Enron corporation's power project in India Essay

Enron corporation's power project in India - Essay Example Enron entered into a contract with the Maharashtra Sate Electricity Board (MSEB) by risking its and its allied companies’ stakes in Dabhol Power Project (DPP). The discussions for the project started with the two principal stakeholders from the Indian side, the Indian state of Maharashtra and the other was Maharashtra State Electricity Board (MSEB). The project proposal of building a 2015 megawatt power plant with the investment of US$3 billion was given a green signal initially (Negotiation-project-India, 2010). Enron was not the only principal stakeholder; it was a sort of joint collaboration with the investment of 10% each by General Electric and Bechtel. Sustenance of the project was detriment to the availability of Liquefied Natural Gas to power the plant, which Enron planned to secure from one of its joint venture in Qatar, 1200 miles away from the power plant situated in Dabhol. The project was the largest ever project taken by Enron in India, supposed to produce electr icity in two phases. In the first phase it was planned to produce 695 megawatts from the locally available LNG, while the second phase target was to produce 1320 megawatts through natural gas channeled from Qatar (Negotiation-project-India, 2010).Enron was expecting huge profits from this project for the company investors from the MSEB of Maharashtra. It took just five days to materialize the contract by signing a memorandum of agreement between the MSEB and DPP. (Negotiation-project-India, 2010).... Sustenance of the project was detriment to the availability of Liquefied Natural Gas to power the plant, which Enron planned to secure from one of its joint venture in Qatar, 1200 miles away from the power plant situated in Dabhol. The project was the largest ever project taken by Enron in India, supposed to produce electricity in two phases. In the first phase it was planned to produce 695 megawatts from the locally available LNG, while the second phase target was to produce 1320 megawatts through natural gas channeled from Qatar (Negotiation-project-India, 2010). Enron was expecting huge profits from this project for the company investors from the MSEB of Maharashtra. It took just five days to materialize the contract by signing a memorandum of agreement between the MSEB and DPP, representing Enron of purchasing electricity at the rate of 7.3 US cents per kilowatt hour (Negotiation-project-India, 2010). What went wrong that the project failed? From the very start, it was a mistake made by the management at Enron to invest in a technology-efficient project in India without attempting an analysis of Indian socio-political environment. One thing became clear that the project was cleared without adhering to set legal and corporate procedures, essential for such a huge global venture. It also became evident that Enron adopted the unethical path in securing the contract. It was totally in the darkness over the political unsettling environment in India. All its negotiating and renegotiating expertise failed as the MSEB could not pay the bill against the used electricity. Enron had to confront opposition from many fronts; it had to initiate counter-campaigns to create positive conditions in its favor; legal battles also ensued.

Critically consider the role and value of organisational performance Essay

Critically consider the role and value of organisational performance assessment - Essay Example On the other hand, Robert Anthony also stated that the success of a lot of companies may be attributed not only to â€Å"good strategies† but also to these companies’ â€Å"designed systems and processes that energize their employees to execute those strategies effectively†. Thus, to be a successful organisation, it is not only necessary to have well-thought out goals, plans, targets and strategies but there should be a well-executed system that will enable the organisation to achieve these goals and targets. In turn, an organisation knows when its systems and processes are being executed effectively and efficiently if it has a well-placed performance assessment system to evaluate the performance of the organization after these systems and processes are implemented. There are various ways to assess an organisation’s performance. According to Carter McNamara, â€Å"assessments might be planned, systematic and explicit †¦ or unplanned and implicit. Well-done assessments typically use tools, such as comprehensive questionnaires, SWOT analyses, diagnostic models †¦, etc., along with comparison of results to various "best practices" or industry standards†. The assessments may also cover financial or non-financial control systems. Tools used may also vary, depending on the objectives of the organization in conducting the assessment. These tools may include one or more of the following: the balanced scorecard, benchmarking, business process reengineering, management by objectives, program evaluation and total quality management. Alternatively, the organization may have its own in-house developed performance assessment system. It aids in the decision-making process regarding some (not all) aspects of the organisation such as the effectiveness of specific strategies, whether to merge with another organisation, whether to expand to a new market, to a new product line or to an entirely new business. It addresses

History HW Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5750 words

History HW - Essay Example Republicans maintained that the leaders must be kept out of their political power after the war. The northerners maintained that the southern states were not to be allowed in the congress until after they had totally removed slavery out of their states. Seeing this Lincoln offered amnesty to all the whites in the south apart from those high rank officials who had stimulated the war. He also came up with a reconstruction plan to entice the southerners from their rebellion. Southern leaders, who had not been given amnesty, rejected the reconstruction laws and replaced it with another bill. This bill was known as the Wade-Davis bill and it was passed in the house after voting it in. however Lincoln refused to sign the bill after it had been passed and this made the two senators mad and prompted them to stop the reconstruction laws. Soon after, Lincoln was assassinated and this led to the rebellion from the south over his death. His successor Johnson passed three important amendments; these included the 13th amendments that abolished slavery, the 14th amendments which allowed every person born and raised in the US to be a US citizen. The 1th amendment allowed every citizen to vote. The other reconstruction that was done is the military reconstruction. In this reconstruction, the southern army was reconstructed and new leaders appointed to serve as army leaders. This was done to remove the old army leaders who had brought the fighting. Taxing reconstruction was also a major change in the reconstruction. In the past property was given value by their owners and they took the taxes themselves to the authorities, however this changed after the reconstruction of the new taxing laws. Most of the southerners were against the reconstruction laws because they felt that these laws were meant to punish them due to their resistance. This made them to oppose the laws and in turn refuse to follow the orders. The upper south soon agreed to end the opposition to the

Adoption by lesbian couple Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Adoption by lesbian couple - Essay Example Consequently, this has prompted the state to intervene via devising measures whose core purpose is to ease quick placement of the adoptees and reduce augmenting numbers in the adoption agencies. This essay via utilizing Jacqui and Anne’s case, seeks to highlight various aspects and obstacles that have rendered adoption process to be complex despite some measures imposed by the agencies not emphasized by the law. The first obstacle encompasses cultural differences amid the child on one side and would-be adopters. Since, both the parties emanate from varied cultures whereby the child may not be able to integrate well with the couple as necessitated and feel secured while under their care. Unaccompanied asylum seekers before arriving in UK, most of them have experienced untold sufferings to the extent of some traumatized (Coghill, 2009). Hence, the relevant authorities (adoption agencies) insist on presenting them to the individuals whom they deem beyond doubt will avail them the necessary care, comfort and love. Since, these children have to learn the state’s language besides embracing the new culture different from theirs, which is entirely diverse and may pose a challenge to them (Manchester City Council, 2013). Therefore, the social worker’s showing of displeasure was due to the pair’s plea to adopt despite their economic instability (Coghill, 2009). Cultural difference may pose a great challenge to the adopting parents because besides helping the child to embrace that of UK, they will not be able to understand the child’s former traditions. For instance, suppose the child emanates from Africa where child’s nurturing is exclusively diverse from the western states (Manchester City Council, 2013). Most African cultures regardless of a one’s sex usually deem the mother has more responsibilities in nurturing the child until the males reach the initiation age where the fathers take over. This is divergent to the UK w here the couple assumes all the roles jointly and it may have significant adverse impact especially if the adoptee is a teen (Coghill, 2009. Besides, the child may doubt the relationship of the adopting parents, (adoption) which conflicts what he or she has all through deemed to be right (Coghill, 2009). Since, in African or other regions like Asian, same sex union aspect is a taboo that may affect the child (Coghill, 2009, p. 54). This is especially when one is aware of what their culture dictates regarding marriage. Hence, prompting the social agency to reject Jacqui and Anne’s plea. Besides, according to their narration, there is no prove they will be together until the child attains his or her independence stage (Coghill, 2009). This is because they argue to be living together but no documents to prove their union (Coghill, 2009). Another obstacle regards the preference of race, which by extension they offered to have, whereby the adoption agency will be reluctant in lett ing the pair get the adoptee of their choice (Allen, 2005). Since, this may add up to worsening the child’s state besides the distress or severe experiences, he or she might have experienced (Allen, 2005). Probably, this was the reason that displeased social worker to the extent of not hearkening to their plea and declined to offer them any apparent reason (Allen, 2005). Because the adopters may perceive the agency operates on racial bases, which is not tolerable in UK. The UK statutes have mandated agencies to act in any case in the favor of the child irrespective of who may be intending to act as adopters (Allen, 2005). This implies the child’

Steroids Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Steroids - Essay Example In terms of the categories, ergogenic aids can be seen as distributed in terms of mechanical aids, pharmacological aids, physiological aids, nutritional aids and psychological aids (Sports Coach, 1997). All of these categories actually illustrate the fact that the ergogenic aids can be specifically tailored in view of the particular aspect of the being that needs to be enhanced. The most commonly used ergogenic supplements are protein supplements, energy boosters, weight loss agents and anabolic agents etc (Bonci, 2010). It is this category of anabolic agents in which the stubject matter of steroids falls. Steroids constitute two categories namely anabolic and corticosteroids (Dowshen, 2010). Anabolic steroids are the synthetic derivatives of testosterone and are synthetic hormones that boost the muscle production in the body and their strength. While the corticosteroids are drugs that doctors specifically prescribe to control inflammation (Dowshen, 2010). The usage of such steroids is mostly for the purpose of enhancing one’s abilities in the strength dependent sports. Anabolic steroids are the ones that trigger the release of the endogenous growth hormone and induce protein synthesis in the muscle cells whose psychological influence can enhance a more intense and sustained workout. While the complete effectiveness of them in enhancing strength and other factors that influence their effects still have some ambiguity in terms of understanding and cannot even be seen in a proper documented form. The effects of such steroids have not yet been determined correctly with full consensus based on the differences in the approaches being taken for their usage (Mac & Silver, 2001). With the advent of steroids as energy boosters in the sports category, there has always been a question of their effectiveness in terms of athletic

A Comparative Essay Of The Poems ‘Salome’ (C.A.Duffy) and ‘The Arrival Of The Bee Box’ (S.Plath) Essay Example for Free

A Comparative Essay Of The Poems ‘Salome’ (C.A.Duffy) and ‘The Arrival Of The Bee Box’ (S.Plath) Essay ‘Salome’ by Carol Ann Duffy and ‘The Arrival Of The Bee Box’ by Sylvia Plath have many similarities and differences. ‘Salome’ is ostensibly a poem about an individual, most likely a woman, who wakes up and finds ‘a head on the pillow’ beside them. The poem continues to detail their immediate actions and finally reveals that this head is in fact ‘on a platter’. ‘The Arrival Of The Bee Box’ appears on the surface to describe the empowerment felt by an individual as they explore their control over a box of bees. An interesting similarity is both poets are female. C. A. Duffy was born in Glasgow in 1995 and is the eldest of five children. Plath was born in 1932 and was born in Boston. If you read the poems from a biographical perspective it is possible to identify certain factors which the poet has included due to their personal circumstances. Personally, I believe that both C. A. Duffy and S. Plath have points to make. For example, Duffy’s poem could be seen to have many links to the role of woman in society and the power they possess over their male counterparts. This mental attitude, which has filtered through into her poetry, could stem from the fact she is the first women and the first openly gay person to hold the position of Britain’s poet laureate. Similarly, ‘The Arrival Of The Bee Box’ contains subversive ideas of power and possibly connotations to women taking an untraditional role in society. In ‘Salome’ the pace, tone, rhythm and structure are all fractured. This is very effective as it reflects the psychological standing of the voice in the poem. The effect is created through the techniques of enjambment and rhetorical questions and these can be observed in the fifth line â€Å"what did it matter? . The line is isolated and this draws the reader’s attention to it. Alongside this the rhetorical question then compels the reader to think â€Å"what did it matter? †. This emphasises the point to the reader that it does matter and is very important in the given context of the poem. By contrast, ‘The Arrival Of The Bee Box’ is made from six uniform stanzas of five lines. There is little by way of caesura and it therefore differs greatly, in terms of structure at least, from ‘Salome’. Personally, I believe this is because the speaker is portrayed as being more collected and comfortable with the received power, relative to the voice in ‘Salome’. The second line is an excellent example; â€Å"Square as a chair and almost too heavy to lift. † The rhyme of ‘square’ and ‘chair’ gives a positive sound and in turn this can be seen to signify control and enjoyment of power. The above evidence suggests that C. A. Duffy and S. Plath both have different ideas on which way structurally is best to communicate their ideas. However, I believe the free structure of ‘Salome’ adds more than the rigid structure of ‘The Arrival of The Bee Box’ as it generates an extra dimension in which readers can have more freedom to interpret the desired meaning of the poem themselves. Integral to both poems is the theme of power and the relation it has with the owner, especially women. The similarity and hegemony is this attack on the stereotypical views that if allowed to stand could drive woman to the periphery of society. In ‘Salome’ the voice is somewhat of a ‘player’ and it is this scopophilic attitude which generates Duffy’s point. In a modern society it is often seen as ‘cool’ or ‘macho’ for a male to sleep with many women. By contrast, if females replicate these actions then they stand a high chance of being bombarded with derogatory terms. It would appear that S. Plath would chose to focus more on the interest of power. She refers to different times in history (Greek, Slave Trade, Roman). This sets quite a theatrical atmosphere because referring to these superpowers through the ages helps the reader to appreciate the importance of power in our society both in the past, present and future. It highlights the fact that in Duffy’s opinion (and I agree) that it is embedded in humans to seek out power and control others. Overall, both poets have similar themes in their poems but chose to express them in different ways. A similarity between both poems is that they make allusions to either religious names or different parts of the Bible. C. A. Duffy in ‘Salome’ chooses to use iconic Christian names such as John and Peter. Whereas S. Plath uses the concept of a heaven; â€Å"There is the laburnum, its blond colonnades, And the petticoats of the cherry. † The description of this utopian setting could be linked to the feelings felt by the voice in ‘Salome’ when she/it says ‘I saw my eyes glitter†¦and ain’t life a bitch’. The voice sounds as though it is satisfied, justice has been done and it has reached a metaphorical destination. This destination, in my opinion, is that the voice feels like they have somehow reached equality by committing this grotesque act. A large influence in terms of language in both poems is the personal pronoun ‘I’. This similarity is most likely due to the recurring them of power in each poem. The narrators are trying to express that they are the ones in charge. The language in both poems is very simplistic but the words can be used in quite complex ways. Both poets have chosen not to overcomplicate their language and I think they have made their poems very accessible to all people. Colours are used in both poems for different effects. In ‘Salome’ the ‘red sheets’ could signify the anger felt by the voice for the injustices that have driven them to undertake the atrocity. In ‘The Arrival Of The Bee Box’ ‘the petticoats of the cherry’ and the ‘blond colonnades’ are used as the colours of the heaven. The use of colours is different in each poem but both work well. In conclusion, I feel that Carol Ann Duffy and Sylvia Plath are both very successful in presenting their ideas in the two poems. The poems are left open to interpretation and depending on the type of reading you undertake (colonial, biographical, etc) they can mean different things to different people. However, I personally feel that ‘Salome’ is more interesting and mesmerising to the reader. This is most likely due to the fact I found ‘The Arrival Of The Bee Box’ too abstract for me and I found it difficult to grasp. I think the poems have opened my eyes not only to the inequalities felt by certain groups of society but also to the disparities across the globe in general.

Relationship between Yoga and Life Satisfaction | Methods

Relationship between Yoga and Life Satisfaction | Methods Criterion-related Validity: Satisfaction With Life Scale correlated with ten other measures of subjective well-being (SWB). Most measures correlated at an r = .50 and above (Diener and Pavot, 1993). Reliability The Satisfaction With Life Scale has shown strong internal reliability of 0.57 – 0.75 in a sample of undergraduate university students and from 0.63 – 0.81 in a sample of elderly persons (Diener et al., 1985 cited in Teasell, 2011) and moderate temporal stability. The test-retest reliability coefficient was 0.82 for a 2-month interval and 0.84 for a 2-week interval. Test-retest reliability of 0.83 was established for 2 weeks to 4 years interval (Diener, 1985 cited in Teasell, 2011). Normative data Normative data is available for a diverse population including older adults, college students, prisoners, brain injury patients and abused women (Diener and Pavot, 1993). 3.3.3. PROCEDURE Stratified random sampling was used where the sample was divided into two strata for the two comparative groups of yoga practitioners and non-yoga practitioners. In order to administer the test, permission was taken from Yoga institutes, yoga classes and companies, and consent was taken from prospective subjects for the sample of this research study. Following their consent, each individual was assured that no information would be disclosed and the same would be used purely for research purposes. On agreement of these terms, demographic details were taken, the standardized instructions were given and the Satisfaction with Life Scale was administered. As such, life satisfaction was not sensitive to testing conditions (Kozma, Stone and Stones, 1997). The sample was also debriefed about the objective of the current research and was appreciated for their co-operation and time. 3.3.4. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN A randomized between-group post-test only design was employed for the study. Life satisfaction of two independent groups will be compared. The graphical representation of the experimental design is as follows: OÄÂ ± R O2 Where R denotes random selection of the sample O denotes the Life Satisfaction scores on the Satisfaction With Life Scale OÄÂ ± denotes the Life Satisfaction scores of Yoga Practitioners on the Satisfaction With Life Scale O2 denotes the Life Satisfaction scores of Non-Yoga Practitioners on the Satisfaction With Life Scale 3.3.5. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS T-test is the appropriate analysis for a randomized between-group post-test only experimental design because it is used to compare the means of two independent samples and to determine if there is significant difference between them. Thus, the statistical analysis of the T-test was used to study if there was significant difference in the means of the two comparative groups on Life Satisfaction measured by the Satisfaction With Life Scale. 3.4. SUMMARY This chapter described the methodology employed for this research. This included the variables under study with their operational definitions, the controlled variables, and the hypothesis formulated on the basis of literature review. It also described the sample under study, the tool employed, the procedure followed for data collection, the experimental design and the statistical analysis. CHAPTER 4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 4.1. INTRODUCTION This chapter comprises of the two sections namely, the statistical analysis of the data obtained and the discussion of the results. 4.2. RESULTS This section entails the statistical analysis of the obtained data for the two groups, yoga practitioners and non-yoga practitioners using Descriptive Statistics and Independent Samples T-test. Table 4.1. (a) showing Descriptive Statistics for Yoga Practitioners and Non Yoga Practitioners on the Satisfaction With Life Scale. From Table 4.1. (a) showing the descriptive statistics for the two comparative groups it was observed that the total sample (N) consisted of 200 individuals, 100 yoga practitioners and 100 non-yoga practitioners. For the group of non-yoga practitioners, the Mean was calculated to be 23.71 with a Standard Deviation of 3.19. For the group of yoga practitioners, the Mean was calculated to be 27.75 with a Standard Deviation of 2.98. Table 4.1. (b) showing Independent Sample T-test for the sample of Yoga Practitioners and Non-Yoga Practitioners on Life Satisfaction. Table 4.1. (b) shows the Independence Sample T-test for the two comparative groups, yoga practitioners and non-yoga practitioners on life satisfaction. In the Levenes Test for Equality of Variances, the F value obtained was 0.51 which was significant at the 0.47 level indicating that the homogeneity in the sample was maintained. Thus, equal variances were assumed. In the T-test for Equality of Means, the t value obtained was 9.22 with df value (degree of freedom) of 198 which was significant at the 0.000 level. The mean difference obtained was 4.04. The significant difference obtained between the two comparative groups thus indicated that yoga practitioners showed significantly higher life satisfaction compared to non-yoga practitioners. 4.3. DISCUSSION The present study is a comparative study of yoga practitioners and non-yoga practitioners on life satisfaction. From the above section, the t value of 9.22 was significant at the 0.000 level. Thus the hypothesis stating that ‘the scores on life satisfaction will be significantly higher for yoga practitioners than non-yoga practitioners’ was accepted because the statistical analysis of the obtained data showed a significant difference between the two groups. In congruence to the above findings, previous researches done on the practice of yoga and satisfaction with life are listed below. Gharote (1982) studied the psychophysiological effects of meditation (Pranayama) and yogasanas on personality and use of yoga in therapy over a period of one year on several individuals who enrolled at the College of Yoga and Cultural Synthesis at Kaivalyadhyama, Lonavala. On various testing grounds, meditation and yogasanas decreased neuroticism, increased extroversion and self-control, self-actualization, happiness and psychological well-being (Gharote, 1982). From the above study it was inferred that practice of yoga increased happiness and life satisfaction. Bhushan (1998) studied the effect of a 14 month yoga course on measures of psychological well-being. The Satisfaction With Life Scale and Spielberger’s State Trait Anxiety Inventory were administered before and after the yoga course to 139 employed individuals. When the pre and post intervention scores obtained for the two variables, life satisfaction and anxiety were compared, an interesting finding was seen. There was a significant decrease for those with initial high levels of anxiety, and life satisfaction had increased after the yoga course (Bhushan, 1998 cited in Thomas, 2008) From the above study it was inferred that yoga increased life satisfaction and reduced anxiety. Jhansi (2007) studied the impact of yoga training on self-ideal disparity (incongruence between real self and ideal self) and psychological well-being on an experimental sample of 19 adults who had completed a yoga training course for six months and a control sample of 19 adults who had newly enrolled for the same. The experimental sample was tested after their yoga course and the control sample was tested before it on self-ideal disparity and on a scale of psychological well-being. Results revealed that the experimental group showed