Why California is considered a hazard hotspot and how it copes

A disaster hotspot is somewhere where there is a threat of two or more hazards to the area, ranging from geophysical to hydro-meteorological hazards. This is certainly the case in California, where there are an abundance of hazards which threaten the safety of the population. These hazards include earthquakes, bushfires, landslides, flooding, drought and fog. A major threat to the 40million strong population of California is earthquakes, which are caused by a network of active faults which run under the coastline of the state, including the San Andreas Fault and the Garlock Fault. The San Andreas Fault is a conservative boundary, which can give rise to powerful earthquakes. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake was caused by a rupture on the San Andreas Fault, which is a strike-slip fault meaning it is a crack between two plates sliding past each other. This 7. 7 magnitude earthquake caused a lot of destruction in the San Francisco area, killing an estimated 3000 people and leaving an expensive bill of damage ($9. 5 billion in 2009 dollars). Much of the damage and death toll came as a result of the devastating fires which followed the earthquake, which lasted for four days. The people of California are vulnerable to earthquakes as the faults directly underlie the area and the earthquake events cannot be predicted. As California is part of one of the largest economies in the world, it can afford preventive measures such as an annual earthquake drill and building earthquake proof buildings. Drought is another prevalent threat in California, which also gives rise to wildfires due to dry grounds and air. Droughts are caused by a lack of rainfall, heightened by the onset of La Nina. A particularly bad example of a drought in California was in 1976-77 where they only had half the rainfall compared to a normal year, causing a major crop fail, which in less economically developed countries often leads to a famine disaster. Droughts lead to health problems, particularly for the young and old who are at risk of malnutrition and heatstroke. 2007 was a bad year for wildfires. Prior to these fires the area was experiencing a drought, meaning the land was dry which created good conditions for fires to spread. Across the 19 days of burning, there were 9 deaths, over 500,000 acres of land burned, along with 1500 homes. There had been a build up in bushes in the previous decades of no fires which added to the reason the fires were so destructive as they had a lot of fuel to burn on. California is also at risk of flooding, both coastal and from rivers. These events are largely caused by excessive rainfall. In 1964 the Alaskan earthquake caused a tsunami which devastated parts of California, killing 14 residents. A more recent example of flooding was in December 2010 when hundreds of people were evacuated due to more than 12 inches of torrential rain falling, causing flooding and mudslides. This again caused a lot of economic damage. Other mudslides have occurred across the recent decades, often caused by earthquakes or flooding and erosion. In La Conchita there have been two major mudslides, one in 1995 the other in 2005. The more recent event was far more destructive, burying 15 homes and killing 10 people and was caused by excessive rainfall. In conclusion California is considered a disaster hotspot because its population is vulnerable to a variety of hazards which occur quite frequently and sometimes lead on from one another, for example if there is an earthquake landslides could occur as well as the initial destruction caused by the earthquake itself. As a developed state it has invested money and time to ensure the safety of its residents as much as is possible when the events are unpredictable.

Obama Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Obama Assignment - Essay Example e represent opportunities for a truly unprecedented series of changes that could change the way that the world thinks about America, and America about itself. The organisation of the U.S. government system in general, is fundamentally based on promoting American capitalism at its core, and unless a change in this vital paradigm is brought about it is difficult to achieve a shift in public policy. Obama has said that America must be as careful in withdrawing troops as it was careless in going to war – but at the heart of the matter is the bigger question of newly-acquired U.S. oil interests in Iraq, with one of the world’s major untapped resources. It is difficult to envisage the current U.S. administration to admit that there are vested economic interests in the war, and current political structure would certainly discourage the U.S. from making a U-turn. In turn, it is also linked to the energy crisis, as it will take time for America to build its renewable energy rese rves, and thus oil-related geopolitical considerations would continue for a while. The cost of war is another issue : American firms rebuilding Iraq are also part of the complex geopolitical chain of economic considerations. Even Obama’s personal profile and acceptability in the Arab world will hardly make it any easier to address this vital issue. Influencing public policy in this regard is likely to remain a major challenge fir the foreseeable future. Regarding the credit crisis and its effect on the American economy, the challenges are even greater. Obama’s agenda to create more jobs for Americans means that the existing credit-fuelled structure of the American market place has to be changed. Housing is one of the mainstays of American economic activity : to cause a shift to this will be a monumental task, as the housing sector is likely to stay depressed for a longer period of time. Obama will face an uphill task with the Congress to raise minimum wages, amend NAFTA to benefit

The European Union is often referred to as an international Essay

The European Union is often referred to as an international organisation sui generis (of its own kind). What makes the European - Essay Example Therefore the EU is primarily regarded as a supranational organization since it requires the transfer of some measure of sovereignty to the organs of the EU. Moreover, many decisions made by the EU are enforceable irrespective of member state cooperation and coordination.4 For example, in Cassis de Dijon the European Court of Justice ruled that a member state could not impose qualitative restrictions on goods from another member state.5 Moreover, in Kramer, it was held that where the EC had competence in a policy area, the member state could not act on its own accord.6 Thus the ECJ has ruled against the exercise of state sovereignty in giving force to the idea of a supranational EU. It has also been argued however, that the EU is nothing more than an example of regional integration since much of the political and economic integration networks within the EU, like all other regional organizations, depend on Member States’ voluntary compliance.7 In this paper it is argued, that a lthough the EU may share some similarities with regional and international organizations, it is substantively different and can best be described as a supranational organization and is the only one of its kind. The most important differences between the EU and other international organizations is the concept of shared sovereignty. From its inception, with the implementation of the Treaty of Rome 1957, the founding of the European Economic Community which only constituted 6 states, was an agreement in which each of the states â€Å"agreed to limit, but not totally transfer national sovereignty† in terms of â€Å"economic policy to a set of common institutions†.8 By virtue of the Treaty of Rome 1957, Member States agreed to common economic policies and the removal of trade barriers.9 While this alone would have made the founding arm of the EU similar to the World Trade Organization, the Treaty of Rome went farther requiring the establishment of a European Bank, policies for increasing employment and an amalgamation of transport and agricultural policies.10 In addition, sovereignty was transferred from among the Member States in terms of keeping with the common market principles to a Council of Europe, a Commission and a Court of Justice.11 With more states joining the Community, the Treaty of the European Union 1993 was signed in 1992 and is also known as the Maastricht Treaty which â€Å"absorbed the former† Community.12 The new Treaty (which has been amended to further clarify the functioning of the EU, by the Treaty of Lisbon 2007) went beyond economic union and added a pillar of political and legal union among the Member States.13 The Maastricht Treaty established a European Parliament and a Court of Auditors which expanded on the institutions developed by the Treaty of Rome 1957.14 In addition, the Maastricht Treaty established citizenship of all citizens of Member States.15 This aspect of citizenship not only cedes some measure of sove reignty to the EU, but also sets the EU apart from any other

Analyze effective communication practices within diverse contemporary Essay

Analyze effective communication practices within diverse contemporary families - Essay Example People are not as close to each other as they once were. The much older folks prefer their people close to them. This is unlike the younger ones who prefer the distance between family members to be relatively large. Mobile phones are the only connection that enables people to communicate. This paper will review some stages present in the family life cycle. Also, it will look into the effects that effective communication plays in the different family settings that exist today. There are different stages that are present in the family life cycle. This is the transition that different families undergo during certain phases in their lives. This means that a family can undergo changes in their lives as times change, and the need to adapt to their immediate environment arises (Tutwiler, 2005). The first stage in the family cycle is the where young adults leave their homes. This is maybe in search of emotional and financial stability. This they may achieve on their own or maybe through help. At this stage, they struggle to create their own identities by becoming self-reliant. The comfort that comes with achieving independence is what drives them. The second stage that comes in the family life cycle is the joining of a couple. This is either through marriage, or living together. Here, a couple gets to adapt to the changes by learning to live with their spouse, and all the people in the other person’s life. Commitment is the fundamental foundation on which this stage is based on (Gonzalez, 2005). Without commitment, the people in this arrangement may not have the ability to stand the test of time let alone have the time to create a family of their own. The third stage is the introduction of children into the family. Children bring a whole new dimension to the family structure. Room and time have to be created so as to accommodate them. They bring the family structure closer. This is sometimes

Objectives Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Objectives - Essay Example In other situations, some resources may be available but does not factor into consideration nature of hand washing requirements. The objective is addressing leadership requirements in which the management is supposed to provide these resources. Awareness and knowledge by the health care providers –Health care providers may lack the knowledge on how to tackle hygiene related issues. For example, some health providers do not wash their hands after transferring patients between departments/wards (Takahashi & Turale, 2010). In addressing this issue, policy should be formulated and implemented that informs the health care providers on importance of properly washing their hands after accomplishing health related requirement. Encouragement on hands washing rather than wearing gloves –it is appropriate to determine whether it is necessary in any situation for health care providers to wear gloves (Takahashi & Turale, 2010). It constitutes practice inquiry whereby the research tries to quantify when and necessity of wearing gloves vs. when not supposed to wear the

INDIVIDUAL COURSEWORK Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

INDIVIDUAL - Coursework Example ‘Blaak’ brands are much accommodative since they can go hand in hand with most colours and blaak simply was for the transformative quality of the colour. BLAAK has spread its geographical brand to Asia, US, Oceanic with new markets emerging in Africa. BLAAK philosophy remains but the visions has widened and now include other creation with colours other than black, and with the combination of innovation and imagination to create the new and unique style to bring believe to the market. These have lead to designs like the Cropped Tracksuit Trouser, Cropped shirt, Denim jackets and much more. Blaak developed inspirational men’s shirt with traditions of old U.K. embedded with English roses, and using English techniques that have been a tradition, with the detached collar, one can wear a tie or can go informal with half collar. BLAAK has sourced internationally to countries like France, US and many more countries. Strength Weakness Opportunity Threats Black colour Varie ty fashion designs Market niche   Ã‚  Geographic area   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Patent   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Strong brand name over dependence of one market niche high cost structure brilliant designers technological advancements cheap products from competitors -shift in consumer tastes Strength Black colour: - the dependence of the black colour which very much interacts with most   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  colours and fits in all spectra of lifestyle gives black the upper edge its brand. Variety fashion designs:-with the brilliant expertise in the field of design, blaak has an   Ã‚  Ã‚  upper advantage of giving the best to the consumers Market niche:-with a market niche of states and continents, Blaak has a market niche that is enough for growth and expansion which gives it upper hand in making profits only if geographic, physiographic and demographic segmentation is taken into conside ration. Patent: - patent is strength that blaak has considering it is a patent that bears a name of the ‘root material colour’ Weakness Over dependence of one market niche:-With the dependence of Britain as its main market, putting less emphasis in other markets, blaak has a weakness in that it has a growth opportunity but does not exploit fully. High cost structure: - the cost structure for maintaining and manufacturing its designs is higher compared if growth would have been expanded to other emerging markets which can offer cheaper production cost. Opportunities Emerging economies: - it pose a great opportunity to blaak, with these conditions of growing markets and population increase; investors may serve these markets profitably by adaptation of their strategies considering the local context. For example, groups with low income are prudent to be served with cost efficient mass products, with the emphasis on economies of scale and profits being earned by the large sa le volumes Brilliant designers: - With the designer’s brilliance in design, blaak has the best opportunity to provide for the changing consumer preference therefore satisfying the consumer’s needs and preference. Technological advancements: - with the advancement blaak technologically, blaak has the potential to produce more products that are advance and cheap due to technological advancement therefore meeting the market demand. Threats Threats from other competitors: - the

Scientific Management Essay Example for Free

Scientific Management Essay Scientific Management was a new form of management that evolved in the late 1800’s that was based on a number of principles that analyzed the activities of individuals, which in turn, optimized efficiency and productivity. In this essay I will discuss the major advances that were pioneered by Frederick Winslow Taylor, Henry Gantt and Frank and Lillian Gilbreth. Frederick Winslow Taylor was thought of as the most influential business guru of the twentieth century. 154) Taylor was a well -educated man that started his work as a laborer and quickly moved up to a chief engineer at Midvale Steel Company. Through his various positions and experience within this company he discovered many problems that were apparent between management and laborer. His first attempt in his creation of Scientific Management was to combat a process called â€Å"soldiering†. Taylor observed how the process of soldering led to low production because workers had intentionally worked slow, while making management believe they were working faster. Taylor identified two types of soldiering that workers practiced: natural and systematic. Natural soldiering was referred to as the â€Å"the natural instinct and tendency of men to take it easy. † Managers tried to overcome natural soldiering by forcing workers to be more productive. (123) Systematic soldiering was when workers all together would reason with one another to work slower. Taylor believed that workers systematically soldiered because of three main reasons. First, if workers completed their jobs faster, they believed they would be laid off. Secondly, when workers were paid by piece rate, if their production increased, they believed management would cut the piece rate requiring them to do more work for the same amount of pay they were receiving at the time. Finally, workers were accustomed to old work habits that were handed down from generation to generation. (124) Taylor believed that systematic soldiering posed more concerns than natural soldering. He thought that the problems arose because of management’s lack of responsibility to create proper jobs that offered good incentives. Taylor knew that a new industrial system would need to be created to correct the problems that were evident with management and laborer. Time Studies Taylor set out to develop a new system in an attempt to overcome the process of soldiering. Taylor believed he could determine how each job could be accomplished most efficiently and then establish performance standards based on his findings. (125) The first step in his system was defined as time studies, which was the beginning of Scientific Management. Taylor believed that he could overcome soldiering by determining what workers ought to be able to achieve with equipment and materials by scientifically setting performance standards. According to the authors of The Evolution of Management Thought â€Å"Taylor used a stop watch, weight scale and tape to literally measure the distances that workers and materials traveled. † (125) From his findings, Taylor discovered that workers used too much effort and materials to accomplish their tasks and believed this was mainly due to improper management. Taylor classified his time studies into two phases: analysis and synthesis. Analysis meant that each job was broken down into movements then the movement was described and recorded along with enough time allowed for unavoidable delays. Synthesis was all the movements in the correct sequence to determine the time and exact method for performing a job. (126)Taylor’s time studies created improvements in all elements that surround a job, careful examination of individuals at work led to a more efficient approach to perform tasks which ultimately reduced effort and increased production. Improved Incentives Taylor noticed that the traditional incentives for workers were discouraged in more ways than one. Taylor believed that management needed to create new incentive rates. Profit sharing and the old ways of paying positions instead of men, seemed to be inefficient methods. Taylor devised a three part plan that improved incentives which consisted of using time studies to set standards and pay rates, a differential piecework system that paid employees a higher rate per piece if they finished their work faster than specified, and lastly, paying the men instead of paying the positions. He believed that performance standards should be set before piece rates and rest period should be given more often to decrease fatique. Additionally, Taylor saw a need for a mutuality of interests between manager and worker and devised a system that would benefit both sides. The belief held by people was that higher wages led to higher costs. In turn, Taylor proved that higher wages would lead to lower costs and increased production with less effort. Employers didn’t have to pay low wages in order to gain momentum in the industry. Taylor also believed that some people are better suited for a position based on their will and ambition; he referred to these people as â€Å"first class workers. † Taylor urged that performance standards should be based on a first class workers pace and believed that management was responsible for identifying these types of workers. Throughout the years people assumed that production was increased by people working longer and harder, but the truth was, production increased if people worked smarter not harder. People used their resources more wisely and learned the most efficient way to complete a job. Task Management System Taylor’s task management system utilized the time studies to dictate how long a task should take to be completed and used careful planning with detailed written instructions to assign tasks to workers. Taylor thought to motivate workers based on how long it took them to complete their job. The workers that finished their job in the allotted time received higher wages compared to those who did not. Management was aided in their tasks by a new term Taylor referred to as â€Å"functional foremanship†. Taylor felt that managers should have certain qualities in order for them to be efficient supervisors which include special and technical knowledge, tact, brains, energy, common sense and good health. Taylor used this selection process to determine what tasks managers should perform. This new system of planned performance allowed each person to be in charge of a different responsibility. Managers skills were specialized which resulted in a decrease in time it took to recruit and hire people who may not be a good fit. This system dramatically changed the way tasks were planned, before this time workplace layout determined how tasks were performed. Taylor went on to put his ideas into writing with a book called The Principles of Scientific Management. This book was a significant advance of the times and made Taylor a national hero in just twenty four hours. His findings that were released in this book, sparked much controversy, but ultimately gained popularity. His book was translated into many different languages just two years after the publication. (141) Taylor was credited for leading the world towards efficiency in more ways than one. Henry Gantt There were many people who followed Taylor’s scientific approach to management thought. One of these followers that had contributed greatly to management thought was Henry Gantt. Gantt was a man that recognized the demands of the world and knew he could have a better chance at making it in life by becoming educated. He obtained a mechanical engineer degree and began his work at the Midvale Steel Company alongside of Frederick Taylor. After working with Taylor, Gantt turned out to be strongly influenced by his ideas about how to manage industry. Gantt became one of Taylor’s leading disciples and moved on to create his own ways to improve management methods and make an industry more efficient. Like Taylor, Gantt knew that there was a need for a mutuality of interest between management and worker. Gantt believed that this theory started with the worker, he argued that the workingman was the most important element in management. (159) He urged that a successful atmosphere in industry was eminent when the employer has the best worker for the position and the worker believes his work is sold at the highest price. Task and Bonus System As Gantt began to examine the managers and workers more closely, he devised a task and bonus system, which was similar to Taylor’s differential piece rate system. Gantt experimented with his ideas before he found the system that was the best solution. He would offer bonuses to workers that completed a task in less than standard time, he offered bonuses to first line supervisors based on each workers performance to complete their task in the allotted time and offered an additional bonus to supervisors if all the workers completed their task in the time limit. He found that this system encouraged supervisors to become better leaders by teaching and helping workers to achieve maximum performance. This was an important concept that shifted management from forcing workers to meet standards to leading them in a cooperative manner. After a while, workers and management started to resist the work methods Gantt created. The workers went on strike and Gantt eventually had to find and train replacements. This occurrence led Gantt to believe that management owned the role of training workers more thoroughly. In addition, Gantt added more training that used industriousness and cooperation, which he referred to as the â€Å"habits of industry†. According to the authors of The Evolution of Management Thought, â€Å"Gantt felt that as a result of doing their work promptly and to the best of their ability, workers would experience pride that comes from quality as well as quantity to work. † (161) Gantt believed that the management and laborer would be benefitted equally; employee would be paid higher wages leading to lower costs and the employer would have a greater output of production. Gantt Progress Chart As Gantt attempted to conquer the problems associated with management and laborer with the task and bonus system, he set out to devise a system to aid management in planning and coordinating workloads. After several attempts, Gantt pioneered a bar chart which was known to be the most valuable contribution to management of the generation. (163) The Gantt Progress Chart showed how work should be scheduled or directed through numerous operations, to completion. This chart allowed managers to distinguish whether a job was ahead or behind schedule, then management could take whatever means were necessary to correct the issue. The Gantt chart became a widely used efficient tool to support management in decision making and helped ensure that resources were being used proficiently. The Gilbreth’s Frank and Lillian Gilbreth were also followers of Frederick Taylor’s Scientific Management principles. Frank had greatly contributed to management thought with his invention of the motion studies. Frank began his studies while working as a bricklayer. He started examining the bricklaying process and began to eliminate the steps or motions from 18 to 6. He saw that people could do twice as much work with less effort if the job was done the right way. Frank looked to remove the motions that were unnecessary in jobs, in order to reduce fatigue and increase productivity. After his invention of the motion studies, he moved to focus his work on the construction business. He used the same methods to build homes, dams, factories, skyscrapers and even whole towns. (168) As Frank gained increasing popularity, his wife persuaded him to put his work into writing. His work consisted of three systems: the field, concrete and bricklaying system. The field system was mainly used in construction as an accounting system. This system showed costs, costs in relation to estimates and the total costs of each specific job. In addition, Frank used a suggestion program that enabled workers to obtain extra money for their suggestions on how to improve a job. This would ultimately lead to better service for the customers and additional jobs in the future. (169) Under the concrete system, Frank used competition to motivate the workers. He held contests to see how fast workers could complete a job. Lastly, was the bricklaying system, he used this system to effectively train the workers. He believed apprentices should learn the best way to do a job before standards are set. He believed the earlier methods of instruction from the experienced workers were inefficient and created too much waste. These systems showed how Frank rationalized work methods, improved productivity and ensured efficiency by motivating and correctly training workers by transferring their skills. As Frank started to expand his interests, he looked for better ways to identify inefficient motions. Frank came up with the brilliant idea to use a camera to examine the motions of workers. He then would eliminate the waste based on the analysis. Frank and Lillian also filmed workers attached with small electrical lights; when their movement was slowest they would see a bunch of dots, while they would see sporadic dots when their movement was at a faster pace. The use of camera to observe the movements of workers seemed to be more useful and accurate than Taylor’s use of the stopwatch. As time went by, Frank and Lillian started to detach from Taylor’s methods. Lillian went on to focus her thoughts on â€Å"The Psychology of Management. She studied the effects that work has on humans and held that successful management was determined by the man, not the work. While Lillian tried to determine the most effective and efficient approach to management, she had to compare the three styles that were created: traditional, transitory and scientific. Traditional management created anxiety by relying on rewards and punishment to motivate workers and essentially there was no mutuality of interest between management and worker. Transitory management was the short term style that was incomplete and ill directed before scientific management emerged. Essentially, According to the authors of The Evolution of Management Thought, Lillian believed that scientific management was the best style because it â€Å"promoted regular work, encouraged good personal habits, and fostered the physical, mental, moral, and financial development of workers. (174) Lillian recognized the human factor in work which led her to pioneer human resource management. This creation of human resource management was a significant advance of the times that led industries to obtain the best workers for the positions at hand by the scientific selection, training and placement of the workers. Frederick Taylor, Henry Gantt and Frank and Lillian Gilbreth contributed greatly to the scientific management movement. Close examination of management and workers led to new concepts that improved work methods and incentives, motivated workers, eliminated motions, reduced fatigue and increased production. All of these factors allowed for industries to become more efficient than ever before. Managers gained the proper tools and knowledge that enabled them to train, select and place workers where they were best suited. These concepts that were put into practice in the late 1800’s are still widely used today in the workplace.