Power And Conflict In The Workplace Management Essay

Power And Conflict In The Workplace Management Essay For at least the past century, experts have been debating whether power and conflict are good or bad for organisational effectiveness. The purpose of this report is to highlight the importance of conflict and power by identifying the types, and clarifying the effects it has on an organisation. Conflict researchers propose that task conflict tend to have a positive relationship with performance while relationship conflict tends to have a negative relationship with performance. Furthermore, it will explain how power can be beneficial for an organisation, and how it can also destroy it. This report will give an understanding of both negative and positive sides of power and conflict. Introduction The purpose of this report is to identify how power and conflict can negatively affect modern workplaces, and how it can be seen as a positive for the organisation. Past studies have had many discussions on whether these two factors actually benefit the organisation, or affects in a negative way. Regardless, in todays society, being at work requires you to interact and communicate with others in the workplace; therefore understanding workplace conflict and conflict resolution theories is an important concern for many organisations. For a better understanding, this report will explain in depth what conflict and power is, then following; the causes and types of power and conflict. This can help organisations by identifying the causes of conflict; it can help find the best approach to resolve it. For example, having scarce resources; this can help organisations ensure that there are enough resources available for employees before any conflict arises. Preventing the situation before it a rises is the best approach as minor situations can escalate into major conflict. In relation to power, this report will explain how it will benefit the organisation by providing direction and better team work. Furthermore it will discuss how it will affect the organisation if it is misused, and how to prevent this from occurring. What is Power? Power, defined as the capability of one party to exert influence on another to act in a prescribed manner is often a function of both dependence and the use of that dependence as leverage. (Panteli, N Tucker, R 2009, p.113). The most basic prerequisite of power is that one person or group believes it is dependent on another person or group for a resource of value; for example, having power over others by controlling a desired job assignment, useful information, important resources or even the privilege of being associated with you. (McShane, Olekalns Travaglione 2010, p. 382). Generally, power can be categorised in five sources. Legitimate Power Refers to an agreement among organisational members that people in certain roles can request certain behaviours of others ( McShane, Olekalns Travaglione 2010, p. 383). This associates with having a position of power in an organisation such as a manager. This power comes when employees in the organisation recognises the authority of the individual. Reward Power Reward power is conveyed from the persons ability to control the allocation of rewards valued by others and to remove negative sanctions. (McShane, Olekalns Travaglione 2010, p. 384).This can be done by giving bonuses, promotions and raises, extra time off work and so on. Coercive Power Coercive Power is the ability to apply punishment. (McShane, Olekalns Travaglione 2010, p. 385). This type of power is conveyed through fear of losing ones job, receiving a poor performance review, being demoted, having projects delegated to someone else etc Expert Power This type of power refers to an individuals or work units capacity to influence others by possessing knowledge or skills that they value. Employees are gaining expert power as our society moves from an industrial to a knowledge-based economy. The reason is that employee knowledge becomes the means of production and is ultimately outside the control of those who own the company (McShane, Olekalns Travaglione 2010, p. 385). Referent Power Referent Power refers to the capacity to influence others on the basis of an identification with and respect for the powerholder. It is largely a function of the persons interpersonal skills and tends to develop slowly. (McShane, Olekalns Travaglione 2010, p. 386). In addition, it is evident that legitimate, reward and coercive power originate from the position. In contrast, expert and referent power comes from within the person (McShane, Olekalns Travaglione 2010, p. 385). 2.0 How can Power negativity affect modern workplaces? The misuse of power or the lack thereof also results in an organization that is unresponsive to innovation and change and usually relatively powerless. (Seperich, G.J McCalley, R.W 2006, p.15). In todays society, peoples use of power can revolve around trying to use power they dont have and using the wrong kind of power to achieve results. In most cases, people misuse their power due to the fact that they have it and arent aware of it. As a manager or leader, it is important to know how to correctly use the power. Misuse of power can lead to employees feeling stressed, if there is the delegation of work-overload, which can eventually lead to high levels of absenteeism, turnovers, resignations, low performance levels and low job satisfaction. All these events will affect modern workplaces as they will have to spend time and money in order to resolve the situation. In addition, organisations that ensure their power is not misused, they adopt behaviours that build healthy relationships . This can be justified by not only having the ability to get the job done, but also having a positive behaviour and attitude around co-workers. Another tactic is to not play favourites. This can be seen as unfair to employees. Also being a good role model for your organisation is also very important. To have a respectable and good behavioural team, management and leaders need to set a good example. Lastly, those whos got the power should know that with great power come great responsibilities. This includes dealing with hard conversations. Management should use compassion to deliver hard messages, in which this comes back to making employees feel comfortable and building healthy relationships. 3.0 How can Power be seen as a positive? Power is seen to play a major role in team dynamics and interactions. According to Niki Panteli and Robert Tucker, a study of 18 distributed teams within an organisation was established in order to encourage the interviewees to recall their experiences from working in a team. Open-ended questions were asked to explore the background of the team, the performance levels, the distribution of power amongst the team members, the levels of trust within the team, and how trust changed over time. The interview also enabled the members to judge and describe whether they worked well, or did not work well in teams. Results showed that 11 teams worked well, 7 had good trust relationships, 7 did not work well and lastly, 4 teams developed trust over time. During the interview, power differentials were acknowledged in all of the teams; including those who considered themselves to have worked well. This isnt necessarily a negative action for the team. What differentiates the teams that worked well against collocated teams in terms of how the power differentials were used is that the team used it to their advantage; by having shared goals in order to create a higher level or an overriding goal or vision. These goals were focused on the success of the team as a whole; enabling the members to not feel like they are in a position to alter the power due to the situation. Therefore, allowing time to look for something that was more important than their individual needs. The study also found that in the high trust teams, power differentials does not disappear, however it shifts from one member to another. Power can originate from knowledge, therefore at any given point in time; the most powerful was the individual with the most relevant information (cited in Panteli, N Tucker, R 2009, p. 114). In this case, it is expert power that is being established. In modern workplaces, this is seen a positive due to the reason that power tends to move based on whatever the activity is going at that time. This will lead the power following those that are most knowledgably at any point in time; providing the organisation with the most efficient information, from those who expertises in that department. Generally, having power within a team or organisation can be very beneficial, not only can it voice expert power and opinions, but it can also provide direction. For example, when working in teams, there can be individuals who feel lost and unaware of what to do, therefore by having power, it can give the individual a sense of direction as they know who to report to and discuss their issues with. It can also help with quick decision making. For example, when a quick decision is to be made, power can speed up the process as generally, individuals who have legitimate, expert and referent power automatically have authority to make the decision, rather than having to discuss with other co-workers. Everyone recognizes the need to be organized in order to plan activities, assign r esponsibilities, and identify a common goal to be reached. Once everything is in place, power must be used to give direction and control the process. (Seperich, G.J McCalley, R.W 2006, p.14). Furthermore the power in an organization must be used as a resource to stimulate intelligent decision making, encourage problem solving, motivate sustained energy in its people, and foster the pursuit of excellence (Seperich, G.J McCalley, R.W 2006, p.15) What is Conflict? Conflict is a process in which one party perceives that its interests are being opposed or negatively affected by another party. (McShane, Olekalns Travaglione 2010, p. 414). Disagreement or conflict, risk, and time can be either assets or liabilities depending on how they are managed by you and the members of your team. (Troester, R Mester, C 2007, p.185). Personality of managers affects their managerial style and their conflict management method (Salimi, S.H Karaminia, R Esmaeili, A.A 2011, p.11), therefore styles should be thoroughly assessed in which the appropriate method should be chosen. When managing conflict, it is important to work together as it is extremely common for conflicts to escalate regardless of what type of conflict. Generally, there are three types of different conflict; Task conflicts, Relationship conflicts and Process conflicts. Torrance refers task conflict as primarily related to performing tasks, which is often proposed to improve the quality of group work by encouraging more alternative ideas and to help a group avoid conformity traps (cited in Choi, K Cho, B 2011, p.1106), while relationship conflict refers to the types of conflicts in which people focus on the characteristics of other individuals, rather than on the issues, as the source of conflict. They are not task-related; they focus on personal values, gossip, individuals styles or personality and personal tastes. (McShane, Olekalns Travaglione 2010, p. 416). Last of all, Jehn describes process con ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡icts as arguments about logistics (how to best achieve the agreed-upon solution to a work problem) and delegation (how and to whom to delegate which tasks)- (cited in Romer, M et al. 2012, p. 255). Managing conflict in organizations has long been a topic of interest to researchers because of its impact on performance, whether its a negative, positive impact, or both (Williams, F 2011, p. 148). Though, as mentioned earlier, if possible, it is best to prevent the over all conflict before it escaluates. Conflict prevention  refers to actions seeking to address the underlying permissive conditions to prevent a conflict from turning violent in the first place. (Rodt, A.P 2012, 378). It is just as important to prevent the issue as well resolving it. However the six main conditions that cause conflict in organisational settings are incompatible goals, value differences, interdependence, scarce resources, ambiguous rules and communication problems Incompatible Goals Goal incompatibility is where the goals of one person or department seem to interfere with another persons or departments goals can be a source of conflict in organisations (McShane, Olekalns Travaglione 2010, p. 418). Differentiation This refers to the differences among people, departments and other entities regarding their training, values, beliefs and experiences. Differentiation and incompatible goals can be linked together as two people or departments may agree on a common goal but have profound differences in how to achieve the goal. (McShane, Olekalns Travaglione 2010, p. 418). Interdependence Interdependence exists when team members must share common inputs to their individual tasks, need to interact in the process of executing their work, or receive outcomes (such as rewards) that are partly determined by the performance of others. Higher interdependence increases the risk of conflict because there is a greater chance that each side will disrupt ot interfere with the other sides goal (McShane, Olekalns Travaglione 2010, p. 418). Scarce Resource This refers to the availability of resources. Scarce resources causes conflict between each person or unit requiring the same resource necessarily undermines others who also need that resource to fulfil the their goals. For that reason, these conflicts occur simply because there isnt enough financial, human capital and other resources for everyone to accomplish their goals, therefore employees need to justify why they should receive the resources. Furthermore, the more resources one project receives, the fewer resources another project will have available to complete its goals. (McShane, Olekalns Travaglione 2010, p. 419). Ambiguous Rules Ambiguous Rules refers to the complete lack of rules in which it causes conflict. This occurs due to the reason that uncertainty increases the risk that one party intends to interfere with other partys goal. Nevertheless, when clear rules exist, employees know what to expect from each other and have agreed to abide by those rules (McShane, Olekalns Travaglione 2010, p. 419). Communication Problems In terms of communication problems, there are three factors that can cause conflict; lack of opportunity, ability and motivation. When parties lack the opportunity to communicate, they tend to reply on stereotyping. This can negatively distort the meaning of an opponents actions, escalating perceptions of conflicts. Furthermore, when parties lack the skills to communicate in a diplomatic manner, the opposing party can view the situation differently in which it will likely heighten their perception to conflict. Lastly, it is in our nature as humans to feel uncomfortable when interacting with others in a conflicting relationship. Therefore avoiding the situation and distinguishing minimal communication can further escalate the conflict. How can Conflict negatively affect modern workplace? According to a survey by Pace, 85% of employees deal with conflict to some degree, 49% believe that the primary causes of workplace conflict are the personality clashes and warring egos between employees, 34% (believe that the conflict is) related to stress and 33% (consider it to be) due to heavy workloads (cited in Singleton et al. 2011, p.149). Therefore it is highly recommended to study workplace conflict, conflict management theories, and how organisational leaders can control conflict as a stimulus to creativity which causes their organisations to thrive (Singleton et al. 2011, p.149). As a result, it is evident that conflict not only affects the organisation, but the employees and their psychological well-being. What is most alarming is that workplace conflicts may have a long-lasting effect on individuals and the organisation, even after they have left. Past studies show that conflict increases negative emotions, affecting the well being of individuals, withdrawing satisfacti on and causing emotional exhaustion. What is seen to be affecting the individual, is also affecting the organisation. This emotional exhaustion from employees can lead to increase of absenteeism and employee turnover. Turnover is the rate at which an employer gains and loses employees. (Vijaya, T.G Hemamalini, R 2012, p. 577). Although all types of conflicts are associated with decreased well-being, past studies show that relationship conflicts seem to do more negative and detrimental effects on individual well-being; this is due to the fact that it affects morale which is likely to result in decreased satisfaction with the job, group and organisation as well as threatening ones identity, self-esteem and generating more intense emotion (Romer, M et al. 2012, p. 256). In terms of performance and team satisfaction relationship conflicts have a bigger impact than task relationships. For these reasons, it is why relationship conflicts are seen as always dysfunctional and more difficult to resolve. How can it be seen as a positive? In todays society, despite which career path is taken, it is important to understand conflict and conflict resolution as everyone in the workplace needs to work and interact with others in the organisation. Conflict is part of the normality and is manifested with varying degrees of intensity, occurring when people feel they have created inconsistencies between their goals, aspirations and expectations (Cojocaru, C 2010, p.429). Conflict is unavoidable whether it is in the workplace, or in social life. Hatch and Cunliffe states that learning to deal effectively with conflict and making it functional is a critical investment for good intrapersonal and interpersonal relations in organizations well as setting the tone for a positive climate and culture for success (cited in Judonoo, E Schroeder, K Boysen-Rotelli, S 2012, p.52). It is beneficial for organisations to promote a culture of healthy conflicts by creating the right atmosphere. This is the best approach for organisations as co nflict will occur regardless, in which time and money are spent in resolving them. However, in todays society, modern workplaces can sometimes see conflict as a positive. According to the Model of the Conflict Process the positive conflict outcomes include better decisions, responsive organisation and team cohesion (McShane, Olekalns Travaglione 2010, p. 415). In modern workplaces, conflict can be seen as having a lack of understanding about differing needs. This can result in disagreements and arguments. Furthermore, this is not necessarily negative. When organisations recognize the conflict, they become willing to examine the situation and environment, in a more compassionate manner, understanding all options. This conflict can be an asset for organisations as it gives the opportunity to discuss and explore other options while opening pathways to different ways of problem solving and team building. Conflict can be beneficial for organisations as it enables individuals to discuss the pros and cons of each scenario or situation; in which it will provide the organisation with the most relevant and important information. Therefore, if conflict hadnt occurred, further discussions and research wouldnt have been accomplished, leaving the organisation with limited options. Jehn states that task conflicts, on the contrary, are thought to benefit performance by leading to deep thinking and thorough consideration of information'(cited in Long, C Zhong-Ming, W Wei, Z 2011, p. 191). Lastly, another important positive factor of conflict is improved relationships. Although this factor mainly benefits individuals, it is also evident that it also positively affects the organisation. When individuals have a positive relationship with co-workers, the organisation benefits from this as there will be an increase of high performance, decrease employee stress and decrease turnover and absenteeism. In modern workplace, conflicts may lead to an awareness of many important issues in an organisation, and thus, a search for solutions, development of creative and new ideas and formations as well as effective and permanent decisions. The diverse and complicated nature of conflicts imposes a critical and important role on conflict management due to the fact that conflicts may contribute to the improvement of organizational effectiveness when they are managed well. (Altun, O.S Argon, G 2011, p.725) Conclusion The most obvious finding to emerge from this study is that it is important for managers to put effort when dealing with power and conflict. As mentioned earlier, minor conflict can easily be escalated into a major situation. Furthermore in relation to power, organisations need to recognise that the misuse of power can be easily adopted, even without realisation.

The profession of shipbroker

The profession of shipbroker The profession of ‘Shipbroker has been in use since the early days of commercial shipping. Originally the owner of the ship was also the trader; he bought cargoes in one place, carried it and sold it in other place. With the evolution of the international trade, the shipbroker became more specialized as it became intermediary who would find ships for the merchants; and cargoes for the ship owners. The term shipbroker means different things to different people. In Japan and Korea, for example, the term ship broker is only used for the intermediary broker. But in Europe the word ship broker is used to identify a variety of chartering functions. Chartering work is essentially a form of exchange of information. It is a business where the right information at the right moment is essential to be successful. The oxygen of any market is information. Information is what makes a market work. Gathering that information requires time, effort, people, equipment and a network of contact. The parties involved in a chartering deal are one party owns, controls or operates a ship as owner and another party who owns the cargo and looking to be carried by sea transport between two destinations The basic function of the shipbroker is to bring together the two parties concerned involving the ship and cargo owners, then start negotiation between them in order to fix the vessel. The brokers income is derived from the commission payable by the ship owner on completion and fulfilment of the contract. Another role of the shipbroker other than fixing the vessel is acting as agent for the ship owner. As such he is responsible for everything which may concern the vessel whilst she is on port such as customs formalities; matters concerning the crew; loading/discharge of vessels; bunkering and so on. Ship-brokers normally specialize in a specific part of the market; it can be dry cargo, chemical, passenger vessels, RORO vessels etc. It therefore needs a specialist at collecting information, it is no longer possible to be a general shipbroker and have knowledge about every market. Detailed specialist knowledge on certain areas, trades, sizes, commodities or charterers is always in demand as the ship owner, charterer or his representative will often need to learn about a different market depending on where his ship is or what he has to fix. Traders need to know freight rates in order to sell cargoes. All principals need up to date information on which ships are interested in what cargoes, why and at what rates, what cargoes need to be lifted in certain areas at certain times. There is huge variety of interest in the market place. While principals demand the information there is a need for someone to gather it and make sense of it  Ã‚   The Baltic Exchange, the worlds only independent source of maritime market information for the trading and settlement of physical and derivative contracts, is seeking to appoint a new freight market reporter. With the support of 69 international shipbroking companies, the Baltic Exchange publishes independent, high quality dry, wet and gas freight market information on a daily basis. The Baltic acts as a regulatory body for its members and provides a forum for shipping information to circulate amongst its members (Howe Robinson Co Ltd web site). Peter Kerr-Dineen, joint-chairman of Howe Robinson, also became Chairman of the Baltic Exchange during 2003, (Howe Robinson, 2007). Many larger shipbroking firms have separate departments specialising in Dry Cargo Chartering, Tanker Chartering, Sale Purchase and sometimes also Demolition sales and Research. Major shipbroking centres include London, Piraeus, New York, Houston, Hamburg, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. Major Shipbroking h ouses are ACM, Clarksons Galbraith, SSY, Braemar Seascope, Charles Weber, Gibsons, and J.E. Hyde The modern freight market is really more sophisticated. The use of super tankers and also better port equipments and the use of satellite navigation systems have improved much in the ship broking business areas. In Southampton docks, it used to take several weeks to unload an average cargo ship such as a type bulk cargo ship V Luck, 13 000 tonnes and now only takes a few days to do the same tasks. Modern ship broking is also nowadays more complicated with the new laws and regulations in regards with all necessary procedures to combat smuggling, and also environmental issues such as global warming. The Laws in this business are also expanding since there are many countries are now involved in the ship broking business. The contract between the ship owners and the cargo owners is becoming a lengthy process.   New terminology in the shipbroking business has also come up. The whole concept of the contract of this kind of business is called the volume contract of Affreightment. These contracts cover the whole concept contract from a charterers point of view and Owners point of view. It is also containing the definition in the documents and the period and the terminology they both agree to use in the contract during the contract agreements.   The European Union Commission, in their International market regulation dealing with professional qualifications is also putting regulations. Under their regulation for the Chartered Shipbroker, the European Union Commission chose the United Kingdom to be the competent authorities on the recognition of qualifications for this regulated prof ession. At present the competent authorities in the United Kingdom is the Department for Education and Employment Skills located in Moor foot, Sheffield, (Philips, A., 2006). The Ship broking business is becoming a serious task to be taken care off. New entrants into the profession do not need to hold a shipping qualification, but there are degrees courses in Maritime Studies at several British universities. The Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers runs a course covering a wide range of subjects culminating in an examination to earn membership of the Institute. The Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers is the professional body for those engaged in all aspects of the shipping business. A Royal Charter was granted in 1920, in recognition of the Institutes role in conferring a qualification (MICS/FICS) and maintaining professional standards. Membership is international and Institute branches have been established all over the world. There are many other institutes for shipbrokers all over the world

Is Restorative Justice More Appropriate in Dealing With Young Offenders

This essay aims to make clear the system of restorative justice and its aims towards youth offending, whilst arguing points for and against the current system and whether or not it is more appropriate in terms of dealing with youth offending. It will also define restorative justice as well as defining what is meant by conventional justice. Making clear how and why these two systems came to be a part of youth justice whilst concluding as to which if either is more appropriate in dealing with youth offending behaviour. â€Å"Restorative justice is a process whereby parties with a stake in a specific offence collectively resolve how to deal with the aftermath of the offence and its implications for the future† (Munchie, 2004). Restorative Justice is a new way of thinking about and responding to crime, especially in relation to youth offending. For the past decade, especially, there has been an increasing interest in new approaches towards criminal justice in general but more so in terms of juvenile delinquency and finding an appropriate form of punishment to escape the labelling of youth delinquency, which involve the community and focus much more on the victim. Zehr (1990) who is thought to be one of the pioneers leading the argument for restorative justice highlighted three questions presented when taking a restorative approach; what is the nature of the harm resulting from the crime? What needs to be done to make things right or repair the harm? Who is responsible for this repair? He ascertained that ‘crime is fundamentally a violation of people and interpersonal relationships’. He also noted that violations create obligations and liabilities and that restorative justice seeks to heal and put right the wrongs. Restorative jus... ...rime. London: Sage Publications. Roche, D. (2003), Accountability in Restorative Justice, Oxford: University Press. White, R. & Haynes, F. (1996) Crime and Criminology: an introduction. Oxford University Press UK. Umbreit, M. & Bradshaw, W. & Coates, R. (1994) Victims of severe violence meet the offender: restorative justice through dialogue. International Review of Victimology, 6, p321-344. Williams, K, S. (2001) Textbook On Criminology. (4th) Edition. Oxford University Press UK. Wright, N. (1996). A Sociology of Apology and Reconciliation, Stanford: University Press. Young, M. (1999) Restorative community justice in the United States: A new paradigm. International Review of Victimology, 6, p265-277. Zehr, H. (1990) Changing Lenses: A new focus for Crime and Justice. Herald Press USA. Acts Of Parliament Human Rights Act 1998 (c.53) London : HMSO

The Government Denial of Agent Orange Claims Essay -- Vietnam Governme

The Government Reaction to Agent Orange Claims PREFACE United States involvement in Vietnam has been surrounded by controversy since the 1960s. Many felt that controversy would end with the withdrawal of US troops in the 1970s. The troops came home and were not welcomed with the fanfare that surrounded veterans of previous wars. Was the controversy surrounding Vietnam a â€Å"dead† issue now that the troops were home? The answer is no. The controversy continues to this very day. The issue of whether or not the US should have gotten involved with Vietnam is still undecided. The even larger issue, on the other hand, is that of exposure to Agent Orange. I have been interested in the controversy surrounding Agent Orange since I was in 10th grade. I knew nothing of the topic before that. In 1997, my uncle died of lung cancer. When he was first diagnosed with the disease, I had thought that it was because he owned a bar. I believed that the cause of his cancer was due to all the second- hand smoke he inhaled over the years (he had quit smoking in the 1970s, after 6 years of being addicted). However, I realized that this might not be the case when I overheard him talking to a doctor. My uncle wanted his disability benefits from the Army to go to his son while he was sick and after he died. So, I asked him about his and he started to tell me about Agent Orange. He was drafted in the Army and stationed in Vietnam from 1966 to 1967. His job was to deliver and clean the buckets that Agent Orange was stored in. He attributed his illness to his exposure to Agent Orange. The story of my uncle has motivated me to learn more on the topic of Agent Orange. However, because of the story of my uncle, I am bias in the way... ...mber 1993. New York State Temporary Commission on Dioxin Exposure, Dioxin Agent Orange: Findings, Conclusions, and Recommendations. Albany: September 1983. Scheim, Rich, â€Å"VA to Take Vets’ Word on Agent Orange Exposure,† Courier- Express, November 3, 1981. U.S. Congress, Senate, Committee on Veterans Affairs, Statement of John. F. Sommer, Jr., Director National Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation Commission Before the Committee on Veterans Affairs, 14 July 1988. Veterans Administration, Worried About Agent Orange? Washington D.C., July 1, 1980 pamphlet. Vietnam Veterans of America, Agent Orange, â€Å"VVA Sues VA Over AO Comp. Rules†. Washington, D.C., December 1986. VVA Legal Services, â€Å"Agent Orange Settlement Upheld†, Agent Orange Claim forms, July 1983. Wolff, Leslie Patten, â€Å"Defoliant Manufactures Launch Counter-suit,† Buffalo Veteran, 1980.

The Road Essay examples -- Literary Analysis, Cormac McCarthy

The Road Named one of the four major novelists of his time, Cormac McCarthy has won numerous awards such as the National Book Award, National Book Critics Circle Award, and the 2009 PEN/Saul Bellow Award for Achievement in American Fiction, which places him in the highest rank of American literature. His tenth and latest novel, The Road (2006), known as his most traumatic yet intensely personal work, has won the Pulitzer Prize for Literature Award in 2007, as well as the James Tait Black Memorial Prize (2007,) and the Quill Book Award (2007.) The Road is one of three novels that have been made into a film and was featured in theaters in 2009. Nominated for various cinematography awards, and winner of the Pulitzer Award, The Road is a profoundly shocking in-depth way at looking at the flailing annihilation of the human civilization. The Road is a post-apocalyptic story of a journey taken by a father, the man, and his young son, the boy, â€Å"each the other’s world entire† (McCarthy, p. 6). The man and boy, sustained by love, travel through bleak and grim America some years after an immense unexplained cataclysm destroyed nearly all humanity, and environment. The land is covered in ash, is extremely dark, and cold with recurrent rain, gray snow, and earthquakes. Throughout the novel the boy calls the man â€Å"Papa,† and they both refer to themselves as the â€Å"good guys† who carry the fire; â€Å"the â€Å"bad guys† being other human survivors who have turned cannibalistic. The man, haunted by dreams and reminiscent due to flashbacks of his childhood and his wife who committed suicide at the time of the world-wide destruction, protects his son from starvation and attacks, even though he himself realizes that he is dying. Both father and son rumma... .... Looking at these effects, it is obvious that they revolve around how the intestate demise of the world affected humanity. The journey the man and the boy traveled through depressing America in truth unlocks the reality of a Judgment Day. All of us come from unpredictable societies, and unfortunately we poison all we come in contact with, and simply don’t care when it comes to our environment. â€Å"On this road there are no godspoke men. They are gone and I am left and they have taken with them the world. Query: How does the never to be differ from what never was† (McCarthy, p. 32)? This quote gives an idea of what kind of catastrophe might have struck the world, and that the prophets are gone, taking the world with them. Whatever happened to humankind in the novel, The Road, was completely destroyed along with the moral principles that man and the boy, even we value.

Custom Power Devices and the Benefits of their Application

CUSTOM POWER DEVICES Initially for the betterment of power quality FACTS devices such as STATCOM ( inactive synchronal compensator ) , SSSC ( inactive synchronal series compensator ) , IPFC ( interline power flow accountant ) , and UPFC ( incorporate power flow accountant ) etc are introduced. These FACTS devices are planned for the transmittal system. However today more concentration is on the distribution system for the betterment of power quality, these devices are customized and known as usage power devices. In 1995 N.G. Hingorani introduced the thought of custom power as an enlargement of FACTS impression to distribution system. The chief aim is to better power quality and enhance dependability of power supply. The construct of FACTS was besides proposed by Hingorani in 1988. The word `custom power ‘ illustrates the value added power that electric public-service corporations will offer their clients. The value add-on will supply the benefits of high power electronic accountants to distribution systems, on the supply terminal of industrial, commercial clients and industrial Parkss. The footings of usage power devices ( CPD ) are complementary to the entity terminal usage equipment at low electromotive forces ( such as UPS ( Uninterruptible Power Supply or standby generators ) . Need OF CUSTOM POWER DEVICES At present power quality is considered as one of the major concern. Distribution system is placed at the terminal of the power system and it is straight connected to the client, so dependability the power system chiefly depends on the distribution system. It has become important, chiefly with the debut of complicated devices, whose concert is highly sensitive to the quality of power supply. Power quality job is an incident manifested as an irregular electromotive force, current or frequence that effect in the failure of terminal usage setup. Any failure in the electrical distribution system will impact about 90 % of the mean client break. Since the customer’s demand for the dependability of power supply is lifting twenty-four hours by twenty-four hours, hence dependability of the distribution system has to be increased. Ideally, power distribution system should supply their client with a uninterrupted flow of energy at even sinusoidal electromotive force at the contracted magn itude degree and frequence. But, in pattern, peculiarly in the distribution system, incorporate several nonlinear tonss, which well affect the quality of power supplies. Due to the consequence of nonlinear tonss, the pureness of the supply wave form is lost. This may take to several power quality jobs. Although power perturbations will originate on all electrical system, the sensitiveness of today’s complicated electronic devices will do them more inclined to the quality of power supplies. To work out this job, Custom power devices are used. One of those devices is Distribution Static Synchronous compensator ( DSTATCOM ) , which is the most efficient and effectual modern usage power device used in power distribution webs. Categorization OF CUSTOM POWER DEVICES Custom power devices are classified based on their power electronic accountants, which can be either of the web reconfiguration type or of the compensating type. The web reconfiguration devices besides called switchgear include the solid province and or inactive versions or current modification, current breakage and current transferring constituents. The counterbalancing type usage power devices either counterbalance a burden ( e.g. rectify its power factor, instability ) or better the quality of the supply electromotive force ( e.g. extinguish its harmonics ) . Custom power devices are classified as fallows Network reconfiguration type of usage power devices includeSSTS ( Solid province transportation switch )SSCL ( Solid province current clipper ) and,SSB ( Solid province ledgeman )Compensation type of usage power devices includeDVR ( Dynamic Voltage Restorer )DSTATCOM ( Distribution Static Synchronous compensator )UPQC ( Unified Power Quality Conditioner ) .Distribution STATCOM ( DSTATCOM ) The distribution STATCOM is indistinguishable to a transmittal STATCOM which uses a VSC of the needed evaluation inside it. Though, the VSC employed in a DSTATCOM is a Type 1 convertor with PWM control above the magnitude of the injected AC electromotive force to prolong a changeless DC electromotive force across the capacitance. Rapid power semiconducting material devices like IGBT or IGCT are employed alternatively of GTO. The fast shift capableness given by IGBT ( or IGCT ) switches allow the usage of more complicated control methods to supply maps of active filtering ( by shooting harmonic currents ) , equilibrating ( by shooting negative sequence current ) and flicker relief. A DSTATCOM can be considered as a variable current beginning resolute by the control maps. To heighten the dynamic evaluation within the capacitive scope, a fixed capacitor/filter is connected in analogue with DSTATCOM. By affecting an energy storage device like SMES ( Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storag e ) on the DC side during a DC/DC power conditioner, it is possible to interchange existent power with the system for a limited clip ( during fleeting breaks or big electromotive force droop ) . Dynamic electromotive force refinisher / regulator ( DVR ) The Dynamic Voltage Restorer ( DVR ) is a series connected device indistinguishable to a SSSC. The chief purpose of a DVR is to take electromotive force droops perceived by sensitive tonss such as semiconducting material fabrication works or IT industry. Therefore the DVR that are installed till now have modular with evaluations of 2 MVA for each faculty. It has been designed to equilibrate the three stage electromotive force sags about 35 % if the continuance clip is less than half a 2nd. Typically the storage of energy in capacitance will lie between 0.2 to 0.4 MJ per MW of burden supplied. A DVR is connected in series along with the feeder by agencies of a transformer. The low electromotive force twist is associated to the convertor. The chief intent of a DVR is to command the electromotive force at the burden coach ; it will be in standby manner for the bulk of the clip through which the convertor is bypassed. The DVR injects a series electromotive force of the necessary magnitud e merely when droop is identified. It is indispensable to protect a DVR from the mistake currents ( as in the instance of a SSSC ) . A DVR with IGBT/IGCT devices will be able to pull off to move as a series active filter so as to divide the burden from electromotive force harmonics on the beginning side. It is besides executable to command the electromotive force on the load side with the injection of negative and/or zero sequence electromotive forces in add-on to harmonic electromotive forces. UNIFIED POWER QUALITY CONDITIONER ( UPQC ) Unified power quality conditioners are feasible compensation devices and are used to verify that the power delivered will fulfill all necessary criterions and specifications at the installing point. The ideal UPQC can be identified as the combination of a electromotive force beginning convertor ( shooting shunt current ) and a common DC nexus ( connected to a DC capacitance ) .UPQC consist of combined series active power filter that regulate electromotive force harmonics of the power supply, and shunt active power filter that regulate harmonic currents of a nonlinear burden. Due to double functionality, UPQC is considered as one of the most appropriate devices that can work out the jobs of both consumers every bit good as of public-service corporation. Hence UPQC will assist to heighten electromotive force profile of power distribution system. Benefits WITH THE APPLICATION OF CUSTOM POWER DEVICES The usage power devices like DVR, DSTATCOM and UPQC etc, are employed to heighten the dependability of the distribution system by giving electromotive force support at the critical coachs in the system ( with series connected accountants ) and to command the power flow in the critical lines ( with shunt connected accountants ) . Both power flow and electromotive force are regulated by the combined series and shunt accountants known as UPQC. As the power electronic control is comparatively fast, this allows ordinance under both steady province and dynamic conditions as compared to other accountants when the system is caused to perturbations. The benefits due to custom power devices are listed below.They assist to outdo possible system operation by diminishing power losingss and heightening electromotive force profile.The power flow in critical lines can be improved as the operating borders can be decreased due to fast controllability.The power transporting ability of lines can be raised to values up to the thermic bounds ( imposed by current transporting ability of the music directors ) .The transeunt stableness bound is improved hence bettering dynamic security of the system and diminishing the incidence of blackouts affected by cascading outages.The steady province or little signal stableness country can be improved by supplying subsidiary stabilising accountants to muffle low frequence oscillations.FACTS accountants s uch as TCSC can react to the job of Sub synchronal Resonance ( SSR ) experienced by agencies of fixed series capacitances connected in lines to take power from thermic power Stationss ( with turbo generators ) .The job of electromotive force fluctuation and moral force over electromotive forces can be overcome by these accountants.

Cost Method Paper Essay

Absorption accounting method according to E Notes (n.d.) â€Å"is a method of accounting where all costs of the manufacturing are included and are allocated to the produced units†. This would include fixed, variable and mixed costs. This type of accounting would allow a more accurate figure to supply to upper management about their product and what the bottom line is. This is the most important factor in Absorption accounting. The variable method is beneficial because it provides an output that is closer to the actual cash flow of a business. If a business is short on money this may be a better alternative. Absorption costing is particularly useful for firms that do not sell their entire yield during the manufacturing period, as is the case with Polk. Under absorption costing, the cost of a good is not shown until the good has been sold. This can be a drawback if a portion of the goods produced are not sold, as the company would still have to know the actual price of these tha t were left over. In this case, it would be better to use the absorption method because this method integrates only the operating expense that is due to the 81,300 units sold. The variable method counts fixed overhead as a time expense, meaning that the fixed overhead for this period is calculated on the basis of the 96,100 units produced, if the absorption method is used. The variable method only computes fixed overhead on the foundation of the 81,300 units that were sold. This provides management with a more accurate picture of the yield of the fishing lures. References Absorption Accounting. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.endnotes.com