Greatest potential for impact by 2030 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Greatest potential for impact by 2030 - Essay Example This seems to conflict with the general idea that water is abundant and natural. After all, it falls from the skies, fills lakes, floods rivers, and runs in underground currents. However, accessing all of these sources of water and, more importantly, treating it is a difficult process, even in developed countries like the United States. Standing at the core of civilization, the use of water can be either an aid or a curse for developing countries. As water becomes scarcer, as it is projected to be, with the projected coming of global climate change and a larger population, water treatment will have to respond to the needs of a human population growing beyond its means. Of the coming environmental challenges facing the world, perhaps a water shortage is the most extreme. The possibility of a worldwide water shortage is inextricably linked to other global catastrophes and the economic effects of those natural events. Stress on water supplies is already occurring, between household uses in growing populations worldwide, rapid urbanization, and expansion of business activities in developing countries. All of these factors contribute to a lessening of supply of water, as the demand continues to increase (Shiklomanov). In fact, the demand for water in developing countries increased linearly from 30 percent in 1970 to 80% in 2000 (Chartres and Varma). Growth in Middle East populations is particularly concerning, given the natural lack of water in desert regions. This has led some experts to say, â€Å"The next war in the Middle East will be fought over water, not politics† (Nicol). Of the 3 percent of water on Earth that is fresh (that is, not saline), 70 percent of it is tied up into icecaps and glaciers that gravitate toward the North and South Poles, and therefore remains inaccessible for most humans (USGS). The remaining 30 percent of that fresh water is the water that is accessible, either through a process of merely collecting or welling. A majority of th e water collected, nearly 70 percent is used for agricultural uses (Shiklomanov). In order to produce food for a growing population, water is necessary. A significant amount of the runoff from agricultural is unusable, due to increases in the use of herbicides, pesticides, and other toxins. Tying up water into these resources is a delicate balance between supplying one necessary resource and supplying another, which lends credibility to the thought that humans are outgrowing the earth’s carrying capacity. An additional 22 percent of water sources worldwide are devoted to industrial uses, which again creates an unusable runoff (Shiklomanov). A common use of water, however, is in hydroelectric power plants that help provide electricity to both developed and developing countries. A widely touted solution to water scarcity, or coming water crises, is an extensive infrastructure for sewage treatment that removes contaminants from water sources. Although investment in sewage treatm ent facilities is either low or nonexistent in developing countries, it is a viable tool for reusing water continuously for the same purpose (Frederiksen). In an agricultural area, for instance, water can be collected in irrigation channels, moved from the farming area into a treatment plant, then pumped into the water supplies of the farmers. Such a system has been successful so far in Singapore, which has invested considerable amounts of resources into creating sustainable water systems (Tortajada). Ultimately, sewage

The silent language in Overseas Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The silent language in Overseas Business - Essay Example However, owing to its versatility, silent language is often found to be a challenging task for managers acting as a barrier in business negotiations, especially those held in overseas market. In this context, Hall explains five points which can be analyzed to understand the foreign cultures for overseas business from a more in-depth perspective (Hall, â€Å"Language of Time†). Time is regarded to be quite vital for every business where different communities or cultures depict differing views towards adherence to time schedules which also replicate a dimension of silent languages. Globally, it is used as a common channel to communicate during overseas business negotiation. For instance, in the US culture, a delay in replying a communication within the stipulated time would generally indicate a matter of low priority or lack of interest for the allied parties and thereby cause serious disruptions in the negotiation process. While in Arab, time does not usually include fixed sche dules like Americans. Time required for the accomplishment of a particular task depends entirely on the relationships between the parties engaged. Again, in Ethiopia, time required in making a decision is directly related to its importance to that person and thus is based on mutual understanding (Hall, â€Å"Language of Time†). Like time, language of space also has its own importance in different business cultures. Where on one hand, larger space may signify the authoritative position of the person; on the other hand, in another culture, it might signify the individualistic perspective of the person. For instance, in America, the top level employees have the perception that being in middle of an overcrowded place (office among the subordinates) would generally mean that there would be various kind of people around them trying to create close associations and obtain bias benefits from them and hence, they prefer greater space in their working environment where only their peers and higher authority will be allowed. On the other hand, the top executives in France intend to maintain a higher degree of coordination with lower level employees in order to preserve greater confidence among their subordinates and also to maintain a better control over the team performances. On the contrary, in case of the Arabian business culture, the location of the office and its dimension has minimal relation with the importance of the person occupying it (Hall, â€Å"Language of Space†). In this dimension, Hall elaborated the notion of ‘things’ as the significance rendered to material possessions. Illustratively, the Americans believe that if a place is decorated with attractive materials and a large space accumulated with proper surrounding would signify that the people who are living in that premise are dependable as well as successful in their working environment. Contradictorily the French, Germans and the English have their own way of utilizing mater ial possessions. In most instances, these cultures are observed to follow a traditional way of judging dependability and respectability of people rather than referring to their material possessions. Again, the Middle Eastern businessmen are quite likely to look for personal connections and friendships when assessing the most dependable person rather than taking into account the furnishings. Contextually, Japanese