The Clinton Health Plan Essay Example For Students

The Clinton Health Plan Essay The health care situation in the United States is in dire need of achange. The United States spends more money on health care per individualthan any other nation in the world (14%of its GNP in 1991), and that amountis quickly rising. Virtually everyone, from doctors to politicians,recognize the unwieldy situation of health care in America, and realizethat something must be done. In order to attempt to correct the failures of the current health caresituation, one must understand the problems that led to the deteriorationof the health care system. Perhaps the main problem with health care todayis that there are 37 million Americans without insurance, and another 20million are underinsured Another large problem with the way health care is presently organizedis as Clinton helpfully points out waste. Some common examples are: Paperwork: There are thousands of insurance companies in the US, andeach one has many forms for doctors and patients to fill out. So much so,that doctors spend more time improving their handwriting than healingpeople. We will write a custom essay on The Clinton Health Plan specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Greed and Profiteering: Some drug companies make over 10,000% profit onthe drugs they manufacture. In 1991, the median income of doctors was$139,000 for general practitioners and $512,000 for specialists. Unneeded Surgery and Tests: Possibly 15 to 35% of certain types ofoperations and tests are unneeded. Malpractice Suits and DefensiveMedicine: Doctors pay high premiums on malpractice insurance which causesthem to charge more. The reason that these premiums are so high is becausecurrently there are practically no limits to an amount that can be sued forpain and damages. Defensive medicine procedures done to protect doctorsfrom being sued is costing this country greatly. Recognizing that waste is one of the greatest causes of the high pricesin health care, Clinton has introduced a plan to revise the health caresystem by eliminating waste, and making sure that every single American canbe covered by a health plan. Clintons plan is based on three premises. First, that there is enoughwaste in the current health care system to cover the costs of his new plan. Second, that his plan will create competition within the insuranceindustry. Last, that his plan can put a cap on insurance prices. The core of Clintons plan is to set up regional health alliances,which would buy insurance on behalf of thousands of consumers. Aseven-member National Health Board will be set up to scrutinize the healthalliances. The health alliances would be limited by the National HealthBoard by having price caps on the premiums, and by assuring that the healthalliances will accept all applicants including those that are high-risk. Each health alliance will have three or four different options (HMO, feefor service, and combination plans) which the consumers could choose from. In the case of the employed, the insurance would be paid 80% by theemployers and 20% by the employees. In the case of self- employed andnon-employed, they would have to pay the full cost of the premiums bythemselves, unless they qualify for government subsidies. The Clinton plan also will limit what types of operations are covered,and it puts restrictions on how long a person can stay in a hospital,nursing home, or rehabilitation center. It would also regulate the wagesof specialists, and the prices of drugs. Overall, what Clintons health care plan will do is put caps oninsurance premiums thereby causing competition between insurers. It willalso greatly reduce the waste by: reducing the paperwork enormously byhaving fewer insurance companies; removing unnecessary procedures byputting limits on the insurance. It will also decrease greed andprofiteering by putting limits on doctors salaries and on drug prices. .u9760aa2395080e848791a7c2f188e789 , .u9760aa2395080e848791a7c2f188e789 .postImageUrl , .u9760aa2395080e848791a7c2f188e789 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u9760aa2395080e848791a7c2f188e789 , .u9760aa2395080e848791a7c2f188e789:hover , .u9760aa2395080e848791a7c2f188e789:visited , .u9760aa2395080e848791a7c2f188e789:active { border:0!important; } .u9760aa2395080e848791a7c2f188e789 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u9760aa2395080e848791a7c2f188e789 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u9760aa2395080e848791a7c2f188e789:active , .u9760aa2395080e848791a7c2f188e789:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u9760aa2395080e848791a7c2f188e789 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u9760aa2395080e848791a7c2f188e789 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u9760aa2395080e848791a7c2f188e789 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u9760aa2395080e848791a7c2f188e789 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u9760aa2395080e848791a7c2f188e789:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u9760aa2395080e848791a7c2f188e789 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u9760aa2395080e848791a7c2f188e789 .u9760aa2395080e848791a7c2f188e789-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u9760aa2395080e848791a7c2f188e789:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: To Kill A Mockingbird Essay Summary The Clinton health care plan is not without its faults. One of themajor problems is that it assumes that there is a tremendous amount ofwaste in the current system, but many people say that that is an overassumption. Another problem is that managed competition, (an attempt tocreate competition in the health-care market) might not work in the healthcare industry because everything is covered in premiums, and there is athird indirect party (insurance company), which does all the buying andselling of health services. Another problem, which is not a problem with the plan itself ratherwith getting it passed, is that there are many groups opposed to theClinton plan. Many politicians do not like Clintons plan because they feel that itis too hard on small businesses, forcing them to pay 80% of theiremployees insurance, and because the Clinton plan does not limit pain andsuffering damages for malpractice suits.All the insurance companies areobviously against Clintons plan, because it will put restrictions on thepremiums, and he will force the insurance companies to accept high-riskpatients. Many of the large companies support Clintons plan because theyalready pay the insurance for most of their employees, and all Clintonplan will do is lower their premiums. But, many small businesses areagainst the plan because they do not currently pay any amount of theiremployees premiums, and they feel that the plan will take a large chunkout of their profits and they will be forced to lower wages. The AMA (American Medical Association) is against many things inClintons plan, most importantly the imposition of cost controls and thefailure to put financial limits on malpractice suits(In fact 600 doctorsmarched up the steps of Capital Hill to defend their right to earn sixtimes as much as the average American family, and still play golf onWednesdays). In general, no one is happy at the way the health care situation isbeing handled now, but even though everyone accepts the fact that a changeis needed, many people are skeptical about Clintons health care plan. Yes,his plan sounds good on paper, but will it work? is what many people arewondering. Overall Clintons plan is generally good. If it works it will provideuniversal coverage with controlled costs. If it works. The problem withClintons plan, and in fact any other plan is that it has to put limits onoperations, research, and tests. Who is to set these limits that mightdecide whether a person might live or die? Clintons plan also does not allow much for freedom of choice ofdoctors. Clinton is pushing the HMO (Health Maintenance Organization) partof his plan, and if one wants to choose his own doctor, he must pay adeductible and 20% of the costs of the visit. Americans, in general, do not want an HMO type system rather they wantto be able to go to the doctor they choose. American people prefer atrusting doctor-patient relationship, if they know their doctor it makeslife much easier. Clintons plan also has a problem in that it does not limit the amountof money that can be sued for for pain and damages in a malpractice suit. If Clinton were to add a clause about limiting the sum of money that couldbe collected for malpractice suits, he would get a great deal more supportfrom the AMA, and from doctors in general. Right now the health situation is America is very grave, and right nowPresident Clinton has a possible solution. His plan does not make everyonehappy, and it will not solve all our health problems no matter howsuccessful it is, but then again no possible plan will resolve all ourhealth care problems. There are many criticisms against Clintons plan,but if we dont try, we definitely will not succeed. .u5d755406316d9608183af891a09633ae , .u5d755406316d9608183af891a09633ae .postImageUrl , .u5d755406316d9608183af891a09633ae .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u5d755406316d9608183af891a09633ae , .u5d755406316d9608183af891a09633ae:hover , .u5d755406316d9608183af891a09633ae:visited , .u5d755406316d9608183af891a09633ae:active { border:0!important; } .u5d755406316d9608183af891a09633ae .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u5d755406316d9608183af891a09633ae { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u5d755406316d9608183af891a09633ae:active , .u5d755406316d9608183af891a09633ae:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u5d755406316d9608183af891a09633ae .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u5d755406316d9608183af891a09633ae .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u5d755406316d9608183af891a09633ae .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u5d755406316d9608183af891a09633ae .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u5d755406316d9608183af891a09633ae:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u5d755406316d9608183af891a09633ae .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u5d755406316d9608183af891a09633ae .u5d755406316d9608183af891a09633ae-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u5d755406316d9608183af891a09633ae:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Arts and Artist Paper Essay EndnotesBibliography1.A New Framework for Health CareNew York Times, November 14, 1993, Section 4A p.32.Bradsher, Keith Business Leaders Voice Skepticisms of Health PlanNew York Times, October 8, 1993, p.263.Church, George C. Lots of Second OpinionsTime, October 27, 1993, pp.34-404.Clift, Eleanor Big Sister and CriticsNewsweek, November 1, 1993, pp.25-265.Clift, Eleanor The Gender WarsNewsweek, October 4, 1993, p.506.Clymer, Adam Growing Consensus On Covering All, But How?New York Times, November 14, 1993, Section 4A p.17.Cohn, Bob But What Does It Mean For Me?Newsweek, September 27, 1993, p.378.Cohn, Bob The Power of SinNewsweek, October, 4 199 3, p.519.Eckholm, Erik Moment of Decision for Health CareNew York Times, November 14, 1993, Section 4A p.110.Eckholm, Erik More Choices, But Also More CostsNew York Times, November 14, 1993, Section 4A p.1011.Egan, Timothy Setting An Example For The Rest of The NationNew York Times, November 14, 1993, Section 4A p.812.Fineman, Howard Clintons Hard SellNewsweek, September 27, 1993, pp.34-3613.Freudenheim, Milt Medical-Industrial Complex:Who WinsNew York Times, November 14, 1993, Section 4A p.1314.Gibbs, Nancy Here Comes Dr. NoTime, October 11, 1993, pp.26-2915.Goodgame, Dan Healthy DissentTime, October 11, 1993, p.3116.Health Care:Clinton Plan, and The AlternativesNew York Times, October 17, 1993, p.2217.Kerr, Peter Reshaping the Medical MarketplaceNovember 14, November 14, 1993, Section 4A p.1118.Kilborn, Peter T. Voices of the People:Struggles, Hope, and FearNew York Times, November 14, 1993, Section 4A, p.119.Kolata, Gina Catch-22:Lose Health, Lose PolicyNew York Times, November 1 4, 1993, Section 4A p.420.Kolata, Gina Will the Nation Be Healthier? New York Times, October 17, 1993, p. 121.Lewin, Tamar Those With Large Bills See Aid In Clinton PlanNew York Times, November 14, 1993, Section 4A p.1022.Lowther, William A Prescription for ChangeMacleans, October 4, 1993, p.3923.Morganthau, Tom The Clinton CureNewsweek, October 4, 1993, pp.36-4524.Morganthau, Tom The Clinton SolutionNewsweek, September 20, 1993, pp.30-3525.Pear, Robert Delay on Health Care Reflects Tasks ComplexityNew York Times, October 12, 1993, p.26.Reinhold, Robert Amid Mountains of Paper, a War Against a Tideof Red Ink. New York Times, November 14, 1993, Section 4A p.427.Rosenthal, Elizabeth Confusion, Errors, and Fraud, In MedicalBills. New York Times, November 14, 1993, Section 4A p.528.Samuelson, Robert J. Health Care:How We Got Into This MessNewsweek, October 4, 1993, pp. 30-3529.Rich, Thomas A Walk In SpaceNewsweek, October 4, 1993, pp.46-4930.Rich, Thomas Back To Smoke and MirrorsNewsweek, October 4, 1993, pp.36-3731.Whitney, Craig R. Coverage for All, Wit h ChoicesNew York Times, November 14, 1993, Section 4A p.932.Uchitelle, Louis Companies of All Sizes Tally Effects of PlanNew York Times, November 14, 1993, Section 4A p.13

Environmental Movement Essay Example

Environmental Movement Essay Example Environmental Movement Paper Environmental Movement Paper Due to its large membership, varying and strong beliefs, and occasionally speculative nature, the environmental movement is not always united in its goals. At its broadest, the movement includes private citizens, professionals, religious devotees, politicians, and extremists. History of the movement The roots of the modern environmental movement can be traced to attempts in 1 9th-century Europe and North America to expose the costs of environmental negligence, notably disease, as well as widespread air and water pollution, but only after the Second World War did a wider awareness gin to emerge. The US environmental movement emerged in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, with two key strands: preservationist such as John Mir wanted land and nature set aside for its own sake, while conservationists such as Gifford Ponchos wanted to manage natural resources for human use. Among the early protectionists that stood out as leaders in the movement were Henry David Thoreau, John Mir and George Perkins Marsh. Thoreau was concerned about the wildlife in Massachusetts; he wrote Walden; or, Life in the Woods as he studied the wildlife from a cabin. John Mir founded the Sierra Club, one of the largest conservation organizations in the United States. Marsh was influential with regards to the need for resource conservation. Mir was instrumental in the creation of Yosemite national park in 1890. Mir was also personally involved in the creation of Sequoia , Mount Rainier , Petrified Forest and Grand Canyon national parks. Mir deservedly is often called the Father of Our National park System. During the sass, sass, and sass, several events illustrated the magnitude of environmental damage caused by humans. In 1954, the 23 man crew of the Japanese fishing vessel Lucky Dragon 5 was exposed to radioactive fallout from a hydrogen bomb test at Bikini Atoll. The publication of the book Silent Spring (1962) by Rachel Carson drew attention to the impact of chemicals on the natural environment. In 1967, the oil tanker Torero Canyon went aground off the southwest coast of England, and in 1969 oil spilled from an offshore well in Californians Santa Barbara Channel. In 1971 , the conclusion of a law suit in Japan drew international attention to the effects Of decades Of mercury poisoning on the people of Inanimate. At the same time, emerging scientific research drew new attention to existing and hypothetical threats to the environment and humanity. Among them were Paul R. Earlier, whose book The Population Bomb (1968) revived concerns about the impact of exponential population growth. Biologist Barry Commoner generated a debate about growth, affluence and flawed technology. Additionally, an association of scientists and political leaders known as the Club of Rome published their report The Limits to Growth in 1972, and drew attention to the growing pressure on natural resources from human activities. Meanwhile, technological accomplishments such as nuclear proliferation and photos of the Earth from outer space provided both new insights and new reasons for concern over Earths seemingly small and unique place in the universe. In 1972, the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment was held in Stockholm, and for the first time united the representatives of multiple governments in discussion relating to the state of the global environment. This conference led directly to the creation of government environmental agencies and the UN Environment Program. The United States also passed ewe legislation such as the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the National Environmental policy Act- the foundations for current environmental standards. By the mid-sass anti-nuclear activism had moved beyond local protests and politics to gain a wider appeal and influence. Although it lacked a single co-ordination organization the anti- nuclear movements efforts gained a great deal of attention. In the aftermath of the Three Mile Island accident in 1979, many mass demonstrations took place. The largest one was held in New York City in September 1979 and involved 200,000 people; speeches were given by Jane Found and Ralph Ender. Since the sass, public awareness, environmental sciences, ecology, and technology have advanced to include modern focus points like ozone depletion, global climate change, acid rain, and the potentially harmful genetically modified organisms . Scope of the movement Before flue-gas desertification was installed, the air-polluting emissions from this power plant in New Mexico contained excessive amounts of sulfur dioxide. Environmental science is the study of the interactions among the hysterical, chemical and biological components of the environment. Ecology, or ecological science, is the scientific study of the distribution and abundance of living organisms and how these properties are affected by interactions between the organisms and their environment. Modern environmentalism Today, the sciences of ecology and environmental science, rather than any aesthetic goals, provide the basis Of unity to most serious environmentalists. As more information is gathered in scientific fields, more scientific issues like biodiversity, as opposed to mere aesthetics, are a concern. Conservation biology is a rapidly developing field. Environmentalism now has proponents in business: new ventures such as those to reuse and recycle consumer electronics and other technical equipment are gaining popularity. Computer liquidators are just one example. In recent years, the environmental movement has increasingly focused on global warming as a top issue. As concerns about climate change moved more into the mainstream, from the connections drawn between global warming and Hurricane Strain to AY Gores film An Inconvenient Truth, many environmental groups refocused their efforts. In the United States, 2007 witnessed the largest grassroots environmental demonstration in years, Step It up 2007, with rallies in over 1 ,400 communities and all 50 states for real global warming solutions. Many religious organizations and individual churches now have programs and activities dedicated to environmental issues. The religious movement is often supported by interpretation of scriptures. Most major religious groups are represented including Jewish, Islamic, Anglican, Orthodox, Evangelical, Christian and Catholic. Radical environmentalism Radical environmentalism emerged out of an egocentrics-based frustration tit the co-option of mainstream environmentalism. The radical environmental movement aspires to what scholar Christopher Manes calls a new kind of environmental activism: iconoclastic, uncompromising, discontented with traditional conservation policy, at time illegal Radical environmentalism presupposes a need to reconsider Western ideas of religion and philosophy (including capitalism, patriarchy[l O] and globalization)[1 1] sometimes through rescanning and reconnecting with nature. 10] Greenback represents an organization with a radical approach, UT has contributed in serious ways towards understanding Of critical issues, and has a science-oriented core with radicalism as a means to underexposure. Groups like Earth First! Take a much more radical posture.

Research Proposal on Employee Motivation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

On Employee Motivation - Research Proposal Example The company also registers direct buying from Harry Winston Diamond Cooperation. Using both of these strategies, the company prides itself with the capacity to offer a continuous supply of diamonds meeting customer expectations in both quality and quantity because it has an unending supply to resources (Doyle, 2005). The company makes efforts of ensuring that artisans working in the factories in different regions are outstanding skills, hence can produce quality jewelry that meets the customer expectations in a modernized world such as the US market. An effective management of the factories ensures that, innovation is adopted as a central strategy of producing jewels that excites the buyers. In a bid to ensure business success, the company utilizes different strategies of gaining familiarity with the preferences of its customers. This is a good strategy because customer opinion is a critical determinant of the desired product. After my posting in the new position in the company, I to ok time to analyze the level of management and leadership styles applied in the organization (Fargus, 2000). One of the outstanding observations made was the fact that there was a remarkably poor communication between the employees as they performed their daily activities. The first week of my assignment involved a close monitoring of the internal operations of the company.

Hydroponics figure with capion and fianl data table Lab Report

Hydroponics figure with capion and fianl data table - Lab Report Example However, the experiment was done accurately as the results were astonishingly bad. This may be due to inaccuracy in the measurement of calcium or other factors. The control of the amount water, sunlight, temperature, the pH value of the hydroponics was also significant as it also contributed to the resulted found. The numbers were arrived at by observing, measuring and recording the values in the above table. We did this experiment to determine the effect of calcium on Spinach Tyee. It was done over a period of six weeks. Throughout this time, we were capable of observing changes in the plants as from group to three, for instance, the color of leaves were different as from group one to three. All the three groups experienced different colors of the leaves, the amount of roots, and leaf sizes, etc. this indicated that calcium has an effect on the growth of Spinach Tyee. I think the first thing that went wrong is that is somehow when measuring the amount of calcium. This might have affected the color, stem diameter, the percentage of leaf discolored among others. It was also challenging to measure the pH of the solution because some people are color blind. The color of leaf was different for all the groups. The diameter of the stem for all groups were different as in the case of group one, the diameter was smaller compared to group 2 and three

Controversies In Archaeology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Controversies In Archaeology - Essay Example At the end of Pleistocene period, these animals had completely disappeared or extinct. In Asia and Europe, a similar pattern of extinction of Pleistocene mammal took place where lions, bear, and woolly rhino disappeared (Fagan 47). The central question that archeologist and paleontologists ask is what caused the extinction of these large mammals in such a short time span? Some archaeologists, scientists, and paleontologists have proposed that the demise of these mammals can be attributed to the climatic changes while others such as Paul Martin have attributed it to the human cause or hunting overkill. Martin’s explanation of the disappearance of the largest mammals towards the end of Pleistocene period has not received endorsement from North American Pleistocene archaeological and paleontological records. It has been a controversial topic in archaeology since the 1860s with some archaeologists arguing that human hunters were the ones responsible for the extinction of the Pleis tocene mammals. Currently, the issue of human hunters being blamed for the disappearance of the world’s biggest creatures has been disputed with scholars from North America, Western Europe, and Australia arguing that mammal extinction during the Pleistocene period cannot be blamed on the overkill (Meltzer and Grayson 586). The theory of overkill has been disputed because of lack of sufficient evidence. Paleontologists and archaeologists argue that the overkill theory was entirely based on beliefs or faith rather than on science and concrete evidence from animal’s remains. Archaeologists such as Paul Martin has attributed the extinction of the world’s largest mammals to human causes as he asserts that their extinctions were because of impact of human hunting in North America. Further, Martin argues that the climatic changes during the interglacial periods did not lead to the demise of the large mammals such as Mammoth at the end of the Pleistocene period because these animals were well adapted to different environments and therefore, they could not succumb to the changes in climate. The appearance of the Clovis hunters in North America 11,000 years ago corresponds to the disappearance of some of the extinct species such as woolly rhinos. The fluted points have been discovered in relation with the bones of the extinct species of these animals such as the bison, horse, mammoth, and camel. These discoveries suggest that the Paleo-Indian and Clovis hunters with quick and effortless access to animals ignorant of the dangerous predators such as lions and bears rapidly eradicated the entire species of large animals they faced (Price and Feinan 152). Martin’s argues that the Clovis group of hunters hunted these Animals, which led to their extinction. Archaeological evidence from these sites and other North American plains contained the remains of mammoth, which made Martin assert that the Clovis hunters hunted these animals. This reasonable observation was then translated into generalization that the Clovis people were big game hunters even there was no (and still there is no) evidence for such specialization. Due to this rationale, some North America archaeologists have attributed the North American Pleistocene extinction in part to human causes. In order to justify his arguments, Martin used Island extinction to prove that human colonization led to the disappeara

Leadership Cultural Diversity and Global Mindset

Leadership Cultural Diversity and Global Mindset Extensive research has been undertaken over the past 50 years to identify and analyze leadership behavior. Leadership has been defined in many different ways, but most definitions assume that it involves an influence process concerned with facilitating the performance of a collective task. It involves a process whereby intentional influence is exerted by one person over other people to guide, structure, and facilitate activities and relationships in a group to achieve organizational effectiveness and success. Robins and Judge (2008) define leadership as the ability to influence a group toward the achievement of a vision or set of goals (p. 385). Along the ability to influence, intercultural, interpersonal and organizational communication skills are crucial for global leaders. For effective leadership in multicultural settings, a global mindset and diversity understanding are the most important skills required of leaders. There are several distinct theoretical bases for leadership. At first, leaders were felt to be born, not made. So-called great person theory of leadership, it implied that some individuals are born with certain traits that allowed them to emerge out of any situation or period of history to become leaders. The trait theories concentrate on the leaders themselves and have shown little promise for either the understanding of the leadership process or the relationship with effective leadership performance. Recent research findings show a significant relationship with the Big Five personality traits and effective leadership. According to Luthans (2008), there is emerging interest in positive organizational behavior capacities (i.e. hope, optimism, resiliency, emotional intelligence, and, especially, self-efficacy) and effective leaders, and there is continuing concern with leader skills and competences (pp. 413-416). Most researchers evaluate leadership effectiveness in terms of the consequences of the leaders actions for followers. Leadership is an exchange process between the leader and the followers. The group and exchange theories emphasize the importance of followers. Graen and Uhl Bien (1995) applied a multi-level and multi-domain perspective on leadership, distinguishing between leader-based, follower-based, and relationship-based leadership styles (p. 224). Leader-based style was found to include more structured tasks, strong leader position power, member acceptance of leader, and common understanding of leader and power. Follower-based became known for more unstructured tasks, weak position power, member non-acceptance of leader, and leaders absence from responsibilities. The relationship based style included situation favorability for leader between two extremes, accommodated differing needs of subordinates, and could elicit superior work from different types. Now known as Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) theory, it says the leaders treat individual followers differently; in particular, leaders and their associates develop two-person dyadic relationships that affect the behavior of both (Luthans, p. 417). This research continues to be relatively supportive despite some criticism it received over the years. LMX seems to be more descriptive of the typical process of role making by leaders, rather than prescribing the patterns of downward exchange relations optimal for leadership effectiveness. However, from the social cognitive perspective, it should be taken into account that leader-member exchanges are a reciprocal process, as leaders may be inclined to change follower self-concept in the short run to achieve performance goals and more enduring changes. Meanwhile, followers reciprocally shape leaders self-schemas through their responses, both as individuals and through collective reactions. The traditionally recognized theories of leadership tend to be more situation-based. In particular, Fiedlers contingency model made a significant contribution to leadership theory and potentially to the practice of human resource management. The situation in which an organization operates plays an influential role in designing and managing the organization effectively. The situational variables and contextual aspects of leadership affect leadership roles, skills, behavior, and followers performance and satisfaction. Effective group performance depends on the proper match between the leaders style and the degree to which the situation gives control to the leader. The theory suggests that a key factor to leadership success is the individuals fixed leadership style. Based on empirical research, Fiedler concluded that task-oriented leaders end to perform better in situations of high and low control, while relationship-oriented leaders perform best in moderate control situations. It is im portant to note that contingency theory emphasizes that leaders are not successful in all situations. In the 21st century workplace, this theory is still predictive and provides useful information about the type of leadership most likely to be successful. Data from this empirical research theory could be particularly useful to organizations in developing leadership profiles. However, the theory does not clearly explain why people with certain leadership style are more effective in particular situations than others, as well as what to do when the leader and the situation mismatch in the workplace. In addition, mush use of psychology and sociology has contributed to the development of five major contingency theories: Fiedlers least-preferred co-worker (LPC) theory (relationships, power, and tasks), Evanss path-goal theory (paths and rewards), Kerr and Jermiers leadership substitutes theory, multiple-linkage models (leadership and group effectiveness), and Fiedlers cognitive resource t heory (Robins and Judge, 2008, pp. 386-403). The studies have given a rise to a number of taxonomies which Yukl (2002) proposes might be refined into the three jointly inter-reacting categories of task-, relations-, and change-oriented behaviors. On looking at the fields of study covering participative (change-oriented) leadership, delegation and empowerment, Yukl more closely examined Vroom-Yetoons model of participative leadership to identify decision procedures in different situations. In his Leadership in Organizations book, he considers some detrimental success of collective participatory efforts by members of an organization to achieve meaningful tasks then gives the following definition of leadership: Leadership is the process of influencing others to understand and agree about what needs to be done and how it can be done effectively, and the process of facilitating individual and collective efforts to accomplish the shared objectives (p. 7). One of the most important and difficult leadership responsibilities is leading change, especially the cultural change. The creation and establishment of a clear and compelling vision is useful to guide the organization through change, and guidelines are necessary for formulating a vision, as well as implementing change for political or organizational or people-oriented actions. Throughout the change process, the role of the leader is key. While traditional leadership theories focused on the leaders influential power over the followers, the contemporary leadership theories focus on the importance of the leader as a communicator. Contemporary organizations are constantly searching for leaders who can exhibit charismatic, authentic, and transformational leadership qualities. They want leaders who have clear vision and the right charisma to carry out the vision. Although exhibiting the right behaviors at the right time may be perceived as a result of true leadership effectiveness, the evidence strongly shows that people have a relatively uniform perception of what a leader should look like. They attribute true leadership to people who are smart, personable, verbally adept, and inspirational. The effectiveness of charismatic and transformational leadership crosses cultural boundaries. Effective leaders today must develop trusting relationships with the followers, because as organizations have become less stable and predict able, strong bonds of trust are likely to be replacing bureaucratic rules in defining expectations and relationships. Leaders who are not trusted are not likely to be effective. Yukl clearly explains, in chapter 9, why attributions of charisma are jointly determined by the leader, the followers, and the situation (pp. 240-267). Charismatic leaders arouse enthusiasm and commitment in followers by advocating a vision and increasing the followers confidence about achieving the vision. Attribution of charisma to the leader is more likely if the vision and strategy for attaining it are innovative, the leader takes personal risks to promote it, and the strategy appears to be succeeding. Self-confidence, strong convictions, speaking ability, and other leader traits or skills increase the likelihood of charisma. Ethical charismatic leaders use power to serve others, align vision with followers needs and aspirations, consider and learn from others, as well as stimulate followers to think independently and to question the leaders views. They prefer open, two-way communication, share recognition with others by coaching, developing, and supporting followers. They rely o n internal moral standards to satisfy organizational and societal interests (Howell and Avolio, 1992, p. 45). Robins and Judge (2008) defines charismatic leadership theory as a theory which states that followers make attributions of heroic or extraordinary leadership abilities when they observe certain behaviors (p. 413). Charismatic leadership may affect some followers more than others. People are more receptive to charismatic leadership especially at times of crisis, stress, and negative outcomes. Charismatic leaders have idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration (Luthans, p. 435). However, as a group they are considered a subsection of transformational leadership. Transformational leaders make followers more aware of the importance and value of the work and induce followers to transcend self-interest for the sake of the organization. They empower organizations by developing follower skills and confidence to prepare followers for greater responsibilities. Under difficult conditions, resilient transformational leaders help followers to see threats as opportunities for advancement and responsibility for success (Luthans, Youssef, and Avolio, 2007, p. 126-127). They support and encourage followers to maintain enthusiasm and effort in the face of obstacles and difficulties. As a result of such influence, followers motivation and performance increases along with improved trust and respect toward the leader. The primary characteristic of transformational leadership is the idealized influence, as opposed to charisma, allowing people to differentiate between the two theories. The major difference is how followers are treated. While transformational lea ders seek to empower and elevate the followers to develop followers into leaders, charismatic leaders may seek to keep followers weak, loyal, and dependant on them. While transformational leaders increase follower motivation and performance to a greater degree, effective leaders typically use a combination of transformational and transactional leadership types (Yukl, pp. 253-254). Leadership effectiveness may not necessarily be enhanced by transactional leadership; however, contingent reward behavior is effective for recognizing accomplishments, as well as rewarding the efforts and good performance (Bass, 1990, p. 22). Global Mindset Cultural Diversity In todays rapidly changing global economy, it has become crucial for leaders to possess such intelligence that analyzes and employs the greatest possible emerging and challenging opportunities as well as observes and interprets the dynamic and culturally diverse world in which they lead humans the most valuable assets of any given organization. The success of the strategies multicultural organizations pursue is largely impacted by the leaders perceptions and interpretations of the global socioeconomic environment. With central focus in the field of cognitive psychology and organizational theory, global mindset has much to do with human beings and their sense in the world in which they encounter daily interaction with one another. We live in a world where do exit dynamic, ambiguous, and complex information that get our attention and absorption. Using cognitive filters, we are selective in our absorption and biased in our interpretation. There exists the likelihood that our mindset an d new information may, however, be engaged in an inconsistent correlation, under which circumstance the information becomes subject to rejection or the mindset becomes subject to change. The mindset of other members in an organization has an influence on and does indeed shape the mindset of the collectivity of individuals within the organization. The level of power, the status of people with whom being interacted, the purpose of interaction, etc, does play a crucial role in the shaping of ones mindset. New experiences, a change in the relative power of different individuals, and a change in the process of organizational and social interaction within members do result in a change of the organizational mindset. According to Gupta and Govindarajan (2002), the cognitive psychology has shown that mindset exists through knowledge structure primarily composed of differentiation and integration attributes. The latter first of two refers to the narrowness of knowledge the individual brings to a context, whereas the latter one refers to the level of integration of disparate knowledge elements in the knowledge structures. When differentiation is low, integration is not an issue; however, when it is high, integration becomes a critical attribute. Many of us are changeable and each time frequently swing towards the person we last met. This scenario where high differentiation is accompanied with low integration is known to be High D-Low I. Conversely, those who welcome diverse options and demonstrate integrative perspective are known as High D-High I which itself is the definition of global mindset. Gupta and Govindarajan define global mindset more precisely as one that combines openness to and awarene ss of diversity across cultures and markets with a propensity and ability to synthesize across this diversity The value of global mindset is best illustrated by the companys ability to combine speed with accurate response. The companys ability to grasp the needs in the local market and its ability to build cognitive bridges across the needs and between its own global experience and capabilities are manifested in such comparative advantages which identify the emerging opportunities, analyze the trade-off between the local adaptation and global standardization, smoothen the complimentary activity coordination across the borders, spread out the concept of new products and technologies, share best practices effectively and efficiently across subsidiaries. The value of global mindset becomes quite apparent when analyzing how its presence or absence might affect a companys strategy in a rapidly growing foreign market of extremely complex economy where public policy is unpredictable and preference is given to local companies as opposed to foreign. Modifying and reformulating strategies in order to achieve goals in the foreign market may still not be enough for success if there is a lack of understanding of changes in the foreign market and demand and lack of integrative global perspective towards the ongoing events in the foreign market. Awareness of changes in foreign market environments can therefore become a major source for valuing and upholding the global mindset and identifying and addressing its ever-existing challenges. Achieving global mindset occurs through cultivation, as prescribed by cognitive psychology and organization theory, and it is driven by curiosity and commitment to gaining knowledge about the world and its way of operation, by exposure to diversity, by unequivocal formulation of current mindsets, as well as by development of integrated perspective on diversity of standards in cultures and markets. Cultivating curiosity about the world is a reflection of attitudes, an element of individual personality makeup. Although the companies are capable of manipulating with adroitness to further produce curiosity among employees, their greatest freedom still lies on employee selection and in managing the demographic makeup of the companies. Companies cultivate knowledge regarding diverse cultures and markets through facilitating such knowledge at individual levels and through diversifying the company workforce itself which build cognitive diversity inside the mindset of individuals as well as b ring together a diverse knowledge base across the organization members. Formulating current mindset is heavily influenced by the process of interaction between people and the environment which shapes the interpretation of the surrounding world, hence affecting how the mindset changes or remains unchanged. Self-consciousness becomes a necessary and inseparable component when cultivating the current mindset which work best through asking managers to articulate own beliefs about the subject domain, as well as through drawing comparative analysis of how different managers would interpret the same reality. Getting formal education that builds on the awareness of diverse cultures and markets and participating in events and projects in foreign markets, and emerging oneself into more extensive cultural learning programs and trainings are all powerful ways of constructing a global mindset. Diversity is about differences, and humans do not easily negotiate differences. The human brains response to differences is typically arousal, alarm, and sometimes attacks, until such time as the differences are processed by exposure, reason, or mastery (Marsella, 2009, p. 121). The interactions between social diversity markers (i.e. ethnicity, race, age, sex, gender, social class, religion, sexual orientation, physical or mental challenges, physique, etc) as well as between interpersonal and individual differences result in different conditions of acceptability. Differences become the source of problems in cultures and organization; however, diversity encounters occur under problematic perceptions. Leaders across the globe face the ever-increasing cultural challenges during their day-to-day interaction with humans within and outside the organization. In this global era, cultural diversity intelligence, competence, understanding, appreciation and embracement are required of effective global leaders. [Negotiate Diversity Immergance of Conflict (this is on a chart in the article)] Successful leadership of todays increasingly diverse workplace is among the most important global challenges. The problem of managing todays culturally diverse workforce is the unfortunate inability of the leaders and managers to fully comprehend the organizational, cultural, and global dynamics. The global economy has moved diversity to the top of any leaders agenda. There is a reason to believe that cultural issues in leadership should be studied to reveal both differences between cultures and specific within-country practices that would help expatriate leaders succeed. Organizational communication will differ across cultures. Todays global leaders need to recognize such differences. Most of the research on leadership theories has been conducted in English-speaking countries, limiting our knowledge about how culture might influence their validity, particularly in Eastern cultures. During the last decade, interest in cross-cultural leadership has increased dramatically for apparent reasons. Increasing globalization of organizations has made it more critical to learn about effective leadership in different cultures. Influencing and motivating culturally diverse workforce has become an increasing challenge for global leaders or leaders of cultural diversity on local levels. Successful influence requires a broad understanding of cultural differences and motivational factors in each culture. The Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness (GLOBE) research program has carried on a cross-cultural investigation of leadership and national culture, using data from 825 organizations in 62 countries to identify nine dimensions on which national cultures differ: power distance; individualism versus collectivism; masculinity versus femininity; uncertainty avoidance; long-term versus short-term orientation; and humane versus performance orientation (Robbins and Judge, 2008, p. 125). The GLOBE framework is primarily based on Geert Hofstedes Framework for Assessing Cultures one of the most referenced approaches for analyzing cultural variances since 1970s (p. 124). According to Yukl (2002), the results of the GLOBE research indicate that certain traits, skills, and behaviors are rated highly relevant for effective leaderships in all culture, for example, integrity (honest, trustworthy, just), visionary (has foresight, plans ahead), inspirational (positive, dynamic, encourages, motivates, builds confidence), decisive, diplomatic, achievement-oriented, and team-integrator, whereas some attributes varied widely in relevance across cultures, such as ambitious, cautious, compassionate, domineering, indirect, risk taker, self-sacrificing, sensitive, status conscious, etc. (p. 418). Examining the relationship among societal cultures, situational variables (such as strategy, culture, uncertainty, etc), leadership process, and organizational effectiveness, the GLOBE project has provided significant research results for leadership of cultural diversity in the rapid pace of globalization and economic development. To have a broader understanding of how leadership of cultural diversity and organizational communication with global mindset are applied in real world practices, I have decided to interview three individuals, who hold positions in public, non-profit, and private sectors, as well as to analyze and relate my findings to some leadership and diversity management research. My first interviewee, Miss. Hanying Li from Singapore, had started working in private sector but transitioned to the non-profit sector for most of her career life. She currently serves as senior program officer for Mangroves for the Future, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (AUCN) Asia Regional Office in Bangkok, Thailand. Mangroves for the Future (MFF) is a regional multi-partner initiative on coastal ecosystem rehabilitation and management. Her main responsibilities include program coordination with all stakeholders, including six partner agencies, two donors, eight focal countries, etc., as well as project management (84 small projects and 9 large projects in six countries), and day-to-day running of the regional Secretariat. She has unshakeable knowledge of diversity and enormous amount of professional experiences cross-culturally. She was a valuable asset for my research, as I was trying to particularly learn about cross-cultural leadership in Asian cultures. Wi th her strong background and knowledge of Singaporean culture and workforce, she was able to address the core culture values and beliefs of Singaporeans which facilitated my exploratory study of Hofstedes and Trampenaars cross-cultural dimensions and leadership. Singapore is a major success story. Its solid foundation leaves only the question of how to continue expanding in the face of increasing international competition. To date, however, Singapore has emerged as an urban planners ideal model and the leader and financial center of Southeast Asia. Li believes that leading an organization, motivating the workforce, and assuring organizational success in Singapore require a careful study of cultural values, traditions, and norms, as well as diversity training. In her opinion, not many people from western leading nations have been successful in Asian markets, primarily because of the inability to understand and accept the cultural differences and lead according to those differences. According to Li, Singaporeans treat special groups of people with special respect and courtesy. Honored guests, elders, parents, teachers, bosses and leaders must be treated differently. They strongly value and adhere to a hierarchical relationship in society, as a result of Confucian teaching thinking. They see the society as composed of people who are inherently unequal in rank and standing, and differences in rank are signaled and reinforced by the style of the interaction between the parties involved. Deference, respect and formality towards superiors are the norm. In addition, juniors are supposed to keep their opinions to themselves unless specifically and directly asked. Hence, subordinates in Singapore are unlikely to question authority and are less likely to initiate upward communication unless requested to do so because its culture values the importance of status differences and hierarchies. The complex authority and status relationships characterize Singaporeans as a hier archical culture which parallels with the idea of power distance in Hofstedes study. Luthans (2008) notes that power distance is the degree to which members of a collective expect power to be distributed equally (pg. 432). Singapore has a high rating on power distance which means that large inequalities of power and wealth exist and are tolerated in the culture. Li suggests that a societys level of inequality is endorsed by the followers as much as by the leaders; furthermore, power and inequality, of course, are extremely fundamental facts of any society and anybody with some international experience will be aware that all societies are unequal, but some are more unequal than others. In Singapore, people feel less threatened by ambiguous situations, motions are shown less in public, younger people are trustworthy, and people are willing to take risks in life. The authorities are there to serve the citizens. Conflicts and competition can be contained on the level of fair play and are used constructively. Singapore has comparatively low uncertainty avoidance; it has organization settings with less structuring of activities, fewer written rules, less risk taking by managers, higher labor turnover, and more ambitious employees. The Organization encourages personnel to use their own initiative and assume responsibility for their actions. Uncertainty avoidance is the extent to which people feel threatened by ambiguous situations and have created beliefs and institutions that try to avoid these. Luthans (2008) defines uncertainty avoidance as the extent a society, organization, or groups rely on norms, rules, and procedures to alleviate the unpredictability of future ev ents (p. 432). Li mentions that leaders from individualistic cultures might have hard time motivating Singaporean employees if there is no appreciation and respect for employees family members. Tasks are not usually distributed to individuals, but rather to a group. Traditional Asian value of family ties remains paramount to the average Singaporean. Hence, it is not surprising that it is the group rather than the individual that is emphasized in Singaporean society. In Singapore, children are raised to stay within the family. From early infancy on, children are conditioned to be a part of the group and to stay within the group. They are socialized to be dependent on the group, to make decisions that benefit the group, and to make choices for, and in support of, the group. Children are taught to assist and uphold the honor of the group, whether that group is the family, the school, the neighborhood, or the nation. The person who places individual needs ahead of the group needs is considered to be am oral, almost a misfit, or even a social deviant. To sum up, familys moral influences and kinship partners lead Singaporeans to be collectivistic, rather than individualistic. Group collectivism is the degree to which individuals express pride, loyalty, or cohesiveness in their organizations or families (Luthans, 2008, p. 432). In contrast, individualism is t he tendency of people to look after themselves and their immediate family. Lastly, towards the end of the interview, Li mentioned about the importance of cross-cultural human-relation intelligence for effective leadership. Some cultures like Singapore are emotionally neutral not showing their feelings in public or organizations, acting stoically, and maintaining their composure which does not necessarily mean disinterest. This notion of emotional intelligence has become increasingly important for culturally diverse leadership environments. Luthans, Youssef, and Avolio (2007) defined emotional intelligence (EI) as the ability to accurately perceive, express, understand, use, and manage emotions in oneself and others in order to facilitate cognitive, emotional, and social growth and development (p. 183). My second interviewee, Mr. Hovep Seferian, is the Vice Consul, Press and Trade Attachà © of the Brazilian Embassy in the Republic of Armenia. Throughout his life and career, he has lived and experienced major cultural differences and challenges in Syria, Lebanon, India, Egypt, France, Brazil, and Armenia. His multicultural experiences have immensely influenced his perspective on cultural differences. As an immigrant especially in India and Lebanon, he underwent major obstacles, hoping to integrate in the system without being discriminated. Life experiences have not only made him a transformational leader, but also a selfless public servant and administrator. Seferian emphasizes the importance of ethical and moral responsibilities public leaders should have when tensions and diversity challenges occur. They are to be perceived honorable in their field before they are trusted with public affairs and business. Once honor is gained by the followers, they are to follow personal morality, as well as professional, organizational, and social ethics. An ethical public leader would not use the position for personal or private gains in a democratic mechanism. Nations are democratic when public officials follow the rule of law to truthfully serve the citizens without selfish ambitions. Personal motivations, value-free neutrality, legitimacy, and social equity may heavily influence on public leaders role in the society and their commitment to ethical conduct in decision making and democratic service. Personal morality is closely related to personal motivations, since personal concerns, such as career advancement, financial security, or private gains, play a significant role in the professional workplace. The public service environment is quite complex, making it difficult to generalize about the nature of public service and identify the way public leaders can best serve the public. The organizational and social ethics hold the public leaders responsible for protecting individuals in the society and furthering the process of the group as a whole. Standards of conduct, formal guidelines for ethical behavior, and other norms have been created to hold public leaders accountable for their actions. Ethics and morality in government sector should be addressed more now than ever before with the emerging diversity challenges the system encounters, Seferian believes. Despite the cultural and diversity challenges, public/government officials have an obligation to be fair and just for all citizens. As representatives of the citizenry, they have the responsibility to bring social justice, equity, and economic efficiency. However, Safarian mentions that in certain countries, like those of the former Soviet Union, it has become increasingly difficult for public administrators to intervene in governmental decision-making and public policy to address diversity and equality issues. Although attempts towards democratization have been made, the cultural and polit

Philosophy Educating Humanity? :: Philosophy Philosophical Papers

Philosophy Educating Humanity? ABSTRACT: Over two millennia of Western philosophy has not yet contributed much to the education of humanity. Philosophy has almost always been the exclusive domain of a small group of men. This elite character makes the assumption that philosophy could contribute to the education of human beings towards humanity — a humanity of human rights — improbable. If we want to educate human beings towards humanity, we will first have to teach them a sense of responsibility. The power of persuasion needed in order to teach such a sense of responsibility requires that we demonstrate our involvement in and co-responsibility for their concrete problems by presenting clear analyses of these problems and by setting a good example wherever possible. One of the most universal and concrete problems of life is the issue of procreation. As regards this issue, however, philosophers have failed miserably: they themselves have often exhibited irresponsible procreation and have, in fact, only recently begun to consider the issue a subject for philosophy. I will try to analyze when a decision to procreate or abort may be called responsible and whether and to what extent the applications of modern techniques such as in vitro fertilization are in line with our views of human rights. Two and a half thousand years of Western philosophy have not yet contributed much to the education of humanity. Philosophy has always been the almost exclusive domain of a small group of men, conversing in esoteric language on the most abstract of subjects, without being much concerned about the needs of the ordinary people around them. This elitism undermines the assumption that philosophy could contribute to the education of humanity as a whole, and it makes the assumption that it could contribute to the education of human beings towards humanity — a humanity of human rights — entirely improbable. If we want to educate human beings towards humanity we will first have to teach them a sense of responsibility: the awareness that each is responsible for his or her own actions and the consequences which can be expected to ensue, together with the awareness that a person’s rights and freedoms may not encroach upon the corresponding rights and freedoms of another. The power of persuasion needed in order to teach such a sense of responsibility requires that we demonstrate our involvement in and co-responsibility for their concrete problems, by presenting clear analyses of these problems and by setting a good example wherever possible.

Report on UK Bank Essay

Background   The globalisation of business has led to changes of great significance in the business world. The emergence of China and India as centres of manufacturing and services, with equal skills and fractional costs, have led to significant global migration work and far-reaching realignment in the British basket of financial services. In this globalised scenario, the British financial services industry has over time evolved, among other things, into a supplier of high end services in areas of finance, banking and allied information technology. British banks like UKB (assumed name) have been active outside the UK for many decades, especially in former British ruled territories like India and have built up significant expertise in Asian markets. Apart from China, India and the countries of East Asia, the GCC (Gulf Coordination Council) countries have lately emerged as very significant growth areas for banking and financial services. UKB has also opened an office and started banking and financial services operations in Kuwait, pursuant to the changes in Kuwaiti law, in 2004, allowing foreign banks to operate in the country. The bank has ambitious plans for its operations in the Gulf and has accordingly stationed a large team of ten British employees at Muscat to direct UKB’s international business in the GCC states. The bank places great importance on its international plans and has committed significant financial and personnel resources to its plans for business expansion in the GCC countries and is extremely serious in its ambition to become a significant player among the banks and financial institutions providing financial services in Kuwait. The management is confident in its belief that it possesses both domain skills of a very high order and the financial strength required to make a strong success of its operations in Kuwait and thus open the way for further expansion in the GCC countries. The management of UKB has, of late, reasons to believe that the British team at Muscat has operational, managerial and personal issues that need to be resolved to improve job satisfaction and productivity. The relevant issues mainly relate to divides in culture, working methods, value systems and managerial beliefs between the British expatriates and the local Kuwaitis, with whom there is constant contact, as co-employees, customers, suppliers and regulators. Objective The management believes that the situation is serious enough to merit intervention and has asked the author to prepare a report for the attention of all the expatriate employees based in Kuwait. The author has extensive experience of the operations of the GCC countries, both in the capacity of line manager and as consultant to companies operating in the region. This report has been prepared for the use of the bank’s expatriate staff working in Kuwait and will be useful to employees working in other overseas locations as well. The author has tried to provide reasons for UKB’s choice of Kuwait as a business destination, the various issues that are likely to come to the fore when British banking experts have to operate outside the UK for long periods of time, the various managerial, operational, personal and cultural challenges that employees have to face in the course of their everyday life and the best way to deal with them. The author wishes to point out that the text provided in this report is in the nature of general information and the suggestions recommended need to be studied and modified for personal use. The use of â€Å"one size fits all† is patently incorrect, if not downright ludicrous in such situations and the staffs are requested to make the best possible use of the suggestions and recommendations. General Economy of Kuwait Kuwait is a small country situated in the Middle East and a member of the GCC. It holds 8 % of the worlds’ known oil reserves and with the recent explosion in the price of petroleum products has seen significant increases in dollar inflows coming into the country. The country has had a troubled past. It was invaded by Iraq in 1990 under Saddam Hussein and subsequently freed by US intervention. With the removal of Saddam Hussein, the region has now entered a period of stability and oil revenues riding on high prices are driving the country into an economic boom. Travel and tourism is increasing rapidly. Kuwait is in the midst of a sea change, sparked by two recent developments. The unprecedented rise in the price of oil over the last two years has dramatically increased the wealth of the country. Revenues from petroleum sales now priced at more than seventy dollars a barrel were three times projections in 2005. These revenues have brought unplanned riches to this oil-wealthy GCC country. As holder of 8 % of the worlds’ known oil reserves and with annual surpluses in the region of US $ 23 bn, [1] Kuwait is awash with funds and learning to digest this windfall; a flood of dollar inflows which do not show signs of abatement. The death of the Amir Sheikh Jaber and the transition of authority to the new Amir, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, have set the stage for huge economic developments, which are mainly concerned with further development of the emirate’s oil reserves. Revenues from oil make up 50 % of Kuwait’s GDP. The new Amir is in the process of making significant changes in both the oil and non-oil sectors and with erstwhile neighbour, Saddam Hussein out of the picture there is greater confidence to invest. Banking and Financial Services in Kuwait The country, till recently, allowed foreign companies to own up to 49 % of local banks. In 2004, this restriction was removed and full foreign ownership is now allowed, allowing foreign banks like BNP Paribas and UKB to start operations in the country. The major opportunity in the region lies in extending brokerage and financial services to the local population and UKB is trying to actively enter and consolidate its’ presence in these sectors. â€Å"Over the medium term, Kuwait’s financial position is projected to remain strong. The large external current account and fiscal surpluses are expected to lead to a build-up of a large stock of financial assets for future generations.† [2]The country’s sound group of commercial banks, led by the premier Arab bank, National Bank of Kuwait, is well managed and profitable. Kuwaiti Banks have shown remarkable performances. Led by the Bank of Kuwait, the Middle East (BKME) and Kuwait Finance House (with approximately 60 % increases in pre-tax profits), the consolidated assets of the 14 Kuwaiti banks touched record heights in 2005. Banking, financial markets and financial services are preparing a platform for the forecasted boom years. Many international and local banks and financial services companies are vying with each other to improve service and make Kuwait a significant GCC financial center. These plans face two main challenges. Firstly, the stock markets have, after a period of sharp growth, entered a phase of correction, earlier this year with stock values plummeting across the region, eroding shareholder wealth and burning investors. This stock market correction (a drop of a record 14% in March) and larger market declines elsewhere in the Gulf, , have given bankers cause for concern. Rating agency Moody’s has recently cautioned about an asset bubble in the region and that banks may not know the full extent of the possible problem until loans can be assessed at the end of this year. Banking companies operating in Kuwait’s fledgling banking, brokerages and financial services sector have to wrestle with this downturn in investor confidence and face stiff competition from the other financial centers in the GCC countries. The vision of the current Amir’s new regional financial centre needs strategic design, focus, commitment and implementation to succeed. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Dubai and Qatar all have financial centers competing for supremacy in the Gulf sweepstakes. In this context, with the viability of five regional financial centers yet to be established the financial institutions in Kuwait need to play a very significant role if the country is to become a strong financial hub. The financial and brokerage institutions have to design their strategy in this context and plan their work considering the challenges provided by the availability of substantial local wealth, strategic geographical location, intense regional competition and a slow moving bureaucracy. All companies operating in the field of share and securities brokerage and financial services have to take account of these two developments, which have the potential to act as force multipliers and propel Kuwait’s development manifold. A dynamic leadership wishing to achieve ambitious objectives and armed with adequate resources can achieve far-reaching changes that may be out of the ordinary.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To summarize, Kuwait’s banking, brokerage and financial services must find their way to service their customers, optimize performance and create a strategic design with a horizon of at least ten years in a market with many challenges and yet tremendous opportunity. The circumstances under which they need to operate, thrive and grow are as under. Their immediate environment is immensely rich, witness to strong cash inflows and has strong potential for brokerages and companies offering financial services The region is now comparatively stable after the removal of Saddam Hussein and the government is planning significant and far reaching investments in oil development and infrastructure The country is witnessing sharp growth in travel. Investments in top end luxury hotels are increasing with the entry of large international chains. This increase in travel has led to the formation of new regional airlines and additional flights from the big airlines. The region has very active stock markets that are currently in a corrective phase after sustained and dizzy growth. The dip in stock prices has made shares more attractive and increase in buying activity is forecasted The official Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE), restructured in 1983 after the collapse of the unofficial stock market in 1982, has become, despite the Iraqi invasion in 1990, the most sophisticated market in the region. The GCC region has five financial services centers, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Bahrain, Doha and Kuwait. The other four centers already have a head start over Kuwait and experts doubt whether the region can support five strong centers. The KSE, which is the second largest Stock Exchange in the GCC countries and has a sophisticated and fully automated computerized system is urging its members to provide self-service technologies to its’ clients. It has published APIs and guidelines on the mode of integrating online trading with its’ gateway. A number of international financial institutions and banks are re-entering the region with more skills and expertise as well as deeper pockets. These banks will bring strong competition and international state of art practices to the market places. Though operating under restrictions they will forge alliances with local businesses and strive to increase their service portfolio and business in the region. â€Å"According to the bank’s Kuwait chief executive Nick Nicolaou, HSBC has already built up a staff of 42 and is developing a comprehensive training programme. â€Å"We think we can add value. With our regional and global footprint, we can do a lot that local banks cannot do.† [3] HSBC is likely to emphasise its sub-custodian capabilities for foreign investors among other services.† It is evident that these are momentous times for the banking, financial services, wealth management and brokerage companies in Kuwait. Their choice of strategy during this particular sunrise period will determine largely their survival, prosperity and growth in the coming decade. A number of these companies have also started offering self-service technologies to their clients. This is seen as a big step forward in their client offering. KMEFIC and KAMCO are two brokerage companies who have been frontrunners in adopting this technology. KMEFIC’s services have proved to be notably successful and they are now able to provide services, which cover most of the GCC countries and the US market. The Role of UKB managers The analysis of political and economic analysis provided in the previous two sections indicates the enormous business opportunities present for companies operating in the banking sector. UKB is one of the few foreign banks operating in Kuwait and has substantial early mover advantage. The free space available and lack of strong competition will not last for very long and UKB officials need to exploit the business advantage fully. Banks and financial institutions are also rapidly introducing Self Service Technologies for brokerage and internet banking activities. UKB managers must also thus work towards leveraging their superior banking and technological skills and ensure that their technology on offer is the best possible. Any introduction of modern technology is going to be more stressful in Kuwait than what managers from the UK would have experienced before and managers would do well to remember that technology that does not live up to its promises causes intense customer dissatisfaction. Implementation of technology will need to be done with care, especially with respect to maintenance, back up and support services.   Kuwait and the other GCC countries have business environments that are radically different from the UK, the USA and countries of West Europe. The differences in history, culture, traditions and mores as well as the predominance of religion in everyday life contribute towards creating an environment that appears to be alien and is often a cause for great discomfiture for westerners who wish to put down anchor for extended periods and operate in business environments. It is thus essential to understand the Kuwaiti way of doing business in order to respond adequately to business challenges. The recommendations provided below are common for most of the Arab world and will stand all British expatriates negotiating business contracts in Kuwait. UKB officers should try, as far as possible to follow the following guidelines, extracted from the Australian Government’s website for doing business with Arab states. [4] Information is often unreliable and efforts to expand sources of information will aid understanding of a business situation. This includes advice from other westerners who have more experience of local conditions. Statistics and market data are often imprecise and can lead to wrong forecasting.   Budgets must be realistic, timelines conservative as slippages are very common, and transactions take longer than expected. Extensive networking helps in generating business leads Complex business procedures are common and a contract may take take many visits and apparently unnecessary negotiations. Once contracts are finalized, the clients or business partners often want to move fast often based on a handshake. Finally, everything moves on price and UKB managers must work towards delivering beneficial and tangible price outcomes. Religion, in this case Islam, plays a very definitive role in the life of people of governs interpersonal dealings. A knowledge of the Islamic calendar helps and it is wise not to fix any important meetings for Friday, the Islamic Sabbath, when many offices and shops remain closed. The holy festival of Ramadan occupies one whole month and its dates vary every year. Kuwaitis fast for the whole day and while they are used to the yearly ritual, business activities slow down. UKB managers should plan their work accordingly and factor in these considerations into their budgets and commitments. Business meetings are also very different from the west and are frequent causes of frustration for expatriates used to the professionalism of UK business. Some characteristics [5]   of Arab meetings, very capable of disturbing UKB managers are as follows. The meeting may be disturbed and that too quite often, by phone calls and assistants coming in to sign documents or take instructions. The business world is far more informal and interruptions are the norm, rather than the exception. Totally unconnected people may also come in and remain present, without contributing anything towards the proceedings. Meetings are also often interrupted because of prayer timings. Any show of frustration is looked at with amusement and UKB managers must learn to be patient and impassive in their attitude. The Kuwaitis are very good negotiators and quite adept at sensing the unease of their business counterparts. It thus, remains advisable to stay focused, keep the main negotiating points in play, stay firm but exceedingly polite and never show frustration or impatience at the conduct of proceedings. They will be looking for sincerity and trust and it is important that these reassurances are provided continuously, through word, action and reinforcement of capability. Personal Relationships Expatriates living in foreign locales feel the need to occasionally relax in familiar surroundings. Kuwait has a number of luxury hotels with good cuisine and health club facilities and it is strongly recommended that the British staff make good use of them. It is also however important to mix with important local clients and prominent members of the bureaucracy and gradually build up networking contacts. While engaging with Kuwaitis socially it is important to remember a few local traditions and customs. The right hand is always used for eating and it is impolite to eat with the left. The art of small talk, especially about local events helps in social and business settings. Handshakes are often clasps and should be avoided with females. Regular eye contact is desirable and firmness, as separate from arrogance, leads to respect. The most commonly used term is Inshallah, which stands for â€Å"god willing† and underlines the predominance of religion in all dealings. Conclusion The success of a strategic international thrust depends upon a number of things, the most important being viable business opportunities, excellent domain knowledge, awareness of local political processes and economic conditions and the ability to deliver, technically and economically, a superior product or service. UKB is fortunately placed. It is at the right place at the right time and needs to convert its first mover advantage to consolidate its position as a significant player in the banking and financial circles of Kuwait. The banks expatriate team has the responsibility of carrying forward the objectives of the bank to fruition and economic success. They will need to handle a number of challenges on their road towards their objective. A proper reading of the various suggestions and recommendations provided in the course of this report should certainly make their assignment easier to handle. Bibliography Amir, F.A., Marzouqi, H.A., Mesmer, H and Murtawa, S.S., 2006, Online e Trading for UAE Stock Market. AME Info, 9 October 2006, Available: http://www.ameinfo.com/80199.html Atkins, W, 2004, Worst-case scenarios, The Banker, 10 July 2006, Available: http://www.thebanker.com/news/fullstory.php/aid/1711/Worst-case_scenarios.html Bansal, P., 2004, A question of identity, The Banker, 9 October 2006, Available: http://www.thebanker.com/news/fullstory.php/aid/1708/A_question_of_identity.html Doing business with Qatar, 2006, Australian Government, 9 October 2006, Available: www.dfat.gov.au/publications/business_qatar/doing_business_qatar.html Drejer, A. (2002). Strategic Management and Core Competencies: Theory and Application. Westport, CT: Quorum Books. 9 October 2006, Available: Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=101317940 GCC Growth to Slow, 2006, Gulf Industry, 9 October 2006, Available: www.gulfindustryonline.com/bkArticlesF.asp?Article=4113&Section=672&IssueID=234 Timewell, S, 2006, A future to plan for, The Banker, 9 October 2006, Available: http://www.thebanker.com/news/fullstory.php/aid/4048/A_future_to_plan_for.html Timewell, S, 2005, A transformed terrain for banks, The Banker, 9 October 2006, Available: http://www.thebanker.com/news/fullstory.php/aid/2953/A_transformed_terrain_for_banks.html Timewell, S, 2006, New Era New Challenges, The Banker, 9 October 2006, Available: http://www.thebanker.com/news/fullstory.php/aid/4046/New_Era,_New_Challenges.html [1] GCC Growth to Slow, 2006, Gulf Industry [2] Timewell, S, 2005, A changed terrain for banks [3]   Timewell, S, 2006, A future to plan for, Page 1 [4]   Doing Business with Qatar, 2006, Australian Government [5] Doing Business with Qatar

Little Boy Essays - Oral Literature, Vocal Music, Musical Form

Little Boy Essays - Oral Literature, Vocal Music, Musical Form Little Boy Little Boy When you were a little boy You always had the best toy You never wanted to fight and scream You just wanted to play and dream You dreamed of being big and cool Now you scream and look a fool You held hands to cross the road Now you complain of being old Now you wander and search for meaning You dont deserve to be a human being Your time is coming your fading fast You wish and cry for your past Heres your shot one last try Youre so happy you could cry You laugh and smile you jump for joy Just like you did when you were a little boy You have had all of your fun So now its time your almost done Life has said its time to die Nows your chance to say good-bye

Cathodic Electro Deposition Essays

Cathodic Electro Deposition Essays Cathodic Electro Deposition Essay Cathodic Electro Deposition Essay Electrodeposition Coating Process for Automobile Bodies* By Yoshiaki 0YABU,** Nobuo FURUNO,*** Yoji HIRASAWA*** and Hiroshi OMORI **** Synopsis The earlier electrodeposition processwas mainlypursuitedfor the quality control in terms of mass production. However, the coating efficiency was picked up to be a serial problemfrom a standpoint of the harmony between natural circumstancesand humans living-life conditions and the recovery usage of the paint was earnestlysearched. This trend led to the development in various technicalfields. The second impetus on further improvementof electrodeposition paint was due to oil crisis in 1973. The new technology relating to save-energy was developed. In thepaint industries, the further improvedanti-corrosive performance was strongly demanded. This demand also involvedthe developmentof new materials for automobile bodies and even the design of bodiesstructure. In this report, the introduction of electrodeposition process into automobile industries in Japan is hystrically reviewedand the electrodeposition mechanismand the mechanism which deposited materials from the coating film are briefly explained. As the demandfor anti-corrosiveperformance is increased, the coating system in which the anodic oxidation and the dissolutionfrom the object metal can not occur, was aimed and recentlyit was rapidly accepted as the superior system. On the other hand, there is an oppositeopinionfor this trend on the basis of the metal analysis detectedin the deposited film. The characteristics of cationic electrodeposition,in particular, the superior corrosion resistance with regard to the metal dissolution in the wholeelectrodeposition processis explained. In Chapter III, throwingpower which is characteristic for electrodeposition processis described. It is referred that throwingpower is not necessarily determined by the paint performance. Even the electrodeposition coating system, the areas into which the paint liquid does not intrude can not be coated. And it is pointed out that the design of bodiesstructure is inevitablynecessaryas well as the improvement paint performances. of In Chapter IV, the role of the main component,vehicleresin, is introduced. The deviceswhich disperse resin into solvent` water, and factors which determine the polarity of electrodeposition explained. And the are typical resin structure is shown. The paint performanceis greatly effected by the vehicleresin, but it is also deeplyrelated how thepaint is produced and how it is coated. Therefore, it is inferred that thepaint performances are relativelyestimated. In Chapter V, the whole system of electrodepositioncoating process is given. The so-called ` closed-loopsystem which is remarkably characteristic in electrodeposition process, and which is suitably fitted for mass production of automobile bodies is explained. Besides, the pH control technologyof paint bath and the possibility on its future development are referred. Thefurther improvement the recycleusage technology f paint of o is pointed out and the possibility to replyfor the social needssuch as saveenergyand lesspolution is explained. In Chapter VI, thepresent status of electrodeposition processand various technicalproblemsare explained. The summary of this review and authors views for future development are given in thefinal chapter. I. Introduction The development of the electrodeposition coating echnology in automobile bodies industry commenced around 1964 in Japan. In those days, dip coating of water-borne paint was applied to automobile parts after metal pretreatment, and it was confirmed when voltage was applied, the vehicle was deposited at the electrode. This was the beginning of electrodeposition coating. However, the essential point of this technology was not properly comprehended, while the unpublished work was progressing. Before 1963, the small products to which latex emulsion was mainly applied had been produced industrially. In Great Britain, the first major industrial use of electrodeposition coating system was in 1963 when the Pressed Steel Company commenced priming petrol tanks at their Oxford Works. In U. S. A. , the patent on electrodeposition system for automobile bodies and parts such as wheels was published in 1963 from the Ford Motor Company. And when patents emerged, all the automobile industries aimed at them. As the research was going on, the coating technology was proved to attract us with peculiar interests . such as high corrosion resistance of coating and the superior adaptability to mass production. The paint industries in Japan made a great effort to develop this coating technology, while they introduced it from the developed countries which it was attained in a higher level. The Japanese industries, in particular, automobile industries were in rapid progress, and they invested in the installation for the new coating system. Owing to this days trend, the electrodeposition was satisfactorily accepted by most of automobile industries. And in a short period of time, Japan got ahead of Europe and then U. S. A. n its distribution. In the beginning of electrodeposition paint which was mainly composed of natural oils, the film performance as a primer itself was inferior to that of solvent-type polyester primer modified with epoxy resin by spray coating, but the electrodeposition coating system was not followed in terms of throwing power and the coating efficiency. Around 1971, natural circumstances grew worse in proportion to the rapid progress of industrial products and people became sensitive to the recovery of the nature in Japan. The electrodeposition coating system does not emit an organic solvent in the air and in this point of view it fitted the days demand. How- * ** *** **** Received April 11, 1983. Â © 1983 ISIJ Director of Research Department, Nippon Paint Co. , Ltd. , Minami-shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 140. Technical Center, Nippon Paint Co. , Ltd. , Ikeda-nakamachi, Neyagawa 572. Industrial Marine Coatings Division, Nippon Paint Co. , Ltd. , Fukushima, Fukushima-ku, Osaka 553. (994) Review Transactions ISIJ, Vol. 23, 1983 (995) ver, the great mass of water was utilized for rinsing after electrodeposition and it caused the problem of waste treatment. In response to this problem, the treatment of rinsed water was studied, leading to the development of the closed system. In 1969, PPG (the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company, U. S. A. ) published the patent on ultrafiltration closed-loop system for electrodeposition coating. The waste treatment of rinsed water after electrodeposition was remarkably impro ved and coating efficiency reached 100 %. This progressed the improvement of the quality and the preparation of large size of ultrafilter and facilitated the industrialization with use of it. Since the oil crisis in 1973, the textile industries were chased up closely by the developing countries which manufactured products cheaply and they were not allowed to keep the technology for mass production. They were demanded to develop the new technological product being provided specific properties by utilizing their fine chemical technology. It can be said that this trend in the textile industries accelerated the development of ultrafilter. In 1975, it happened that an automobile engine was dropped off from the body by severe corrosion of supporting panels which was caused by the salt dispersed on the road in Canada. This led to the big compensation and with a help of its impetus the corrosion protection of automobile bodies were taken as the serial problem which had been prone to be neglected and the design of automobile bodies were begun to study in terms of corrosion protection. Around that time, in order to decrease the weight of automobile bodies, inorganic and organic materials were started to be investigated in esponse to the days demand of saving labor and energy and cationic electrodeposition coating attracted remarkable attention. PPGs patented cathodic electrodeposition system was introduced in 1972. Its first commercial use was for applying the primer on household appliances to gain the advantages of increased detergent resistance and outstanding corrosion resistance. The corrosion resistance of cationic ele ctrodeposition coating was far superior to that of anionic one and the former was substituted for the latter in a few years in Japan. In those days, there had been reported only several papers on the steel surface. In the industrial metal pretreatment line which the phosphating bath was controlled in the proper treatment values, even if the satisfied phosphate coating was not obtained due to the variation of steel surface, the phosphating bath was changed to fit the varied steel surface. Around the time cationic electrodeposition coating was examined to apply to the industrial line, there had been technological competition to protect automobile bodies against corrosion either by the improvement of primer paint or by the development of precoated steel plated with Zn, Ni, or Al. However, the cationic electrodeposition paint of PPG was proved to be far ahead of others and most of the automobile industries in the world accepted it. Consequently, the anti-corrosive performance of the precoated steel for automobile bodies came to be evaluated by applying electrodeposition coating to it. Even the steel industries were involved in the world trend from mass production to the development of the functional materials. The steel industries commenced earnestly the development of precoated metal possessing the corrosion resistance, while producing steel by continuous annealing pickling line system. With the development of precoated metal, papers on the analysis and its interpretation on steel surface have begun to appear. (The development of the instrument of chemical analysis has given a big help to them. ) And the technology of the phosphate coating has progressed in combination with the technical reports on steel surface. At present, the electrodeposition system are mainly from PPGs patent. The distribution of primers for automobile bodies in each region is shown in Table 1. At present it is impossible to decide with technical investigations what sort of steels are suitable for automobile bodies. Though one side and both side galvanized steels have been utilized for automobile bodies, the development of corrosion protection would progress as a total technology while giving answers how to select the precoated steel and how to use it. The authors inferred that the essential technology for electrodeposition coating system could be throwing power and the control of deposition bath paint, and carried out the analysis of throwing power and the deposition mechanism in 1969. In the references published in the 1960s, electrodeposition coating is described as ` electrophoretic coating. The authors reported that the film forming reaction was due to water electrolysis, water removal by electroosmosis, aggregation of colloidal particles and their melting by Joules heat. In this review, the technology of the electrodeposition coating system is discussed on the basis of authors work and views referring to many papers and patents. II. Mechanism of Electrodeposition Coating 1. Signj/icance Electrodeposition of Coating Processof AutomobileBodies As structural materials for automobile bodies, steels have been widely utilized as they are supplied cheaply and in large quantities besides their strength. The main purposes of the coating are to protect the substrate from the corrosive attack and to provide it with a good appearance. Table 1. Distribution of primers in each region. (investigated in 1982, autumn) (%) (996) Transactions ISIT, Vol. 23, 1983 The method of applying primers using the electrodeposition coating process has become quite common in the automobile industry, since it was introduced during the 1960s because of its inherent processing advantages. The electrodeposition coating method fits well into the coating process in the automobile industry either as an in-line processing method or as an off-line system. The coating time is short, 2 to 3 min full immersion, for complete bodies or parts , and it coats the exterior, interior, and recessed areas in a single dip application. One technician normally operates the processing system. Bodies or parts to be coated are fully immersed in the electrodeposition bath. The electrodeposition paint formulated proper materials provides a uniform coating over all electrically conductive surfaces in the given coating time. The paint is water-borne. There are also small amounts of solvent present, approximately 5 % or less. This composition and the process efficiency are very compatible with goals to minimize air pollution. When the electrodeposition coating process is used with a ` closed-loop system, it results in high utilization of the paint. Properly designed systems have a paint utilization efficiency approaching 100 %. Most systems are designed to achieve this high efficiency. There are numerous other characteristics of the electrodeposition process, such as non-flammability. Various reactions relating to electrodeposition in connection with the object are reviewed in this chapter. Mechanismof Electrodeposition In anionic electrodeposition developed in the beginning, it was assumed that the deposition was due to the following reaction, where charged water-soluble or water-dispersible macroion R~ was changed to R at the anode. R;R+e Resin particles stabilized by macroion is called hydrophobic colloid. The deposition mechanism was assumed to be electrophoretic deposition of hydrophobic colloidal particles and its coating process was called ` electrophoretic coating process . But, it was failed to explain characteristics of electrodeposition such as superior throwing power and high productivity by the above electrode reaction with an electron transfer. Many reports including the authors research were published and it was clarified that the deposition mechanism was due to the coagulation of hydrophobic colloidal particles by H+ generated by water electrolysis. This result greatly contributed to the development of the cationic electrodeposition coating process. And by the industrial utilization of anionic and cationic electrodeposition, the above mechanism based on electrolysis was widely accepted. In electrodeposition, charged water-soluble or water-dispersible macroions are attracted by the electrode of the opposite polarity where they undergo electrochemical reactions and are deposited. If the 2. electrodepositing vehicle is represented by RX, where R~ is the macroaaion, then R+ will be deposited at the cathode (cathodic electrodeposition). Conversely, with macroanion R-, deposition will take place at the anode (anodic electrodeposition). The anodic electrodeposition relies on carboxyl groups and the cathodic on amine groups. Thus electrodeposition resins are designed and prepared like other coating polymers but are required to carry ion-forming groups, e. g. , -NH2 or -COOH . These resins are utilized in electrodeposition as indicated in Table 2. When the voltage is applied, the main reactions at the electrode are electrolysis of water and the deposition of macroion. 1) Electrolysis of water Anode 2H20 4H++02+4e 40H- p 02+2H20+4e Cathode 4H2O+4e ~ 4OW+2H2 4W+4e -p 2H2 2) Polymer deposition Anionic electrodeposition RCOO-+H+ ~ RCOOH Cationic electrodeposition R3NH++OH- f R3N+H2O As shown in Fig. , anionic electrodeposition and cationic electrodeposition are similarly symmetry. The mechanism of electrodeposition and others would be substantially considered to be the same phenomena. 3~ Table 2. Electrodepositable tion. 2 resins and mode of deposi- Fig. 1. Comparison tionic one. of anionic electrode position with ca- . Transactions ISIJ, Vol. 23, 1983 (997) 3. Mechanismof Film Formation When the constant p otential difference (100 V) was applied, the logarithm of the current was linear to time as shown in Fig. 2. This relationship is called the law of logarithm in the film formation, and indicates that the current decreases due to insulation of the electrode. When the electrodeposition period was longer than 6 sec, this relationship deviated from the linear shape and the square of the reciprocal of the current density became linear to time as shown in Fig. 3. This relationship is called the law of parabola in the film formation, and demonstrates that the mechanism of electroconduction of the electrodeposited film is ionic, controlling the rate of the film formation. From these results the mechanism of the electrodeposition film formation is discussed using the model shown in Fig. 4. When the applied potential difference is low, the melting process of the electrodeposited particles cannot occur. In this case, the particles rinsed off from the electrode by washing with tap water after electrodeposition. As the applied potential difference is increased, the melting process occurs faster. Materials formed by this melting process get increased the electric resistance. But it is not allowed to increase beyond a certain value. The film conduction depends on ionic species in the pin holes which are built up by releasing the bubbles. These bubbles and pin holes are visible although they are very small. The colloidal particles precipitate in the pin holes as shown in Fig. 4, the growing point of the film is no longer adjacent to the electrode but within a diffusion layer a finite distance away from the electrode. When the applied potential difference is too high, the random growing ruptures the uniformity of the film. The film rupture voltage is believed to depend on the rheological properties of the film and the rate of electrolysis. . E ffect of Metal Dissolution When the potential difference is applied in an electrolyte solution, the following metal dissolution may occur at the anode. MÂ ° Mn++ne The redox potential of the metal affects the possibility of the above reaction, and as the potential becomes higher, the reaction possibility becomes larger. But this does not imply the continuous reaction progr ess. When anionic species such as C1 are presented too much in the electrolyte, the dissolution reaction occurs easily and Cr04-, S04- and C03- disturb the above reaction. In anionic electrodeposition, the object is anodized and the following polymer deposition occurs; that is nRC00-+Mn+ p (RC00),z-M Fig. 2. The time relation during between the early the logarithm at of current a constant and period applied potential of 100 V. Fig . 3. The relation between the square that of reciprocal between the curpa- -),andand rent (time rameter p and time (- Fig . 4. A model of the electrodeposited film. In other words, at the anode the dissolution reaction is decreased by the polymer deposition. These reactions would not occur evenly over the automobile bodies, because of their complex-shaped structure. Since the potential difference is not the same in all the locations of automobile bodies, the electrodeposition coating process provides an uneven coating. This would deteriorate the performance of coating such as corrosion resistance and appearance. The dissolved amounts of the metal during reactions differ largely in electrodeposition bath compositions. And they are affected by the surface treatment of the steel. The adaptability of the newly developed metal materials should be strictly examined. In cationic electrodeposition the object is the cathode, and the above mentioned anodic dissolution reaction does not occur at the object. This point was aimed at and the cationic electrodeposition coating process has been developed which gives an excellent corrosion resistance. Anderson4; analyzed the metal in cationic electrodeposition films and characterized the peculiar relations of cationic electrodeposition against anionic one (Fig. 5). He presumed that the following reaction would occur at the cathode. Review (998) Transactions ISIJ, Vol. 23, 1983 MÂ °+40H- [MO2]n-+2H2O+(4-n)e Since then, his data have been cited by many researchers with a little discussion. Being based on the results electrodeposition film weight increases with an increase of the deposition time. The authors can not agree with the following approach. The metal detected in electrodeposition film is assumed to be due to the electrode reaction by a flow of current. Metallic substrate dissolves chemically without current flow. For example, corrosion with hydrogen evolution is illustrated as follows. 2Fe+3H20 Zn+H2O p + Fe203+3H2 ZnO+H2 ~ T Fig. 5. Changes cold-rolled in iron steel content with of electrodeposited deposition time. films on 1 2A1+3H2O pA1203+3H2 These reactions do not participate in electron transfer and they are not related to current flow. These corrosion reactions differ in electrodeposition bath compositions, electrodeposition process conditions, metal materials and their surface conditions. Therefore, the analysis of corrosion reactions are quite difficult. However, the practical difficulties arising from the above mentioned factors have been clarified. In cationic electrodeposition, the working electrode is the anode and anodic dissolution causes a contamination of electrodeposition bath paint. Care must be taken in cationic electrodeposition being different from anionic electrodeposition. In order to prevent the contamination by dissolved ion, the working electrode is settled inside diaphragm which ion-exchange membrane is preferably used. III. Throwing Power _l. Signficanceof Throwing Power in ProtectiveCoating In coating applications or complex-shaped automobile bodies, throwing power, the ability to extend paint films into highly recessed areas, as well as the corrosion resistance of coating are greatly demanded. These two specifications have been parallely taken as the index for the improvement and development of the electrodeposition coating process. Recently, the materials such as the cold-rolled steel, galvanized steel and othe r steels have been widely utilized for automobile bodies, and the estimation for two specifications (corrosion resistance of coating and throwing power) become complexed and varied. In order to improve the protective performance of automobile bodies, they should be examined particularly in the throwing power. In this chapter, we review in throwing power. 2. Throwing Power Test In case of the design for corrosion protection of automobile bodies, there are two following purposes to estimate throwing power. 1) To design the structure of automobile bodies and materials adaptability 2) To design electrodeposition paint and deposition coating process Review Fig. 6. Types of throwing cells (dia grammatic). For the first purpose it is recommended to make a model on the characteristics of the bodies structure. The modeling of the bodies structure generally arises from the know-how on the design for corrosion protection of the automobile industry. There have been proposed the following devices for measuring throwing power of the electrodeposition paint since it was developed. The most simple device is a comparative test. Many possible methods were described briefly by Tawn and Berry,5) and are illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 6. This diagram enables one to appreciate the meaning of throwing power. 1) Bar test (Fig. 6(a)) In this type of test, either or both of two functions can be measured : the length of the anode coated under given conditions, and the gradient of film thickness down the anode. (2) Multiple plate test (Fig. 6(b)) In this form of test, the efficiency, that is the weight or film thickness of coating on the inside plates, can be compared with that of coating on the outs ide plates. (3) Wedge test (Fig. 6(c)) In this test, it is only possible to estimate the percentage of the total area not coated with the paint. Mathematical expression of the result is difficult, due to difficulties of measuring areas accurately and defining the boundary between coated and uncoated areas. (4) Tube test (Fig. 6(d)) Several methods of this type exist, one of which is illustrated in Fig. 6(d), but in essence this is similar to the bar test, except for the restriction applied to the electrical bath by the non-conductive tube itself. (5) Cell test (Fig. 6(e)) Particular conditions may be applied to the anode in the cathode compartment, and the deposition on the anode in the separate compartment may be determined separately. Another purpose to estimate throwing power is to detect quantitatively the inherent ability of the used paint. In these several measuring methods, the tube test (Fig. 6) has been recognized to be mostly accepted method. The size of this test tube is defined fully by automobile industries. For examples, Ford Cell and GM Cell are popularly accepted in U. S. A. 3. Analysis of Throwing Power The electrodeposition paint industries have analyzed the mechanism of throwing power as corresponding to the different size of each automobile industry. Oyabu and Furuno6-8~ showed that throwing power could be related to the geometry of the test cell and coating properties by the following equation: Th2 = -. E . ,c (1) a LJ the cross-sectional area of the cell the perimeter of the cell the bath conductivity the applied voltage the current density at the coated surface of the tube at the end of the deposition experiment The equipotential surfaces at the start of the electrodeposition process are shown at the left, and those in progress at the right of Fig. . The dense distribution of equipotential surfaces along to the anode corresponds to the electrodeposited film. In this area the current density is approximately uniform. To verify the relationships between a and Th, and between L and Th in the above equations, three kinds of experiments were carried out. A steel panel was inserted into a glass tube. If the thickness of the panel is expressed by d and the width by l(d