Argument Essay Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Argument Essay - Research Paper Example a century back, death penalty was widely practiced in almost all cultures but in recent times the use of capital punishment has declined very sharply. Although it has been practiced much less than before but still every year thousands of people receive death penalties worldwide and hundreds of them get executed also. There is worldwide debate that whether the death penalty is a justified and valid form of punishment. There is a debate over the morals and effectiveness of such a harsh sentence. Many people support the death penalty while many others wish for the death penalty to be abolished. People who support the death penalty have some very strong arguments in the favor of this punishment. One of the strongest arguments in the favor is that this penalty sends strong warning to those who are planning heinous crimes. If a murderer is sentenced to death and being executed then many future potential murderers think many times before attempting such a crime. They say that if a criminal knows that he is not going to be punished severely even if he/she kills many people, then they gets encouragement from this and does not hesitate to commit those serious crimes like murder. So it’s necessary to convey a strong message to all of those potential criminals. They say that for every man who is executed, seven lives are saved. Another strong argument in the favor of death penalty is that if a criminal like murderer got death penalty and get executed then the relatives of the person being murdered are get satisfied and they don’t try to take the law in their hands. So death penalty not only helps to deter against the potential criminals but it also made the effected people to believe in law and justice and prevents them to take the law in their own hand. Moreover Opponents point to the ever-present risk of wrongful conviction (Los Angeles Times, 2009). People who oppose the death penalty argues that you could not combat violence with more violence they say that â€Å"Why

General Motors And Its Impact On The Environment Commerce Essay

General Motors And Its Impact On The Environment Commerce Essay Industrialization and technological advancement have resulted in humans having had to bear an opportunity cost in the form of environmental damage for increased production and the firms then face this opportunity cost in the form of reduced profits. Owing to the enforcement of such policies many companies have been made to re-evaluate their production strategies and have thus been negatively affected. In the United States, as is the case in most industrialized nations, the leading cause of pollution is the industrial community. Therefore, because of this, most of the industrial sector is under heavy surveillance by the American government so as to prevent any violators of environmental policies or acts and thus reduce the effects of environmental damage.   Pollutants that emanate from automobile operation have begun to create environmental problems of a considerable extent. According to a report around seventy percent of the carbon monoxide, forty-five percent of the nitrogen oxides, and thirty-four percent of the hydrocarbon pollution come from automobile exhausts in America (Columbia Encyclopedia, 2007). Moreover with regards to this fact both the authors, Breno Nunes and David Bennet (2010) stated in their article that the main environmental impact from car production is down to solid waste generation, emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and high energy and water consumption. Inadequate or irresponsible management of landfill sites and wreckers yards may also contaminate the soil and aquifers as end-of-life cars are dumped or scrapped. Add in the environmental impact of day-to-day car usage and a dark, sooty, gloomy environmental picture looms through the murk. These procedures when left unchecked led to severe environmental damages which can be reflected in the fact when according to Martin V. Melossi (n.d) who stated that these damages were confirmed once again by the killer smog which plagued London and New York, causing over four thousand and two hundred deaths in those cities, respectively. This led Congress to legislate the National Air Pollution Control Act in 1955 so that more theories could be tested on the pollution of the atmosphere. Furthermore, according to the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (2000), approximately 2.95 million metric tons (6.5 billion pounds) of toxic chemicals from 2,000 industrial facilities have been annually released into the environment, which includes almost 45,360 metric tons (100 million pounds) of chemicals and agents that have been recognized to have been causing cancer. Such is also the case for General Motors, part of the leading automobile industry, where the business corporation has been throughout the years accused and penalized for damaging the environment through activities that directly affect the ecosystem. General Motors and its impact on the Environment Martin V. Velossi (n.d) in view of the damages caused by the automobile industry to the environment stated as to the purpose of the automobile industry pursuing such a damaging path that affected the environment that General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler did not think that they could sell small cars. They believed that there wasnt enough demand for them. So far as they had less expensive fuel for their cars, bigger and stronger automobiles would be manufactured. These bigger cars had a lot more horse-power in them, which facilitated faster travel. Cars with a built-in automatic transmission, which were being offered alongside 91 percent of the cars, resulted in a better and more comfortable ride. What the companies didnt realize was that there would be a few negative externalities that they would have to deal with, in pursuit of their goals. Gasoline shortages and air pollution were the direct result of such actions. This clearly reflects the purpose of the automobile industry in flaunt ing environmental acts and legislatures. According to Mike Westfall (2009), General Motors were accustomed to having been in trouble for their nefarious toxic waste disposal methods. An example is stated where the EPA complained about one of the New York General Motors plant which was deemed to pose a major hazard to human health. It was said that the General Motors plant released enormous amounts of PCB which are cancer-causing in nature. The plant was deemed very hazardous. What this shows is the extent of the damaging inflicted by the company since the 19th century when it began its foundry related operations.   Mike Westfall further demonstrates and supports his facts by interviewing Mike Bennett (2009), who represented General Motors workers, who stated that the General Motors Flint Ternstedt factory had numerous chemical ponds where lethal and poisonous elements were disposed of. A lot of the dwellers of that area were highly affected because they had wells which were polluted, thus their drinking water supply was no longer clean. The people who worked in that factory had become exposed to the deadly toxins, too, and they were infected by cancerous cells that speeded up their deaths by around three times the national average. Furthermore, in the recent case of California v. General Motors Corp. (2007), California filed a suit against six of the worlds leading automakers namely GM, Toyota, Ford, Honda, DaimlerChrysler, and Nissan because of the fact that their vehicles contributed the most to global warming and heavily effected California. The complaint declared that all the aforementioned companies were involved in a national crisis because they discharged more than 289 million metric tons of emissions, which ranked them highly worldwide. The lawsuit sought for monetary damages for the environmental degradation that occurred in California. According to the Public information office whereby the United States announced $773 million settlement with General Motors to resolve environmental liabilities and according to the information released by Ellen Davis, Edeli Rivera and Jessie Erwin (2010), the old General Motors would have to give more than $641.4 million. Other stipulations included giving more bursaries in the form of non-cash assets. These were to be given so that the old plant sites which have been polluted could be properly sanitized against toxicity. Moreover, the old General Motors has already spent nearly $11.5 million in order to tidy up their plants which have been contaminated. This showed that the past activities of General Motors had been damaging to the environment proving to have been detrimental for the company itself as well as the environment. After these lawsuits had been filed against General Motors and bankruptcy had been declared, a new corporation, the new GM, was formed which aimed at being environment friendly.   Strategies Implemented General Motors had to with respect to their past proceedings, adapt to the changing environment and client base so as to earn sufficient profits with regards to having an environment friendly image. This was an essential point to consider as was elaborated by Breno Nunes and David Bennet (2010) stated that defining strategic operations objectives is strongly connected to environmental issues. The operations function of a company encounters environmental protection issues directly because its the main source of harmful emissions, so environmental management programs and policies should be carefully developed to strengthen operations strategy. Moreover with regards to the three leading companies, Toyota, GM and Volkswagen, the authors stated that these companies have addressed the main environmental impact of manufacturing through technology-based solutions. Paint shops were converted to use waterborne paint sprayers, and water-based solvents were also introduced into processes. Energy and water conservation, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, waste management (including recyclable and non-recyclable waste) and recycling are the main initiatives to achieve greener production. On this matter the company itself, General Motors, (General motors, 2002) stated that it had contributed to the clean-up and drop in the amount of emissions. They have also saved up natural resources and got rid of the majority of the effluents. The company has also released seven annual reports which give further details on the matter at hand. This in fact shows the efforts involved on behalf of the corporation to improve the environmental conditions and to make significant reductions in the damages inflicted by the corporation.   According to a newspaper article (Mich Warren, 2008) it was asserted that Gary Cowger, the vice president of General Motors global manufacturing and labor, ascertained that GM could find the right solutions to the problems it faced which limited their production capabilities due to the environmental laws imposed on the automobile industry. He, Gary Cowger (2008) further stated that as novel ideas in the propulsion of automobiles are proposed, General Motors is making enormous strides to diminish the negative impact on worldwide ecosystems. The  newspaper further established the fact that more than 96 percent of the leftover discharge is recycled or salvaged at General Motors plants and 3 percent is transformed into energy. This is what General Motors is striving for and it will help sustain the environment. General Motors are receiving almost $1 billion, annually, from their salvaged material sales. $16  million is further received from its sale of recycled materials (Mich Warren, 2008).   Government and Environmental Group Relations For a company like General Motors to maintain its market share and customers it was necessary and imperative that the relations and ties be strengthened with the government and environmental groups and agencies so as to promote an image where they reflected the fact that the company was not only about earning profits but cared for the people that it directly and indirectly targeted.   In an article Larry Cotrell (2001), GMs environmental engineer commented on the importance of establishing ties with the government and stated that the regulations imposed by the state were far more rigorous and inflexible as compared to the regulations imposed by the federal government. He stated that State governments know better what concerns and benefits its citizens in each municipality. Also the federal government doesnt have to cope with the various industrial/environmental complexities and differences of each of the 50 states.   Dennis A. Rondinelli and Michael A. Berry (2000) with regards to this fact stated that more customer loyalty can be sought by being environmentally friendly. This can also result in an increase in the overall efficiency. Workers would also be willing to stay for longer periods of time. Proactive environmental management allows companies to maintain control over their own environmental activities, provide evidence of planning and interaction to address environmental issues, and influence future regulatory and competitive requirements.   Furthermore the authors in their journal affirmed that General Motors was indeed a company that maintained an association with such environmental agencies. They stated that General Motors entered a partnership with the Nature Conservancy to provide $5 million over five years to help the environmental group preserve land and water ecosystems in North America, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Asia-Pacific Region. In addition to this fact, the authors pointed out the fact that General Motors (1998) created a GM Suppliers Environmental Advisory Team in 1997 to improve mutual understanding of environmental programs and efficiency and evaluate new ideas to promote eco-efficiency throughout its supply chain. which goes to reveal the extent to which environmental friendly initiatives were taken by the company.   The New General Motors: Environment friendly vehicles According to Chris Foster and Ken Green (200), The rest: in these cases, green issues receive only limited attention, most commonly in the form of a compliance check. Little innovative effort will be directed specifically to improving green performance in these cases. However, if the environmental impact of the product or service is linked to its effectiveness in providing its main function, green performance may be improved indirectly: such achievements may or may not be promoted as part of the product-marketing effort. If they are, green issues may receive additional attention, as in situation. Therefore when considering the case of General Motors, such innovative efforts as the introduction of EV1 as well as the research in hybrid and fuel cell vehicles (HVs and FCVs) will help in improving the automobile industry by reducing the environmental damages. Concerning the development of HVs and FCVs, Vanessa Oltra (2007) stated that As a consequence since 2000, there is a significant increase in research and development activities of car manufacturers in the field of fuel cells. Even if a majority of stakeholders present FCVs as the future new technological paradigm for transportation, there remain a lot of uncertainties concerning the production and the storage of hydrogen, the indirect emissions and the costs of the necessary infrastructures. That is the reason why more recently, HVs have progressively developed and plays now a dominant role in the innovative strategy of car manufacturers. Moreover, concerning this issue, Robert F. Service stated that it would be far from rea soning to give up on the technology available at hand. There are just two types of vehicles which can get the job done, only one of which are available for sale in the markets in the near future. As of recent date General Motors (General Motors, 2010) was bestowed the honorary Energy and Environmental Excellence award  in view of the efforts that it contributed towards sustaining the environmental conditions of the ecosystems. This award helped reduce the effects of the past stigmas associated with the dealings of GM whereby they had been on several occasions been accused and heavily penalized for the number of damages they had inadvertently caused to the environment from the introduction of such vehicles and automobiles that led to such adverse acts.   The company recently introduced a vehicle known as the EV1 which was an electric vehicle, so as to combat the limitations that environmental laws imposed by the government on the automobile industry. This form of a vehicle was powered only by using batteries. This change was not only an initiative to introduce this vehicle but a radical significant change was also brought about in the workings of the company. Brian C. Johnson (1999) stated with respect to the introduction of this vehicle that In the case of General Motors, a change in environmental mindset helped lead to the development of a revolutionary new vehicle, the EVl, while the same vehicle also continues to be the force behind further change at the company, and even in the industry as a whole. He further evaluated the benfits of this type of a change whereby he stated that Clearly, the EVl has environmental benefits, both in terms of improved air quality in the long term and environmental compatibility. Since the EVl does not rely on petroleum for its propulsion, the power train is significantly more environmentally friendly than internal combustion vehicles. Moreover the author suggested that this initiative was in no regards a product that was launched keeping in mind the environmental benefits it could reap. He stated that in the early stages of developing the EVl/Impact, very little thought was given to using the EVl as a tool to improve GMs environmental image. It was only later that executives realized that the EVl could have the double benefit of simultaneously improving the companys technological and environmental images, both of which were in dire need of attention. In addition to this fact the author goes on to imply that The only way that GM was going to improve its environmental image was to do something tangible. The EVl is about as tangible as one can get. If GM is able to use the EVl to make its first leap toward the environmental compatibility of its products, it could find itself in a better position than any domestic automaker-to be seen as the environmental car company. Furthermore, Dr. Thomas Turrentine, et al. (2006) found that the advantages pertaining to hybrid cars were numerous and not only because they were environment friendly. They have the potential to outperform other currently existing vehicles in the matters of fuel efficiency. They stated that Oil is a finite resource, and many have predicted that we are reaching what is called peak oil, the point at which the rate of extraction of oil from all developable oil resources and reserves begins to slow. This reflects the fact that due to greater dependency on oil, the reserves will quickly diminish, hence establishing the need for such hybrid vehicles. With regards to the company the authors stated that General Motors Silverado truck is a light hybrid. It replaces the normal flywheel of a gasoline engine with an integrated starter generator that shuts the engine off whenever the vehicle is not moving, improving fuel economy by a few percent. This depicts the sustainable methods being adopted by the company. Moreover they also stated that In theory, HEV technologies can make all vehicles use less fuel than a normal combustion design, whether they burn gasoline, diesel, bio-fuels, natural gas, or hydrogen. Hybrid vehicle designs improve the environmental performance of all of these vehicles and stretch their potential to meet demand in the future. However, no HEVs are sold yet using one of these other fuels. In addition to this the author also stated that, HEVs provide a broad set of benefits to consumers including better fuel economy, quiet operation, low to zero emissions in sensitive locations such as schools and enclosed parking areas, better fuel economy instrumentation, longer lasting and better braking designs. Therefore when considering the case of General Motors it can be recommended that the company in tis proactive environment friendly research should research upon innovative methods and employ them in order to effectively improve its image as well its sales of greener products such EV1 and hybrid cars. As Chris Foster and Ken Green (2000) effectively stated that, Involving sales and marketing, two functions crucial to communication between a business and its environment, would seem to be essential to success in this process. In addition, if exchange of information about green issues between the different actors that make up the green innovation framework could be established as the norm, it would be easier to balance changes that bring greener performance with the other factors that must influence the direction and outcomes of RD projects.

Psychoanalitic Approach to The Minister’s Black Veil Essays -- Ministe

  Ã‚   "All within hearing immediately turned about, and beheld the semblance of Mr. Hooper, pacing slowly his meditative way towards the meeting-house. With one accord they started, expressing more wonder than if some strange minister were coming to dust the cushions of Mr. Hooper’s pulpit ·" Working in the realm of the Gothic, Nathaniel Hawthorne hits upon psychological points that few of his readers are willing to explore. Of course, one may not be able to relate to an example involving such an "eccentric" display as Mr. Hooper’s. There is a sudden hush throughout the audience, followed by a rush of low whispering. He walks past them, oblivious to the goings-on and proceeds to the front. Something has changed, and everyone is aware. It is painfully obvious that he wanted everyone to know, for the wounds of the change were self-inflicted · Putting the scenario this way helps to give an anonymous and general view to the former example. This method is used to show how realistic, even common, this somewhat absurd event may actually be. In a psychological analysis, this is a necessary element in both de-personalizing a situation and giving it potential for universal application. In Hawthorne’s "The Minister’s Black Veil," many interpretations by way of psychological analysis are possible, and, once exposed, quite apparent. Once revealed, there are many routes for understanding the story in a psychoanalytical context. The main approaches this essay will take involve a "Jungian" analysis, that is, one involving the use of some of the theories and conclusions of German psychoanalyst and pioneer, Carl Gustav Jung, a former student and friend of Sigmund Freud, in interpreting the actions of the characters in the story. Jung’s discord with Fr... ...Jung, whose assertions not only help in the clinical aspect, but in the search for the common message in all of human literary (this includes oral) tradition. Hawthorne’s Gothic shows, whether conscious or not, the underlying conflict that lies within the people of his time as well as the time in which each of his stories take place. It is with this that the key to understanding the self lies within the commonly untapped recesses of the unconscious, an uncomfortable and unnerving concept for everyone, particularly those that have many things to hide. Works Cited Jung, Carl Gustav. Abstracts of the Collected Works of Carl G. Jung. Rockville, Maryland. 1976. Jung, Carl G. The Structure and Dynamics of the Psyche. Tr. R. F. C. Hull. New York, NY. 1960 Lauter, Paul, et al. The Heath Anthology of American Literature. New York, NY; Boston, Mass. 1998   

Retirement vs. Strife in Old Age Essay

A man that spends many years in active service be it for himself or for a more noble reason such as his country or people, would more certainly than not find retirement a disorienting prospect once he faces it. Retirement means stopping whatever has kept one alive and working for most of his healthy years. It means realigning his goals, getting used to other, more leisurely and less strenuous habits as befitting old age, and preparing to face death with peace and resignation. In Lord Alfred Tennyson’s poem â€Å"Ulysses†, the mythical hero of Homer’s epics expresses his anxiety about coming back home to Ithaca to reclaim his old responsibilities as king after years of traveling overseas and fighting the Trojan war, and his desire of undertaking a new adventure, instead. The poem begins with Ulysses dreading his return to resume the job of â€Å"an idle king† (Tennyson 1). He could not imagine the relevance of staying home â€Å"with an aged wife† (Tennyson 3) and to â€Å"mete and dole† (Tennyson 4) rewards or punishments to the people he governs—most of whom he does not know nor they of him but for his position as king. Ulysses does not like his former life of idleness and monotony even if it was a life of comfort and wealth. He prefers to travel and seek for adventures, testing life to its limits. For Ulysses, traveling means enjoying and suffering unpredictable moments. The sea and foreign lands, unlike a kingdom, presents varied and new experiences. Those that he had experienced so far have given him â€Å"a hungry heart† (Tennyson 12). His voyages have brought him to strange places, allowed him to interact with different peoples, customs and cultures, and meet creatures unimaginable if one simply stayed in one place all his life. Moreover, he has experienced the â€Å"drunk delight† (Tennyson 16) of war in Troy. Nothing in his kingdom could equal the things he did and witnessed. All that Ulysses saw and did made him what he has become and has produced a kind of restlessness or thirst upon his soul that cannot now be satiated by ruling a kingdom. This past life as king has become dull in comparison to his life as a voyager and soldier. According to him, a person who is contented with his present life is like rusting and acknowledging that the only purpose of life is to breathe. Ulysses wants to â€Å"follow knowledge like a sinking star/ Beyond the utmost bound of human thought† (Tennyson 31-32). He would like to keep exploring and test the boundaries of the capacities of an ordinary mortal, even one who is already old and less agile. He believes that one’s age is not a factor to consider because â€Å"old age hath yet his honor and his toil† (Tennyson 50). Only death can stop and end the possibilities that life has to offer. In the end, Ulysses appoints his son, Telemachus, to take his place as king, leaving him â€Å"the scepter and the isle† (Tennyson 34). Meanwhile, he prepares to embark on another journey. The speaker’s exhortations to his former companions in the final stanza may well be read as words that any man should well take heed as a personal advice, especially those who are contemplating a sedentary retirement in their senior years. The lines encourage everyone to not worry about the physical limitations that old age imposes upon every individual because the weakness of the body can easily be overcome when one is â€Å"strong in will† (Tennyson 69). This is also how a heroic life is lived.

Synthesis Essay

â€Å"One person's craziness is another person's reality†(Tim Burton). In this quote, Tim Burton is pointing out that people have our own reality. Philosophically, reality is whatever we think or perceive. There is no true or real perspective. Our perspective depends on our morals and beliefs. All our life, we perceive knowledge and information through different forms of language. Hence, our perspective is also limited by the language. Language is one of the unique things that people have. Language puts limits on our thoughts. For example, when someone says dog, we all picture a different dog, therefore we perceive the information differently. Similarly, religious books influence the way of our thinking through the words or language in the book. Those words are ideas of someone else but we get so influenced by those words that we base our morals on it. Words are part of language which fixes an image in our minds. When we say dog, we picture a dog, not a lion or fish, because we are imprisoned by the language that we ourselves created. Those words in the biblical texts are from a perspective of a different person but we believe in his/her words, borrow the idea and we make our own beliefs which is still inspired by someone's perspective. Those beliefs define the world around us. Thus, through language we create our own limited world and imprison ourselves. Likewise, in the excerpt Cosmic Prison from the book The Invisible Prison by Loren Eiseley, the author argues, that human perspective is limited by language, culture and origin. In the Cosmic Prison, the author, Eiseley attempts to point out that perspective is limited and bounded by language. Language limits our thoughts and imagination: â€Å"Language implies boundaries† (Eiseley 31). Whenever we name a thing, we put limits in our imagination. According to Eiseley, man creates an â€Å"unnatural world of his own, which he calls the cultural world and in which he feels at home†(Eiseley 31). We are comfortable with our cultural world that we created ourselves but at the same time we feel imprisoned and long to escape. Eiseley develops an interesting analogy between man in his prison and white blood cells imprisoned within a living body. Both man and white blood cells a self contained and they don't seem to understand the world outside of them. Their perspective is limited by the boundaries of their realm. A cell may not know that it might be living inside another body. They don't see outside of their world. Similarly, people have their own perspective and they might think that the action done by another person is wrong whereas according to that person, his actions are right. People tend not to go outside of their perspective to walk the world through different shoes. We believe and trust our own perspective which is influenced by human knowledge obtained through language. Our perspective might be influence by someone's words or actions like media uses persuasive language and repetition to make us believe in something. For example, media showed most Muslims as terrorists only, thus making us believe that Muslims are terrorists. It changed our perspective on Muslims and limited our knowledge. Therefore, language creates boundaries and restricts our perspective. Furthermore, culture and our values limits our perspective too. In the article