Thursday, October 17, 2019
Leadership Self Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Leadership Self Assessment - Essay Example However, when I adopted the autocratic style of leadership, I noticed that it had made me build a shell around myself and had blocked people’s access to me in many ways. My sternness had provided people with reasons to think negatively about me. Since those were my initial days in the organization, I needed to thoroughly examine the organization to understand its culture, processes and systems and the autocratic style of leadership was serving as a hindrance in me achieving these. This also deterred me from making informed decisions since I did not have much awareness of the organizational systems and as an autocratic leader, it was not suitable to seek advice of my juniors. So I decided to change my approach. I slowly transformed my autocratic style of leadership into a democratic style. It was certainly not easy. More than a change in the style of leadership, it required me to bring a revolutionary change in my personality and image that I projected before my subordinates and followers. Although it did take me some time to bring this 180 degree change in my personality and image, yet it was not impossible to achieve. I used certain strategies and key principles to improve my level of communication and enrich my interaction with my subordinates and followers. The first step I took was opening communication channels with my subordinates and followers. I regularly arranged meetings in which I communicated them my views and opinions, and heard theirs also. I also added many of my subordinates and followers to my profile on Facebook and Twitter to foster greater understanding both ways. Adding them as friends not only helped me have a greater insight into their daily activities, interests, h obbies, and social life both within and beyond the workplace, it also helped them clarify their doubts about me and understand my personality better. Slowly, I noticed a change in their attitude toward me, and for the most part, the change was
Doctors from Hell by Vivien Spitz Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
Doctors from Hell by Vivien Spitz - Essay Example Not a whimper of protest is raised by the doctors against the orders by Adolph Hitler. Why do the doctors fail to abide by the noble ethics of their medical profession and succumb to the dictates of the Nazi regime to commit atrocities of the worst order on innocent human beings? The main issue is, why the entire German medical fraternity turns demonic, and what makes them to wean away from their traditional vocation of serving the sick? Vivien Spitz defends her position to the military authority, which is skeptical about her ability to carry out the onerous and dangerous responsibility as the court reporter at Nuremberg trials thus: â€Å"I have to go to see for myself. I’m a court reporter, and the War Department needs court reporters. I want to take these doctors’ testimony watch their face. I want to hear how they defend these terrible atrocities and experiments on human beings.†(8) The book, â€Å"Doctors from Hell: The Horrific Account of Nazi Experiments on Humans,†is born, through her blazing pen and the steely determination. Two types of wars are waged in Germany after Hitler comes to power in 1933. The normal war when soldiers of the opposite camps kill each other, and another war, that is devoid of conscience to exterminate a particular race from the face of earth. They include children, women, able-bodied and the mentally and physically sick. German soldiers begin to kill all those from a particular community with whom they have no previous personal enmity. Spitz writes, â€Å"After Hitler came to power in 1933, a Superior Genetic Health Court was established. Thus began the perverse degradation of German medicine and the demonic human experimentation and murder of thousands of innocent people by willing German doctors.†(2)Are they up to a medical cause or a political adventure? What are their ulterior motives and the hidden agenda? The important question is how the medical fraternity takes the lead and commits he inous atrocities against the defenseless human being lying flat in front of them which even the fighting forces would not have done in the normal conditions? To kill a man by firing bullets from a weapon is understandable. But to use a doctor’s knife, cut one by part by part, torture and lead one to slow death of agony is barbaric. In this essay an attempt has been made to discuss the issues related to medical trials, to determine the role of medical practitioners in the extermination system and the perverse acts committed by them in the cause of so-called medical research. How and why the German medical practitioners go insane. Are the acts committed due to political pressure or for the sadistic pleasure, also known as medical research for the benefits of the generations to come? How does it progress unabated with no authority to restrain the atrocities committed by highly professional doctors? How the best friend of the sick people turns out to be the worst enemy, whose ver y presence sends shivers for the man in front of him? Spitz gives the historical evidence as for the behaviour of the doctors. She argues, â€Å"Science and ideology are treacherous partners. When an ounce of science is mixed with a ton of zealotry, catastrophic results can be anticipated.†(xvi) The well-trained physicians turn overenthusiastic as the result of the relentless Nazi propaganda that they are expected to perform a great national duty to the
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Second Life Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Second Life - Research Paper Example On the other hand this application cannot be separated from the lives of individuals because it has proved to play an essential part in people’s lives. Any person who is not aware or is not using the application should reconsider his or her or her priorities in social life. Many companies are using this application to conduct a variety of activities ranging from internal communication, conducting meetings, product testing, corporate communication among others. It presents the companies with an added advantage as they are able to conduct various activities using this application in a cost effective manner. Meetings are easily conducted with people in various regions; products are easily tested before they are released to the mass market to assess the impact they will have on the target consumers. An organization is also able to publicize its activities not only to the people in the region where it exists but also to many other people from different parts of the world. Individua ls using second life live a very different and interesting life as compared to others who are not using it. They learn entrepreneurial skills through the various business activities that are available on second life. Secondly people are able to socialize and get to know each other in the virtual world. Instead of having friends within the same regions individuals can extend their network of friends and enjoy themselves in the various islands that are available on second life. Another important thing about this application is its use is therapy especially treating people with certain disorders or those who have been abused. It is evident from the above points that second life is an important application that has changed the way people and organizations conduct their activities, ranging from communications, product testing, meetings and PR activities to socializing and entrepreneurial activities. This is done without incurring any costs for any of the parties involved. They can use th e application to conduct their activities whenever they are whether for organizational or personal benefit. It can thus be concluded that second life actually plays an integral part in organizations and in peoples’ lives. It is an application that is essential for everyday activities and helps people and organizations in doing a variety of things that would actually not have been possible in the real world. 1. SECOND LIFE Second life as popularly known is the largest 3D online virtual world that was developed by Phillip linden of the Linden Laboratories in San Francisco in the United States of America1. It has tens of millions of Square meters of land considered virtual and more than thirteen million numbers of registered members or users also called residents and a very active economy2. It was launched in 2003 by the Linden Laboratories and has changed many aspects of the virtual world industry. Since it was launched way back in 2003 its developers have continued to improve on many aspects of its functionality adding features such as the VoIP that allows various users to speak to one another in the virtual world3. They have also improved on features such as environmental features that imitate the real environment for example the flowing water, wind and tree movements. Figure 1. Number of user hours from 2009- 2011 on second life Year 2009 2010 2010 2010 2010 2011 Months (Quarterly) Oct- Dec Jan- March April-June July-Sept Oct-Dec Jan-March User hours In millions 113 116 109 105 105 104 Source: http://www.metaversejournal.com/2011/05/12/first-quarter-2011-results-for-second-life-steady-sailing/
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Doctors from Hell by Vivien Spitz Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
Doctors from Hell by Vivien Spitz - Essay Example Not a whimper of protest is raised by the doctors against the orders by Adolph Hitler. Why do the doctors fail to abide by the noble ethics of their medical profession and succumb to the dictates of the Nazi regime to commit atrocities of the worst order on innocent human beings? The main issue is, why the entire German medical fraternity turns demonic, and what makes them to wean away from their traditional vocation of serving the sick? Vivien Spitz defends her position to the military authority, which is skeptical about her ability to carry out the onerous and dangerous responsibility as the court reporter at Nuremberg trials thus: â€Å"I have to go to see for myself. I’m a court reporter, and the War Department needs court reporters. I want to take these doctors’ testimony watch their face. I want to hear how they defend these terrible atrocities and experiments on human beings.†(8) The book, â€Å"Doctors from Hell: The Horrific Account of Nazi Experiments on Humans,†is born, through her blazing pen and the steely determination. Two types of wars are waged in Germany after Hitler comes to power in 1933. The normal war when soldiers of the opposite camps kill each other, and another war, that is devoid of conscience to exterminate a particular race from the face of earth. They include children, women, able-bodied and the mentally and physically sick. German soldiers begin to kill all those from a particular community with whom they have no previous personal enmity. Spitz writes, â€Å"After Hitler came to power in 1933, a Superior Genetic Health Court was established. Thus began the perverse degradation of German medicine and the demonic human experimentation and murder of thousands of innocent people by willing German doctors.†(2)Are they up to a medical cause or a political adventure? What are their ulterior motives and the hidden agenda? The important question is how the medical fraternity takes the lead and commits he inous atrocities against the defenseless human being lying flat in front of them which even the fighting forces would not have done in the normal conditions? To kill a man by firing bullets from a weapon is understandable. But to use a doctor’s knife, cut one by part by part, torture and lead one to slow death of agony is barbaric. In this essay an attempt has been made to discuss the issues related to medical trials, to determine the role of medical practitioners in the extermination system and the perverse acts committed by them in the cause of so-called medical research. How and why the German medical practitioners go insane. Are the acts committed due to political pressure or for the sadistic pleasure, also known as medical research for the benefits of the generations to come? How does it progress unabated with no authority to restrain the atrocities committed by highly professional doctors? How the best friend of the sick people turns out to be the worst enemy, whose ver y presence sends shivers for the man in front of him? Spitz gives the historical evidence as for the behaviour of the doctors. She argues, â€Å"Science and ideology are treacherous partners. When an ounce of science is mixed with a ton of zealotry, catastrophic results can be anticipated.†(xvi) The well-trained physicians turn overenthusiastic as the result of the relentless Nazi propaganda that they are expected to perform a great national duty to the
The Status Of E-Commerce Essay Example for Free
The Status Of E-Commerce Essay Introduction            This chapter present the findings of the survey completed. The survey was conducted through the distribution of questionnaires. Such instrument contained three parts with a total of 21 questions. Each part dealt with a distinct subject matter which is vital and relevant to the aims of this research. All questions are centered on online shopping through Chinese websites and the attitudes and beliefs of people that influence their choices. The discussion will follow the flow of the questionnaire beginning with demographical questions.            A total of 250 questionnaires were distributed. However, only 221 were considered valid. The remaining 29 were either never returned or invalid due to the incomplete answers or information. Demographics of the Sample            Determining the demographic characteristics of the respondents is a vital element of any research. Such demographic information allows the researcher to create a profile of the sample. Furthermore, demographic characteristics may influence certain responses from the sample which may then lead to vital information for the research.            Of the 221 respondents, 125 were male and 96 were female. These figures are conducive to the study as the sample is not dominated by either gender. The ages of the respondents were varied. However, the greatest number of respondents placed their age between 19 and 29. 82 responded that they were between 19 and 29 while 63 responded that they were between 30 and 39. Shown below are the graphs of such findings: It was also determined that most of the respondents held undergraduate degrees. 82 members of the sample placed their educational background at the undergraduate postgraduate level. Likewise, only 18 of the respondents said that they did not finish high school. The graph below shows the breakdown of the sample based on educational background: The following question dealt with the monthly income of the members of the sample. 31.67% of the sample placed their income in the 2000 to 4000 RMB bracket while 25.34% said that the income was in the range of 4000 to 6000 RMB. Only 19 respondents placed their income to be less than 2000 RMB a month. The following chart provides an illustration of such findings: With such demographic information provided, a profile of the sample can then be created. Based on the given demographic data, it can be assumed that majority of the sample is made up of professionals who hold jobs that provide sufficient or more than sufficient income. Also, these individuals are well-educated which would mean that they are up-to-date with the present trends and technologies. The monthly income is highly relevant for it is a determinant of the dispensable income that is used purchase goods and services that are offered through e-commerce websites. The age of the respondents is likewise vital for people between the ages of 18 and 39 have been identified as the most likely to make online purchases. (Pew Internet, 2008)            The demographic profile of the sample reflects the widely acknowledged belief that online shoppers are younger, better educated, and high income earners. As Pew Internet (2008) stated, â€Å"Some expected demographic factors account for some of the differences between online shoppers and other internet users. Online purchasers tend to be younger, better educated, and higher-income than those who have not bought a product over the internet.†Internet Usage and Online Shopping            The next segment of the survey aimed to gather data on the respondents’ internet usage and online shopping. The survey reveals that most of the respondents are seasoned users of the internet. As the graph below would show, most of the member of the sample have been using the internet for more than 3 years. Specifically, all of the respondents have used the internet with almost 78% of them acknowledging that they have used the internet for more than three years.  Not only are the respondents seasoned users of the internet, they are frequent users as well. Question 6 aimed to gather information as to how often the respondents used the internet. Out of 221 responses, 104 indicated that they use the internet daily while 75 answered that they accessed the worldwide web weekly. The responses show that the internet is an integral part of the everyday life of the respondents. For the majority of them, not a week goes by without them accessing the internet. Such data is graphically shown below: Respondents were likewise asked to state whether they have ever made an online purchase. 155 said yes while 66 said that they have yet to complete an online transaction. This means that 70 percent of the respondents have had experience using e-commerce websites. Thus, the information that they would share will be extremely valuable for their opinions would be based on actual experiences. Also, another question in the survey asked those respondents who have made an online purchase to indicate when their last online transaction was. 95 out of the 155 who said yes answered that their last online purchase was a month ago. This figure represents 61% of the total number of respondents who have made an online purchase. Provided below is the graph of the said data: What such data indicates is that online shopping has yet to become a habit for the respondents. Despite their frequent use of the internet, actual online purchases do not occur that often. This likewise shows that online shopping is not the primary purpose of internet usage.  Such finding is further strengthened by the information shown in the following graph. The answers to question 8 indicate that the respondents use the internet for reasons other than online shopping. 45% of the responses show that the participants only have occasional use of the internet to look for products or items to buy. These figures strengthen the earlier assertion made. They indicate that people have yet to fully utilize the internet for online shopping. The responses to question 8 are summarized below: It is evident that online shopping has yet to become a habit for the Chinese. Although they are habitual users of the internet, online shopping is not their primary purpose for accessing the worldwide web.            Having established the frequency of online shopping among the respondents, it is vital to determine how much they like online shopping. Question 10 in the survey specifically dealt with this matter. The responses gathered reveal that the respondents are not very akin to online shopping. 70 respondents rated that they only somewhat like online shopping and only 6 responded that they liked online shopping very much. Also, 34% of the respondents acknowledged that they were not so much fond of online shopping.  The graph below provides a detailed view of the responses: These responses reveal that there is hesitation on the part of the respondents about online shopping. Although they did not clearly reject the idea of purchasing products through e-commerce websites, the majority of them were uncertain as to how much they liked online shopping. There are reasons as to why such hesitation exists. It is critical that such reasons be explored as analyzing such information is vital to the achievement of the objectives of this research.            In question 11, respondents were asked to state the reasons why they purchase online. They were required to rate the given reasons on the basis of importance on a scale of 1 to 8 with options given a rating of 1 being the most important. Respondents were given 8 options and were given the freedom to pick and rate as many reasons as they want. To determine which reason was deemed as the most important reason for shopping online, the researcher devised a scoring scheme. A rating of 1 was given a score of 8. The score decreases as the level increases. Based on this scheme, if an option is given a rating of 8, it will gain a score of 1. The following table summarizes the point system: RATING GIVEN EQUIVALENT NUMBER OF POINTS 1 (Most Important) 8 2 7 3 6 4 5 5 4 6 3 7 2 8 (Least Important) 1 Based on the given point system, the score of each option were determined. This involved multiplying the number of responses for a given option at a given level/rating by the corresponding score/points. The sum of scores of a given option at the different levels is the total score of the said option. This process determined the option that was given the highest rating. The total score determines how important the respondents perceived the reason to be. Such method revealed that the most important reason why the respondents shopped online was the convenience of online shopping. Convenience received a score of 1087. This score was far greater than the rest since the next highest score was 793. This is the score accumulated by the reason that people shop online for items that are not available in local shops. The reason that had the lowest score is curiosity, which only garnered 57 points. The graph below summarizes the results of the said question: It is clear that the people shop online primarily because they find it convenient. Since online shopping does not require them to physically be at the shop, they can make purchases from anywhere and from any store online.            Another important factor that the questionnaire dealt with was the products that consumers commonly purchase from e-commerce websites. The 12th question in the survey aimed to gather such data. Respondents were asked to identify the products or services that they usually buy online. They were free to choose as many products or services as they want. The responses to the said question are summarized in the following graph: From the graph above, it can be seen that two types of products are commonly purchased online. Books and accessories were chosen 132 and 122 times respectively. It must be noted that these were the only two choices which had more than 100 respondents. The product that had the least number of responses was second hand goods, which was picked by only 28 respondents. This result is critical for auction sites which are the common sources of second hand goods. However, elaborating on such finding is beyond the coverage of this research.            Just as the respondents were asked to name the reasons why they choose to shop online, they were likewise asked to state the probable reasons why they would not purchase products or services offered through the internet. The results of question 13, which deals with this subject are vital for it will help explain the hesitation of respondents with online shopping as revealed in the discussion of the 10th question of the survey. (see page 8 of this section) Respondents were given 16 different reasons as to why they would not shop online. They were asked to rate their choice in terms of importance with options given a rating of 1 as the most important reason why they would choose not to complete online purchases. Furthermore, they were allowed to pick and rate as many options as they want. Since this question involves ratings, the results will be evaluated using the same methodology that this researcher utilized for question 11 of the survey. The same point system will be used. Although respondents had 13 different ratings to choose from, only ratings 1 to 8 received at least one response. Therefore, the researcher decided not to include ratings 9 to 13 in the evaluation and the same point system earlier described will utilized. The results of the evaluation, specifically the total points for each of the options given are graphed below: It is evident from the graph that the respondents were hesitant about shopping online because of the uncertainty with the quality of products that are sold in e-commerce websites. Such reason received a score of 1,243, the highest score among the given choices. The results also indicate that part of the reason why people refuse to shop online is their uncertainty over the security and privacy of the personal information they are required to give out when making online purchases. The following choices and their corresponding scores refer to security issues associated with online purchases: I worry about people may misuse my personal details 882 I do not trust online payment systems 862 I worry about someone may steal my credit card details online 714 I feel unsafe to provide personal information online 649 I do not trust e-commerce companies 574 These options obtained 5 out of the top 7 scores. Such finding is highly significant for it pinpoints a critical concern regarding online shopping, the security of personal and financial information. Furthermore, this result reveals the need to address such security concerns in order to better ensure the safety of online shoppers.            Another question that the respondents were asked to answer was whether they have had a bad experience with online shopping. This was succeeded by a question asking those who have had bad experiences to describe such. Of the 221 responses, 83% said that they have yet to have a bad experience with online shopping. The 17% or 38 respondents who declared that they have had a bad experience with online shopping were asked to describe their experience. The results of such question and the preceding question are shown below: Question 15: Please you briefly describe the experience           No response when I required the vender to replace the goods. 19 Network outage issues. 4 Vendor delayed refund when I return the goods. 15 The results indicate that online shoppers commonly have trouble after the sale has been made. Dealing with the vendors after the sale has been completed is the problem that often arises that thereby leads to the online shopper having a bad experience. The results of question 15 are indicative of this finding since 34 out of the 38 responses named vendor-related issues.            The same respondents who said that they have had a bad experience with online shopping were asked, in question 16, to indicate what such bad experience led them to do. It is important to note that not one of the 38 respondents said that the experience led them to stop shopping from the Chinese e-commerce websites completely. Instead, 21 out of the 38 respondents said that their bad experience made them more careful in dealing with and completing online transactions with Chinese e-commerce websites. Such finding indicates that bad experiences with vendors do not deter people from continuing to shop online. Instead, such bad experiences only heighten the shoppers’ awareness of the risks or possible issues that they need to look out for when shopping from such websites. Preferred Payment method = Security            Questions 17 and 18 focused on the payment method preferred and the reason why they preferred such method. The results of question 17 show that payment on delivery was the most preferred payment method by online shoppers as 117 of the 221 respondents chose it. Paypal was the second most preferred method with 56 responses. Respondents indicated that their choice of payment method is influenced primarily by the security that such payment method. 218 out of 221 respondents cited â€Å"Most Secured†as their reason for picking the payment method they prefer. Payment on delivery is indeed the most secure method since the shopper need not worry about paying for the item and not receiving it. It is the most guaranteed method since it does not put the shopper’s money at risk.       In the next question, the respondents were asked to determine how relevant certain factors are to their confidence in Chinese e-commerce websites. For each given factor, the respondents were asked to state how much they agree or disagree with the statement. The table below summarizes the responses to the said question: The table reveals several critical findings. First, it shows that most people are wary of the information contained in websites. In other words, the respondents are uncertain of the website’s contents. Product quality is also a major concern of online shoppers. This finding is consistent with the results of earlier questions in the survey.            The final two questions in the survey dealt with the respondent’s opinion on security and trust issues with regards to e-commerce websites and the relevant steps that they believe should be taken to address such critical issue. All of the respondents agree that the trust issues of Chinese e-commerce sites should be addressed and tackled. All 221 respondents stated that tackling such issues is important for the improvement and development of Chinese e-commerce websites.            The last question of the survey asked the respondents to give their recommendations as to how the trust issues of Chinese e-commerce websites should be addressed. They were likewise asked to determine the rank of their reasons from 1 to 10 with 1 being the most important and 10 being the least important reason. The table below presents the summary of results for the said question: From the data gathered, it is apparent that people see the need for e-commerce laws in China to be established. Furthermore, most of the recommendations that the respondents chose or cited are related to the laws that govern e-commerce in China. Thus, it is evident that they believe that protecting the welfare of online consumers is the duty of the Chinese government. Among the ten recommendations listed, the two that were picked as most important on more occasions are those that concern government duty in the process. Summary            The discussion has shown that Chinese internet users, although seasoned and experienced users of the internet, are not keen on making online purchases. Based on the data gathered, it is evident that their hesitation to purchase goods online is rooted in their concerns over the security of their information and on the possibility that the websites are fraudulent. Furthermore, the survey revealed that trust is a very critical issue to internet users. Finally, the survey showed that Chinese online shoppers believe that it is the China’s government’s duty to protect the welfare of online shoppers through the establishment of relevant laws and policies. References Pew Internet. Online Shopping: Internet users like the convenience but worry about the security of their financial information. Feb. 2008. Retrieved online 18 Aug 2008 from: http://www.pewinternet.org.
Monday, October 14, 2019
Petrochemical Industry Introduction To Chemical Engineering Assignment Engineering Essay
Petrochemical Industry Introduction To Chemical Engineering Assignment Engineering Essay Introduction Petrochemical industry is being chosen as our main topic for the introduction to Chemical Engineering assignment. Petrochemical is the second level products being derived from crude oil after several refining processes. These chemicals are typically extracted during the refining process as crude oil and gas are distilled or cracked, and they can be utilized in a wide variety of ways. Petrochemical can be used to manufacture polyvinyl chloride (PVC). PVC is one of the oldest synthetic materials with the longest history in industrial production.  Its early history is of multiple and accidental discovery in different places at different times as well as unsuccessful quests for commercial application. During the 1950s many more companies started to produce PVC and volumes increased dramatically around the world. PVC products rapidly became essential to the construction industry; the plastics resistance to light, chemicals and corrosion made it the best option for building applications. Improvement made to the materials resistance to extreme temperatures, allowed for PVC to be transporting water to thousands of homes and industries. PVCs low cost, excellent durability and process ability make it the material of choice for dozens of industries such as health care, IT, transport, textiles and construction. The chemical process for making PVC involves taking the simplest unit, called the monomer, and linking these monomer molecules together in the polymerization process. Various additives including stabilizers and plasticizers need to be added to PVC resin to create a compound that meets the requirement of the end product and of the processing technology to be used. Importance of Petrochemical Industry in Our Society The petrochemical industry is a complex industry that affects all spheres of life. Most items used in everyday life such as plastic products and soaps owe their existence to petrochemicals. The petrochemical industry connects downstream sectors such as pharmaceuticals with the upstream oil and gas industry.  The petrochemical industry converts feed stocks such as naphtha and natural gas components such as butane, ethane and propane through steam cracking or catalytic cracking into petrochemical building blocks such as olefins and aromatics. While olefins include ethylene, propylene, methanol and C4 stream such as butadiene, aromatics include benzene, toluene and xylene. The petrochemicals of commercial importance in the petrochemical industry include ethylene, propylene, benzene and xylene. These petrochemical building blocks are further processed to yield final products such as paints, polyester and plastics. Take ethylene for instance. It is processed into ethyl benzene, ethylen e oxide, ethylene dichloride, ethyl alcohol, acetaldehyde and polyethylene. These undergo further transformation to yield a wide range of products such as tyres, detergents, agrochemicals and plastic products. Originally, most plastics were made from the resins of plant matter. But it wasnt long before plastics were developed from petrochemicals. The packaging industry, the leading user of plastics, accounts for about one-third of total U.S. production. The building industry ranks second, which uses plastic to make insulation, moulding, pipes, roofing, siding, and frames for doors and windows. Other industries, including automobile and truck manufacturing, also rely heavily on plastics. The United States was hardly alone in its rising use of petroleum products. Throughout the world, increased industrialization and rapid population growth created new and greater demands for oil. By the late 1950s, petrochemicals became one of the largest industries, and control over the sources and transportation of oil became a major national and international political issue. The Supply and Demand The raw material used for the production Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC) is Vinyl Chloride Monomer (VCM). Naphtha, which refers to a several different liquid mixtures of hydrocarbon, is the major feed stock used for the production of VCM. The global VCM supply capacity in the year 2009 was 40.0 million tons which 50.8 % of it is based on Naphtha as feedstock. 27.2 % of the global capacity was based on Natural gas for feedstock followed by 17.2% by coal while only 4.7 % of the global capacity was based on other feed stocks. In terms of region oriented, Asia- Pacific had the largest production capacity in 2009 with 18.1 million tons of production which stands 45.1% of the market share followed by Europe with a production capacity of 10.4 million tons and a share of 25.8%. The Middle East had the capacity of 2.0 million tons and a share of 5.2% while South and Central America were closely behind with 1.6 million tons of production capacity with a share of 3.9%. Based on the report Vinyl Chloride Monomer (VCM) Global Dynamics to 2020, global VCM demand in the year 2000 was 20.7 million tons and it grew at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.8% from the year 2000 to 2009 in which the demand in the latter year had reached 29 million tons. The report has also indicates that there will be increase in demand of VCM with growth of are a CAGR of 5.4% from 2009 to 2020. This means if the reports expectation is correct, the demand of VCM this year will be 32 million tones and by the year 2020, the demand will be reaching 50 million tones. Out of the 29 million tons of VCM demand in the year 2009, Asia-Pacific has the highest demand in the industry with 16.4 million tons with a major share of 56.4%. The North America had a demand of 5.9 million tons and its share was 20.3% while Europe had a VCM demand of 4.8 million tons, followed by South and Central America with demand of 1.2 million tons. The demand share owned by Europe was 16.5% while 4.1% of demand market share is occupied by South and Central America. The Middle East had a demand of only mere 0.8 million tons along with demand share of only 2.7%. In conclusion, we can see that the major demand of VCM is in Asia Pacific and this is also where the production capacity of VCM is highest in a region around the world. Hence, we can conclude that the production capacity is usually closely related to the demand of the region. Prospect of the industry The production of PVC is a chemical industry. To be more specific, it is a synthetic material industry. It is considered a segment of overall chemical industry with manufacturers representing 20% of chemical industry. The plastic industry, which manufacturing of PVC is, stands around 70% of the whole synthetic material industry which also includes rubber and manmade fibres. The production of PVC requires a lot of process which in turn will require a big plant for the manufacturing as well as storing. The manufacturing process is complex which requires an expertise in the field. Hence, the industry requires the skill and knowledge of a chemical engineer to maintain the plant as well as solving problem that exists within the manufacturing process. Besides, transportation of raw materials is also needed to be coordinated by the manufacturer to lower to cost to yield more profit. From the supply and demand perspectives, both of it is growing from year to year basis which is thoroughly discussed at Supply and Demand section. The reason to the increase in demand is due to the usage of this PVC material, mainly in piping but also diversify to other utilities like plastic for manufacturing of table lamp. On the other hand , the supply of raw material increases due to the demand. The industry plays an important role to the consumer in providing them the product as well as to the economy in making profit and providing jobs opportunity. Impact on the Environment During the manufacturing of PVC process, wastes such as production residue sand installation waste which give impact on the environment will be released out. vinyl chloride monomer is used to produce the polymer polyvinyl chloride (PVC). VCM can be a carcinogen, can cause a rare form of cancer which known as angiosarcoma. Excluding its flammability potential at release, VCM quickly dissipates posing slight threat to human health in form of diluted form and quickly degenerates when exposed to normal daylight as in the open atmosphere. During the polymerization process, basically all of the VCM is changed into the inert polymer chains that form the PVC plastic. The possibility of residual unpolymerised VCM to stay on in the polymer and eventually transfer into food from PVC packaging is high. Some of the liquid petroleum hydrocarbon will be released into the environment like the ocean or coastal waters due to human activity, and is a form of pollution. In case the balance of ecosystem will be affected. In the process, the combustion of fossil fuels produces greenhouse gases and other air pollutants as by-products. In Addition, oil spill is a release of a petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment due to manufacturing PVC process. In other to reduce the impact on the environment, an capable waste management system will reduce the not being re-used and make the most of the use of economically and environmentally rational recovery schemes. Step of Incineration with Energy Recovery can be taken. Oil that used in PVC production can be utilised as a minimum twice, Incorporating PVC consumer products can be under controlled and reduces the amount of PVC going to landfill and reduces the pollutions. The modern incinerators are equipped with pollution control equipment and run to the highest standards therefore it can help to minimise the release of emissions to the environment. In addition, mechanical and feedstock recycling can implemented Moreover, anything of the PVC recovery process, residual fraction of waste is contained which not recyclable. Controlled landfill still remains a disposal option in the limited fraction. The consumer product which containing PVC presence in landfill does not constitute a major risk to the environment is confirmed by finding of independent studies. . Processes how PVC is manufactured (Electrolysis, Chlorination VCM Cracker) 1 Electrolysis: Electrolysis, is a method of using electric current to drive a non-spontaneous chemical reaction. In the production of the PVC, chlorine is produced by separating the chlorine and sodium ions of a salt brine using the method of electrolysis. The electrolysis of salt brine will produce hydrogen gas and chlorine gas. 2 Chlorination: Chlorination is the process of adding chlorine into ethene to produce ethylene chloride also commonly known as vinyl chloride. The chlorine is from the process of electrolysis of brine salt from previous process. In chlorination , chlorine is added to ethene to replace two H atom from the molecule without breaking the double bond in ethene to produce 1,2-dichloroethane. Iron (III) is used as catalyst in the process . CH2=CH2 + Cl2 > ClCH2CH2Cl 3 Thermal cracking(VCM Cracker): The main purpose of this process is to obtain the chloroethene also known as VCM. This is done because VCM couldnt be obtained by simple chlorination of ethene. Hence, this process is carried out to removed one atom of chlorine from 1,2-dichloroethane as well as recovering the carbon-carbon double bond to obtain VCM. Basically the process is being carried out with condition of 500  °C with pressure ranging from 15 atm to 30 atm. Under that condition, 1,2-dichloroethane decomposes to produce chloroethene (VCM) and hydrogen chloride. ClCH2CH2Clà ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ’CH2=CHCl+HCl (Prepared by Lim Chung Kin, 0902959) (4 Quenching,5 cooling water ,6 purification) Cracking furnace effluent must be quenched, or cooled rapidly, to keep coking at a minimum. Therefore, the hot effluent gases are typically quenched and partially condensed by direct contact with cold EDC in a quench tower. Alternatively, the hot effluent can first be cooled by heat exchange with cold liquid EDC furnace feed or by vaporizing boiler feed water (BFW) to produce high pressure steam in a transfer line exchanger (TLX) prior to entering the quench tower. This arrangement saves energy by decreasing the amount of fuel needed to fire the cracking furnace and/or steam needed to vaporize the feed. Then it will undergo the Purification process. Water elimination in a VCM purification system is achieved through on condition that a separation of a liquid mixture which consist of water, hydrogen chloride, and vinyl chloride into a hydrogen chloride distillate stream and an essentially pure vinyl chloride product stream in distillation column; and a drying system is placed in fluid communication with the distillation column midsection at a connection point where the water reached sufficient concentration so that a water functional mass transfer flux from a withdrawn midsection stream into a drying agent is provided. The temperature control in this column achieves EDC-water separation control. The VCM produced in the pyrolysis section is separated in the VCM purification section. In the HCL column, temperature control is used to distil HCL off the top of the mixed feed containing mainly EDC, VCM and HCL. The bottom product is fed to the VCM column, where the temperature is controlled to purify VCM as overhead product and the recovered EDC is recycled back to the EDC purification section After the VCM purification process, it is ends up in the feed to the oxychlorination process. If acetylene is allowed to enter the oxychlorination reactor, the acetylene would be readily converted to perchloroethylene and other heavily chlorinated by-products, resulting in a significant HCL efficiency loss. Consequently, the HCL recycle stream is usually passed through a hydrogenation reactor to selectively convert the acetylene to ethylene, which makes more EDC downstream. Hydrogenation is generally carried out in a fixed bed reactor packed with catalyst made from a precious metal on an inert support. Hydrogen is added to the feed in stoichiometric excess to ensure conversion of acetylene to ethylene. The reaction is temperature dependant, with lower temperatures being preferable to maximize conversion to ethylene. If the temperature is too high, a fraction of the acetylene may be further hydrogenated to ethane. (Prepared by Hew She Luan, 0905291) (Stripping, Centrifuging, Drying and Sieving Process) 7 Stripping: In all of the processes used to produce PVC, unreacted VCM is present at the end of the reaction. VCM is a carcinogenic substance and its removal from PVC is very important for both avoiding downstream emission and for recycle purpose. Superheated steam is injected into the polymerization product in the reactor. The steam causes unreacted VCM to vaporize making it easy to remove. The temperature of the steam injected into the polymerization product should be 180 while the pressure should be 10 bar. 8. Centrifuging: During this step, PVC is separated from VCM. The water to the inlet of the centrifuge is filtered to prevent PVC from being contaminated by impurities in the water. Nexis T filters rated at 10m are recommended to filter the water. 9. Drying: Most of the water is removed when the slurry passes through the centrifuge. A damp cake of polymer leaves the centrifuge and is conveyed into the fluid bed dryer. Here, the remaining water contained in the porous grains evaporates as a stream of heated air bubbles through the polymer powder. In order to minimize the emissions, the moist air is wet-scrubbed before discharge into the atmosphere.  10. Sieving: After the drying process, the PVC will go through sieving process where the PVC is separate into different sizes for further processing. (Prepared by Cody Yip Jun Kit, 10UEB00894) (Storage and Handling, Control Room and Polymerization) 11. Storage and Handling VCM must be stored in a tightly closed container in a cool, well ventilated area, away from direct sunlight, heat and incompatible materials .VCM can be stored in steel tanks at ambient temperature. The drums must be equipped with self closing valves, flame arresters and pressure vacuum. Consider installation of leak detection and alarm for storage and use area. VCM should not be stored below ground level. 12. Control Room A Control Room is the room where pumps, fans, blowers, mixers, mills and centrifuges are controlled by variable speed drives and soft starters. Minicomputers are used to control chemical reactors in the PVC production process. Computer control can bring advantages to a batch process, closer control of the process, major gains in safety and the opportunity to use larger, more efficient processing equipment. Under manual control, a polymerization cycle might take about 14 hours but computer control can cut this time to about 8 hours. Computer control also offers substantial gains in accuracy and safety. A typical computer controlled reactor stands about six stories tall and hold 30,000 to 50,000 gallons. While in manually controlled plants, each reactors capacity is between 2,000 and 7,000 gallons. Computer control enables PVC plants to meet new OSHA standards, effective April 1, 1976, that will limit the exposure of workers to VCM vapors. VCM vapor is a known human carcinogen. If inhaled or absorbed through the skin, it may be harmful. VCM vapors may be a reproductive hazard. 13. Polymerization The process of polymerization links together the vinyl chloride molecules to form chains of PVC. The PVC produced in this way is in the form of a white powder. This is not used alone, but blended with other ingredients to give formulations for a wide range of products. In the polymerization process practically all of the VCM is processed into the inert polymer chains that make up the PVC plastic. It is possible for extremely low levels of any residual depolymerised VCM to remain in the polymer and eventually migrate into food from PVC packaging, but only at levels. Polymerization of PVC is divided into 2 types which is emulsion polymerization and suspension polymerization. Emulsion polymerization involves the polymerization of monomers in an aqueous medium containing surfactant and a water soluble initiator, producing PVC lattices. PVC lattices are colloidal dispersions of spherical particles, ranging in size between 0.1 and 3.0 ÃŽÂ ¼m. Most PVC lattices are spray dried and then milled to obtain fine powders, made up of agglomerates of latex particles. When mixed with plasticizers they disperse readily to form stable suspensions. During mixing most of the agglomerates are broken down into the original latex particles. Such dispersion of fine particles in plasticizers are known as plastisols or pastes, and the powder is called dispersion or paste polymer. The surfactant layer around the particle surface prevents their adsorbing the plasticizer at room temperature so they can be used as liquids and may then be spread on to fabric or other subs trates, poured on molds, or deposited on formers to produce flooring, wall covering, artificial leather, balls, toys, or protective gloves. There are other grades of PVC polymers, produced by emulsion polymerization, that do not form plastisols and that are used as blends with suspension PVC grades for extrusion application or in the manufacture of battery separator plates. These so-called emulsion polymers are of only minor economic interest. Sales in latex form are very limited; lattices are used in water-based paints, printing inks, and impregnated fabrics. (Prepared by A. Srinyanavel 0904742) (Packing and dispatch, compounding, converting and recycling) 14. Packing dispatch: In this process, soft PVC is packed on a semi-automatic snaking machine or manually, depending on the size, shape, and length and intended use of final product. The length of the roll cut on a stumble varies for fix packages form 10m to 100 m. However, other lengths are also obtainable upon appeal. Rolls are provided with 3 binding strips and marked with markets badges. Some soft PVC sizes are packed into polyethylene foil to provide appropriate security against incidental scratch or corrosion of their functionality. 15. Compounding: This process involves storage, conveying, metering, mixing, and cooling. All these operations occur prior to the actual melt compounding. The distribution becomes harder because the filler loading level is increased and the surface area of the mineral filler increases. The surface area increases rapidly due to the particle size decreases. These are important steps in the process that can affect the quality of PVC. If these requirements are not met completely, the final products physical properties will be affected. 16. Converting: This process is either makes final PVC products for sale or makes components for further uses. Different additives like stabilisers and plasticisers need to be added to PVC resin to create a compound that meets the requirement of the final product and of the processing technology to be used. Compounding may be carried out by the converters or by separate compounders who supply ready-made blends prepared for processing. The PVC compound is then converted by processes such as extrusion, moulding and calendaring. 17.Recycling: Polyvinyl Chloride can be reused; however the purity of the material tends to degrade with each time of reuse cycle. In addition, the separation of the different additives and compounds forming the plastic makes recycle a difficult process. The biggest problem with PVC recycling is that it is difficult to automate the sorting of plastic waste, and so it is labor-intensive. There are three ways of PVC recycling: mechanical recycling, mechanical recycling for mixed plastics and feedstock recycling. (Prepared by Cheah Kai Mun, 0904128) Role of chemical engineer in petrochemical industry Beneath all of the general responsibilities listed above, a petrochemical engineer must engage in numerous specific duties on a daily basis. The first duty which the petrochemical engineer is responsible for completing is research. The petrochemical engineer must take careful steps to ensure that what they are looking to manufacture and how they are looking to manufacture a product is the right avenue to pursue. The way to resolve this issue is by doing a lot of research on a variety of topics relating to petrochemical engineering. The petrochemical engineer is also responsible for designing a variety of items and this is a very important duty which they must complete. A petrochemical engineer must design various items such as measurement and control systems, petrochemical manufacturing equipment and petrochemical manufacturing processes. This is a major duty on the part of the petrochemical engineer and one which must be carried out with preciseness at all levels and stages. A petrochemical engineer must also engage in a wide array of analyses. The things which the petrochemical engineer must analyze include test data, engineering design, design problems and research findings. The petrochemical engineer must take painstaking measures to adequately analyze these items as the outcome of the project could very well depend on the analysis which is undertaken by the petrochemical engineer. One who is an engineer must develop certain procedures and policies as well so that there will be smooth operations all the way around the board. Various procedures and policies such as safety procedures, data tables and employment policies may all be in the hands of the petrochemical engineer. A senior level petrochemical engineer will have more to do with regard to developing policies and procedures within the company orcorporation. The preparation of multiple reports is also in the hands of the petrochemical engineer. The petrochemical engineer must prepare data which specifically details the findings of certain tests and evaluations. These reports can be text or tables depending on the type of report which is needed. A petrochemical engineer will also deal with other individuals a great deal. The reason for doing so is to relay the results and findings as well as oversee other petrochemical engineers and related workers in their field. From time to time, petrochemical engineers must lecture to their peers and the general public regarding their job and role in society. The Skills/Knowledge required by the engineer In the oil and natural gas industry such as PVC manufacturing industry, the Petrochemical Engineer is playing a important role. With all the products derived from crude oil it is practically impossible to imagine a world without them. Act as a petrochemical engineer, several skills and knowledge are needed. Petrochemical engineers should be expert in analytical things. They need constantly putting their creativity to work, efficiently and on a large scale, transforming combinations of elements of matter, synthesizing new materials. Besides, it is important to determine the most effective processes for normal production. For example, Design and develop newest and enhanced processes and equipment for converting the raw materials into products by using computers to simulate and control such processes. Other than that, creative and innovative thinking with excellent problem solving skills is important to a petrochemical engineer. In order to have an organized and high quality products being designed, engineers should always troubleshoot environmental problems in industrial processing and manufacturing plants. Just in the same way, efficient, safe and environmentally responsible plant operations needed to be ensured. Moreover, planning, organizing, and prioritizing tasks skills across multiple projects are needed by an engineer. They acquire excellent both spoken and written, communication skills, and cooperate well in teams with people from different backgrounds and disciplines. Engineers, technicians, supervise technologists, and other involved in related activities. Additionally, participates aggressively in new product introduction are motivated, including influencing the design of the product to ensure manufacturability and quality conformance, testing the dependability of prototypes and managing the alteration into production. Applying mathematical and scientific principles are needed too. Some of the processes such as catalytic cracking is developed by Petrochemical engineers to break down the complex organic molecules found in crude oil into much simpler molecules. Conclusion In a nutshell, chemical engineers need to possess skills, knowledge and experience in order to make the conversion of raw materials that enter the reactor into a useful product that leaves the reactor a success as well as minimizing the damage done to the environment. PVC production is still in demand worldwide even though everyone realizes that PVC takes a long time to decompose. However, the production of PVC will not be stopped as other industries still rely on plastics to manufacture or to pack their products. The industrial method to produce PVC involves 17 processes according to our group research and among the 17 processes some actually emit harmful materials or gases as a byproduct that causes damage to the environment. However, these processes must be made as environmentally friendly as possible to produce PVC without damaging the environment.
Sunday, October 13, 2019
John Steinbecks “The Chrysanthemums†Essay -- Steinbeck Chrysanthemum
John Steinbeck's â€Å"The Chrysanthemums†John Steinbeck's "The Chrysanthemums" shows the true feelings of the main character, Elisa Allen, through the use of setting and her interactions with other characters in the story. By way of vivid descriptions, Elisa's feelings of dissatisfaction over the lack of excitement in her life are portrayed. Her role as a mere housewife and then the subsequent change to feelings of a self-assured woman are clearly seen. These inner feelings are most apparent with the portrayal of Elisa working in the garden with the chrysanthemums, the conversation she has with the man passing through, and finally, when she and her husband are going out to dinner. Steinbeck's strong and somewhat manly description of Elisa while working in the garden, gives the distinct impression that she is not as weak as a stereotypical housewife would be. He writes that "Her face was lean and strong and her eyes were as clear as water. Her figure looked blocked and heavy in her gardening costume, a man's black hat pulled low down over her eyes, clodhopper shoes, a figured print dress almost completely covered by a big corduroy apron with four big pockets to hold the snips, the trowel and scratcher, the seeds and the knife she worked with." As evidenced by this excerpt you can see that she has covered up her hair with a "man's hat" and has thrown an apron over her dress in attempts to cover up her femininity. This apron also takes on a similar role as a man's tool belt as he works the land. This initial description lends to the notion that Elisa wants to be stronger as a woman, to stand beyond the stereotype of a housewife. Other phrases used by Steinbeck fu rther the above points. The author mentions that her face was "handsome," her work with the scissors was "over-powerful," and her fingers "destroyed such pests." This description shows an inner strength that Elisa possesses; yet she is unable to bring this out. She also hints to the reader that she would like to take on more masculine responsibilities after her husband Henry comments on the size and beauty of her chrysanthemums. He says that he wishes she'd work out in the orchard and "raise some apples that big." She reacts to this by saying "Maybe I could do it too. I've got a gift with things, all right. My mother had it. She could stick anything in the ground and make it grow.†All of these de... ...sion of Steinbeck's short story, Steinbeck has her fall right back into the rut she so despised. She comes back to reality and "turned up her coat collar so he could not see that she was crying weakly-like an old woman."      Elisa’s inner feelings are most apparent with the portrayal of her working in the garden, the conversation she has with the â€Å"Fixer-Guy†, and finally, when she and her husband are going out to dinner. Steinbeck offers an array of different details concerning the character of Elisa Allen. The main detail being that she is a strong woman on the inside although she seems to struggle in showing it throughout the story. Because of the "Pot Fixer," she is able to act, although for a short time, like that strong woman. Steinbeck unfortunately brings Elisa full-circle, back to where she started. She notices on the way to dinner her chrysanthemum sprouts at the roadside. This, along with her husband’s hesitation to allow her curiosity, puts her back where she started, canceling her emergence. One must ask after reading this short story if Elisa will continue this discontented lifestyle. Or will she be able to blossom beautifully for good, as do her chrysanthemums?
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