Nuclear Power Vs Solar Power

Many countries have been investing in renewable energies sources for protecting their natural resources. The population and financial growth are the reasons for increased demand of energies that leads to problems like carbon footprint in the world and reliance on natural resources have reduced natural resources and if this continues then the resources will become extinct. Increased in the need for power production is due to change in climate and rising population. This report will be showing the advantages and disadvantages of nuclear power versus solar power.

            Nuclear power is used for non-renewable power production with zero emission. Reduction of resources and energy demand has forced to look forward to nuclear energy as its source of energy from nucleus of an atom. Nuclear power is safer in comparison to the burning of fuels but it is still dangerous and harmful to health and environment (What is Nuclear Energy?, 2014). Solar power is the energy produced by sun with both light and heat.  This energy is a much safer method as it has zero percentage of emission while producing energy. But solar energy does not produce the required capacity of power required for the society. No fuel is required for production of solar energy and has no hidden cost in comparison to nuclear energy though installation and setup of solar energy is costly (Coffey, 2010).

            Nuclear power has the capacity for destruction and this can be due to human mistake. The critical damage that happened at Fukushima Daiichi or safety issues in test for cooling at Chernobyl has shown that humans have uncared for alerts earlier to nuclear disaster. In Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima Daiichi accident, human played a main role and was caused due to ignorance to duties that cost several lives (Nelson, 2013). In terms of solar energy it’s yet to be proved that human element can cause disaster (Sevhoo, 2013). Reaction takes place in both cases of power generation. In nuclear plants reactions are used for heating and pressurizing steam while in solar panels its just absorption of radiation from the sun. However in nuclear power nuclear waste is a major problem as radioactive elements cannot be disposed. No one has come up with any solution for the disposal of nuclear wastes. In case of solar energy though there is no dangerous by-product but poisonous waste is a common issue in manufacturing of solar panels. As per reports the major manufactures of solar panel Solyndra in 2007 and 2011 produced around 12.5 millions pounds of harmful wastes (Sevhoo, 2013).

            One-inch uranium pellet has the ability to make around one ton coal for electricity generation and a single pellet produces large amount of energy. Higher cost for oil and gas have made nuclear power more attractive (What is Nuclear Energy?, 2014). Studies and facts have shown that nuclear energy is cheaper than solar energy. Solar power generations are flexible in comparison with nuclear reactors as these panels can be installed on rooftops but nuclear reactors cannot be installed at many locations. Thus solar energy is more resourceful as power can be generated using photovoltaic technology at offices and at home (Nelson, 2013). Another issue with solar power is that sun doesn’t shine at night and so alternative options are required for massive storage of energy. Although solar energy is a clean energy however there can be problems that may happen within years due to cloudy weather and other climatic conditions. Solar energy won’t have enough energy at night as well as due to bad weather conditions and therefore will not be able to provide the required energy for the city thus will have to depend on storage of energy.

            According to a report in The National researchers in MASDAR institute have been conducting analysis based on solar energy resources, electricity production, current status of solar energy project and its initiatives in United Arab Emirates. The major advantage of United Arab Emirates that should be utilized is that its geographical location as it lies in the Sun Belt region and thus is exposed to more sun. Thus United Arab Emirates gets 10 to 15 hours of sunshine per day which could be enough for the operations and for energy storage. Another advantage is that there are very little variations with the seasonal changes which can be fully utilized for the functioning of the solar system.

            In United Arab Emirates government has developed a city known as MADSAR which with solar energy facility to store and produce energy. These are currently used for heating water in buildings, cooling buildings another for desalination of water, street lighting etc. This proves that though United Arab Emirates is at its infant stage in terms of introduction to solar energy but has taken initiatives for a positive approach. Many other countries have also taken initiation in terms of solar power.

            Over billions of years the major source of energy for man and animal life is sun. Despite its possible and easy ways to access the solar power system it’s very rare in almost all courtiers around the globe. The major barriers to its implementation are its engineering and operational challenges. Solar energy system should be used as its capable, cost effective and clean source of energy. Thus solar power can become more practical considering its good impacts in future with the advancement in technology. Though nuclear power can provide the society will vast amount of energy supplies it’s not free from its bad impacts to the environment. To conclude, nuclear energy is too costly, dangerous and cannot be considered as a part of clean development system.

References:

 

Coffey, J. (2010 йил 15-September). What Is Solar Energy. From Universe Today: http://www.universetoday.com/73693/what-is-solar-energy/

Nelson, L. (2013 йил 2-August). Nuclear Versus Solar Power. From Conserve it forward: http://conserveitforward.wordpress.com/2013/08/02/nuclear-versus-solar-power/

Sevhoo. (2013 йил 1-August). Nuclear vs Solar: The Future of Humankind. From Greenfudge: http://www.greenfudge.org/2013/08/01/nuclear-vs-solar-the-future-of-humankind/

What is Nuclear Energy? (2014). From Converse Energy Future: http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/NuclearEnergy.php

Capital Punishment:

Capital punishment is a legal practice, which is the authorized killing of prisoners, convicted of committing capital crimes. Capital punishment is also referred to as the death penalty (What Is Capital Punishment?, 2014). Past records highlight that the prehistoric primitive tribes used this method for wrongdoers. In ancient times capital punishments were slow, painful and torturous. A life for a life is the concept used in terms of capital punishment that started in the ancient history (Crime Museum, 2014).  All around the world the death penalty has become a controversial subject. Since the time of World War II there has been a tendency for abolishing the death penalty. According to reports by Amnesty International, the death penalty is now abolished in around 140 countries. In 2011 around 21 countries have carried out capital punishment (The Death Penalty Worldwide, 2013).

            In the United Arab Emirates capital punishment is legal and they perform capital punishment on individuals who have committed multiple crimes such as treason, murder, rape, robbery, terrorism, kidnapping etc. As per Emirati law, the firing squad is the only method used for execution (Wikipedia, 2014). Many oppose this practice saying this is inhumane and unfair and consider that no life should be taken in spite of the crime that is being committed. Many reports have also shown that DNA testing has proved that many innocent people have also been penalized and therefore now the argument is that no one should be executed to avoid killing of innocent individuals. This practice is controversial with concerns ranging from human rights to economic competence.

References:

Crime Museum. (2014). Origins Of Capital Punishment. From Crime Museum: http://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/origins-of-capital-punishment

The Death Penalty Worldwide. (2013). From Info Please: http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0777460.html

What Is Capital Punishment? (2014). From Wise Geek: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-capital-punishment.htm

Wikipedia. (2014). Capital punishment in the United Arab Emirates. From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_in_the_United_Arab_Emirates

Case study: Apple vs Samsung Smartphone

The problem:

For the past three years Apple and Samsung were at war on a scale most extraordinary in business history. Their legal battle has cost billions of dollars spanning four different continents. On 8^th February 2012, Apple filed a suit in opposition to Samsung accusing them of infringing several patents. A counter case was applied by Samsung against Apple. In this case Apple stated in its original suit that Samsung had scientifically imitated Apple’s ground-breaking technology and products, design and its features and had deluged markets with imitated devices in order to take over Apple’s market share. The case mainly highlights Apple’s complaint against Samsung of infringing intellectual property of its products (Tibken, 2014).

Introduction to the problem:

The legal battle between Apple and Samsung started when Samsung started selling android devices. Steve Job, founder of Apple, hated android and referred to it as stolen product which he considered to be a rip off of iphone. Over the past years Apple has unleashed intellectual property lawsuits against many of the android device manufacturers. The initial war started on April 15^th 2011 stating that "Instead of pursuing independent product development, Samsung has chosen to slavishly copy Apple's innovative technology, distinctive user interfaces, and elegant and distinctive product and packaging design, in violation of Apple's valuable intellectual property rights" (Wall, 2012). This was mainly for the android phone and tablets in the district court of California. Nexus S, Galaxy S 4G, Epic 4G, Galaxy tab were the products included initially. The comparison relating to iPhone 3G and Galaxy S was submitted to the court by Apple. Apple charged Samsung with patent infringement, fake designation of origin, unjust competition, infringement of trademark etc. Samsung got sued by Apple in many other places such as Seoul, Tokyo, Germany and the USA in 2011 for infringement (Vishwakarma, 2013).

Data Analysis:

Accessions:

Apple’s filed suit against Samsung for copying their iPhones and iPads in 2011. A counter case was filed by Samsung and the trial went on till 2012. For this case a nine person jury was appointed where Apple was awarded $1.05 billion for the damages. Samsung has claimed for $421 million in its countersuit for which they didn’t get anything. In March 2013 Judge Lucy Koh in US district court ordered a new trial for recalculating damages. In this case $450.5 million was the striking amount off the original judgment against Samsung. In November an additional $290.5 million was awarded to Apple (Tibken, 2014).

Apple in their argument stated that they took a lot of risk and hard work for developing their iPhones and iPad. Samsung disagreed and argued that Apple was trying to damage their competition by fixing them in legal battle and also stated that Apple infringed their patents. Samsung in April 2012 said in the court that “Without the ability to enforce its intellectual property rights ... Samsung would not be able to sustain the extensive commitment to research and development that has enabled it to lead the way into numerous improvements across a broad range of technologies” (Tibken, 2014). There were seven patents issued out of which five were held by Apple and two by Samsung. Apple accused Samsung of using their US patents which also includes software features such as quick links, universal search, syncing, unlocking through slide and auto correction in word. They said that the user interface becomes more engaging and user friendly due to patents. Samsung also accused Apple of using their US patents, camera and folder organization, video transmission functionality and face time.

Conclusion:

 As a leading company in the global market, Apple has to protect the interests of all the stakeholders including customers, employees and the community. The verdict of the case was in favour of Apple. But it brought differences of opinions among the stakeholders of Apple. A certain group of community believes that Apple deviated from its ethics through the ban of several Samsung products in the U.S market. According to Samsung, ‘the ruling was a win for Apple and a loss for the American consumer’. According to the news report, Apple is interested in developing a new vision to promote an image of integrity. This decision was taken after the media allegations regarding the lack of CSR activities of Apple.  This indicates how the managers would respond if they discovered a breach of contract. The managers should be keen in monitoring the ethical issues related to the company and must take adequate steps to develop and execute ethical programs. Breach of law should be punished. 

References:

Tibken, S. (2014 йил 7-May). Apple vs Samsung patent trial recap: How it all turned out (FAQ). From Cnet: http://www.cnet.com/news/apple-v-samsung-patent-trial-recap-how-it-all-turned-out-faq/

Vishwakarma, R. (2013 йил 2-July). Intellectual Property Rights. From All About ipr: http://allaboutipr.blogspot.ae/2013/07/apple-vs-samsung-case.html

Wall, M. (2012 йил 28-July). Apple Vs. Samsung: Case Overview for the Patent Trial of the Century. From Brighthand: http://www.brighthand.com/default.asp?newsID=19124&news=samsung+apple+lawsuit+case

Exam 1

Q1) Critical thinking is a cognitive activity. Critical thinking involves a wide range of skills and attitudes that include several things: -

1-    Being able to read between the lines, seeing beneath the surface, and discover false or unfair assumptions.

2-    Discover other people’s positions, arguments and conclusions.

3-    Sketching and drawing conclusions about whatever arguments are valid and right or justifiable. But, based on good sensible assumptions.

4-    Showing or presenting a point or an idea in a structured, clear of view way that convinces the others.

Q2)

1-    Misunderstanding: of what is the meaning of criticism? Some people think that criticism means making negative comment, in fact critical thinking means discovering or finding both negative and positive things.

2-    Over-estimating our own reasoning abilities: most of us think of our selves as rational beings.

3-    Lack of methods, (strategies and practice).

4-    The emotional attitude.

5-    Insufficient focus and attention to details.

Q3) fallacies are arguments that use poor reasoning an argument can be fallacious whether or not its conclusion is true. A fallacy can be either formal or informal.

1-    Personalization of the argument: it is attempts to counter others claims or conclusion by attacking the person.

2-    Ignorance: a specific belief is true because we don’t know that it isn’t true.

3-    Argument from authority.

4-    Argument from personal inability to understand.

5-    Confusing association with cause.

Q4) Benefits of critical thinking:

1-    Improved attention and observations.

2-    More focused reading.

3-    Improved ability to identify the key points in a text or other message rather than becoming distracted by less important material.

4-    Improved ability to respond to the appropriate points in a message.

5-    Knowledge of how to get your point across more easily.

6-     Skills of analysis that you can choose to apply in a variety in situations.

Q5) fallacies / examples:

1-    By stating that people who believe in UFO’s are crazy or stupid.

2-    Will overemphasize how much we don’t know about the human brain. Actually UFO proponents will often argue that an object sighted in the sky is unknown.