Ict Developments in Supply Chain Management Within the...

B.I.S. MIS40760 Information and Communication Technologies Project ICT developments in Supply Chain Management within the Fashion Industry Group C7 Laurence Dumenil 10263080 Laurence.dumenil@ucd.ie Ian Foley 10287825 Ian.Foley@ucdconnect.ie Noirin Kirwan 10272127 noirin.kirwan@ucdconnect.ie Paul Murray 03528731 paul.murray1@ucdconnect.ie Cathy Smith 10269886 Cathy.Smith.1@ucdconnect.ie Andres Villar 10279253 Andres.Villar@ucdconnect.ie Table of Contents: 3 Introduction 3 History of the Industry 4 Outline of Supply Chain Management 6 Supply chain management and Zara 6 Introduction 7 Product Development and Marketing 8 Manufacturing and Purchasing 9 Logistics and Distribution 12 Store Operations†¦show more content†¦(See fig. 1) Since the 1960’s and the information revolution, man’s ability to transfer information has continued to grow not only more efficient but also more important. With the growth of e-commerce and electronic data interchange supplying a constantly updated information supply, being able to profit from information has been key to successful business practice. Originally exemplified by Wal-Mart’s ability to send and receive sales and supply information automatically, communication development, facilitated by services like the internet, has gone on to open up a worldwide market for many industries. This ability to transfer information instantaneously has given birth to a new generation of supply chain management systems where producers, suppliers, distributors, and increasingly even customers are all connected. In the high-street retail market, fast fashion is the current key to success where the speed of fashion trends means a more disposable clothing culture is emerging where low cost and a quick product lifecycle are vital to successful sales. With such demands from the end use consumer and with instantaneous information at hand, an increasingly important emphasis is being placed on supply chain management efficiencies. Fig: 1 Supply Chain Management and Zara Introduction undergone one of the most rapidShow MoreRelatedManaging Product Procurement : Supply Chain1566 Words   |  7 Pages8. Risk management The most frequent activity in supply chain is to manage product procurement; supplies means a process from manufacturer to have inventory and to meet the market demand. The purpose to supply is to use the lowest cost but provide fast, accurate and stable delivery date to respond customers orders. In the supply chain, Possible risks include In the supply chain, supplier and manufacturer could meet such as supply risk, strategic risks and operational risk. The main risk comesRead MoreCarbon Emissions And Its Effect On The Environment1733 Words   |  7 Pagesand 2013. (See appendix 5) 8. Risk management The most frequent activity in supply chain is to manage product procurement; supplies means a process from manufacturer to have inventory and to meet the market demand. The purpose to supply is to use the lowest cost but provide fast, accurate and stable delivery date to respond customers orders. 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Analysis Of Jon Krakauers Into The Wild - 778 Words

Occasionally in a persons life, he or she wonders about a certain purpose in life. In extreme cases, when a person attempts to find ones self, he or she may find his or herself in a dangerous or even deadly position. In Jon Krakauers Into the Wild, Chris McCandless goes out into the wilderness of Alaska to find himself, but he never returns. Jon Krakauer organizes his novel in a circular way, which ties the story together well, and he uses long, periodic sentences to detail and emphasize his points about life and death situations in order to create an aspect of imagery and description throughout the novel. First and foremost, Krakauer implies that life is a gift that is, more often than not, thrown away for an unreasonable purpose.†¦show more content†¦Krakauer uses long descriptions of Chris such as that he â€Å"was wearing a blue sweatshirt printed with the logo of a Santa Barbara towing company†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Krakauer 99). This random detailed image of Chris is not alone. Throughout the entire novel, Krakauer gives very detailed descriptions of Chris in order to help readers visualize who Chris is as a person. The long and periodic sentences such as when Krakauer explains how during his adventures, â€Å"Near the end of his trip, it turned out, Chris had gotten lost in the Mojave Desert and had nearly succumbed to dehydration† (Krakauer 118). In this long and periodic sentence, Krakauer describes another part of Chris’s journey in great detail. The long periodic sentences help to show the complexity of Chris’s death, and they help to explain that there is a long and complex journey to his death. Equally important are the details and imagery that give readers a special connection to Chris and the setting of the story. Krakauer uses great description and imagery from the very start of the novel. Especially when describing Alaska and the Stampede Trail, Chris’s place of death, Krakauer uses great detail as he describes the â€Å"icy stream whose waters are opaque with glacial till† (Krakauer 11). After this beautiful description of the trail, Krakauer cuts to the sight of the late Chris McCandless and describes how â€Å"Virtually no fat remained on the body, and the muscles had withered significantly†Show MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Jon Krakauers Into The Wild980 Words   |  4 Pagesfor their issues to vanish. Some people can deal with their dilemmas easily, but others go to the extreme to cope with their obstacles. One person that goes to the extreme to cope with his problems is Christopher McCandless. Throughout Jon Krakauers Into the Wild, Christopher McCandless was eager to isolate himself from his problems in society, but never meant to die because of it. Chris McCandless did not live the average life. He ran away from his family on several occasions, and his actionsRead MoreAnalysis of Jon Krakauer’s Into The Wild Essay example1594 Words   |  7 PagesThroughout the novel, Christopher McCandless’s character changed over time. Up to McCandless’s death, he wanted to live with the wild and to be away from civilization as far as possible. He changes his mind when he writes â€Å"HAPPINESS ONLY REAL WHEN SHARED† (189). His purpose of living in the wild is to live with freedom and do whatever he wishes to do. However, he realizes he was a â€Å"refuge in nature† (189) and intended to abandon his solitary life and rejoin the human community. It is assumed thatRead MoreInto the Wild: by Jon Krakauer1186 Words   |  5 Pagesperspective was formed from his own experience and relationship with his father. While the situations were basically reversed with Chris not approving of his father and Lewis Krakaue r disappointed in Jon for not following is â€Å"blueprint† there are similar parallels. Both McCandless and Krakauer‘s fathers where high achievers in life and McCandless and Krakauer both shared a similar perspective in their youth. I can envision Krakauer writing this book as a form of therapy for him. Enabling himRead MoreLiterary Analysis of Into the Wild1669 Words   |  7 PagesLiterary Analysis of Into The Wild Imagine spending thirty days alone in a tent or a cabin in the wilderness with no technology, electricity, running water, and any form of communication. Every day you wake up to the sight of the beautiful, tall trees and the various wildlife living in the area. Most of the time, you can hear the many sounds of nature: the majestic songs of birds, the whistling in the wind, and trees rustling. But sometimes all you can hear is nothing but silence. Most of usRead MoreSummary Of The Book Into The Wild 1766 Words   |  8 PagesBrief Summary and â€Å"Arrangement† of the Book: †¢ Into the Wild is the story of Chris McCandless’ journey across America and eventually his death in Fairbanks, Alaska. Krakauer weaves the story of McCandless with accounts of other survivalists that are similar to McCandless along with his own experiences. †¢ There are 18 chapters along with and epilogue. Each chapter is characterized by a certain place that Chris or another person visited and are not in chronological order. †¢ Chapter 1: Chris meetsRead MoreAn Analysis Of Jon Krakauer s Into The Wild2135 Words   |  9 Pages In Into the Wild, Christopher McCandless (man) tried to exist as one with nature but finds through his journeys that nature is a force that will test men relentlessly, especially men who are unprepared. Nature is one of the world’s greatest marvels. McCandless understood that and chose nature over civilization. He believed civilization was a plague and there was only one way to cure that plague. That was to become one with nature . The background information of this essay will explore the needRead MoreLiterary Criticism : The Free Encyclopedia 7351 Words   |  30 PagesChbosky. Word Riot. Word Riot. Retrieved 27 May 2012. 41.Jump up ^ Tara Ann Carter (October 6, 2013). Reading Persepolis: Defining and Redefining Culture, Gender and Genre (PDF). John Bartram High School. 42.Jump up ^ Secret Life of Bees-Character Analysis. Archived from the original on 3 May 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-21. 43.Jump up ^ Khaled Hosseini (March 4, 1965). Katherine C. (Berwyn, PA) s review of The Kite Runner. Goodreads.com. 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Justification for Torture Free Essays

Torture is a scenario that dates back to the old government ages. Is government torture ever justified? This answer is can be answered by this quote,†Torturing the terrorist is unconstitutional? Probably. But millions of lives surely outweigh constitutionality â€Å"(Levin 1). We will write a custom essay sample on Justification for Torture or any similar topic only for you Order Now Who would not save the lives of fellow citizens If the only option to solve the issue was torturing an individual for his crimes? Many people would see the situation as a sacrifice for the better of the people. The lives of Americans should be the most important priority of a nation. Torture is justified as long it is for the safety of the people and not for the mere cause of violence. Torture is the considered to be a harmful mentally and physically to anyone. It is a very well known method in the time of war. There have been many cases where it used on children and women. The course of torture can range from physical abuse to sexual abuse. Those are without a doubt an international crime. Using torture on innocent human being is completely out of the question. The use of torture in terms of water boarding on terrorist can be another matter. Torture without a doubt is a cruel treatment for an individual but it must be a nation policy (Falbaum 15). Saving innocent lives should be a governments priority in a â€Å"ticking time bomb † scenario. The scenario states, lets say an officer, got control of a terrorist planning an attack on hundreds of people. It is highly likely this terrorist will be interrogated by other officials to obtain information about the attack. Torture should be an option if the individual refuses to give the data to save hundreds of lives. Falbaum also mentions that 9/11 attack could been prevented if the United States had torture as part of their system. If the US policy was more strict at those times the terrorist would have feared their policy or would have captured their leader and gained details about the whereabouts of the attack. A poll shows that majority of registered citizens prefer harsh techniques that can keep America safe (Bauer 27). The society should support inhumane behaviors like torture if it is seen as last hope for innocent lives. Successful interrogations can keep America safe for the future. The world revolves around information and if your country is lacking information, terrorists can take advantage of the situation. Using torture on terrorists to gain information will benefit in prevention of future attacks on the country. Marc A. Thiessen goes into detail how many terrorists that have been interrogated provided them with reliable information that ended up saving thousands of American lives. â€Å"Thiessen believes that terrorist suspects will talk if pressured in the right way† (Thiessen 36). Some people may argue that torture does not provide the right detail because the victim will say anything to stop the deadly act. A statement said by the terrorist Abu Zubayah explains that captive terrorist tends to resist as long as they can, if they fail to do this they are given permission by their religious belief to tell what they have known. â€Å"The job of the interrogator is to safely help the terrorist do his duty to Allah, so he then feels liberated to speak freely â€Å"(Thiessen 40). It leads to show if the US practice and enhance their torture techniques it will lead to a safer nation. What techniques can be considered torture? Water-boarding is the act where the victim is drained water on his head to stimulate the pain of drowning. Water-boarding to Joseph Farah is not considered torture. He states that the technique is relatively safe with the right management. Not only that he argues that United State also practice this technique on their own soldiers as training (Farah 82). According to him while water-boarding is very abhorrent it is not as bad as cutting of a hand or anything gore. The truth is Water-boarding is very effective and most of the time the result are given in less than a minute. The success stories range from learning about al-Qaida’s top plans. It is said that the terrorist agents resisted normal interrogations for hours and hours but gave into water-boarding sooner than the word can be said. This scenario can happen anywhere in the nation. Lets say an al-Qaida member was captured by the CIA and found whereabouts of bombs being placed around a city. They hire the top of the line negotiators to spoil the information. The real question still remains. Will they be able to make the terrorist member talk before it’s too late? Then again we could resort to the use of water-boarding and save their lives before it is too late. It is not like we have torn their limbs off to order to get the information. â€Å"But a few seconds of dripping water on a prisoner’s face? That’s not torture to me â€Å"(Feah 85). Some believe that torture disregard true American standards. Patrick J. Buchanan gives a great insight about this issue. He states that torture is viable as long as it fit to save the American people. It is just like how murder is seen unethical yet you see soldiers and cops given the permission to kill as long as it fits the right scenario (Buchanan 55). Would a war hero that killed twenty men in order to rescue 2,000 citizens receive a death sentence? Just because he murdered 20 men, no. He would be honored as a hero he so deserved to be. There are doctors that inflicts pain to many soldiers in the war field by cutting of parts of their body. This saves their life by preventing death by decay. These are one of the exceptions that torture should be given into. Take for example someone’s son or daughter was captivated by a terrorist group. One of their remember was found, he would not spoil or hint any information by simple conversations. What will a parent would want from the government to do? It does not matter if they oppose torture or not, a parent would choose water-boarding compared to the death of their child. Torture is not to be taken lightly but should be considered an option if the situation arise. Torture should the last option if it ever to be used. It a very sensitive topic for many people. There are groups that strongly rejects torture in any situation and there are people that support torture if it leads to saving lives. Ultimately saving lives should be the priority of any government. If it result in agreeing to an â€Å"harsh techniques † like water-boarding to stop future 9/11 attacks, the majority will agree. It is very hard to come to a conclusion about this specific topic because both sides can provide very good viewpoints. It will be one of those controversial topic that will go on for decades. How to cite Justification for Torture, Essay examples

Pakistan State Oil Report free essay sample

We are committed to leadership in energy market through competitive advantage in providing the highest quality petroleum products and services to our customers, based | * Professionally trained, high quality, motivated workforce, working as a team in an environment, which recognizes and rewards performance, innovation and creativity, and provides for personal growth and development |   | | | * Lowest cost operations and assured access to long-term and cost effective supply sources|   | | | * Sustained growth in earnings in real terms| | | * Highly ethical, safe environment friendly and socially responsible business practice| Values Excellence We believe that excellence in our core activities emerges from a passion for satisfying our customers needs in terms of total quality management. Our foremost goal is to retain our corporate leadership. Cohesiveness We endeavor to achieve higher collective and individual goals through team. This is inculcated in the organization through effe ctive communication. Respect We are an Equal Opportunity Employer attracting and recruiting the finest people from around the country. We value contribution of individuals and teams. Individual contributions are recognized through our reward and recognition program. |   | Integrity We uphold our values and Business Ethics principles in every action and decision. Professional and personal honesty, dedication and commitment are the landmarks of our success. Open and transparent business practices are based on ethical values and respect for employees, communities and the environment. |   | Innovation We are committed to continuous improvement, both in New Product and Processes as well as those existing already. We encourage Creative Ideas from all stakeholders. | Corporate Responsibility We promote Health, Safety and Environment culture both internally and externally. We emphasize on Community Development and aspire to make society a better place to live in. History The creation of Pakistan State Oil (PSO) can be traced back to the year 1974, when on January 1st; the government took over and merged Pakistan National Oil (PNO) and Dawood Petroleum Limited (DPL) as Premiere Oil Company Limited (POCL). Soon after that, on 3rd June 1974, Petroleum Storage Development Corporation (PSDC) came into existence. PSDC was then renamed as State Oil Company Limited (SOCL) on August 23rd 1976. Following that, the ESSO undertakings were purchased on 15th September 1976 and control was vested in SOCL. The end of that year (30th December 1976) saw the merger of the Premier Oil Company Limited and State Oil Company Limited, giving way to Pakistan state Oil (PSO). After PSO’s inception, the corporate culture underwent a comprehensive renewal program which was fully implemented in 2004. This program over the years included the revamping of the organizational architecture, rationalization of staff, employee empowerment and transparency in decision making through cross functional teams. This new corporate renewal program has divided the company’s major operations into independent activities supported by legal, financial, informative and other services. In order to reinforce and monitor this structural change, related check and balances have been established by incorporating monitoring and control systems. Human Resource Development became one of the main priorities on the company’s agenda under this corporate reform. It is due to this effective implementation of corporate reform and consistent application of the best industrial practices and business development strategies, that PSO has been able to maintain its market leadership in a highly competitive business environment. PAKISTAN STATE OIL COMPANY Our Products Motor Gasoline Kerosene High Speed Diesel Light Diesel Oil Furnace Oil Lubricants Associated Companies Following are the details of PSOs associated Companies: NAME| SHARE HOLDING %| 1. ASIA PETROLEUM LIMITED| 49%| 2. PAK GREASE COMPANY LIMITED| 22%| Asia Petroleum Limited (APL) APL was incorporated in Pakistan as an unlisted public limited company on July 17, 1994. The Company has been principally established to transport â€Å"Residual Fuel Oil† (RFO) to the Hub Power Company Limited (HUBCO) at Hub, Balochistan. For this purpose, the Company laid an underground oil pipeline starting from Pakistan State Oil Company Limited’s (PSO) Zulfiqarabad terminal at Pipri to HUBCO at Hub. Pak Grease Manufacturing Company (Private) Limited (PGMCL) PGMCL was incorporated in Pakistan on March 10, 1965 as a private company. The principal activity of the Company is to manufacture and sell petroleum grease products. | | Code of conduct * Giving illegal/unreasonable direction to others| * Unjustified/Unauthorized absenteeism| * Using influence or external pressure for promotion, transfer or induction| * Unsatisfactory/negligent performance| * Conduct that violates decency and morality| * Smoking at non-designated areas | Theft of any of the properties/assets of Company| * Breaking of safety regulations| * Habitual resting/sleeping in office timings| * Breach of privacy and/or trust| * Bullying/intimidation/uncalled for behavior/mental and gender harassment| * Misusing confidential information/record| * Discrimination on basis of caste, creed, religion amp; gender | * Falsification of records| * Undue patronage/Nepotism (Favoritism)| * Offering/Accepting Bribes and Gifts| * U sing office timings and/or resources for personal use| * Intentional damage to Company property| Mishandling/misusing Company resources and property| * Reporting on duty drugged or intoxicated| * Hooliganism in inside/outside Criminal/Offensive activity| * Activities bringing disrepute to company| * Inappropriate public comment and/or rumour mongering| * Use or possession of arms and explosivesMarketing amp; Distribution| PSO possesses the largest distribution network in the country comprising of 3,689 outlets out of which 3,500 outlets serve the Retail sector and 189 outlets serve our bulk customers. Out of the total of 3,689 outlets, 1,691 Retail and 167 Consumer Business outlets have been upgraded with the most up-to-date facilities as per the visualization of the New Vision Retail Programme. PSO also operates 31 company-owned and company-operated (Co-Co) sites serving the retail sector. Co-Co sites are flagship stations which combine high levels of supervision and top quality products to maintain the highest level of efficiency, service and customer care. These sites act as benchmark for all other retail outlets. In addition to retail customers more than 2,000 industrial units, business houses, power plants and airlines are being fueled by PSO. Acquisition of Products|   The automotive sector is the main consumer of Motor Gasoline (Mogas) and High Speed Diesel (HSD) whereas Furnace Oil (FO) is marked for power plant usage. To meet the supply deficit of the country, PSO imports Mogas, HSD, JP 1 and FO as and when required. The total import of black and white oil in Pakistan last year was 12. 4 million metric tons and PSO had the lion’s share of this import with 11. million metric tons which came to over 90% of the total fuel imports of the country. Other than product imports, PSO acquired 1. 75 million metric tons from various refineries based in Pakistan in order to cater to our market needs. Storagepso possesses the largest storage capacity in the country. The company’s infrastructure stretches from Karachi to Gilgit. With 9 installations and 23 depots located across the coun try PSO’s storage capacity of approximately a million metric tons represents 74% of the total storage capacity owned by all the oil marketing companies. |   |   Product Movement| 😠 PSO uses three mechanisms for the movement of POL products namely, tank lorries (road), tank wagons (railways) and pipelines. We currently have a total fleet of 8,595 tank lorries out of which 2202 tank lorries are New Vision tank lorries which are complying with the latest ADR standards and are equipped with pilferage proof tracker systems. With the commencement of operations of the White Oil Pipeline Project (WOPP) from Karachi to Mehmood Kot via Shikarpur and the MFM (Mehmood Kot/Faisalabad/Machikey) pipeline, the supply pattern for white oil from Karachi has switched from tank lorries to pipelines. PSO is present as a partner in this project and holds a 12% equity share in this venture. | Lubes Manufacturing amp; Sales| PSO is steadily progressing in the field of lubricants. With state-of-the-art Lubricants Manufacturing Terminal (LMT) located in Korangi Industrial Area, Karachi we are catering to a number of sectors including automotive, Hi-street and industrial consumers through the provision of sectors including automotive, Hi-street and industrial consumers through the provision of products. PSO Quality Assurance Department comprises of the following PSO Quality Assurance PSO’s quality assurance system is there to give all its stakeholders the confidence in the quality of fuel through strict specifications and procedures. It’s a procedure under which we ensure that all products and services being offered are of quality Quality Management System The goal of Quality Management System (QMS) Support is to ensure that all the activities of departments come under the scope of QMS for their effective monitoring and continuous improvement and focusing the needs and requirements of our internal and external customers for successful business operations. In view of above PSO QA department provides technical and consultative support to various PSO departments in the company for the implementation and Monitoring of World class Quality Management System Standard ISO 9001:2008 QMS through development of documents, conducting Internal Quality Audits and arrange Training sessions for Employee awareness and development on QMS implementation sequentially to enhance the quality of work, functional practices and Customer Satisfaction Support on Quality Management System * | * Technical Support to departments for QMS. | * | * Gap Analysis for QMS| * | * QMS Internal Quality Audit| | * Training on ISO 9001 Standard amp; Internal Auditing| * | * Implementation for Certification| PSO and Ethical Practices; | Health Safety amp; Environment| Environment, Health and Safety management are at high priority for responsible companies and PSO is no exception. The company is committed to maintaining a safe, healthy and sustainable environment wherever we o perate – for our people, our customers, our partners and contractors and the community at large. † Beyond leadership in the provision of energy to the nation, PSO’s broader goals envision: * A cleaner, greener, healthier Pakistan Enabling a safer environment for the PSO family and those whom we serve. * Making a difference today for a secure tomorrow HSE Mission Statement Pakistan State Oil Co. Ltd. is committed to manage health, safety and environmental (HSE) matters as an integral part of the business which includes employees, customers, business partners, contractors and the community at large. To assure the HSE integrity of our processes and facilities we will continue to strive for improvement by implementing the HSE Management System and further, by adhering to the following principles: Compliance We ensure that our stakeholders will comply with all applicable laws, regulations, and standards and implement programs and procedures. In order to progress from Good to Great, everyone working for the company is responsible to implement the HSE program, policy and procedures. Prevention We will further improve on our management systems with the intent to prevent activities and/or conditions that endanger the human health and safety and strive to minimize the impact of our business operations on the environment. Communication We will communicate our commitment to our employees, contractors and customers and seek their full cooperation in meeting our HSE goal through various events and programs. Continuous Improvement We will seek opportunities to continuously improve the effectiveness of our HSE Management System by not only planning, performing, measuring and improving it but also by identifying, assessing, managing hazards, impacts and risks from our activities and services. Moreover, we will identify areas for improvement through comprehensive HSE audits and effective analysis of near misses/incident reporting system 1. Prevention of Occupational Sickness Whenever a business like PSO involves certain issues of risky work conditions or the industry has some health issues, then it is legally required that protection or safety be offered by the organization to the employees who are working for them. The organization and the industry are bound to protect the employees working for them. The government requires these organizations to address these work conditions carefully. If for example an employee is injured when he was at work, or if the health of an employee is adversely affected by the working conditions; then the organization is bound to provide appropriate compensations as well as protection and safety elements to the employees at work. At PSO such issues are also dealt with diligently. For example for the managerial employees working at PSO’s headquarters, temperature of 21? C is maintained at all times throughout the year. The organization controls the temperature all the year round, irrespective of the prevailing weather. This helps the employees to feel more comfortable and increases their motivation, performance and drive to work better and achieve their goals. 2. Prevention of Accidents. No matter what the business environment is like, each and every business entity has to prepare and be proactive regarding any accidents that may or may not happen at work. They need to prepare and equip their employees working for them for the worst. They need to educate their employees regarding the hazardous working environment and conditions; so that they are mentally and physically fit to face the adverse situations at work. An example of this could be the fire extinguishers, buckets, water hoses and other fire extinguishing equipment provided to all the petrol pumps by PSO. All the employees of such facilities are given training to brush up their fire fightingskills. For example: A fire drill was arranged by the HSE Department at PSO House at 11:45 a. m. on Monday, December 11, 2006. Following the fire alarms, which were sounded on all floors, an announcement was made on the public address system to evacuate the PSO House. An orderly drill was executed and all PSO employees, including the top management, as a result 700 employees were evacuated within 4 minutes and were assembled outside the PSO House premises. The local fire brigade and ambulance promptly responded. Fire drills are part of health, safety and environment (HSE) measures that have been adopted by Pakistan State Oil and are conducted at periodically to keep the employees aware of the state of safety. . Prevention of Environmental Pollution: If the pollution produced by the business damages the external environment, then the government has the right to restrict its functioning or impose restrictions on the business. If the work pollution is spreading within the organizational facility, and it damages the health of the employees or an employee gets hurt due to it. Then, the employer will have to pay o r compensate the families of the employees, if the employees are injured or damaged during work hours. An excellent example of the prevention of environmental pollution would be that of Oil water separation PSO has become the first oil marketing company to embark upon a project to meet the National Environment Quality Standards (NEQS) and reduce the pollutant loads on the effluent discharged from PSO retail outlets. Servicing of motor vehicles generates contaminated effluent, which ultimately gets discharged in the sewerage system. This effluent is found non-compliant with NEQS, which stipulates criteria of the limits for liquid effluent parameter. The installation of oil water separation system would make the retail outlets environmentally compliant and will be helpful in reducing pollution. HSE Vision Environment, Health and Safety management are at high priority for responsible companies and PSO is no exception. The company is committed to maintaining a safe, healthy and sustainable environment wherever we operate – for our people, our customers, our partners and contractors and the community at large. â€Å"Safety is our priority and it is our belief that all accidents are preventable. Our first aim is excellence in HSE performance in all PSO businesses. † Beyond leadership in the provision of energy to the nation, PSO’s broader goals envision: * A cleaner, greener, healthier Pakistan * Enabling a safer environment for the PSO family and those whom we serve. * Making a difference today for a secure tomorrow. Characterization of HSE: HSE  is intangible in nature. It is an intangible asset of an organization like image and good will are. HSE lead to better image and goodwill of the organization. It creates a positive image of the organization and business. A company may have the maximum knowledge and hard work, yet it may lag behind just because it does not have the right attitude. This attitude comes from realizing what is important ethically, environmentally and morally. HSE is a part of this realization. A company’s behavior, attitude, safe occupational practices and procedures, and environment matters significantly. For example, if you are a good driver and you follow the traffic rules, then that is your positive behavior. You will not get into trouble because you will never break rules and chances are you will never get hurt due to any rash driving antics. Healthy and positive behavior and attitude always leads to a positive outcome. Changing HSE trends in the Industrial sector: * Quality Certification gaining importance, such as ISO 9000 amp; 14001 etc. * Legislative environmental pressures are increasing. * Financial losses resulting from accidents increased. HSE Policy of PSO: The HSE policy is as follows: The health of its employees, its contractors, its customers and the public is protected. All its activities are carried out safely. Environmental performance meets legislative requirements. To implement HSE Policy, Pakistan State Oil Company Limited will * Comply with relevant laws and regulations. *   Ensure that required Health, Safety and Environment Standards and Procedures are developed and established. Ensure that all its activities are carried out in accordance with Companys Health, Safety and Environment Standards and Procedures. Set demanding targets and measure progress to ensure continuous improvement in Health, Safety and Environment performance. Require every employee to exercise personal responsibility in preventing harm to themselves, to others and to the environment. Provide appropriate Health, Safety and Environment training / information to all employees, contractors and others who work with the company Ensure provision of safe working environment. Promote awareness and give due recognition to performance in the area of Health, Safety and Environment. HSE INITIATIVES * Being a responsible corporate citizen, PSO realizes that success of business financial performance and sustainability depends on the environment in which it operates. Accordingly we strive to strike an efficient balance between financial, social and ecological performance. Being a responsible corporate citizen, PSO realizes that success of business financial performance and sustainability depends on the environment in which it operates. Accordingly we strive to strike an efficient balance between financial, social and ecological performance. Health, safety and environment form our corporate objectives. * Today all our 3,700 retail outlets across the country dispense environmental efficient fuels at no additional cost to our customers. These fuels play a vital role in reduction of exhaust emissions that result in less pollution and greener environment. There are fifteen (15) Mobile Quality Testing Units in operation which ensure consistent quality of products being supplied to our consumers. Recently, PSO adopted water tool developed by World Business Council for Social Development (WBCSD) to optimize the use of water resources by PSO. | HSE Management System at PSO:The HSE and quality department work together and create policies that they maintain and control from time to time through regular audits. These two departments form HSE policies and practices and then dispatch them to each and every department to review and understand. Each department is then required to understand, implement and control these policies and practices in their respective departments. Internal audits are conducted by the HSE department to ensure that all the HSE policies are being adequately followed by all departments at PSO. | HSE Policies PSO is committed to maintaining a safe, healthy and sustainable environment wherever we operate – for our people, our customers, our partners and contractors and the community at large. † The company aims to protect people’s health, ensure zero injuries and avoid r minimize any environmental impact that can happen due to its products and processes. We are committed to achieving these goals through HSE Management System that are well in placed and being followed in true spirit and the compliances are done in relation with the relevant laws and regulations. Thus we strongly strive for continuous improvement. The commitment to HSE always comes from Top Management and thus Our Mana ging Director amp; CEO is responsible for enacting this policy and giving HSE equal priority with all other business issues Our commitments are to Seek zero harm to our people and minimal impact on the environment through our business operations and relevant activities * Conduct HSE Audit and reviews the safety implications of our activities in PSO facilities. | | * Minimize the consumption of energy and to dwell Alternative Energy Resources in the best interest of Nation. | | * Ensure the occupational health and Safety of our Employees and other allies during our Operational activities. | | * To achieve these commitments we have developed, implemented and maintained effective management systems and processes that enable us to:| * | | | * Identify, assess and manage hazards, impacts and risks from our activities and services. | * | | * | * Meet and, where appropriate, exceed applicable legal and other requirements| * | | * | * Set, achieve and report against objectives and targets t o demonstrate continual performance improvement| * | | * | * Identify areas for improvement through comprehensive HSE Audits and near miss / incident reporting system and then mitigation provided through investigation. HSE Steering Committee| Objective:| Provide clear directions for the improvement and sustainability of HSE Management System to promote HSE culture. Also monitoring HSE policy compliance and dealing with non-compliance issues. Review HSE performance of all company business entities and resource allocation where required. | Function: | To oversee HSE related matters arising out of the activities and operations of PSO and the impact of those activities and operations on employees, contractors and the communities in the area of operation. |   | | Composition:| The committee comprises of Managing Director, Deputy Managing Directors, General Manager (HSE amp; QA) and DGM (HSE). This ensures top management’s commitment towards HSamp;E. |   | | Methodology: | The Committee meets at least once in a quarter. Senior General Managers, General Managers and Deputy General Managers will be opted in committee for their relevant HSE matters on as and when need basis. It may also require any employee of the company to attend the meeting for the purpose of making presentations or participating in discussion on need basisProduct Stewardship| At PSO we recognize that as product manufacturers and marketers we must take on responsibilities to reduce the environmental footprint of our products. Environmental product stewardship at PSO fostered product and market innovation, and provided customers with more value at less environmental impact. These initiatives included the launch of Green-XL diesel which reduces black smoke dramatically due to special green additive, enables quick start ups and minimizes exhaust emissions that results in less pollution amp; greener environment. The reduction in black smoke translates into improved power amp; efficiency for the consumer. Apart from the environment friendly fuels, PSO also became the first and only OMC to introduce ethanol blended fuels at its COCO outlets in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. . Energy Conservation Measures * Environment Safety Measure| * Consumer Safety Measures| * Workplace Safety| * Employee Well Being| * Other Intiatives * Energy Conservative Measures| 1. Green Stations PSO has initiated â€Å"Green Stations† throughout the country. The purpose is to develop environmental friendly retail outlets. At green stations, the IN and OUT signs which were previously on KESC have now been replaced with reflective ones. Also the tube lights of blue bars are now being replaced with the light emitting diodes (LEDs). These initiatives resulted in 75% reduction in power consumption. |   | 2. Solar Energy System PSO believes in promoting projects based on renewable energy. In this regard PSO initiated a project of installing solar energy system at its retail outlet which is also declared as Green Station by PSO. The purpose of this project is to utilize natural resources to generate electrical energy without damaging the environment. The system generates 50 KWH energy every day, which caters to almost 37 % of the total lighting load of the outlet for 11 hours per day. The installation of solar system has resulted in saving 18 MWH of electrical energy in a year. |   | | 3. Windmill Windmill is another initiative of PSO for promoting renewable energy projects. The windmill is installed at Buffer Oil Terminal (BOT) that utilizes wind and generates electrical energy. This system caters office lighting load, which is 87 % of the total office lighting load, for 8 hours. After installation of windmill, PSO saves electrical energy of 7. 92 MWH in a year. | | Environment Safety Measures:| | Gas Leakage Detection System at CNG Stations As per Oil Gas Regulation Authority’s (OGRA) requirement, approximately all PSO (company and dealer operated) CNG stations have a gas leakage detection system installed. This ensures prevention of any fire or other related hazards on the respective stations. |   | Installation of Oil Water Separator at Retail Outlet PSO installed state of the art oil water separator at its company operated retail outlet. The purpose of this installation is to reduce the liquid affluent discharge from the car servicing area to the public drainage system. Prior to the installation of oil water separator, it was found from the test result that the sample of discharge contained 3530 mg/l of oil and grease which has been reduced to 10 mg/l which is 99 % reduction. PSO has further plan to install automatic car servicing facility along with the oil water separator to limit the effluent discharge from the cars to the drainage system which is another step of preventing environment. | | Consumer Safety Measure:| Brake Fluid Testing Failure of brake fluid can cause the failure of brake system, which could be a cause of accident resulting in threat to human lives and at the same time to the environment. Having consumer safety at the core of PSO’s operations, the company provides facility to its customers for brake fluid testing. This test is conducted free of cost at our retail outlets through our network of Mobile Quality Testing Units. Through the test results customers are informed about the status of the brake fluid and guided accordingly. | | Work place Safety Measure:| | Intelligent Fire Detection System PSO, being the company that gets to the future first remain abreast with the latest inventions not only in providing systems that ensure customer health but also in the systems that ensures the safety of PSO’s Assets and its Human Resource. Keeping this vision in consideration, PSO has opted for state of the start Intelligent Fire Detection System for the head office and for other PSO facilities. The purpose is to detect the fire at its early stage and the purpose is not confined with detection but it also identifies the exact location where fire has actually broken out. | Employee Wellbeing Measure:| Water Filter As mentioned earlier, PSO gives due importance to its employees at every level. A step towards the employees’ wellbeing is the installation of water filter plant at PSO facilities i. e. terminals, depots, aviation stations, LPG plants, blending plants and retail outlets. There are three main sources of drinking water supply at PSO facilities;|   | 1. Ground Water 2. Local Water Supply System 3. Tankers| | The drinking water sample is collected for testing at laboratory. Ground water is tested once a year for microbial amp; chemical constituents while piped amp; non-piped system of supply is checked bi-annually for microbial constituents and once in year for chemical constituents. | Other Intiatives:| | 1. HSE Champion A behavioral remodeling program by the name of HSE Champion had been developed and launched. 27 employees of PSO House has been hand picked by HSE Team and Managing Director distributed badges among them in the Ceremony. A behavioral remodeling program titled HSE Champion was launched on March 25, 2010 aiming to inculcate PSO’s commitment to health, safety and environment. As a first step, this program is being executed at PSO House and then will be replicated at other locations accordingly. 27 Employees stationed at PSO House have been hand picked by HSE Team as HSE Champions from management and non-management staff. The chief guest of the launching ceremony was Managing Director, Mr. Irfan K. Qureshi who presented HSE Champion Badges to the Champions. The Managing Director encouraged the Champions and all others to cooperate and add value to the project. DGM (HSE) and Manager (HSE) stressed on the importance of this program as a first step towards taking safety and health to the next level and urged every one to join hands together to make this program a success. HSE Champions shall be ambassadors for HSE. They shall promote HSE agenda and objectives among fellow employees. They shall also communicate unsafe conditions and unsafe acts to HSE Team on regular basis. HSE Team shall review performance of each HSE Champion and shall include new HSE Champions on as and when required basis|   | 2. HSE Session for Spouses of PSO Employees HSE Team took the initiative to impart HSE awareness among families of PSO employees to ensure safe and healthy homes. The session was aimed at being both interactive and informative and the objective was met through active participation of all. Knowledge was transferred both ways due to the interactive nature of the session. A detailed presentation was delivered by Manager (HSE) followed by Q/A sessions. |   | 3. Awareness Session on Ergonomics T amp; OD along with HSE Department organized a series of awareness sessions on ergonomics on 14th Dec 2010 for the employees. Dr. Tahir Baig Barlas (OHSE Consultant) renowned Occupational Health and Safety expert was the trainer. â€Å"Ergonomics is the science of studying how people interact with their working environment. At PSO House most employees are working on their workstations using computer and its accessories. Computers by default are an ergonomic challenge, with keyboards in particular being a major issue, and many people who work heavily on the computer experience repetitive stress injuries as part of their work. Reducing disability, discomfort, and pain as a result of such injuries is important in many workplaces†. |   | 4. Defensive Driving Training at PSO House Training for defensive driving was held at PSO house. Drivers were encouraged to share their experiences and concerns in this session. This session was very useful according to drivers. Executive HSE imparted the training to drivers. In total, 19 drivers participated in this training session. The purpose of conducting this session is to educate and inculcate the basic safety measures that have to be taken while drivingCUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT PSO has recently set up a dedicated service department that is major step towardscompany’s overall objective of becoming a customer-oriented company. Located at the company’s head office in Karachi the CSD is the first point of contact for the customers on day to day concerns and provides centralized customer service across PakistanTrained and professional staff attends to and solves the customers concerns andcomplaints quickly and effectivelyPUBLIC AFFAIRS/PUBLIC RELATIONS DEPARTMENT (PRD)The major function of the PRD is to ensure the projection of the company’s image as the country’s premier public sector organization and conscientious citizens. This is achieved by highlighting positive stories about the company in the media. Other functions of the department include event media management speech writing and keeping Managing Director and the company hierarchy informed. The department also tackles press queries and sets up interviews of the Managing Director with the media. It also coordinates with the brand management and other departments in the planning of events press conferences workshops seminars etc. The department is also involved in giving banners and tackling adds requests not related to advertisements campaign. The department personnel are also involved in the preparation of the annual report and writing of articlesPSO Loyalty CardPSO Loyalty Card is a novel concept that PSO had introduced in the fuel market. The PSO Loyalty Card is a mileage card enabling the customers to earn Loyalty Points every time they come for fuelling at PSO through their personalized PSO Loyalty Card. This is a unique offer from PSO to its customers in return for their trust and confidence in PSO, Pakistans largest Oil Marketing Company, for fuelling their vehicles. A major problem faced by PSO is the misconception in people’s mind that the oil used by shell is imported and of better quality, as shell is a foreign company in Pakistan. Although the sources are same but still shell is also aware of this fact and is exploiting it. PSO should do something about it like printing brochures that could explain people about the only sources available in Pakistan, emphasizing upon the fact that no oil is coming to Pak istan from any direct abroad sources. * Caltex basically has some control over the market because of the lubes it sells and the profit margin on lubes is much higher than on petrol. But as PSO and CASTROL have come together to make the right combination of â€Å"Top two together† they can overcome this problem as well. *   PSO has done very well in the financial sector, since its new vision period and will continue with the pace. Innovations and up to dating of the outlets in accordance with the needs of the changing world is a very important step towards both marketing and financial prosperity. * The other problem faced by PSO because of the competition is that the land acquiring at old or new places the bid gets too high that the land acquired becomes too expensive. PSO is becoming better day-by-day and after privatization the modifications   and changes they are expected to bring    SWOT Analysis A situation (SWOT) analysis is critical to the creation of any strategic plan. The SWOT analysis begins with a scan of the external environment. Organization must examine their situation in order to seek opportunities and monitor threats. Sources on info rmation include customers (internal or external), supplier, government (local, state, international) professional or trade association (convention and exhibition), journal and reports (scientific, professional and trade) Strengths . Market Share of 70% is one the main strength of PSO. 2. Company reputation in the industrial sectors adds the strengths for PSO. 3. Product quality is also strength especially in industrial sector. 4. Service quality like plastic cards and non-fuel activities adds the value. 5. Distribution amp; Fleet network, which covers 81% country retail network, is the key edge on PSO its competitors. 6. Promotional activities add value in brand awareness and attraction of new customers. 7. Innovation like Auto Car Wash helps PSO to differentiate with its main competitors. . Storage capacity, which holds 80% of total storage capacity of the country, is also key advantage over its competitors. 9. Technical skills in Fleet management are strength for PSO. 10. Visionar y, capable leadership adds value to PSO strength like their NVRO operations. 11. Financial Stability with strong reserves, paid-up capital adds the trust of stakeholders. 12. Product line width adds long range of products for more revenue opportunities. 13. Castrol brand affiliation with PSO adds strength in terms of brand awareness. 14. Relations with Government one of the key strength of PSO in order to get legal protections. Weaknesses 1. Lost amp; Dissatisfied customers are major weakness of PSO as they are causing the perception of inefficient PSO. 2. Old retail outlets are major weakness for PSO as they are not enough capable to compete the Shell, Caltex or Total outlets. 3. Untrained staff at outlets is causing inefficient services. 4. Quality assurance is not so effective to build the image of â€Å"Quality amp; Quantity†. Opportunities 1. Afghanistan’s Market is the biggest opportunity for OMCs in Pakistan. . De-regularities of Oil industry in Pakistan add the opportunity to fill the deficiency in few sectors of petrochemicals markets. 3. Export Opportunities of Black Oil Products is also adding the  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   opportunities by exporting Black Oil products, which is facing downfall due to the introduction Gas Oil. 4. Industrial amp; Trade growth in Pakistan is also the opportunity for P SO as they are adding revenues in Power sector that is the major customer of PSO. Threats 1. Risk of forward integration of Supplier is the key threat for PSO and other OMCs in Pakistan. As the example, the PARCO who is one of the main POL product suppliers to OMCs adopt the forward integration strategy by introducing its own OMC with its new business alliance TOTAL and named its OMC as TOTAL- PARCO. 2. Risk of Diversification in technology is also a key threat for PSO as due to new technology used in industrial sector is causing decline in particular POL products. 3. Substitutes in Black Oil Market are causing a solid reason for the declining trend in Black Oil Products, which is major threat for PSO CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS PSO has been the market leader ever since it started operating with number of products delivering to its customers and providing satisfaction at all levels. PSO has keen interest in maintaining its relationship with corporate clients and other stake holders. PSO is engaged in providing health and safety to its employees and their families ranging from top management to pump attendants. Making sure each customer is satisfied and returns to PSO outlets with a smile and keeping positive image in mind. Pakistan state oil (PSO) is the largest company of Pakistan not only in the field ofoil marketing but also otherwise. It has been included in Asia’s top 1000 companies and thus is surely a pride for Pakistan. Although up till now it is Govt owned but it is about to be privatized in a month or so. As expected after privatization the company would be further more prosperous and generative in terms of revenues. * PSO certainly has a competitive advantage over all it’s competitors because of thevast network of it’s outlets all over Pakistan but at the same time a great deal ofresponsibility is required by them as they are not only an oil marketing companybut they have some responsibilities towards the people of Pakistan. Take an example of a PSO outlet in Chitral, while deciding to undertake thisproject or not the feasibility report rejects the idea of building it but being a Pakistani socially responsible company if even one public transport bus goes there then they have to build a petrol station over their. * PSO has been very innovative and successful since it realized the compet ition has actually started after SHELL came and acquired the market share from PSO. But after coming up with all those â€Å"new vision† outlets, PSO has proved to be never far behind.

Men are Responsible for More Car Accidents Compared to Women

Get the men out of the roads and we will have fewer and less fatal accidents. Since time immemorial, men took risks with their lives and lived much less carefully compared to women. Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Men are Responsible for More Car Accidents Compared to Women specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It is in-born in men to seek to appear to be macho. The expression of this tendency on the roads is in the higher instances of drunk driving, generally riskier driving habits, and fast driving. The role of men in car accidents supersedes that of women. Men are responsible for causing a larger number of fatal car accidents compared to women. Drunk driving is one of the most common causes of road accidents. As a laxative, alcohol interferes with coordination of the body. This makes it relatively more difficult to control a vehicle on the road. Drunk drivers cannot respond quickly enough to emergencies because of the reduced coordination of the senses. In some cases, a driver may actually fall asleep behind the wheel under the influence of alcohol. Statistically speaking, men are more likely to drink and drive compared to women. Shefer notes that, â€Å"men constitute the majority of drug abusers and are greater consumers of alcohol than women† (25). In situations where women drink and drive, they take lesser alcohol compared to men. These makes men responsible for more of the drink and drive related accidents, and generally increases the instances of accidents caused by men. From a risk perspective, men have a higher tendency to take risks compared to women. Arguably, risk is part of the male psyche. They tend participate to risky activities more than women. Some psychologists suggest that the risk impulse in men results from higher levels of the hormone testosterone. This partly explains why more men than women participate in high adrenaline sports such as bungee jumping, deep-s ea diving and sky diving. Nature conspired to provide men with a higher risk affinity compared to women thereby predisposing them to risky living habits. Advertising Looking for essay on gender studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More On the roads, this risk affinity shows when men attempt risky maneuvers which at times end fatally. Men will overtake around blind corners, they will drive closer to other vehicles, and they will try to beat the train at the railway crossing, all this for the kick of it! Bartley reports that in Brazil, road accidents kill 30,000 people annually, with men accounting for 82 percent of the fatalities (226). This clearly demonstrates the results of some of the risky male habits on the roads. Over speeding is a well-known cause of road accidents. Men tend to drive faster than women do. This explains why there are more male drivers in racing sports compared to women. It is easier to find a group of yo ung men racing their cars in the free way or in the suburban compared to finding young women of the same age doing the same. In mixed-sex races, men tend to dominate the motor sports. The expression of the male desire to speed on the roads shows when more men drive faster than recommended speed limits, increasing the likelihood of high speed accidents. When discussing car accidents, Dorn states among other thing that the safety of a car depends on â€Å"their effective use† (136). It presupposes recommended driving speeds under given the environmental conditions, which men ignore, ending up in fatalities. The way to safer roads, it seems, is to reduce the number of men in our roads. Works Cited Bartley, Graham. Traffic accidents: causes and outcomes. New York: Nova Science Publishers, 2008. Print. Dorn, Lisa. Driver behavior and training. New York: Ashgate Publishing, 2003. Print. Shefer, Tamara, et al. From boys to men: social constructions of masculinity in contemporary so ciety. Capetown: Juta and Company, 2007. Print.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Men are Responsible for More Car Accidents Compared to Women specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This essay on Men are Responsible for More Car Accidents Compared to Women was written and submitted by user Jagger Mosley to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Lifeboar Ethics Essays - Population, Demographic Economics

Lifeboar Ethics Essays - Population, Demographic Economics Lifeboar Ethics Garrett Hardins argument for the preservation of well-to-do societies is embodied by his extended metaphor of each society as a lifeboat with its members the lifeboats occupants. His presentation of this metaphor is key in his assertions that the creation of an international food bank, efforts to improve agriculture in foreign nations (the Green Revolution), and lax immigration laws will all result in universal tragedy. Hardins initial complaint is against humanitarian efforts to establish an international food bank, to which rich nations will contribute and from which poor nations will draw. Theoretically, accidents (famine, crop failure, etc.) should teach nations to plan ahead and budget for future tragedies; the existence of an international food bank would inhibit this process from occurring by spoiling the benefiting nations. In addition, a food bank would allow population to constantly balloon regardless of immediate food availability. For example, a famine should reduce a societys population back to its carrying capacity, but an international food bank would prevent this regression. A popularly proposed alternative is the Green Revolution, where agriculture is improved within a nation rather than food delivered directly to it. Despite the superior logic inherent in this idea as compared to that of a food bank, both have the exact same result: overpopulation. Hardin proceeds to point out that immigration itself represents a significant portion of this problem. Ethnic groups maintain paranoia of the label ethnocentricity, and Hardin insists that this prevents wealthy nations from creating more selective immigration laws. The consequence is the same as that of the food bank: a drain on the wealthy nations. Essentially Hardin asserts that food banks would prevent poor countries from learning their lesson and ultimately destroy the benefiting nation due to uncontrolled population growth. Likewise, the Green Revolution also spurs on this disastrous uncontrolled population growth. Finally, uncontrolled immigration allows foreigners to go to the food rather than vice-versa, thus destroying the wealthy nations in the same manner that food banks would destroy the poor. Quite simply, I disagree with Garrett Hardins theories regarding the self-preservation of wealthy nations in his paper Lifeboat Ethics. His assertions regarding the nations limited carrying capacities adheres the idea of self-preservation idea to firm logic, but logic cannot overpower the humanitarian impulse of mankind. World food banks and the Green Revolution are used to demonstrate the ratchet effect; a firm yet ineffectual point asserting that the efforts of wealthy nations to aid the poor are inhibiting to the welfare of the environment. Obviously this effect makes an excellent graphic for a thesis page and is alarming in many respects, but essentially it is encouragement for the wealthy populace to abandon the poor to the consequences of famine. Hardins initial analysis maintains that each nation can be viewed as a lifeboat in an ocean, each with a limited amount of space. As symptoms of overpopulation develop within a nation, members of that nation begin to fall overboard and seek refuge on other lifeboats. Similarly, overcrowded or poor nations who cannot support their population turn to the wealthier nations for food, money, and immigration opportunities; very similar to those adrift seeking passage on another lifeboat. This abstract view is actually well thought-out and consistent with parallels in the real world today, but simultaneously uncomfortable for most people. For example, this analogy may be extended to say that people arent willing to watch others die in the ocean while they are safe in a lifeboat, nor will they willingly watch others die on the planet while they possess the capability of saving them. This logical yet flawed model continues as Hardin reflects on the effects of taking on additional passengers, just as modern nations help those in need. According to Hardin, several problems arise when deciding to help those less fortunate: too many people will swamp the lifeboat (a.k.a.- the nation), no method exists to fairly choose which people to save, and if no saving actions are made, modern ethics will result in the guilt of the survivors. Again, this analysis is very consistent with the real world, as every day we (as individuals and as a nation) are confronted with opportunities to help those less fortunate. It is inconsistent, however, in that these daily confrontations do not

The Slave Boy Experiment in Platos Meno

The Slave Boy Experiment in Plato's 'Meno' One of the most famous passages in all of Platos works- indeed, in all of philosophy- occurs in the middle of the  Meno. Meno asks Socrates if he can prove the truth of his strange claim that all learning is recollection (a claim that Socrates connects to the idea of reincarnation). Socrates responds by calling over a slave boy and, after establishing that he has had no mathematical training, setting him a geometry problem. The Geometry Problem The boy is asked how to double the area of a square. His confident first answer is that you achieve this by doubling the length of the sides. Socrates shows him that this, in fact, creates a square four times larger than the original. The boy then suggests extending the sides by half their length. Socrates points out that this would turn a 2x2 square (area 4) into a 3x3 square (area 9). At this point, the boy gives up and declares himself at a loss. Socrates then guides him by means of simple step-by-step questions to the correct answer, which is to use the diagonal of the original square as the base for the new square. The Soul Immortal According to Socrates, the boys ability to reach the truth and recognize it as such proves that he already had this knowledge within him; the questions he was asked simply stirred it up, making it easier for him to recollect it. He argues, further, that since the boy didnt acquire such knowledge in this life, he must have acquired it at some earlier time; in fact, Socrates says, he must have always known it, which indicates that the soul is immortal. Moreover, what has been shown for geometry also holds for every other branch of knowledge: the soul, in some sense, already possesses the truth about all things. Some of Socrates inferences here are clearly a bit of a stretch. Why should we believe that an innate ability to reason mathematically implies that the soul is immortal? Or that we already possess within us empirical knowledge about such things as the theory of evolution, or the history of Greece? Socrates himself, in fact, acknowledges that he cant be certain about some of his conclusions. Nevertheless, he evidently believes that the demonstration with the slave boy proves something. But does it? And if so, what? One view is that the passage proves that we have innate ideas- a kind of knowledge we are quite literally born with. This doctrine is one of the most disputed in the history of philosophy. Descartes, who was clearly influenced by Plato, defended it. He argues, for instance, that God imprints an idea of Himself on each mind that he creates. Since every human being possesses this idea, faith in God is available to all. And because the idea of God is the idea of an infinitely perfect being, it makes possible other knowledge which depends on the notions of infinity and perfection, notions that we could never arrive at from experience. The doctrine of innate ideas is closely associated with the rationalist philosophies of thinkers like Descartes and Leibniz. It was fiercely attacked by John Locke, the first of the major British empiricists. Book One of Lockes  Essay on Human Understanding  is a famous polemic against the whole doctrine. According to Locke, the mind at birth is a tabula rasa, a blank slate. Everything we eventually know is learned from experience. Since the 17th century (when Descartes and Locke produced their works), the empiricist skepticism regarding innate ideas has generally had the upper hand. Nevertheless, a version of the doctrine was revived by the linguist Noam Chomsky. Chomsky was struck by the remarkable achievement of every child in learning language. Within three years, most children have mastered their native language to such an extent that they can produce an unlimited number of original sentences. This ability goes far beyond what they can have learned simply by listening to what others say: the output exceeds the input. Chomsky argues that what makes this possible is an innate capacity for learning language, a capacity that involves intuitively recognizing what he calls the universal grammar- the deep structure- that all human languages share. A Priori Although the specific doctrine of innate knowledge presented in the  Meno  finds few takers today, the more general view that we know some things a priori- i.e. prior to experience- is still widely held. Mathematics, in particular, is thought to exemplify this sort of knowledge. We dont arrive at theorems in geometry or arithmetic by conducting empirical research; we establish truths of this sort simply by reasoning. Socrates may prove his theorem using a diagram drawn with a stick in the dirt but we understand immediately that the theorem is necessarily and universally true. It applies to all squares, regardless of how big they are, what they are made of, when they exist, or where they exist. Many readers complain that the boy does not really discover how to double the area of a square himself: Socrates guides him to the answer with leading questions. This is true. The boy would probably not have arrived at the answer by himself. But this objection misses the deeper point of the demonstration: the boy is not simply learning a formula that he then repeats without real understanding (the way most of us are doing when we say something like, e mc squared). When he agrees that a certain proposition is true or an inference is valid, he does so because he grasps the truth of the matter for himself. In principle, therefore, he could discover the theorem in question, and many others, just by thinking very hard. And so could we all!