Personal experience in an organization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Personal experience in an organization - Essay Example Therefore, the argument that the discussion fostered a supportive communication environment is valid. Active listening and collective participation characterized the group discussion. Each of the group members had ample time to air their views while others listened. There were no interruptions when a group member was giving their points. However, after the points, we could interrogate the points as a group. Most of the points raised by the individual members were found to be valid. Only in two occasions where we had to amend the answers given. In this scenario, the members that raised the points were quite confident and seemed to be grateful since they perceived that their points were listened to before being amended. Next, we will look at the problem-oriented nature of the discussion. The objective of the group discussion was clearly cut out. Each of the members knew the problem under investigation in advance. This created an opportunity for the group members to do an independent research and then approach the research from a point of knowledge. It was clear that each of the group members had an understanding on the topic of discussion. This helped create an environment where everyone was an active participant. In addition, each of the members, including those that are a bit conserved were given adequate time to talk. In so doing, the members became free with each other and were able to express their points without any tension. Most of the discussion involved descriptions as opposed to evaluations. The essence of the discussion was to provide a common understanding of the various questions as provided by the instructor. To culminate this argument, let us look at the specificity of the communication. The fact that the group discussion handled a specific issue created a supportive communication environment. The goal of the group was to ensure that the assignment was done well. This specific drive made us to contribute without

The Buck Stops (and Starts) at Business Schools Essay Example for Free

The Buck Stops (and Starts) at Business Schools Essay Case analysis on The buck stops (and starts) at business school It’s really strange that on one hand, most people who were laid off in 2009 after the crisis went into the business schools. On the other hand, medias were seriously criticizing the damage business school graduate brought to the financial crisis. Does business schools need to change? Or they’re just the scapegoats? In Joel Podolny’s view, business schools definitely should be blamed and should be reinvented. He believed that historically, business schools have largely ignored the teaching of values and ethics because those aren’t subjects of inquiry for traditional business school academic disciplines. Also, those leadership and ethics courses that are taught are flawed since attention to detail and taking responsibilities were not emphasized. Furthermore, case teaching method alone doesn’t enable students to learn that being consistent in various situations and continually paying the right amount of attention to detail are among the most challenging aspects of leadership. Podolny also put forward several suggestions about how business schools can change to win back the trust from the society. I think foster greater integration and encourage qualitative makes most sense among the five recommendations. I vote for these two because I simply think the other three just don’t work. In Fisher, we are doing â€Å"appointing teaching teams† right now. But as a student, or the subject of this way of teaching, my feeling is that we don’t like this way. When we see the ethics teachers come in, we naturally feel a kind of reluctance since no one subconsciously or consciously admits that their ethic need to be â€Å"taught†. We either think we’re really good people or we think it’s all BS and making money is always the most important thing. But I feel the most compelling lesson of ethics I learned was actually from an International Business class professor who almost â€Å"unwarily† lead the discussion about a manage r facing whether or not firing a disabled worker who has contributed a lot to the success of the company in one case. It’s so natural that the class did not even take it as an â€Å"ethics class† but really took a great lesson unguardedly through the extremely heated discussion and the concluding succinct but thought provoking words from the professor. That will be my own suggestion for teaching ethics. Stop competing on ranking is a dream. To me it’s just like asking companies to stop competing on net income and EPS. That will never happen though companies can pay more attention to social benefits. Similarly, we can expect business schools to pay more attention or at least act like they pay more attention to candidate’s moral aspect. Withdraw degrees for violating codes of conduct sounds powerful but it’s just so hard to really enforce. Just look at doctors and lawyers in our society now and one can see if it really works. Ethics is still a huge issue in many of the hospitals and courts. What’s more, withdraw the degree for lawyer and doctors can forbid them to continue work as a doctor or lawyer, but in the business world, as long as you have a pretty good experience in your resume, you can always find a job regardless of the degree. Business schools might really need to transform but another question is, should they be responsible for the recent financial crisis as all those business graduates are selling CDS and telling ignorant people to leverage more on mortgages? I don’t think Business schools are largely culpable for the global economic crisis of 2008-2012, at least not largely. First of all, my understanding of the 2008 financial crisis is that we call it sub-prime crisis but sub-prime is just the blasting fuse of it. On one hand, most people are so accustomed to living on credit with zero savings or little savings. On the other hand, Greenspan has planted the seed for all this in his monetary policy and the burst of the bubble is more of an inevitable result of the false prosperous real estate market than wicked business school students cheating people around. It’s very easy to treat innocent civilians as victims and find someone making money on that as chief criminals. But don’t forget that it’s the illusion that one can live a pretty good life without working hard and enjoy your life today as much as possible that really destroyed many of the families. The strong dollar and the world’s trust in dollar had brought US people so much benefits that most people just took that for granted and dreamed that could last forever. The repeated cycles of financial crisis or the ups and downs of economy itself is a manifestation of uncontrollable greed insides human beings that has nothing to do whether one has graduated from a business school or not. To put it another way, if Wall Street does not hire a single business school graduate, the situation will be roughly the same. So attributing the bane of financial crisis mostly to the business schools is more of finding a scapegoat in my view. That said, does that mean business schools had no wrong doings? Definitely no. The pressure from the job market really puts the business schools at a place that they have to pay much more attention to the placement after graduation. Rankings, whether you care about it or not, are out there closely starred at by most of the applicants. These seem to be perfect excuses why business schools pay extreme little attention to ethics and responsibilities. But as a school, it should always take the essence of education as the guideline, which is to teach people to become better people, not to become better financial modeling makers. We can have various training classes that teach the sophisticated technics of Excel but we can never learn about how to make the world better in business skill training classes. So business schools should be blamed for not having planted the seeds of ethics and responsibilities in students. Can business schools teach more about ethics and how to make a better world? Well, it depends. It depends not because the schools can or cannot set up more ethics course and have more ethics teachers. I say it depends because I believe ethics and responsibilities are not taught by ethics teachers but by every single teacher in the classroom even if he teaches financial modeling. I believe ethics are best taught and accepted when the students really feel the leadership inside the professor and genuinely want to follow him or her instead of through simulation case discussions. Do most of the professors in most schools have such leadership and such deep embedded understanding of ethics and responsibility? I seriously doubt about it.

Life As A Hummingbird :: Creative Writing Essays

Life As A Hummingbird      Ã‚   I eased behind the huge mass of nesting material and took a firm hold of several strands, I then pulled back, quickly, to pull them free. The jarring concussion, which followed, took me by suprise. I tried to get my bearings as the ground rushed up to meet me and recovered about two feet from the ground. After that near miss I climbed back to the altitude I had been at and started searching for my tormentor. I realized that I had grabbed hold of a human's hair and that he had not been happy about it. He was rubbing his head and throwing immense volumes of noise at me. Hummingbirds make mistakes just like everyone else and more than most when trying to build and protect a nest.      Ã‚   I decided that I should look elsewhere and settled on a lovely little spider web. I dove toward it, feeling the thrum of my wings and hearing the whoosh of the wind flowing past. The web glowed gold in the morning sunlight and dew drops hanging from it shone like liquid fire. A gnat flew too close and I captured it with a snap of my long tongue. Snaring a long piece of the silk,   I immediately ascended,   looking for my tree. My mate was awaiting my return, and was soon rewarded as I pulled up to the carefully camouflaged nest. I passed the silken strand over to her and left to find some food.      Ã‚   The humans are very good to us and hang tremendous reservoirs of nectar from various limbs and rafters. The containers come in all shapes and colors but they all have red bases. I headed for one of these and saw one of my rival males. He instantly attacked, chirping his anger at my intrusion. I counterattacked and we began a dogfight. Up and down, we came, zooming into space and plummeting to the ground. Although he was a willing and able opponent, I eventually wore him down, and he then left the scene. I held a precise hover as my tongue formed a tube, then I began slurping the sweet nectar from the feeder. Although I only weigh about one half of an once, I consume twice that much food every day. I captured a dozen mosquitoes on my way back to the nest and then sat on the nest to keep the eggs warm while my mate went in search of food.      Ã‚   Sitting in the nest is a luscious feeling. The eggs are warm and the inside

Personal Narrative: My Run Away Dog :: essays research papers

"Honey," my mom yelled to me one sunny afternoon, "Go out and feed Sugar." Sugar was our dog, a big, husky lap dog. I went to our kitchen, and got some food. Then I stepped outside, into the warm, fresh August air, looking for Sugar. I glanced to where I kept Sugar, and couldn't believe my eyes. Sugar was not there. I ran to the place where Sugar slept, I saw that the leash was elegantly coiled up. I knew that Sugar could not have run away. I thought that she must have chased a deer or another animal. Then a disturbing thought hit me, Sugar might have been abducted. As I tried to push that thought out of my mind, I thought that my mom could have put Sugar out in the garage. I went to the garage to check, but unfortunately Sugar wasn?t there. ?Mom,? I cried after a couple of seconds, ?Do you know where Sugar is?? ?Check the garage,? was all my mom replied. As soon as she said this, I knew that my beloved dog was gone. I had never been a dog lover. Matter of fact, I hated dogs, cats, and other animals. My Grandmother is a great animal lover, but she has a soft spot for dogs. One of her first dogs was an enormous, white, Sonoma named Coda. Coda enjoyed licking my face and then knocking me over. With Coda, my fear of animals started. For the next 11 years, I despised dogs. I refused to be near one. I cried, yelled, and trembled as if a monster was coming, anytime I thought a dog was near. It all changed with Sugar. The day Mom got Sugar was somewhat frightening for me. Obviously, I wanted nothing to do with the dog, I never planned to be in the same room as the dog, much less, take care of the dog. After all, Mom was supposed to take care of the dog. Slowly, I fell in love with her. She looked stern and loving. Her warm, brown eyes and pearly white smile only helped me fall in love with her. Not long after that I started to enjoy her company. Sugar was a loyal dog, she wanted to please everyone. When we went for a walk Sugar would come with us. We kept her on a leash, yet she never strayed from us.

Story That Makes No Sense

I’m in big trouble. I can feel it. I don’t exactly know what I did or what I am running from, but I keep on running. I ran without stopping. I don’t know what is giving me this unlimited energy to run without stopping but I know if I stop, I will be in trouble. I see all these big columns and high vault ceiling as I run. Where am I? I don’t know. If this was any normal, ordinary day, I probably would like to take a slow walk and enjoy all these grand architecture elements. However, I don’t know how I know this, but if I stop I will be in big trouble. I heard a loud noise behind me and I look back.I see a giant clown running, chasing me. He is calling my name while chasing after me. The clown is holding something. While I am busying looking at the running clown, I didn’t notice there is a pole right in front of me. I bang right into it. My head is spinning and I pass out. When I wake up, I am back on my bed. It was the weirdest dream that I ev er had. As I walk out of my bed toward the door, it seems like everything slows down. Moreover, as I try to crab the doorknob it seems to get further and further away from me. Everything is in slow motion, and then I decide to jump for the doorknob with the slightest of luck.Luckily, I grab on to it and quickly open the door. I run out the room but everything seems different. I could see object floating on the air. It’s weird. It is like I am in outer space. I quickly close the door behind me and jump out the window. Then I see a strange man approach me. He is wearing all black but he is too far away for me to recognize anything else. However, as he approaches closer to me, I could see there is blood trooping down his sleeves. Suddenly, my body shivers. I try my harder to pull myself together and run. That scary man is chasing after me. I run and run.While I am running, I stop on the way to pick up laundries. I always like to keep my clothes clean and in perfect condition. Th e man in black is still chasing after me. Then I think of an idea when I see the lady sitting outside selling fruits. I pay her with money then take the fruits throw it at the scary man. Out of nowhere, he pulls out a sword and starts to cut up all the fruits that I threw at him. Nothing seems to stop him, therefore, I continue to run. As I run, I see my life splashing back on my mind, all the good and bad times. At that moment, I didn’t want to run anymore.I turn around and scream out to the bloody man: â€Å"What do you want from me? † He answers: â€Å"I have come to take you with me, where you belong. † I didn’t like his answer and it makes no absolute sense to me. This time, I see a police station right in front of my eyes. I know in there will have the things that I need to protect myself. I spin fast toward it and I closer I get, I saw a lot of policemen pointing guns at me. I hesitate for a moment then I hear one of them scream at me: â€Å" Come quick! We wont hurt you! † As I turn my head around, I see hundreds of zombies trying to infest the station.

Energy Crisi in Pakistan

Tarbela’s 4th extension project to add 1410 MW Posted by  admin  on August 22, 2011  in  PkToday  |  0 Comment ISLAMABAD (APP) – The total generation capacity of the Tarbela Hydropower Station will touch 4,888 megawatt mark with the addition of 1,410 MW as a result of 4th extension project. Official sources told APP on Sunday that the detailed engineering design, tender documents and PC-1 of the Tarbela 4th Extension Project were in active progress and would be completed by next month and would cost $5. 5 million provided by the World Bank.M/S Mott MacDonald (UK) was hired for the detailed engineering design of the project. The sources said that the project would take four years after award of the contract. They said the project would not only generate additional 1410 MW cheap hydel power but also save foreign exchange of $ 900 million spent on import of one million tons of furnace oil annually for equivalent generation of electricity from thermal resources. The World Bank has also shown interest in financing civil works and generating units of the project during the construction, they said.The project will also provide a cushion to undertake rehabilitation and up-gradation of the existing Tarbela Power House during the lean period. It is pertinent to mention that Tarbela`s 4th Extension Project is a part of least-cost energy generation plan, being implemented by WAPDA (Water and Power Development Authority) on priority to harness indigenous hydropower resources of the country with a view to improving the ratio of hydel electricity in the national grid. 50 MW coal power plant being installed in SIEPosted by  admin  on September 23, 2011  in  PkToday  |  1 Comment Punjab Industrial Estates (PIE) has completed initial work to install the first ever 50 megawatt (MW) coal power generation plant in Sundar Industrial Estate (SIE) in Lahore while process of getting license from NEPRA is underway. For this purpose, the Board of Dir ector of PIE has established a power committee under PIE, which will look after this and other power related projects of industrial estates of Punjab. You can read also Thin Film Solar CellChairman of PIE, SM Tanveer in a briefing to Lahore Economic Journalist Association on Thursday said extension work of 132 KVA grid station of PIE was also underway to add additional 34 megawatt in the industrial estate system to ensure uninterrupted availability of power to the industries of the SIE. Meanwhile, PIE has also started Industrial Estate development work in Bahlwal and Rahim Yar Khan with its own resources, he said adding that planning and development of ten other industrial estates in the province was also underway.He said these industrial estates would be established in Kasur Tannery Park, Gujrat, Vehari, Bahawalpur, D G Khan, Wazirabad Cutlery Cluster, Jhang, Okara, Sahiwal and Rawalpindi. He said PIE was working under the vision of Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif to make the Punjab an industrial hub in the country with all modern facilities. He said a 100-acre Halal Park would also be established in Rahim Yar Khan a nd Multan Industrial Estates to promote the Halal products of Pakistan and get its share from world Halal food market.He said PIEDMC made the public private partnership concept successful and completing its project without support of any government institution. He said the Punjab government had given Rs 1 billion only at the time the PIEDMC was established—and now the company is worth around Rs 15 billion. Talking about the financials of the company, S M Tanveer said that PIE BoD approved 2005 to 2008 accounts while international repute Internal and External Auditors was appointed for self-accountability of the PIEDMC.He said SIE is a state-of-the-art industrial estate in Pakistan where all utilities and concerned departments offices including SNGPL, EOBI and Social Security were established. He said as the result of the present management of the PIE, the Punjab government had abolished capital value tax. He said the master plan of Bahlwal Industrial Estate was completed and litigations in Multan Industrial Estate were finished so that work on Phase-II of this estate could be started.PIEDMC is under process of developing Rahim Yar Khan, Bhalwal, Multan Phase II and Vehari industrial estates and total available land is 1590 acres whereas the sellable land is 1,094 acres—approx 70% of the total land. Whereas the remaining 30% will be used for horticulture and infrastructure development. Chairman of PIE informed it is worth mentioning that through industrialisation of these industrial estates â€Å"we will generate 192,000 jobs. † He further explained the total contribution in the GDP of the country would be approx Rs 17 billion. OUTLINE: 1. Introduction . Pakistan’s Energy Sector 2. 1 Energy Supply 2. 2 Energy Consumption 3. Sources of Energy in Pakistan 3. 1 Non-renewable resources (Fossil fuels) a). Petroleum products b). Natural Gas c). Coal 3. 2 Renewable Resources a). Hydro power o Current Hydropower stations o Potential Hydropow er stations 3. 3 Alternative Energy Sources a). Wind b). Solar c). Agricultural biomass /biodiesel d). Tidal 3. 4 Nuclear 4. Causes of Energy Crisis 4. 1 Growing Energy Demand 4. 2 Lack of proactive and integrated planning for production of energy 4. 3 Imbalanced energy mix 4. Non-utilization of enormous indigenous energy resources   a). Thar Coal b). Hydal power generation 5. Consequences of Energy Crisis 5. 1 Economic Factors 5. 2 Agriculture Sector 5. 3 Industrial Sector 5. 4 Unemployment 5. 5 Social Issues 5. 6 Poverty 6. Conclusion 7. Recommendation/Solutions of Energy Crisis 7. 1 Judicious energy use/saving unecessary energy usage o electricity saving devices o Awareness campaign for energy saving o Reduction in unnecessary transportations o Installation of effective equipment/energy efficient in industries o Decreasing line/transmission losses . 2 Developing new energy resources o Tapping indigenous resources o Using renewable resources (water) by constructing new dams and hydro power plants   o Import of natural gas o Utilizing alternative energy resources Wind power Biodiesel /Biomass Solar Tidal o Enhancing civilian nuclear capacity 1. Introduction : Energy is considered to be life line of any economy and most vital instrument of socioeconomic development of a country. Energy is pivotal in running machinery in factories and industrial units, for lighting our cities and powering our vehicles etc.There has been an enormous increase in the demand of energy as a result of industrial development and population growth, in comparison to enhancement in energy production. Supply of energy is, therefore, far less than the actual demand, resultantly crisis has emerged. An energy crisis can be defined as any great bottleneck (or price rise) in the supply of energy resources to an economy. 2. Pakistan’s Energy Sector: Pakistan’s energy infrastructure is not well developed, rather it is considered to be underdeveloped and poorly managed. Currentl y the country is facing severe energy crisis.Despite of strong economic growth and rising energy demand during past decade, no serious efforts have been made to install new capacity of generation. Moreover, rapid demand growth, transmission losses due to outdated infrastructure, power theft, and seasonal reductions in the availability of hydropower have worsened the situation. Consequently, the demand exceeds supply and hence load-shedding is a common phenomenon through power shutdown. 2. 1 Energy Supply : During 2009-10, Energy supply and per capita availability of energy witnessed a decline of 0. 64 % and 3. 09 % respectively in comparison to previous year.Pakistan needs around 15,000 to 20000 MW electricity per day, however, currently it is able to produce about 11,500 MW per day hence there is a shortfall of about 4000 to 9000 MW per day. This shortage is badly hampering the economic growth of the country. 2. 2 Energy Consumption : Pakistan’s energy consumption is met by mix of gas, oil, electricity, coal and LPG sources with different level of shares. Share of gas consumption stood at 43. 7 %, followed by oil 29. 0 percent, electricity 15. 3 percent, coal 10. 4 percent and LPG 1. 5 percent. 3. Sources of Energy in Pakistan: 3. 1 Non-renewable resources (Fossil fuels):  [Limited – Expensive]Non renewable resources are primarily fossil fuels emanating from remains/decomposition of animals and plants deposited deep into the earth crust and converted into oil and gas. These resources cannot be replenished. There are three main types of fossil fuels: coal, petroleum, natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). a). Petroleum products: In 2009-10, consumption of petroleum products was 29% of total share of energy. Majority of crude oil is imported from gulf countries to meet the demand. Power, industry and transport sectors consume higher quantity of petroleum followed by agriculture and house holds.Petroleum is also used in generation of elec tricity, which counts 64 percent of total electricity generation (34 coming from hydro generation). Balance recoverable reserves of crude oil in country have been estimated at 303. 63 million barrels and we are extracting approximately 24 million crude oil annually, meaning if we do not explore new wells, we will exhaust our current crude oil reserves in 12-13 years. b). Natural Gas: Importance of natural gas is increasing rapidly. Average production of natural gas is 4,048. 76 million cubic feet per day as against 3,986. 53 million during corresponding last year, showing an increase of 1. 6 percent. Natural gas is used in general industry to prepare consumer items, to produce cement, for manufacturing fertilizers and to generate electricity. In form of CNG, it is used in transport sector. Share of natural gas in energy consumption is 43. 7 percent. Due to price differential between CNG and Petrol, vehicles are using converted to CNG and approximately 2. 0 million vehicles are using CNG and currently Pakistan is the largest CNG user country in the world. Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) contributes around 0. 7 percent to total energy supply in country and is being imported to stop deforestation in hilly areas. ). Coal: Pakistan has coal reserves estimated at over 185 billion tonnes, including 175 billion tonnes identified at Thar coalfields. Coal is primarily being used in brick kiln and cement industries and approximately 67 percent coal is imported because indigenous coal is not considered of good quality. Guddu plant is largest plant thermal operated plant with a capacity of 1,650 MW, while two largest Independent Power Plants (IPPs) in Pakistan are Kot Addu (1,600 MW) and Hubb River (1,300 MW). 3. 2 Renewable Resources : (Unlimited – sustainable – clean)Renewable energy resources are those, which are naturally replenished and comes from resources such as water, sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat. a). Hydro power: Hydro power is gen erated by using electricity generators to extract energy from moving water. Pakistan is having rich resource of energy in hydal power, however, only 34 % of total electricity generation is coming from hydro power. Currently we are having 6555 MW against the potential of 41000 to 45000 MW. Current Hydropower stations: Tarbella Dam : 3,478 MW Ghazi Brotha: 1450 MW Mangla 1,000 MW Warsak 240 MW Chashma 184 MW Potential Hydropower stations:Diamer-Bhasha Dam 4500 MW Munda Dam – Swat river in Mohamand Agency 740 MW Kalabagh Dam 2400-3600 MW Bunji Dam 5400 MW Dasu Dam 3800 MW 3. 3 Alternative Sources of Energy  : a). Wind: Wind power harnesses the power of the wind to propel the blades of wind turbines. These turbines cause the rotation of magnets, which creates electricity. Though Pakistan has potentials of wind energy ranging from 10000 MW to 50000 MW, yet power generation through wind is in initial stages in Pakistan and currently 06 MW has been installed in first phase in Jham pir through a Turkish company and 50 MW will be installed shortly.More wind power plants will be built in Jhampir, Gharo, Keti Bandar and Bin Qasim Karachi. b). Solar : Solar power involves using solar cells to convert sunlight into electricity, using sunlight hitting solar thermal panels to convert sunlight to heat water or air. Pakistan has potential of more than 100,000 MW from solar energy. Building of solar power plants is underway in Kashmir, Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan. However, private vendors are importing panels / solar water heaters for consumption in the market. Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB) is working for 20,000 solar water heaters in Gilgit Baltistan.Mobile companies have been asked by the government to shift supply of energy to their transmission towers from petroleum to solar energy panels. c). Agricultural biomass /biodiesel : Biomass production involves using garbage or other renewable resources such as sugarcane, corn or other vegetation to generat e electricity. When garbage decomposes, methane is produced and captured in pipes and later burned to produce electricity. Vegetation and wood can be burned directly to generate energy, like fossil fuels, or processed to form alcohols.Brazil has one of the largest renewable energy programs from biomass/biodiesel in the world, followed by USA. Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB) of Pakistan has planned to generate 10 MW of electricity from municipal waste in Karachi followed by similar projects in twenty cities of country. d). Tidal: Tidal power can be extracted from Moon-gravity-powered tides by locating a water turbine in a tidal current. The turbine can turn an electrical generator, or a gas compressor, that can then store energy until needed. Coastal tides are a source of clean, free, renewable, and sustainable energy.Plans are underway in Pakistan to harness tidal energy, however, no implementation has been made so far. 3. 4 Nuclear: Nuclear power stations use nuclear fi ssion reaction to generate energy by the reaction of uranium inside a nuclear reactor. Pakistan has a small nuclear power program, with 425 MW capacity, but there are plans to increase this capacity substantially. Since Pakistan is outside the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, it is excluded from trade in nuclear plant or materials, which hinders its development of civil nuclear energy.Remaining issues in development of nuclear energy are enricment of uranium from U235 to U238, controlling chain reaction and dumping of solid waste. Pakistan Nuclear Power Reactors Reactor Type MW Construction started Commercial operation Karachi PHWR 125 1966 1972 Chashma 1 PWR 300 1993 2000 Chashma 2 PWR 300 2005 expected 2011 Total 425 MW * Pressurized heavy water reactor (PHWR) – Canadian based reactors   ** Pressurized water reactor (PWR) – Chinese based reactors 4. Causes of Energy Crisis  : Pakistan’s energy crisis traces its roots to following distinct causes : * Growi ng Energy Demand over the years there is greater need of energy because of; †¢ increase in population, †¢ enhancement in lifestyle †¢ industrial and agricultural growth †¢ greater transportation needs * Lack of proactive and integrated planning for production of energy: Pakistan has had wider potentials to tap energy, however, due to lack of any integrated/proactive planning, very less number of power producing plant were installed to meet futuristic demands. Resultantly, over the years, the gap between energy demand and supply drastically grew and now against demand of 20000 MW, we are having around 11500 MW. Imbalanced energy energy mix Energy mix in Pakistan is quite imbalance in comparison to other countries, with greater reliance on non-renewable resources of gas (43. 7 %) and oil (29 % – majority of which is imported). Prices of petroleum products/crude oil fluctuate and in current Afro-Arab political crisis, the oil prices are likely to increase man ifold affecting oil prices in Pakistan. A rational energy mix planning ought to be developed giving greater dependency to renewable (hydel power), indigenous (coal) and alternative energy resources (wind and solar energy).Nuclear energy can   * Non-utilization of enormous indigenous energy resources: o Thar Coal: Pakistan is having one of the largest coal fields in Thar, having reserves of more than 175 billion tones, which exceeds equivalent oil reserves of Saudi Arabia, Iran etc. In addition to power generation, this coal can be used for chemical and fertilizer production. Moreover, employment provided to workforce can be instrumental in increasing GDP and economic prosperity to many families. o Hydal power generation :Pakistan has potential of hydro resources to generate 41000 to 45000 MW, however, only 6555 MW is currently being generated by this important renewable resource. Four large hydro power dams namely Kalabagh 3600 MW, Bhasha 4500 MW, Bunji 5400 MW and Dasu 3800 MW ca n be constructed to generate hydro electricity. Similarly, many small to medium hydro plants can be installed on rivers and canals etc. 5. Consequences of Energy Crisis : i). Economic Factors: Energy is pivotal for running all other resources and crisis of energy directly influences all other sectors of the economy.The economic progress is hampered by decline in agricultural productivity as well as by halting in operations of industries. One important factor of lower GDP and inflation of commodity prices in recent years is attributed to shortfalls in energy supply. ii). Agriculture Sector: Agricultural productivity of Pakistan is decreasing due to provision of energy for running tube wells, agricultural machinery and production of fertilizers and pesticides. Thus higher energy means higher agricultural productivity. iii).Industrial Sector: Nearly all Industrial units are run with the energy and breakage in energy supply is having dire consequences on industrial growth. As a result o f decline in energy supply, industrial units are not only being opened, but also the existing industrial units are gradually closing. iv). Unemployment: By closure of industrial units and less agricultural productivity, new employment opportunities ceased to exist and already employed manpower is shredded by the employers to increase their profit ratios. Thus energy crisis contributes towards unemployment. v).Social Issues: This factor is primarily related to the domestic usage of energy (cooking, heating and water provision). Load shedding cause unrest and frustration amongst the people and results in agitation against the government. vi). Poverty: Declination in economic growth, lower agricultural productivity, unemployment and shackling industrial growth result in increasing poverty. Currently, around forty percent of our population is living beyond poverty line and this ratio is increasing day by day. Ample control of energy crisis will surely yield in curbing the menace of pove rty. 6. Conclusion:Energy Crisis has, more or less, plagued all sectors of Pakistan’s machinery ranging from economy to industry, agriculture to social life, inflation to poverty and it is hampering national progress in a drastic manner. Nonetheless, menace of energy crisis can be overwhelmed by government through making effective policies and its proactive implementation. Simultaneously, it is the responsibility of us, the people of Pakistan, to utilize the available energy astutely and wisely to play our due role for progress of the country. 7. Recomendations/Solutions of Energy Crisis  : Energy crisis can be curtailed by : ). Reducing unnecessary energy use: o Usage of electricity saving devices o Awareness campaign for energy saving o Reduction in unnecessary transportations by developing good public transport systems and strengthening Pakistan railways   o Reduction in industrial uses with installation of effective equipment/ energy efficient and with increasing effi ciency of workforce (cost effective) o Decreasing reliance on rental power projects, because instead of doing any good, they are increasing prices of electricity. o Decreasing line losses by using efficient power transmission cables ii).Developing new energy resources : o Tapping indigenous resources (Thar coal) o Using renewable resources (water) by constructing new dams and hydro power plants   o Import of natural gas by IPI (Iran Pakistan India) and TAPI (Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India) pipelines   o Import of electricity from Tajikistan -through Pak Afghan Tajikistan transmission- and Iran (approximately 1000 MW from each of them) pipelines o Utilizing alternative energy resources : Wind power Biodiesel /Biomass Solar Tidal o Enhancing civilian nuclear capacity ENERGY CRISIS IN PAKISTAN IntroductionPresent scenario of crisis †¢ Demand supply gap †¢ Counter measures Reasons of energy crisis †¢ Unrealistic plans and improper implementation †¢ Failure of introducing new projects †¢ Underutilization of resources †¢ Circular debt †¢ International oil prices †¢ Provincial prejudices †¢ Water shortage †¢ Transmission losses †¢ Power wastage †¢ Theft of electric power †¢ Accelerating demand †¢ Minimal research/exploration Immediate efforts/goals †¢ RPPs †¢ Stabilizing industrial sector †¢ Limiting commercial supply hours Short term goals †¢ Reviving non functional power plants †¢ Revamping transmission system Thar coal project †¢ IPI gas pipeline project †¢ Alternate/renewable energy sources Long term goals †¢ Conforming foreign policy and energy needs †¢ New dams †¢ Transparency †¢ Efficient techniques and usage †¢ Measures against power theft Energy crisis in transportation sector †¢ Biofuels/synfuels †¢ Standard of public transport system Hurdles †¢ Lack of will and implementation †¢ Corruption and malpractices †¢ Trust deficit conclusion â€Å"It is evident that the fortune o f the world’s human populations, for better or for worse, are inextricably interrelated with the use that is made of energy resources. M. King Hubbert The nexus between economic prosperity and self sufficiency in energy has become essentially vital for Pakistan. Today the energy crisis looming before us is the culmination of a long list of governmental failures, malpractices along with inefficient ways of consumption and a perpetually fragile economy. The futility of apparent counter measures can be attributed to slow or non existent exploration and exploitation of new resources; outdated administrative and technical systems; lack of tactful diplomacy at international level, all requiring immediate attention.Presently, the demand-supply gap in the energy sector has reached one of its highest in the country. This gap subsequently produced huge shortage of power that has adversely affected the economy. The crippling economy was further damaged when many industrial units had to be shut down, rendering thousands jobless. Consequently, this on going chain of crises is accelerating inflation. The government has intended to counter it with Rental Power Plants (RPPs) like the previous IPPs and to ease the burden on common man the authorities claim to be providing continuous subsidies in the power sector.However, the constant trust deficit on the part of masses is not only due to the transparency issue of RPPs, it is majorly due to a constant increase in power failures and shortage, revealing an increase in the crisis instead of signs of recovery. If we take a look at the factors contributing to this enormous problem, the first and foremost one comes out to be the absence of any long term planning along with constant application of such plans. Sadly, the failures of previous governments to increase the supply of energy by new measures against the escalating demand are glari ngly obvious.Small scale projects like the Ghazi barotha only put a temporary halt to the arriving crisis instead of nipping it in the bud. Secondly, the under utilization of available resources- especially hydroelectric one which can produce double the energy it is producing now- is another major setback. The government again fails or neglects to consider the shortages in winter and up-gradation of the hydroelectric and the thermal plants regularly. Thirdly, the ‘circular debt’ is like an invisible impediment subtly fuelling up the crisis.It is an inheritance of former subsidies which the government failed to pay to the power companies, who in turn could not pay the oil and gas companies for supplies. Add to this the fluctuating international oil prices and the failing economy_ the war against terrorism and decreasing Foreign Direct investment-worsened the problem and induced further power and imported oil shortage. Subsequently, the political heads had to turn their e yes back to hydroelectric power generation.But the projects like Kalabagh Dam became victims of narrow mindedness and provincial prejudices which led to failure of consensus of opinion. Had the Kalabagh Dam been built on time, we would not be confronted with this crisis today. Also the acute shortage of water; the curtailed supply in eastern rivers by India; major consumption and wastage of water in irrigation and the decreasing capacity of Mangela and Terbela Dams due to sedimentation render the hydroelectric power generation equally problematic as the thermal power generation.Of the chronic factors, the heavy line losses plus the old and poorly maintained transmission system is a grave administrative and technical failure of public sector power companies. These line losses are comparatively very low elsewhere in the world. Similarly, in the industrial and agricultural sectors which avail more than seventy percent of total power, the outdated techniques and malpractices of consumpt ion waste more than a third of the consumed power. Moreover, the masses do not remain behind in adding to this loss. The theft of electricity, especially in urban areas has become a routine matter.Due to the decades old perception that this is a never ending crisis and no accountability whatsoever, people tend to use unfair means of obtaining electric power. Another reason is the unprecedented increase in demand of energy. It is due to the trend of enjoying luxurious life style in the past decade. This increased demand by the domestic section has greatly disturbed the usually articulated demand and consumption status. Last but not least, snail paced research, minimal exploitation of new energy reserves and exploration of new oil and gas field damages progress in the energy sector.Couple this with the never ending corruption and lack of implementation in government and power companies this crisis has become a consistent and self perpetuating one. Seen in this perspective, Pakistan no t only needs immediate efforts to reduce the demand-supply gap but also some elaborate and well chalked out immediate, short and long term plans and efforts. Thankfully, some sections in the society are aware of the magnanimity of this dire problem. The RPPs are expected to start working soon and the subsidies in the energy sector are still cushioning at least a part of the blow.But the real issue is of determining priorities and extracting maximum results even from this bleak scenario. Keeping this in view, the first policy of the government should be to supply uninterrupted supply of power to the industrial units, small or big, especially in industrial cities like Faisalabad, Gujaranwala. Also the power supply should be continuous for small local businesses throughout the country. Even if it equates to the continuation of the domestic shortage for a while, at least half of the RPPs should be employed for the industrial section.In addition, there are some non-operating power statio ns in the country which only require a little investment and technical improvements to revive them. Such power units should be made effective to pull the economy out of complete doom. Secondly, the markets and shopping centers should be strictly enforced to close their business till 10 pm at night. This save power in different parts of each city can be diverted towards the domestic consumers by means of an effective administrative local system. The media and provincial governments would be of utmost importance in this strategy.The media specially, can acquire public support and educate masses in this regard. Resultantly, they will be able to remove the trust deficit between the government and the people. Coming on to the short term goals, the main focus should be on the revival of those dead power generation units in Sindh and Punjab which can be made functional again and the systematic up-gradation of thermal and hydroelectric plants. Resultantly, these projects will maintain the s mooth flow of energy and will at least prevent any further widening in the demand-supply gap.Similarly, the replacement of transmission lines to reduce losses should fall under the auspices of the provincial governments and ministries with proper allocation of budget from the center. The replacement of expired transmission systems is long overdue. This process must be gradual and systematic to refrain from becoming a drain on the resources and it should be initiated from areas most severely hit by energy shortage. After curbing and curing the internal ills, the attention should be diverted to exploration of new fossil fuel reserves (natural gas).As the thermally generated accounts for the major share of power in Pakistan, it should be dealt with effectively. Contrary to the deficit of oil reserves, the coal reserves in Pakistan are the second largest in the world. But the delay in switching from indigenous energy sources to coal is due to the snail paced progress in the Thar Coal Pr oject that is in collaboration with China. China’ rocketing economy has driven coal industry into a new era of efficient utilization. Pakistan should take heed from China’s example and should gain technical assistance from it.Both countries can collaborate in Gwadar and Thar to explore and exploit new gas and coal reserves. Coming on to the gas pipeline projects, the IRAN-PAKISTAN-INDIA (IPI) pipeline is most realistic plausible one presently. It is at an efficiently advanced stage of implementation but has fallen prey to the disagreement in pricing formulas and trust deficit between India and Pakistan. Both the thar coal and IPI project require tactful diplomatic maneuvering and improving ties with India. An agreement between the two countries on IPI will enhance the prospects of resolving the water issue as well.Another aspect of solving this problem is the utilization of alternate and renewable resources of energy. It has been adopted by many developing and develope d countries of the country to avert this crisis, such as Brazil, India, U. S. , Holland etc. Pakistan however, lags far behind in this regard. Consequently, some NGOs and public communities have took initiative in harnessing the renewable resources of energy such as wind and solar power. Pakistan is ideally situated to make use of both these resources. Isolated cases of developing these modes of energy can be seen in the illages of Thar desert ( solar energy ) and in some areas of Thattha and Karachi ( wind energy ) but it still needs massive government support. Interestingly, the Alternate Energy Development Board (AEDB) of Pakistan has collected data of all areas in the country suitable for making use of these alternate sources of energy but initiative for utilization of these sources are absent. Pakistan can very efficiently make use of its long day light hours and wind power in the coastal region to produce power for upcoming years.Most important in the long term planning and go als must be to streamline the foreign policy of the country according to its economic and energy needs. Improving and increasing ties with future energy rich countries must not be neglected. As mentioned earlier, China can be a great asset in technical training and facilities. Similarly, bilateral relations with Russia, Central Asian, East African states needs to be strengthened. These countries are the new energy hubs of the world, and being mostly land locked (C. A. states) can make use of Gwadar port and in return assist Pakistan as well.Taking Provincial prejudices and politics into view, the matters which are indispensable for the survival of the country and economy should be kept above such strife. Building new dams, at least Kalabagh dam should be taken on without and delay. Transparency and clarity in the policies and implementation methods of government and public sector power companies is of paramount importance. Without checking corruption and applying stringent measures against malpractices, all well executed policies will ultimately become another drain for the economy.Moreover, educating the stakeholders and workers in the industrial and agricultural sectors on adoption of new and efficient practices of water and energy consumption will tend to reduce the wastage of energy. The theft of electricity must be considered and declared a heinous crime and any violations by domestic or industrial users should be liable to legal penalties and complete power cut off for such consumers. Taking a look at the energy crisis in the transportation sector, there is no doubt that fossil fuels are indeed depleting in the world and of reserves natural gas in Pakistan.To curb the hike in prices and supply shortage , research and exploration of new sites must be given impetus under the patronage of AEDB. Meanwhile, bio fuel ( alcohol or synthetic fuel ) can be produced quite easily in Pakistan. Raw materials for this fuel being wheat and other cereals are in ample su pply in Pakistan. Alcohol can be easily prepared by fermentation of molasses and is already a proper local industry in the country it just needs to be diverted in the right course. Finally, the system and standard of public transport must be improved to discourage the trend of personal vehicles which leads to greater demands of fuel.Making policies has never been the plight of our government. It is the lack of implementation which keeps the wheel of crisis moving. Today our government not only needs to take initiatives and hard decisions it also needs to give a boost to the dying economy by providing unimpeded supply of power to industries. Secondly, corruption, misuse of funds, malpractices of energy consumption and wastage must b avoided and eradicated at all costs. Last but not least, the public trust and support is of utmost important. No policy can succeed if it doesn’t enjoy public support.Media can play an effective role in creating awareness and trust that it is actua lly a global crisis which can only be solved with help and conscious effort by every citizen. Conclusively, curbing the energy crisis requires transparent efforts at every level imaginable. The future policies and projects should be so oriented as to make Pakistan self sufficient in the energy sector. Self sufficiency in the energy sector will be the key to a flourishing economy, and a stable economy can serve as a device of curbing several interlinked adversities. The sooner we realize the gravity of this as a whole, the sooner we will emerge out of this crisis.

Development and evaluation of instructional materials in mathematics Essay

Instructional materials are used to help transfer information and skills to others. These are used in teaching at places like schools, colleges and universities. These can include textbooks, films, audio, and more. Instructional materials are the tools teachers use to teach their students. The effectiveness of instructional materials matters in the classroom since students have different learning styles. For major instructional materials, they must be reviewed by a committee. If it is approved, then the materials are adopted into the curriculum. Some examples of instructional materials are Powerpoint presentations, videos, and computers. As technology advances, there are more effective instructional materials available which can greatly help students learn. There are many kinds of instructional materials: textbooks, visual aids such as posters and models, computer programs, videos, etc. The common characteristic of all of them is that they should enhance teaching in a meaningful, interesting way. What is a LEARNING MODULE? A learning module is otherwise known as a self-learning kit (SLK). It consists of systematic sequenced materials for learning. (F. Hidago, 1994) The teaching-learning module in a vast variety of subjects was proven effective as an instructional tool. This is an innovation in the education of new generation of learners who are described as self-directed learners. The significance of learning modules is based on the groundwork that college students may learn through different methods. Classroom discussion may turn to be effective but may omit essential part of learning and understanding. Planning on how students may learn still suggests that there is no single methodology in their learning process. Significant learning should be self-initiated and teachers should be there to guide and to supervise progress. We should let students discover what they would like to discover in the subject being introduced and give more responsibility to them.