better view suspicious activities and therefore reacts quicker if an intruder trespass the facility. â€Å"PIR motion detector sensor so that it will switch the light on when movement is detected. Some lighting has a handy override feature to allow the light to stay permanently on and is useful if there is a need for light outside the property for a length of time. † (Secure Home, 2012) Modern lighting systems are also sustainable to severe weather such as snow storm, heavy rain storms and other extreme weather conditions. Security Alarms and CCTV Security alarms are very popular and useful security tools that are commonly found in both private residences and organizational facilities. Although they are mostly used for internal security, those that wish to secure their premises with the state of the art technologies, outside security alarms can provide just that. They work very similarly to interior security alarms; they get triggered once the intruder gains an entry without proper authorization. They can be either silent or loud and notify the property owner, management or local authorities directly. Closed Circuit TV cameras are also used for both external and interior security and it depends on the organization’s needs to select in what way to use them. The bright side is that CCTV used to be quite expensive in the past and became rather affordable in the past years. Inner Perimeter Security Inner perimeter security takes care of all the entrance points to a building, including windows, doors and other points of entrance. They all should be secured with some type of lock, whether it is a regular bolt lock or more sophisticated keypad lock. Some entrance points may be guarded by security officers who check employees’ and visitors’ ID’s to ensure only authorized individuals get inside the building. At some instances, biometric scanning devices are used to scan finger prints, eyes or other body parts to protect against intrusion with stolen ID. What type of security measure an organization chooses solely depends on the organizational security plan. Inner perimeter security system should be assessed and updated periodically to ensure the highest efficiency possible. Internal Building Security Internal building security can be perhaps the most challenging when it comes to the overall facility’s security. Especially with large scale buildings with multiple floors, numerous rooms and a large number of employees and staff, an intruder can easily blend in. The purpose of internal security is detecting any type of activity that is out of ordinary and may signalize a possible intrusion or security breach. The organization must also closely follow and adhere to privacy laws to avoid any potential law suits or legal issues. Interior security covers everything that is inside a building or property. There are several ways that an organization can provide security to the building. There are high tech quality cameras such as the Closed Circuit TV cameras that monitor the entire inside, record, and store these movements for certain period of time for a later review. These cameras can work simultaneously with motion detectors to add an extra benefit. Video surveillance is proven to be a highly efficient security measure, especially when the physical security is not able to monitor the entire interior at all times. Not only would it be costly, but quite impractical. With a well configured surveillance system, every floor, every section or even every room within the building can be set up with a Closed Circuit TV camera. Then, there must be designated security personnel to monitor such footage from either a remote location or a specific room within the building to respond if any suspicious activity is detected. They can monitor and view every part of the building without being physically present. If a suspicious activity is noticed, which is of course very likely during the course of time, a trained professional such as the active security officer on duty, must quickly evaluate the occurring situation and decide on action. This approach is often used by many large organizations such as hospital facilities, large retailers or casinos. One of the most important and often difficult parts of the surveillance is to go through the footage and filter out what movement is irrelevant and what may be a signal of security breach. Access Control The major objective of access control is to whom grant authorization to enter certain restricted areas that are not open to the entire personnel. Access control is the foundation of interior security, whether it is access to the internal offices, storage rooms and other areas, IT rooms, and other secure areas in the building. Governmental agencies and institutions conduct thorough background investigations for various job positions to hire only those individuals who able to receive a security clearance, such as industrial clearance or top security clearance, that automatically allow these individuals to work in certain buildings and areas, but not necessarily view all confidential documents, unless specifically permitted. Private organizations can choose their own way how to grant access. One of the possibilities is to issue special ID badges that must be scanned prior to entering certain areas within the building. Another way is to install keypad locks or issue special keys to the authorized personnel. It is up to the security manager and the project manager to decide, which way is most suitable for their organization. These access control measures do not eliminate the presence of a security officer, but rather add an extra layer to the overall security. Every organization must keep in mind that an intrusion does not always happen from the outside, but also from the inside; by the employees and staff, who try to obtain materials they would not be able to get otherwise. Estimated Budget Every organization has very specific needs that are based on various factors. To properly assess those needs and what security measures to implement, there must be specific facts considered. Besides what was already discussed in this paper, such as the size of the building, the capacity, the surroundings and location and the valuables of the inside, there is one factor that ultimately determines what security measures an organization can apply towards its organizational security plan and that are the estimated budget and costs of these security tools. In the present time, there are numerous options, various brands and large number of providing contractors that are competing to get the organization’s business. After a thorough research, an organization can decide what are the pros and cons of these security measures and if they ultimately provide the needed benefit the facility needs. Annually, there are hundreds of millions of dollars spent in the US alone on security measures by private organizations, such as alarm systems, deadbolt locks, keypad locks, surveillance systems and other tools. When it comes to the Federal government, the numbers are even higher. â€Å"Funding for homeland security has risen from $16 billion in FY2001 to $71. 6 billion requested for FY2012. Adjusted for inflation, the United States has spent $635. 9 billion on homeland security since FY2001. Of this $163. 8 billion has been funded within the Pentagon’s annual budget. The remaining $472. 1 billion has been funded through other federal agencies. †

Discussing Causes Of Climate Change An Environmental Sciences Essay

Discussing Causes Of Climate Change An Environmental Sciences Essay Climate has a great influence over our lives. All our normal routine actions are according to the climate we are living in. However the climate has been changing from past few decades, which in turn is changing our living patterns and thus, has made this world a more puzzled place to live in. In this essay the causes of climate change would be discussed, which are divided into two categories, either the climate is changing due to natural reasons or is forced to change by the human activities. Naturally, the climate change is said to occur because of various reasons, mainly because of volcanic eruptions, ocean current, the solar variations, the earths orbital change, and by many other natural reasons, which in turn produces various greenhouse gasses and in the end results into global warming. On the other hand, carbon emission done by humans is the greatest factor leading to global warming and then to climate change. Other activities like, chemicals used in agriculture, deforestation and other uses of energy in households also contribute in the greenhouse effect. Climate can be defined as the long term weather conditions for a region, generally determined by 30 or more years of records. On contrast weather can be defined as the state of the atmosphere at a particular place and time. Moreover, the Green House effect is naturally in which certain atmospheric gases absorbs long wave radiation from the Earths surface which in the end results in heating the earths surface and the atmosphere. Hence global warming can be defined as the increase of Earths average temperature which in then results into climate change. (Glossary: Nasa). The Debate: There is no doubt about the fact that the Earths climate has become warmer over the twentieth century, however, there is still a dispute about whether the temperature increase is due to natural reasons or because of human activities. Two groups of UK scientists have recently investigated both types of effect. Mike Lockwood and colleagues at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) argue that the Suns magnetic field has doubled over the century, and that this natural force of solar system has affected the earths climate (Nature  399:437). On the other hand Simon Tett and colleagues from the UKs Meteorological Office in Reading and RAL argue that while solar forcing may have added to climate change, however, human activities have also been responsible for the temperature changes from many years (Nature  399:569). It has been stated that the Earths average global temperature has increased by 0.6 Kelvin in the past 100 years. Four main processes that can affect the Earths climate hav e been evaluated. Two of these are said to be small aerosol particles from volcanic eruptions and changes in solar luminosity. The other two, sulphate aerosols and greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, are due to increasing industrialization, in particular the burning of forests and fossil fuels. Lockwood and colleagues found that the total magnetic flux leaving the Sun has risen by a factor of 1.4 since 1964. Their results could provide support for the theory that changes in the solar wind could contribute to  climate change. The solar wind and the Suns magnetic field are very well linked with each other. According to the theory charged particles in the solar wind would deflect high-energy cosmic rays that would otherwise have ionized the Earths lower atmosphere, leading to the formation of clouds. Since cloud cover determines the amount of solar radiation reflected by the Earth back into space, a more powerful solar wind implies less cloud cover which, in turn, suggests that the Earth would warm up. However, the paper by Tett and colleagues suggests that natural effects alone cannot account for the pattern of temperature change observed over the past 50 years. They used the HadCM2 computer model to predict the Earths global temperature during five overlapping 50-year periods (1906-56, 1916-1966,), and then compared the results with observations. The program models both the oceans and the atmosphere, and also allows for changes in greenhouse emissions, surface albedo (i.e. reflectivity), volcanic aerosols and solar irradiance. They ran the programmers with a number of different solar models, including one that matched the effects highlighted by Lockwood. The results were similar for all cases: it is not possible to distinguish between the contributions of human activity and natural variations to global warming in the first half of the century, but after 1946 increases in the concentration of man-made greenhouse gases and sulphate aerosols was the dominan t effect. (News: Physics World, 1999) Climate Change Human Activities the Cause, Mea Culpa! But Consider 1816, the Year Without Summer! The whole world seems to be getting involved with the facts of Global warming and Climate change. Nobel prizes were awarded to the UNs IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) and Al Gore several years ago, followed by the Kyoto Protocol Climate Change Conference of 1997, and finally President Obama led leaders of 192 nations in agreement with its principles, promising heavy financial compensations to third world nations. Scientists have calculated that emissions of carbon dioxide by human activities amount to perhaps 30 billion tons per year because of various factors including fossil fuel burning, cement production, gas flaring, industrial operations and breathing etc. They also estimate that volcanic eruptions can on average emit about one-forty-five to two-fifty-five million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere per year. This seems to specify that human activities may release perhaps 100 times the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by volcanoes, thus, this seems to be a realistic base for the universal concern, which is that human activities have a great negative impact on the climate of Earth. However, it seems like that nature itself is trying to make things worse as firstly admitting furor at Copenhagen by world leaders and President Obama in support of Global Warming then along came the coldest winter in recent decades. Then finally when Obamas EPA poised to levy severe pollutant restrictions and harsh financial penalties on American industry, a volcanic eruption in Iceland devastated the air-transport industry by closing down almost all flights over Europe for a week, which led to bankrupting major airlines, with absent bail-outs by governments. The major natural catastrophes: the recent eruption of Icelands Eyjafjallajokull volcano along with many other including Krakatau, earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, or cyclical changing of atmosphere of ocean, should be enough to warn decision-makers about climate change effects. After experiencing the incident of the Iceland volcano eruption, other than man-kind activities in the reference to global warming and climate change seems warranted. The summer of 1816 is considered to be one of the coldest on record which is studied by many weather scientists. The year is known as the Year without a summer. It is also known as the Poverty Year, due to widespread destruction of crops. Severe climate oddity during the summer destroyed crops in Northern Europe, Northeastern United States and Eastern Canada, and average global temperature decrease was sufficient enough to cause many agricultural failures around the world. The most likely cause of the severe climate change seems therefore, to be the volcanic influences because greatly increased volcanic activity causes immense amounts of ash and dust to be blown and trapped high in the atmosphere, which in turn cause increased reflection of solar radiation (instead of absorption at the Earths surface), resulting in globally decreased te mperatures on Earth. Therefore human activities seem minor and insignificant relative to the power of Nature. (Kolom) How do we know that atmospheric build-up of green house gases is due to human activities? Four lines of evidence prove conclusively that the recent buildup of carbon dioxide take place largely from human activities. The nucleus of carbon atoms in carbon dioxide released by burning coal, oil, and natural gas (fossil fuels) vary in their characteristics from the nucleus of carbon atoms in carbon dioxide emitted under natural conditions. Tens of millions of years ago, coal, oil, and natural gas were formed, and the portion of their nucleus, that was once radioactive, has long ago changed to non- radioactive carbon. However the carbon dioxide released from natural sources on the Earths surface holds a measurable radioactive portion. As carbon dioxide has been emitted through fossil fuel combustion, the radioactive fraction of carbon in the atmosphere has decreased. Forty years ago scientists provided the first direct evidence that burning of fossil fuels was causing a buildup of carbon dioxide and thus reducing radioactive carbon in the atmosphere by measuring the decreasing portion of radioactive carbon-14 captured in tree rings, each year between 1800 and 1950. Moreover, scientists began making accurate measurements of the total amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in any countries by late 1950s. Their data show convincingly that the levels of carbon dioxide have increased each year worldwide and these increases are dependable with other estimates of the rise of carbon dioxide emissions due to human activity over this period. In 1980, third evidence was added that the ice buried below the surface of the Greenland and Antarctic ice caps contains bubbles of air trapped when the ice originally formed. These samples of fossil air have been retrieved by drilling deep into the ice. Measurements from the youngest and most shallow segments of the ice cores produced carbon dioxide awareness to those that were measured directly in the atmosphere at the time the ice formed. But the older parts of the cores show that carbon dioxide amounts were about 25% lo wer than today for the ten thousand years previous to the onset of industrialization. The final evidence comes from the geographic pattern of carbon dioxide measured in air. Observations show that there is slightly more carbon dioxide in the northern hemisphere than in the southern hemisphere. The difference arises because most of the human activities that produce carbon dioxide are in the north and it takes about a year for northern hemispheric emissions to circulate through the atmosphere and reach southern latitudes. (Programme, 1997) Discussion: The debate on climate change is as what really caused the climate to vary with time and which affected us adversely. Some say that climate is changed by natural factors like ocean currents or volcanoes while others deny this fact and try to prove the point that human activities have forced the climate to change. I support the second opinion, human activities indeed made the climate to change and result into global warming. The concentration of Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased from 290ppm in 1880 to 352ppm in 1989 which can be concluded as the 20% increase. This increase is almost certainly a result of human activities (Ruddiman,2003). There has been seen a sufficient increase in the emission of Greenhouse gases due to human activities. For example methane has an estimated rate of emission from human activity on the planet which is 375 million tons per year. For carbon dioxide, there is also an estimated rate of emission from human activity which is 7100 million tons per year. The anthropogenic emissions of these two gases are easier to estimate, because we know approximately how much oil, coal, and natural gas humans produce for consumption around the world each year. We also know approximately how much forest is burned and converted to agriculture each year. According to The state of the environment published in 1991 by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, human activities emit about 68 million tones of nitrogen oxides, 99 million tons of sulfur oxides, 177 million tons of carbon monoxide, and 57 million tones of particulates (dust). However, all these numbers are very approximate. On the o ther hand, sulfur oxides have been found to slightly counteract the greenhouse effect caused by other gases. Still, sulfur oxides are very harmful to the environment and are best known for causing acid rain. Carbon monoxide doesnt contribute to the greenhouse effect, but has significant effects on atmospheric chemistry. Dust is generally thought to cool the atmosphere close to Earths surface, but this effect depends on various factors, including the size and color of the dust particles. (Davis, 2004) The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is a scientific body set up by the UN to look at climate change. It says that human activity is the main cause of the changes seen in climate. Recent reports from the  IPCC have concluded that most of the observed increase in globally averaged temperatures since the mid-20th century is  very likely  due to the observed increase in  anthropogenic greenhouse gas  concentrations. From new estimates of the combined anthropogenic  forcing  due to greenhouse gases,  aerosols, and  land surface changes, it is  extremely likely  that human activities have exerted a substantial net warming influence on climate since 1750. (Uk governements digital service: DirectGov) The most important factor for the climate change is the speeding up of greenhouse effect by manmade activities, which is usually known as Global Warming. Basically, the Greenhouse effect is naturally caused by the emissions of gases like nitrous oxide, carbon-dioxide, methane, ozone and water vapor.  However, anthropogenic activities like burning the fossil fuels and deforestation makes the greenhouse effect stronger. Which means more heat is trapped and the Earths climate begins to change unnaturally. The fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) are burned for various human activities mainly used for transportation, manufacturing, heating, cooling, electricity generation etc. this can be summed up after the industrial revolution, in 18th century, and more of the fossil fuels were being burned frequently. Therefore, manmade gases were being emitted into the atmosphere, mostly in the form of carbon dioxide emissions, from the burning activity. These gases speed up the greenhouse effect, forcing the climate to change. Another factor forced the climate to change and resulted into global warming is the act of deforestation.   Deforestation increases the amount of carbon-dioxide in the atmosphere. Also, due to the disappearance of trees, photosynthesis cannot take place which lowers the oxygen level in the atmosphere. Deforestation is rampant today due to the increase in human civilization. The levels of deforestation have increased by about nine percent in recent times. Moreover, the burning of wood also causes it to decay, therefore releasing more carbon-dioxide into the atmosphere, and carbon-dioxide being the main culprit in global warming increases. Another man-made cause of the increase in the Green house effect due to the emission of such gases is the use of any electrical appliances. Even the refrigerator in the house emits gases which contribute to the Greenhouse effect. These gases are known as Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and are used in refrigerators, aerosol cans, and some foaming agents in the packaging industry, fire extinguisher chemicals and cleaners used in the electronic industry. Some processes of the cement manufacturing industries also act as a cause towards the Greenhouse effect.   Population growth also is an indirect contributor and one of the causes of the Greenhouse effect. With the increase in population, the needs and wants of the people increase. Therefore, this increases the manufacturing processes as well as the industry processes. This results in the increase of the release of industrial gases which catalyze the green house effect. The increase in population also results in the increase of agricultural processes. Most man-made machines, like the automobile also contribute to the green house effect. In one of the recent articles global warming has been linked with the recent natural disasters. As almost fourteen million people have been affected by the torrential rains in Pakistan,  making it a more serious humanitarian disaster than the South Asian tsunami and recent earthquakes in Kashmir and Haiti combined. The disaster was driven by a supercharged jet stream that has also caused floods in China and a prolonged heat wave in Russia. Which comes after flash floods in France and Eastern Europe killed more than 30 people over the summer. Jean-Pascal van Ypersele, vice-president of the body set up by the UN to monitor global warming, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), said the dramatic weather patterns are consistent with changes in the climate caused by mankind. These are events which reproduce and intensify in a climate disturbed by greenhouse gas pollution, he said, Extreme events are one of the ways in which climatic changes become dramatically visible. Professor Andrew Watson, a climatologist at the University of East Anglia, which was at the centre of last years climate gate scandal, said the extreme events are fairly consistent with the IPCC reports and what 99 per cent of the scientists believe to be happening. Im quite sure that the increased frequency of these kinds of summers over the last few decades is linked to climate change, he said. (Gray) However , authors such as  Lean and Rind (1996)  believe that, although natural factors may be the reason for most temperature increase before the Industrial Revolution, the most likely cause of climate change since about 1850is the growing concentration of greenhouse gases as the net atmospheric temperature increase, or forcing is largely due to human (anthropogenic) activities .Interestingly, particulate emissions from volcanoes produce a net decrease in global temperatures, due to the reflective properties (albedo) of the sulfate aerosol particles formed in the stratosphere. (Bianchi, 2010) Conclusion: The earths climate is dynamic and always changing through a natural cycle but the anthropogenic activities make this cycle speed up unnaturally that create problems in the atmosphere as either the earth gets oddly warmer or the people have to face natural disasters. However if man has created all these problems, he should also try to make things better by finding practical solutions.

Changes to Irish Historiography and Historical Debate

Changes to Irish Historiography and Historical Debate Discuss the growth of Irish historiography and historical debate since the 1960s with specific reference to at least two of the following areas: women’s history, social history, labour history, economic history, local history, the history of the diaspora. There has been without a doubt a growth in Irish historiography and historical debate since the 1960’s. The following will discuss and examine the reasons for the growth of Irish historiography and historical debate. Irish historiography had tended to focus on the relationship between England (and later Britain) and Ireland with its consequences for both countries’ developments and history. Irish historiography also highlighted key events that proved pivotal in shaping the Irish nation. Such events include the English invasions from the 12th century, the reformation, the plantations of Ulster, the consequences of the English Civil War and the Glorious Revolution. Further defining moments were also the development of Irish Republicanism that was shown by the 1798 rebellion and the emergence of the Fenian Brotherhood during the 19th century. The potato famine of the 1840’s would prove disastrous to the Irish population whilst encouraging immigration to Britain, the United States and Australia. Such immigration will as examined lead to the development of the diaspora. The way in which Ireland was partitioned to account for the two versions of Irish nationalism has become the central theme of historical debate. The Civil Rights Movement within the Roman Catholic community of Northern Ireland which inadvertently led to the troubles will be evaluated as to whether that is the prime motivator of changes in Irish historiography and historical debate. Prior to the English involvement Ireland was an independent if divided country. One historical debate is whether the English were good or bad for Ireland. It had been influenced by mainly Celtic, Anglo-Saxon and Viking settlements.[1] Irish culture was Gaelic and Christian in character. The English that came to Ireland were descendants of the Normans that ruthlessly conquered England a century before. In contrast to William the Conqueror these Anglo-Norman invaders did not intend to stay and were invited to cross the Irish Sea to join in with a conflict between Gaelic chieftains. For the Irish the involvement the Anglo-Norman in their affairs was a monumental change in their destiny. From Henry II English Kings came to regard stability in Ireland as in important part of their security. The accident of geography was to lead to the inter relationship between the English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish that has brought both benefits and disasters to all concerned. There are people who believ e that the English or British brought benefits to the Irish will tend to stress the good consequences of their involvement rather than the bad. Those who have an anti-English outlook stress the harmful consequences, [2] Henry II himself was not in a hurry to invade Ireland; his possessions in France and England took priority. However once the English arrived in 1172 they would not be removed by the Irish for centuries, and even then not from the whole of Ireland.[3] English control of Ireland was never complete and centred around Dublin. The amount of control fluctuated depending on the power and interest of the King. Strong Kings such as Edward IV and Henry VII attempted to increase their power in Ireland. It was to be Henry VIII that would alter the shape of Irish history as much as he changed that of England. Henry VIII was a man of great ambition, in 1541 he proclaimed himself King of Ireland, thus showing the intention of gaining greater control of Ireland.[4] The Tudors made their control of Ireland effective if not complete yet at the cost of sowing future conflict over religion, politics and the status of Ireland. Henry VIII had already attempted to gain the loyalty of the Irish nobility and gain control over the Irish church. After the break from Rome, Henry was determined to introduce the Church of England to his Irish subjects as well as his English subjects. The Reformation would further complicate the relationship between the Irish and English. The Reformation was slow to take root in Ireland; the Roman Catholic Church maintained its strength in the majority of the island, especially in rural areas. Whilst the Irish parliament faithfully followed the religious legislation roller coaster ride seen in England the Irish did not follow suit. Ironically it was the Roman Catholic, Mary I that came up with the strategy that would change Irish society and economy as profoundly as it affected its politics and religion, the plantations.[5] The Irish did not accept those changes without resisting. The most serious threat to the Tudor hold on Ireland came with the Earl of Tyrone’s rebellion of the 1590’s that was not finally put down until 1604.[6] Despite that rebellion James VI of Scotland inherited Ireland under the crown’s control when he gained the English throne.[7] James I greatly expanded the plantations in particular to the Irish province of Ulster. The protestant settlers gained land off of the Irish population of Ulster in return for their loyalty to Britain. The settlers would be given social and economic advantages by the government that persisted into the 20th century and was deeply resented by the Roman Catholic communities. That resentment contributed to the rebellion of 1641 that attacked the plantations. Irish nationalists and republicans regard the plantations as a prime example of British imperialism whilst Unionists regard them as the foundation of their communities.[8] The rebel lion in Ireland sparked off the English Civil War, there was in effect Civil Wars in England, Scotland and Ireland that would result in much bloodshed and the removal of Charles I. The situation in Ireland was complicated; there were those that supported the English parliament and those that wished to use the Civil Wars as an opportunity to gain independence. All Irish opposition to the English parliament was ruthlessly suppressed by Oliver Cromwell and resulted in the massacre of Drogheda. Oliver Cromwell remains associated with bloody repression and the use of terror to this day, the paradox of an English republican with Imperial policies.[9] The Irish Catholic community would remain loyal to James II who lost his Irish kingdom after his English and Scottish ones. The victory of William of Orange only reinforced the British bias in favour of the Ulster Protestants. The Protestants liked to show their loyalty to Britain through their Orange orders and apprentice boys’ marche s, a source of sectarian friction for more than three centuries. Whilst the Unionists see these as symbols of their British nationality, the Catholic communities see them as symbols of their continued rule from Britain. [10] The consequences of these events were two rival senses of nationalism developed in Ireland. There were many of the Irish population that remained overwhelmingly poor, rural and Roman Catholic wishing for independence from Britain or at least autonomy. The other form of nationalism was that centred on the Ulster Protestants that saw themselves as British and did not want independence and would only accept more autonomy if their special status were maintained. Some of these Protestants were also poor but regarded themselves as better than their Catholic peers. There was an upsurge in Irish nationalism following in the wake of the American War of Independence and the French Revolution that culminated in the rebellion of 1798. The French had done their best to cause trouble in Ireland yet proved incapable of supporting the rebellion. The failure of that rebellion led to rebels such as Wolfe Tone joining the Diaspora and the union of Ireland with Great Britain. The population of Ireland g rew rapidly especially with the introduction of the potato. The economy started to develop especially in Belfast and other parts of Ulster that produced linen and ships. Dublin and Belfast also grew to rapid urbanisation.[11] Potato blight brought famine to Ireland drastically reduced the population through starvation and immigration whilst showing the British government as inept during the crisis.[12] There have certainly been many debates around the Potato Famine, which centred on those that did not wish to become too involved in describing the consequences and the revisionists that its consequences could not be overemphasised. Perhaps one of the most important revisionist works was Cecil Woodham-Smith’s ‘The Great Hunger’ written in 1962 and tried to examine if the famine could have been averted or at least alleviated. The main debate concerns who was to blame for the famine, the British government on its own or others either singly or in various combinations.[13] The Potato Famine of 1845-47 would lead to demands for Home Rule and Land Reform whilst it also convinced Irish Catholics that the British government did not care about them. There had been earlier famines, for instance th at of 1739-41, yet none became as notorious as the one of 1845-47.[14] On balance most historians now seem to edge their bets when apportioning blame for the famine. However at the time many in Ireland blamed the British government for not acting quickly enough. Perceptions can often be more powerful than fact, the image of British indifference has been far more enduring than the countless number of British individuals that attempted to help the Irish.[15] The emigration from Ireland that followed was remarkable, between the start of the potato famine and partition four million Irish left for the United States, Australia and Britain. The Irish –American communities can assert great political influence in the United States which is why Irish Republicans, Ulster Unionists, Irish and British governments will try to influence American policy towards Ireland.[16] Concession from the British government over Land Reform were gained with relative ease which many poor labourers across the country at limited expense to absentee landlords. It was to be the campaigns for and against Home Rule that caused much controversy then much later amongst historians. Home Rule was campaigned for by Irish MPs spearheaded with great skill by Charles Stewart Parnell The Liberal governments led by Gladstone favoured Home Rule yet were unable to make headway against the Conservatives and Liberal backbenchers opposed to it or the Ulster Protestants. Home Rule caused some of Gladstone’s least successful moments. However it was the Asquith government that actually passed Home Rule legislation in the face of almost insurrectionists Unionist opposition only to have it delayed by the First World War.[17] That war saw the majority of Irish back the British war effort. However, it gave the IRA chance to launch the Easter Rising in 1916. The Easter Rising was put dow n by the British Army but gave the Irish Republican Movement martyrs.[18] The war the IRA waged using the tactics of Michael Collins forced the British government to peace talks and the partition of Ireland. The British called the IRA terrorists whilst the Republicans referred to them as freedom fighters. The IRA did not gain independence for all of Ireland just 26 counties. The Ulster Protestants in Northern Ireland remained part of the United Kingdom whilst Civil War broke out in the Irish Free State leading to the deaths of Michael Collins and Arthur Griffiths amongst others. Despite public statements to the contrary even hard-line republicans such as Eamon de Valera accepted the partition.[19] The partition of 1921 showed that neither the British or the Irish Republicans could gain total victory. The Ulster Protestants were content with having Home Rule in Northern Ireland and denying Roman Catholics their civil rights and any real political influence. The Roman Catholic minority in Northern Ireland felt let down by the Republic of Ireland for not fighting for a united Ireland and uninterested in a state they did not want to belong to and did nothing to protect their rights.[20] Despite making a claim to aim towards a united Ireland in its constitution, the Irish Republic left Northern Ireland alone. As for the Republican campaigns of the 1930’s, 1940’s and 1950’s they were ineffective. The harsh economic climate of the depression of the 1930’s did more to set off sectarian violence than radicalism.[21] The 1960’s were to witness a change of attitude amongst the nationalist and republican communities that resulted in the civil rights move ments, a violent backlash from the Unionists. The British Army was brought in to stop sectarian violence yet provided the Provincial IRA with a reason to launch a long running armed struggle. In part the civil rights movement had been encouraged by the attempted political, social and economic reforms of Northern Irish Prime Minister O’Neill, with similar aims of ending discrimination against Catholics. The events of 1969 seemed to catch all sides by surprise.[22] The emergence of the troubles in Northern Ireland did lead to a change in the historiography of Ireland. That occurred either to justify the actions of one faction against the others yet also by others as a means of explaining the conflict. Republicans justified their actions by maintaining that Irish history was dominated by the struggle to be free of British rule. They were merely carrying on the struggle that Wolfe Tone and Michael Collins had given their lives for. More moderate nationalist opinion could point to trying to achieve their objectives through peaceful means, following the sample set by the moderate campaigners for Home Rule of the previous century and the more recent civil rights movement.[23] The Unionists defended the existence of Northern Ireland arguing that it was a just and pragmatic partition of Ireland that maintained their right to remain within the United Kingdom, a right that was theirs as they were formed the majority of the Northern Irish population.[24] Another impact of the Troubles was that it led to a renewed interest in studying the Anglo-Irish War and the subsequent partition of Ireland. Republican opinion had often seen the agreement to the partition as a great betrayal rather than the IRA military leadership getting the best deal it could. However there was the opposing perspective of the British and the Ulster Unionists that partitioning Ireland had been the only viable option as neither the British nor the IRA could decisively defeat the other. Perhaps one important perspective that the Provisional IRA and Sinn Fein missed was that circumstances surrounding the Anglo-Irish War were uniquely favourable. The Easter Rising had strengthened the resolve to gain independence whilst the human and financial costs of the First World War meant that the British government did not want a long war in Ireland.[25] Therefore Irish historical debate and historiography has changed as a result of the troubles in Northern Ireland. That was partly due to different sides trying to justify their cause and to historians trying to explain the causes of the troubles and the Irish problem. As explained the roots of the Irish problem can be traced back to the first English invasions of the 12th century. Those who support the Unionist perspective emphasise the positive aspects of British involvement pointing out that Ireland would have been poorer and less civilised without it. Those that examine Irish history from a nationalist or republican perspective tend to blame the British for everything that has gone wrong in Ireland and that there would not have been an Irish problem without British interference. Traditional historical debate usually tried to argue in favour of one perspective rather than another, whilst revisionists have tried to look at all factors involved without apportioning blame or praise to any sole actor in Irish history. Some also tried to look at Irish history from a Marxist perspective. This approach has been most popular with republicans as justification for their struggle against the British. Bibliography Ardagh, J (1994) Ireland and the Irish – Portrait of a Changing Society, Hamish Hamilton Ltd, London Fitzpatrick, D (1998) The Two Irelands 1912-1939, Oxford University Press, Oxford Gardiner J Wenborn N (1995) The History Today Companion to British History, Collins Brown, London Hobsbawm E (1975) the Age of Capital 1848-1875, Weidenfeld and Nicholson, London Moody T W Martin F X, (2001) The Course of Irish History, Mercier Press, Cork and Dublin Morgan K O (1989) The Oxford Mini History of Britain Volume II – The Middle Ages, Oxford University Press, Oxford Schama S (2000) A History of Britain 1 – at the edge of the world 3000 BC – 1603, BBC Worldwide, London Schama S (2001) A History of Britain 2 – The British Wars 1603 –1776, BBC Worldwide, London Stewart A T Q (2001) The Shape of Irish History, The Blackstaff Press, Belfast Footnotes [1] Moody Martin, 2001, p.95 [2] Stewart, 2001, p.26 [3] Morgan, 1989, p.24 [4] Moody Martin, 2001, p.139 [5] Gardiner Wenborn, 1995, p.417 [6] Schama, 2000, p.389 [7] Moody Martin, 2001, p.139 [8] Lockyer, 1989, p.302 [9] Schama, 2001, p. 203 [10] Kennedy-Pipe 1998 p.9 [11] Hobsbawm 1975 p. 209 [12] Kinealy 1997 p. 5 [13] Kinealy, 1197, pp.6-7 [14] Stewart, 2001, p.106 [15] Stewart, 2001 p. 153 [16] Ardagh, 1994, p. 305 [17] Kennedy-Pipe, 1998 p. 13 [18] Fitzpatrick,1998 p.59 [19] Fitzpatrick 1998 p. 35 [20] Stewart, 2001 p. 174 [21] Moody Martin 2001 p. 269 [22] Kennedy – Pipe 1998 p. 37 [23] Moody Martin 2001 p. 291 [24] Gardiner Wenborn 1995 p.767 [25] Stewart 2001 p. 171