The Fight Over the Redwoods Essay Example for Free

The Fight Over the Redwoods Essay Pacific Lumber Company, founded in 1869, oversees the careful maintenance and logging of the world’s most productive timberland. Pacific Lumber holds the last private forest of old-growth Redwood. In addition to it’s unique hardwood, the Redwood forest hosts an ecosystem supporting virgin ground never logged, and the endangered Marbled Murrelet. After being purchased in 1985 by the Maxxam firm and it’s owner Mr. Hurwitz, Pacific Lumber tripled logging volume and looked to log the previously privately protected Redwood forest. Due to the use of junk-bonds for financial backing, Maxxam Inc.   needed to dramatically increase revenue streams to make interest payments which resulted in the reprioritization of business values. The health of the environment became second to the survival of Pacific Lumber. Poor business ethics led the timber company from a once highly profitable firm conscious of both the environment and long-term business stability, to one focused on short-term profitability without valuing the long term impacts of environmental change. The Fight Over The Redwoods Background Pacific Lumber Company, founded in 1869, owned 220,000 acres of some of the world’s most productive timberland. The family-run company incorporated the very best standards for environmental impact and business management. Through selective tree cutting and management of business structure, the Pacific Lumber Company maintained the worlds rarest old growth redwood forest. Due to deforestation through the end of the 1970’s, Pacific Lumber Company held the last Redwood resource thereby indirectly monopolizing the hardwood market. The company was debt free, treated their employees well, and managed a significant inventory to support their sustainment operations.  (Shaw, 2014) In 1985, Maxxam Incorporated acquired Pacific Lumber for 900 million dollars. Through the use of junk-bond financing to purchase the company, Maxxam Inc. had to manage significant interest payments on their loan. To manage high interest, Maxxam increased wood cutting that would eventually lead to the deforestation of previously protected land. 16 different lawsuits filed by environmental organizations brought Pacific Lumber operations to a halt with foresting operations in specific areas of their land. The legal reasoning was the protection of endangered species, and long-term impact to virgin ecosystems that existed nowhere else in the world. (Shaw, 2014) In 1999, Senator Diane Feinstein and Deputy Interior Secretary John Garamendi signed an agreement. The agreement brokered out land to the government through a 480 million dollar purchase, and banned logging in certain areas for fifty years in an effort to protect endangered species. The agreement also established an enforceable habitat protection plan to oversee Pacific Lumber operations for the foreseeable future. Pacific Lumber considered the deal to be a true testament that increased regulations by federal government stymied business profitability. Pacific Lumber ended up declaring bankruptcy in 2008. The lumber company was acquired by a well known firm that had ties to the timber community, held environmental considerations high, and worked well with politics involved. (Shaw, 2014) Case Analysis Question 1: Ancient forests, to include those of Redwood trees, have a value that is greater than just the face value of the lumber planned for logging. Considerations for a corporation’s growth and profitability is important. Employees depend on paychecks, healthcare, pensions, and other supporting programs such as scholarships and donations to the community. These benefits however, will never outweigh the value of untouched forest that supports threatened species. Addressing Redwood deforestation only encompasses a small portion of global concern. Ecosystems rely on one another to survive and operate in the environment they are found. Removing the Redwood hardwood forest would be the precipice for large scale ecological failure. An employee for Pacific Lumber may need a paycheck to maintain an adequate standards of living, but first needs a place to survive. If the ecosystem supporting our way of life collapses, so does our way of life. Question 2: Although land ownership is an individual right, what takes place on that land is still a concern for governing agencies. In this case, the impact to ecosystems covers an area greater than just the area owned by one individual or firm. Controlling the impacts of the landowners operation mitigates the impact to other landowners in the area. Owning land still requires a reasonable person to behave in a manner consistent with the law of the land. In this analysis, a gentlemen named Hurwitz backed Maxxam Inc. to purchase Pacific Lumber. Hungry for profits, he altered Pacific Lumber’s focus to the short term profitability of the firm, instead of long term sustainment of the business. Poor business practices put Maxxam Inc. in a position requiring a fixed amount of income to pay loan interest and fees. Hurwitz never assessed whether or not he could sustain payment with current operations and was forced to increase operations to make profitability still viable. (The Terrestrial Environment, 1998) Question 3: Mainstream environmentalists were correct to stop Pacific Lumber from ravaging it’s timberland. Prior business practices provided ecosystem shelter for endangered species and protected virgin forest from being logged. Changes to federal regulations and societal values required that these areas be protected despite ownership change. Behavior by radicalized environmentalists is often unacceptable because it results in damage to business property and potential injury to employees. They do, however, protect what would otherwise be destroyed with stale politics or businesses circumventing laws through unethical behavior. (Shaw, 2014) Question 4: We as a society have a moral obligation to protect rare environments such as the Redwood forest. Trees do not have inherent rights and must be represented by a governing body or entity with their environmental impact in mind if they are logged. Old growth forest support more than just the production of hardwood, it supports endangered species, fragile ecosystems, and the long term health of the planet. Endangered species cannot be recreated; The death of a species effects of the impact of two or three other species’ ecosystems, resulting in fluctuations throughout the entire food chain. (The Terrestrial Environment, 1998) Question 5: Prior to being bought out, Pacific Lumber operated a very controlled logging operation that matched tree-growth rates. Although this does not necessarily provide increased short term profitability, it does mean long term sustainment with predictability. Shareholders of Pacific Lumber knew they owned a dependable stock that would hold its value for years to come. Lumber produced from logging is a highly volatile market. Predictable operations gave employees stability and ensured the environmental interests of future generations to come. Pacific Lumber is an excellent example of how ethical business practices sustain the environment, or negate the importance of it in the interests of profitability. Question 6: The argument can be made that protecting private land from deforestation is not necessary due to the amount of land already protected by parks and reserves. What cannot be predicted is the impact to endangered species, or the separation and destruction of niche ecosystems that support a larger environmental scale. Taking away localized areas of trees, or ecosystems supported by old growth, will ultimately compound the negative effects of our constantly shrinking native environment. As human growth pushes into these areas, the result is an increase of a demand for a stable environment, despite destroying the very thing we need to exist. (Biological Issue, 2014) Question 7: The agreement made between the government and Pacific Lumber did cost the taxpayers more than what would be considered socially acceptable by a reasonable person. The argument equates the value of the land and it’s components to the cost of protecting it. By spending 480 million dollars, the land is federally protected against logging, forever. Endangered species may remain in the same state, but the uncontrolled elimination of their habitat has now been mitigated. The impact of the agreement to Pacific Lumber was the eventual bankruptcy filed in 2008. The resulting reshaping of the firm required layoffs and the decommission of certain assets to created a viable business. Employees lost their jobs, communities felt the impact of business fluctuation, and the local economy suffered. Although difficult, this suffering is short-termed and does not compare to the long term negative effects of deforestation to future generations. (Biological Issue, 2014) Conclusion Pacific Lumber is a perfect example of why ethical business practices must consider the environment along with other federal and state regulations within their operations. Focusing only on short term profitability is not indicative of long term sustainment and stability. Owners of large corporations must ensure that responsible values and core competencies are retained, despite being bought out. Controlling corporate growth helps maintain employee and shareholder interests, while simultaneously ensuring the health and welfare of the environment. References

The Eyes Motif in the Works of D.H. Lawrence :: Biography Biographies Essays

The Eyes Motif in the Works of D.H. Lawrence D.H. Lawrence's short stories The Shadow in the Rose Garden, The Prussian Officer and The White Stocking possess an eyes motif. This motif, along with a variety of other motifs, are used throughout the works of the author and adds depth to the stories. "The Shadow in the Rose Garden" possesses an eyes motif. The eyes as a "window to the soul" is an ever present reference in this work. First, Lawrence notes the "china-blue eyes" of Mrs. Coates, who is a "delightful, erect old lady." (70) Later, when the young woman sits down on the bench in the garden in front of the white roses and sees the man in front of her, she notices his eyes. Lawrence write: "She looked up, blanched to the lips, and saw his eyes. They were black, and stared without seeing. They were not a man's eyes" (73). The young woman was greatly disturbed by the man whose eyes "stared without seeing." After they began talking, the young woman noticed that his eyes "were the glistening, strange black eyes that she had loved" (74). This deranged man she was talking to reminded her of a man she once loved, who is not her husband because Lawrence makes reference to "his brown eyes" (75). Therefore, Lawrence writes, "Her eyes searched him, and searched him, to see if he woul d recognize her, if she could discover him. 'You don't know me?' she asked, from the terror of her soul, standing alone" (p.74). These lines incorporate the theme of the eyes as a 'window to the soul.' The young woman tries to reach the disturbed man's soul by searching his eyes. The eye motif in "The Shadow in the Rose Garden" can also be found in "The Prussian Officer." Many references are made to the eyes of the older Captain and the younger orderly in "Officer." Lawrence describes the character's eyes when he writes,"The eyes of the two men met, those of the younger sullen and dark, doggedly unalterable, those of the elder sneering with restless contempt" (5). This comes after the orderly becomes more aware of his Captain's affections and starts to show off with his girlfriend a little more. Future lines in the story also carry the theme of eyes as a "window to the soul": "The withering smile came into the Captain's eyes .

Engineering Ethics Essay

The responsibility of an engineer is to counter to a need through creating or building something according to the stipulated set of guidelines which performs a particular a given purpose. the creation ,plan or device should perform its stipulated functions without fail. However everything must eventually fail in some way to do its given functions in terms f the level of performance. Therefore engineers must always struggle to design their works in such a way that they avoid failure and more so a catastrophic failure which can lead to loss of property, loss of life or possible injury and damage towards the environmental user of that technology through the study and analysis of engineering disasters modern designers in engineering can how to create with little or no chances of failure and what no to do or what is referred to as engineering ethics. This essay is going to focus on the application of engineering ethics and the differences between a good engineer and a poor engineer. It is not a good argument to say that engineers should emulate the public in taking risks because the engineering failure is considered to be an engineering disaster through the public perception of risks. For example almost the same number of people die from airplanes, bicycles and trains but the public perception of the risks associated with air travel is always relatively higher than that of for bicycles and also trains. This is facilitated by the fact that there is much news reporting on airplane accidents and mishaps compared to the rail and road accidents also think it is not a good argument because most of the engineering disasters are considered to be human factors which include ethical failure. Design flaw is also another cause because they mainly result from unethical practices. I don’t think the argument is good because the deficiency in engineering ethics is perceived to be one of the derivation causes of engineering failure. This is because n engineer as a professional bears a responsibility to both the client, the employer, to the general public and to their profession. This means that they should perform their responsibilities in a very conscientious manner. This will not include only acting in the bound of the law but as a n ethical engineer he will try to always avoid conflicts of interest. To avoid this conflicts of interest the ethical engineer will avoid misrepresenting his knowledge by not accepting those jobs which are outside his area of expertise, by acting in the best ever interest of the environment and society, by fulfilling the terms of his contract or agreements explicitly and also by promoting the education of the young engineers in the his field. Many failures reported in engineering ethics usually have many legal consequences (Matscieng. sunysb. edu, 2003). There is a relationship between risk and safety in terms of management and assessment. For example risk management is perceived to be a process that is used to evaluate the probability of harm occurring and also the severity of that harm the results of this risk assessment can then be used to determine how work can be performed safely. If the risk is not acceptable decisions must be made on how supplementary protective measures that will assist in keeping the porkers safe. Safety audit on the other hand is a process that is used to determine whether or not the risk reduction strategy is reliable with the results of the results made during the risk reduction portion of the risk assessment process. Each risk reduction measure should be validated to ensure that is being in accordance with the decisions which are made during the risk assessment. Risk management includes the systematic use of the results of risk decisions when making decisions regarding the best practicable strategy that will be used inn protecting the workers form harm. On the other hand safety management is the system used in ensuring that the risk levels acquired during the risk management are maintained (Industrialsafetyintegration. com, 2008). When accidents occur investigations should be thoroughly done to ensure that the cause is detected. If the cause of the accidents found to have emanated from the designing or creation of the thing then the engineer who designed the thing will be responsible for the accident. One of the dues of diligence to be undertaken in this case include physical assessment test (PCA). PCAs assess the possible costs which will be acquired during the life of a loan. Major electrical, structural, site improvements, HVAC components, and plumbing of each structure are cautiously and totally examined for condition, completion status, general code conformance, sufficiency for their intended use, life cycle costs and extent of depreciation and defection. The other due diligence to be applied is the Probable Maximum Loss (PML). It evaluates the financial loss of a construction on firm soil owing to the vibratory shift from the maximum probable earthquake. PML can be customized to integrate effects of the site state and the value or quality of the building construction. The maximum feasible earthquake used to analyze this loss is defined as the event that has a 10% chance of exceedance in a 50-year disclosure or exposure period, commonly identified as the â€Å"475-year event. † The PML is calculated as a damage proportion that equals the estimated repair charge divided by the substitution cost of the building. The final standard of due diligence to be applied is The Physical Needs Assessment Report (PNA) refers to the actual structural and mechanical requirements necessary for proper building maintenance. The PNA can be a crucial tool in influencing the subject site value and estimated cost in possible repairs or investment in the property. PNA reports can be customized according to a client’s specific inquiry. Upon conclusion of the physical evaluation of the property, AEI provides a synopsis report outlining the costs to correct the deficiencies which have been noted. AEI also devises and presents commendations together with a budget to increase the physical and artistic condition of the property to make best use of its position in the market place. There are various qualities of a good and a bad engineer. For example a good engineer possess a strong analytical attitude for he possesses excellent analytical skill and continuously examines thing he continually thinks of the ways of making work better through his inquisitive attitude. This is unlike poor engineers for they always continue on dwelling on the early knowledge and are lazy because they do not always take time to analyze things. They always lack perception and that is why many up them give out shoddy performances. A good engineer pay attention to all details for he or she knows the consequences of omitting any details. A bad engineer is most likely to be less attentive to all the details and that is why some of the work may have some errors. A good engineer has excellent communication skills for they can translate complex technical lingo into English and also communicates well verbally with clients. A bad engineer has no fluent communication skills and he might also cause miscommunication with his client. a good engineer takes part in continuing education . this is because he always wishes to stay on top of the developments in the engineering industry.. changes in technology happens so rapidly and a good engineer will tend to keep abreast of the new ideas and research a bad engineer rarely notices the changes happening in his job industry and he is also lazy in taking part in the developments taking place is always innovative by developing new systems and also finding new ways of making the existing thing work more efficiently. A bad engineer rarely brings any new ideas at work and he may also lack the motivation when it comes to the actualization of new ideas. A competent engineer shows the ability of thinking logically because he always possesses top- notch logical skills. he has the ability to make sense out of complex systems and always understands how things work and also how problems come about. Incompetent engineers usually have hard time in foreseeing problems and do not apply his ideas logically to ensure that thing flow smoothly in the organization. a good engineer is mathematically inclined. This is because he possesses excellent skills in mathematics for we all know that engineering is an intricate science that usually involves complex calculations of varying difficult. Incompetent engineers are not very sharp mathematically and therefore they are brought down by complex calculations thus giving miscalculated estimates at work. A good engineer possesses very excellent problem solving skills. This is because he detects any causes of the arising issues and solves them immediately to ensure that all things go smoothly. A poor or incompetent engineer rarely solves the problems accordingly. There might be a discontent in his problem solution ideas which may make work operations inefficient. A good engineer is a team player. This is because he understands they are part of a larger together to ensure the success of the project. A bad engineer rarely cooperates in team work for he believes he is the only one excellently qualified or capable. A great engineer has excellent technical knowledge for they tend understand a variety of computer programs and other systems that are commonly used during an engneeriong project (Engineeringschools. com, 2006). There is a very strong relationship between a good engineer and a good person. A good person has a lot of integrity because he is trustworthy and honest. A good engineer also has a strong integrity for he ensures that he is trusted by the people he comes into contact with. A good person is compassionate for he cares about all people in general. A good engineer is also compassionate for he does his work excellently to ensure that no one is hurt through poorly designed structures. A good person happens to be very reasonable and courage because he stands up for what is fair and also points at the right direction always. A good engineer is also courageous for he doesn’t follow the perception of risks according to the public and acts on his ethical standards. A good engineer is also very reasonable because he plans for his actions so that he may not take a wrong step which might be accompanied by a lot of negative consequences. A moral competent person possesses the ability to promote and even desire to secure well being and to diminish human suffering. This is because he or she responds with the appropriate sensitivity and moral feelings when he comes across human suffering. A moral competence person also distinguishes moral and natural harm, right and wrong a moral competent person also shows the willingness to take initiative for appropriate action. He also has moral imagination for he has the ability to come up with alternative courses of action (Cua, 2010). A morally competent person also bears moral persuasion for he has the ability to persuade and also to be rationally persuaded by others. It is very hard for people to make evaluations of moral competence because we know that human beings are always characterized by pretence especially when they want to achieve something. Again moral competence in people is mainly driven by intrinsic and extrinsic motivations which may be personal that the public can not identify. Moral competence evaluations are necessary because if dealing with people who lack moral values can really be frustrating because a person who lacks moral competence rarely acts accordingly (Wilson, 2003). References Matscieng. sunysb. edu. (2003) Engineering Disasters and Learning from Failure. Retrieved on May 18th from http://www. matscieng. sunysb. edu/disaster/ Wilson, A. (2003). Democracy and moral Skills, Retrieved on May 13 from http://webcache. googleusercontent. com/search? q=cache:85JzO3p-0GkJ:www. wcp2003. org/arnold%2520wilson. doc+moral+competent+person&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ke&client=firefox-a Engineeringschools. com. (2006). Top 10 Qualities of a Great Engineer. Retrieved on May 15th from http://www. engineeringschools. com/engineering-top-10. html. Industrialsafetyintegration. com. (2008). Industrial safety regulation. http://www. industrialsafetyintegration. com/risk-assessment-faq. htm Aeiconsultants. Com. (n. d). Engineering due diligence. Retrieved on May 18th from http://www. aeiconsultants. com/www/services_eng_due. html Cua, A. (2010). Competence, concern, and the role of paradigmatic individuals (chun-tzu) in moral education. Retrieved on May 18 from http://www. questia. com/googleScholar. qst;jsessionid=LyNG4rJ0bvDxQshkQ8QxrKd0d7WF2x0Wxm0Qp69L5qJt6NfQ0Hy5! 497373752! -1807481064? docId=95691114

Essay on what is the sociological perspective (imagination)

Question 1: What is the sociological perspective? nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;What is the nature of the social sciences? This is the question that began the study of society, first performed by C. Wright Mills in his development of the idea of the sociological imagination. There are many different aspects to the sociological perspective. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines perspective as â€Å"the capacity to view things in their true relations or relative importance†. Having a sociological perspective means that you view all of societies components and their relationship to the individual. First I will discuss how individuals are socialized. Next I will point out societal structures role in that socialization.†¦show more content†¦For example because we were poor, my mother was uneducated, our class was low, and our religion played as more of a financial support system than a moral characterizing system, we consider it okay to have children outside of the structural bounds of marriage. There are different rules, known a s norms, by which we must abide in order to be considered well adjusted to society. It is important to understand that one does not spontaneously become the person that they are, and automatically follow the norms that they follow. They must be taught by others in their society such as their parents, as well as by societal structures such as education, and the media. Although most Americans would like to think of themselves as autonomous beings, it is a fact that our choices are shaped by larger social forces around us such as the historical or cultural contexts and social institutions. We make these decisions because we have internalized the values, beliefs, and norms of our culture. Through socialization we learn to perform different roles such as American citizen, mother, or worker. Along with socialization comes our shaping by societal structures. Societal structures refer to the pattern within culture and organization through which social action takes place. A good example of a societal structure is the media. The media has a major affect on how society is conditioned to follow certain norms. For example we learn about what is acceptableShow MoreRelatedEssay on The Sociological Imagination1389 Words   |  6 PagesMy personal condensed definition of â€Å"the sociological imagination† is that it is the idea one should be aware of the societal structures around themselves, and how those structures can influence a person and vice-versa. In addition, I think that having a â€Å"sociological imagination† also involves a deep appreciation for the importance of society and culture. Consequently, for a person that has completed a basic introduction to sociology college course and actually paid attention, I would hope thatRead MoreSociology Imagination833 Words   |  4 Pagesdefined sociological imagination as the vi vid awareness of the relationship between experience and the wider society. The sociological imagination is the capacity to shift from one perspective to another: from the political to the psychological; from examination of a single family to comparative assessment of the national budgets of the world; from the theological school to the military establishment; from considerations of an oil industry to studies of contemporary poetry.[1] Sociological Imagination:Read MoreThe Concepts Following Sociological Imagination675 Words   |  3 Pages In this essay I’ll be talking about Sociological Imagination and the concepts following it and more especially the importance of it. Sociological Imagination is one of the core concepts of Sociology whereas Sociology is all about studying people within the society and what they do. Sociological imagination is all about using one’s mind to see how people are affected by tangible and intangible things around them. Sociological imagination is affected by social forces which are forces that influenceRead More Sociological Imagination Essay582 Words   |  3 Pages To understand the term `Sociological Imagination, it is important to identify what Sociology is and what do sociologists study. It is also vital to look at the three basic concerns of the sociological imagination or perspective, which include Social Structure, Social Institutions and Social Processes. Moreover, it is necessary to understand what C. Wright Mills means when he mentions the personal troubles of milieu and the public issues of social structure, and how it helps usRead MoreSociological Imagination Essay865 Words   |  4 PagesFrom The Sociological Imagination by C. Wright Mills addresses a distinction between personal troubles and public issues. Mills uses specific examples like unemployment and societal development. Mills explains the ability to connect the individual problems with societal problems. Throughout the text, we can see how Mills uses the perspective of an individual to explain the perspective of society and vice versa. Using sociological imagination, I will explain how education is influenced by societyRead MoreLiving As Woman And A Muslim Essay1235 Words   |  5 PagesAmerica The term sociological imagination was a concept constructed by the American Sociologist C. Wright Mills in 1959 to describe the ability to understand how our lives are affected by the historical and sociological changes around us. In order to possess the knowledge of sociological imagination, we should be able to pull away from the current situation and be able to look and think from a different perspective. C. Wright Mills defined his concept of sociological imagination as â€Å"...the vividRead MoreAnalysis Of Dalton Conley s You May Ask Yourself 1267 Words   |  6 PagesDalton Conley’s book, You May Ask Yourself, defines sociological imagination as, â€Å"The ability to connect the most basic, intimate aspects of an individual’s life to seemingly impersonal and remote historical forces† (Conley 2015, pg. A-11). Sociological Imagination is the idea of being able to step outside of the box, and evaluate society from an alternative point of view. Symbolic I nteractionism, norms, socialization, and the idea of understanding yourself vs. understanding the social aspect ofRead MoreSociological Imagination Essay703 Words   |  3 Pagesï » ¿ Tierra Hodge Dr. Ngeo Boon Lin Intro to Sociology October 1, 2014 Sociological Imagination What is sociological imagination? According to C. Wright Mills sociological imagination is the ability to see how individual experiences are connected to the larger society. Sociological perspective enables one to grasp connection to history and biography. History is the background and biography is the individual’s specific experiences. C.Wright Mills came up with the idea that in order for one to understandRead MoreThe Sociological Imagination and Freedom from Feelings of Entrapment1133 Words   |  5 PagesThe sociological imagination is the â€Å"quality of mind† (Mills, 1959: 4) that enables individuals to look outside their private sphere of consciousness and identify the structures and institutions in society that influence or cause their personal experiences. In this way, by looking at the bigger picture, they can understand their place in society and explain their circumstance in terms of societal influence. It was developed by Mills in a time of great social upheaval – industrialisation, globalisationRead MoreThe Concept Of Sociological Imagination : Connecting History987 Words   |  4 PagesClaudia Rosado Professor Williams Sociology 3 October 2014 The Concept of Sociological Imagination: Connecting History to Biography C. Wright Mills believed that sociological imagination connects history and biography by means of cause and effect. Society and all things surrounding it have a particular interconnection when it comes to change. As a result, one major alteration to everyday society causes human relationships in history to adapt to change. History is altered by man, without human interaction