Global Wine Wars free essay sample

Market Analysis: Global Wine Wars-New World Challenges Old Global Wine Wars: New World Challenges Old This case describes the global development of wine industry, and how new world wine players occupied the global market share from old world wine producer gradually. It is very interesting that author selected the Britain as the sample stage for the battle between the new world wine campaign and the traditional campaign. Nowadays, in the â€Å"Old World† countries of Europe, where the bulk of the volume is still produced, this is of great concern. However, consumers, especially younger drinkers, prefer the high quality wine from famous brands which are imported into Europe by the â€Å"New World† player, and the growth rate is at average10% per annum over the last decade. In new wine world, Chile has dominated the South American wine world and Argentina is facing this challenge of losing the number one position in South America, and is impacted much on market share dramatically. We will write a custom essay sample on Global Wine Wars or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Maybe the structure of new world wine industry could be renewed. The competition seems to be more fiercely. Increasing number of producers enhances their capacity to cater to the marketing demand. However, the growth of demand today cannot catch up with the increase of wine production. EC predicts that there will be as much as 15% of Europe’s wine production surplus to requirement in the future 5 years. This case focuses on the wine battle in Britain. The UK is the largest importer of wine (by value) in the world and a high per capita consumption of wine, but more and more wine consumed in Britain is imported from other countries, because it is usually hard to grow the good grape to produce wine in Britain due to the local unsuitable weather. But the British wine market is fragment, and top three players occupy the 17% of market share. Political. The new players who want to enter the British market       are affected by government regulation of wine and high import       duties applicable. Even high import duties and taxed to be       paid, but whatever new world wine or traditional wine would       rather to open the British due to the popular wine market. Economy. The Britain is a developed country, with the world’s       sixth largest economy by nominal GDP and the seventh largest       by purchasing power parity. Today, Britain tends to develop       to service and energy industry from manufacture. The quantities       of wine produced locally are very limited compared to the       volumes consumed. The Britain wine market generated total       revenues of $20 billion in 2008, and annual average growth       rate of 2. 1% for the period from 2004 to 2008. CAGR forecasts       that the performance of the market will decelerate with the       rate of 0. 6% for the next five years from 2009-2013 accompanying       with the downturn economy. Moreover, the volume of market       drop down dramatically in 2008 due to the bad economy, here       is a chart about the change of market volume from 2004-2008. {draw:frame} Demographic. Wine is consumed by 60. 8% of the total UK adult       population. As the research from CAGR in 2008, more than 81%       British like drinking still wine, following by fortified       wine (9. 4%) and champagne (7. 2%), and only less than 2% people       consumed sparkling wine. Culture. In the UK, the population has long traditions of       wine drinking. Historically wine was not embedded in the       culinary culture of most other social groups as there were       no local/regional production-beer and dicer-being the       dominant beverages. However, as wine consumption has now       become embedded into the culture of many UK adults. From the external analysis, the choice to invest more in the Britain is the correct global expansion strategies for the old world and the new world wine players. However, there is a big different performance between two campaigns. Old world wine players lose their market share gradually, while the new world wine players gain the market share bigger and bigger annually. It is forecasted that the new world wine players will finally replace the old world wine position among the customers, although the old world wine has the first moving in advantage. Why and what could lead this kind result? SWOT can tell everything about it. (Table below)   From the SWOT analysis, it is obviously to have more downturns for the â€Å"old world† than the â€Å"new world†, and it appears that the â€Å"old world† should reform their philosophy for global marketing strategies. The â€Å"old world† should put the fragments of production together to reduce the operation cost and grow the speed of marketing response. Then, the big issue for them is broad brand, the â€Å"old world† need to do a lot on marketing research and create their more famous brand by market segment. The last is how to deal with the contradiction between tradition and quality. I think the best choice is joint venture or outsourcing. The â€Å"old world† players can cooperate with local companies in marketing section, or outsource to them completely. This method for the â€Å"old world† could not only avoid the weakness of marketing but also continue to focus on the tradition. In this case, I can see that whatever the advantages are, companies should continue improving their skills and strategies to adapt the requirements from customers and market. Like new world wine player, the companies need to focus on research on marketing firstly, and then make distinct policy to various levels of consumers. At the same time, the new entrant has to own their unique way to gain market share and learn the traditional skill from the maturity companies. Australia is a very good example for this concept. Specialized brand built is a key to open the British market, which minimized the barrier of recognition, and the centralized company structure is the foundation of succeed, which could reduce the cost for operation and strategies. The only risk for this battle is that producer could overemphasize the brand and price and lost the tradition that quality is number one. I think the current wine association can adjust their manual to avoid this situation. However, whatever the final winner is, the beneficiaries are always consumers. The wine battle could bring low cost wine, various brand, good quality and service. Moreover, the most important is customer could taste many kind of wine to spend their life comfortably, although it cannot be imagined several centuries ago. Questions: Is the old wine players rebound from the bottom to fight with       the â€Å"new world† easily? Is it possible to combine the â€Å"old world† and â€Å"new world† to       become new type operation model, which distinct from the       old and the new? References: _Alta Smith and Brad Smith. (Sep. 2007). â€Å"Old world wines in the new world†. _   Restaurant hospitality. (Nov. 2007). â€Å"New trends in international wines†. Corey M. Reardon. (Oct. 2006). â€Å"The changing World of Wine†. Robert D. Tollison. (Apr. 2007). â€Å" old wine, new wine†. Industry profile. (July 2009). â€Å"Wine in United Kingdom†.

Free Essays on Virtue Aristotle

Aristotle defined virtue as the excellence of the soul, and happiness is the virtuous activity of the soul. In the moderate, self-controlled and courageous, everything is in harmony with the voice of reason. Aristotle differentiated intellectual virtues from ethical virtues. Intellectual virtues are developed by teaching; ethical virtues are formed by habit (ethos). Virtues are not implanted in us by nature nor are they contrary to nature, for we are equipped by nature to receive them and can develop them by habitual practice. Thus we become just by acting justly, self-controlled by controlling ourselves, and courageous by acting bravely. Others may become undisciplined and short-tempered by acting in those ways. Thus habits developed in childhood make a considerable difference. Aristotle noted that the purpose of this study is not to know what virtue is but to become good; thus we must act according to right reason. Aristotle observed that ethical qualities are destroyed by defect and by excess. Just as too much or too little food destroys health, the same applies to courage and moderation. The one who fears everything becomes a coward, while the one who fears nothing acts recklessly. Whoever revels in every pleasure is undisciplined, while those who avoid every pleasure are insensitive. Virtuous behavior is reinforcing. Abstaining from pleasures results in moderation, and the practice of moderation helps one to abstain from pleasures. Enduring fear makes one courageous, and acting bravely makes one more able to endure fear. These pleasures and pains test virtue, which can be developed or destroyed by whether it is practiced or not. Yet avoiding pleasures and enduring pains must be of the right kind done at the right time and place and in the right manner. Choice is determined by what is noble, beneficial, and pleasurable and their opposites of what is base, harmful, and painful. Ethical action requires knowledge of what one is doing... Free Essays on Virtue Aristotle Free Essays on Virtue Aristotle Aristotle defined virtue as the excellence of the soul, and happiness is the virtuous activity of the soul. In the moderate, self-controlled and courageous, everything is in harmony with the voice of reason. Aristotle differentiated intellectual virtues from ethical virtues. Intellectual virtues are developed by teaching; ethical virtues are formed by habit (ethos). Virtues are not implanted in us by nature nor are they contrary to nature, for we are equipped by nature to receive them and can develop them by habitual practice. Thus we become just by acting justly, self-controlled by controlling ourselves, and courageous by acting bravely. Others may become undisciplined and short-tempered by acting in those ways. Thus habits developed in childhood make a considerable difference. Aristotle noted that the purpose of this study is not to know what virtue is but to become good; thus we must act according to right reason. Aristotle observed that ethical qualities are destroyed by defect and by excess. Just as too much or too little food destroys health, the same applies to courage and moderation. The one who fears everything becomes a coward, while the one who fears nothing acts recklessly. Whoever revels in every pleasure is undisciplined, while those who avoid every pleasure are insensitive. Virtuous behavior is reinforcing. Abstaining from pleasures results in moderation, and the practice of moderation helps one to abstain from pleasures. Enduring fear makes one courageous, and acting bravely makes one more able to endure fear. These pleasures and pains test virtue, which can be developed or destroyed by whether it is practiced or not. Yet avoiding pleasures and enduring pains must be of the right kind done at the right time and place and in the right manner. Choice is determined by what is noble, beneficial, and pleasurable and their opposites of what is base, harmful, and painful. Ethical action requires knowledge of what one is doing...

The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl Movie Review

The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl - Movie Review Example She was, in other words, a wonderful filmmaker and an admirable survivor, whose fatal flaw was a horrible sense of judgment and an even more horrible tendency to glorify power, irrespective of the ideology it represented. "The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl" compels mixed reactions to its protagonist, evoking both admiration and aversion towards Riefenstahl. In one of the scenes, she is depicted as walking on a pier, carrying her own, undoubtedly heavy, scuba diving gear. Her much younger companions are walking ahead of her and neither offers to help her with her equipment and, indeed, her demeanour suggests that she would have rejected any offers of help. This scene would not have been remarkable were it not for the fact that Riefenstahl was over 90 at the time. This scene, which only occupies a few moments in a very lengthy three hour documentary, captures the essence of the woman. She is not one to concede to weaknesses, human frailties and recognises absolutely no boundaries or limitations. Had she done so, she would not have been directing an underwater documentary at the age of 91. Hence, in this single scene the filmmakers do more than countless verbal testimonies could have ever done - they show the audiences who Riefenstahl is and, who she is evokes admiration. While it exposes her admirable qualities, the film exposes an infinitely less attractive dimension to Riefenstahl's personality. She is self-defensive and over-brimming with self-justification, not to mention unwaveringly unapologetic about the services she rendered to, or her association with, Hitler and the Nazi party. The film shows her defending the association and services in artistic and professional terms; she was not a member of the Nazi Party and did not touch upon anti-Semitism in her work. In her defence and self-justification, Riefenstahl seemingly deliberately overlooks, as Downing (2008: para 1) points out, the propagandist nature of her "Triumph of Will," and the extent to which it affected mass perceptions of Hitler as a national hero and Nazism as the answer to all of Germany's problems. Her defence of her works, as presented in the documentary, indicates that either Riefenstahl did not understand the consequences of her propagandist documentaries, which is hardly be lievable, or quite unapologetically believes that the end justifies the means. In the final analysis, the documentary is objective. It presents both sides of Leni Riefenstahl and, more importantly, allows her to speak for herself. In so doing, it gives the audience the opportunity to witness the good and the bad and, accordingly, arrive at their own judgement. If that judgement is not in Riefenstahl's favour that is not because of the filmmakers' prejudices but because of Riefenstahl's presentation of her own self. Works Cited Downing, T. (2008) "Nazis and the Cinema." History Today, 58(3), 63. Rentschler, E. (1985) "The Use and Abuse of Memory: New German Film and the Discourse of Bitburg." New German Critique, 36, 67-91. Tegel, S. (2006) "Leni Riefenstahl: Art and Politics." Quarterly Review of Film & Video, 23(3),

Economic Geography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Economic Geography - Essay Example The most important factor, after taking into account the use of technology, is the availability of labor at reasonable cost. The main reason for outsourcing American businesses, including manufacturing, has been the relative lesser cost of production. This was due to the availability of labor in countries like China at a friction of American cost. Apart from this, available of quality services at the selected location is another factor, which manufacturers would like to consider. The other factors that go into making manufacturing location decisions include, business environment, easy access to raw material and components, overall quality of life at he selected location and marketability of the finished goods. Availability of labor This is related to the type of goods to be manufactured. For products, which require quantity output in limited time, the manufacturing becomes labor-intensive with high turnout, to achieve bigger sales volumes. In such cases, locations that can provide la bor at considerably lesser cost remain the favorite of any manufacturer. This was the case of China getting most of the world’s manufacturing business, about two decades ago. ... American manufacturers are finding it difficult to maintain their facilities, as the cost advantage is vanishing. This is truer for high turnout goods.(Hanink) The case of Foxconn manufacturing facility in China is an ideal example of the labor cost relation with the manufacturing location. China never wanted to display the living conditions of its citizens, particularly the factory workers. However, these conditions have been worse, if not inhumane. People had to huddle together for sleep in bunkers and dormitories. Wages like $400 per month were paid to a worker who would put around 50 hours a week on the plant job. People would go to market in factory uniform only. Foxconn recruited most of its interns and apprentices from the boys belonging to age group of 14-15 years, to reduce further the cost of labor.(Fallows) However, things are changing in China very rapidly. With the living conditions, as detailed above, reports of suicide attempts were frequent. That was the reason for Fo xconn to introduce†suicide nets† for prevention of such attempts. Things could not be stopped there. The factory owners had to increase wages three to four times during last three years. It has created serious problems for the manufacturers and exporters. Chinese goods have been selling throughout the world, due to their lower prices. That advantage is now vanishing. American manufacturers are feeling the cost pinch from such outsourced units. Labor is available at competitive cost in America now. Reverse shifting has begun.(Fallows) Technology plays an important role in availability of adequate services The manufacturing activities for new start-ups relate to an idea, which is converted into the marketable product. In older days, the original idea

Lan Base Entrance Examination System Essay Example for Free

Lan Base Entrance Examination System Essay Long b books were known, the storyteller of many lands including our own, told tales in order to entertain their listeners, as well as, to convey the moral lessons which these stories usually impart. In the course of time, these stories were handed down from generation to generation and worn smooth by ages of telling and retelling. Stories were generally tailored to reply information, become outlet for political and/ or social criticism, and sometimes simply entertain. Many storyteller acquired that distinctive style and unique from which among them well-loved and highly appreciated qualities. But as time passed by, the use of traditional multimedia such as slides, videos, filmstrips, audio recording and overhead projectors paved way in upgrading the storytelling techniques to help readers understand more clearly what the authors want to convey. The use of these traditional multimedia opened doors for new discoveries, discoveries that he will help the students enhanced their learning capabilities through the teaching- learning processed. Thus, with the method of teaching to be effective must be supplemented by other methods or devices that will increase and enhanced quality instruction. But time changes the trends in every generation.† The key to this revolutionary advancement is, of course, the computer. A combination of electronic memory with programs that tell the machine how to process the stored data, computers were still a scientific curiosity in early 1950’s Computer, as a tool and as a part of teaching and learning process, has been a major breakthrough in the educational system. In our modern way situation, a lot of stories are being relayed to students especially those in the elementary level in forms of movies, books and newspapers. What seems notable was that although most movies featured†hitech† technological advancements, many lack a very important aspect of the story telling, the imparting lesson. As a consequence, children member a movie or story based on what they saw or heard but not the lesson of the story, which is the more important aspect of storytelling. Worst, most tabloids being sold, which openly contain pornographic pictures and erotic stories, are within the reach of these kids. The researchers believe that one way minimizing, if not eliminating this situation, was creating by interactive storyteller system, which can be used by primary school educators as a tool for storytelling. Although the level of popularity of a computer- aided instruction (CAI) in various skills such as readings , may vary. Few will dispute the facts that computers have won a permanent place in most classrooms. The most common concerns of educators now have to do with the appropriateness of many possible role computers can play in instruction. The emphasis however, should not be on computer to increase the achievement but rather on how the teacher uses computers meaningfully in instruction.

Romans :: essays research papers fc

Roman Flores Az History & Government Period 3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   5-9-00 Mr. Bentley   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Flores 1 How a bill becomes a law in Arizona   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A bill has to go through many different stages before it can become a law. Each year, Congress considers thousands of bills. Only a few hundred of these will become laws. The rest are destroyed by congressional committees, by negative voters in one or both houses of Congress, or by presidential vetoes. The process by which a bill becomes a law is complicated and may require a lot of effort.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Every bill starts with an idea. Some ideas come from members of congress, and citizens who write to their representatives suggest. To be considered by congress, however, ideas for bills must be sponsored by a representative. Then they will debate the bill. The rules for debate are complicated. In some cases, the house speeds up the debate process by meeting as a â€Å"Committee of the Whole,† a special gathering of all house members. The rules for debating within a committee are more informal, so debates can proceed more quickly and easily.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Voting and final revisions are the next step. After a bill has been debated, it is brought to a vote. Voting is done in one of three ways. The simplest way is a voice vote, in which everyone who supports a bill is asked to say â€Å"yea† or â€Å"nay†. A voice vote is usually used for bills that are clearly popular or unpopular. A more exact method of voting is the standing vote. This type, members are asked to stand up when in support or opposition. A third roll call vote. Each member’s name is called individually and he/she is asked to say â€Å"yea†, â€Å"nay†, or â€Å"present†. Present means no opinion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The governor signs the bill, then it becomes a law ninety days after the end of the session. However, there is an exception. â€Å"If the legislature attaches the emergency clause an passes the bill by a 2/3 vote, the bill becomes a law instantly. The governor may veto the bill.

Bhopal Disaster

The night of 3rd December marked an industrial disaster when more than 40 tons of methyl isocyanate gas leaked from a pesticide plant in Bhopal, India that instantly led to the death of approximately 3,800 people and causing permanent injuries for thousands more. The company involved shamelessly tried to avoid its legal responsibility. Nonetheless, a sum of $470 million was paid as compensation, a considerably small amount in comparison to the impact from the consequences of this tragedy.The aftermath of the disaster indicated the need for international standards for environmental safety and preventive strategies to sustain from similar accidents. India has experienced rapid industrialization since the disaster. Despite some positive changes to government policies and behavior in several industries, rapid and poorly regulated industrial growth still remains exposing India to a major threat. Degrading of environmental practices with adverse consequences to human health continues to oc cur throughout India. 2. IntroductionThe Bhopal disaster, also known as the Bhopal gas tragedy was an industrial disaster that took place at the Union Carbide pesticide plant in the Indian city of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh releasing tons of toxic chemicals and gases. This report is carried out with the objective of obtaining sufficient knowledge of the entire tragedy that took place and providing a detailed substantive summary of the mishap. Firstly, objectives and the management structure of the Union Carbide are discussed in this report to gain an overview of the company involved and its practices.Subsequently, an observation is done with regards to the industrial processes and operations of the plant to understand the on goings of the plant. The critical area of this report summarizes the key risks and contributing factors that ultimately led to the accident which provides an insight of the flaws in the plant. The consequences of the aftermath are then identified to provide an overv iew of the negative impact resulting from the disaster followed by a brief discussion on the improvements that should be done in the management systems to prevent similar accidents from happening in the near future. 3.Objective and Structure of the Management The Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL), a chemical factory which formed its establishment in 1969 near Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh in India and was owned by Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) and the Indian authorities. Pesticides such as carbaryl was produced in this plant and in 1979, a new addition was made whereby the methyl isocyanate (MIC) plant was introduced to the site. Prior to 1979, the methyl isocyanate was imported from its parent company in the United States and India was one of the three dozen countries whereby the parent company had affiliates and business interest.It was stated that the UCC had done extensive research on the chemical and had sufficient knowledge on handling the chemical. Methyl Isocyanate, one of the m any intermediates used in pesticides is known to be a very hazardous chemical which weighs much lighter than water but twice the weight of air. In the event that the gas escapes to the atmosphere, it will remain close to ground and this highly sensitive chemical can react with many substances which could cause serious damage.UCIL was proud to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 1984 and was making sales of approximately $200 million annually whereby 14 plants were being operated and it was segregated into 5 operating divisions making it a diversified manufacturing concern. The shares were publicly traded on the Stock Exchange 24% of these shares were owned by government run insurance companies whilst 50. 9% of the shares were owned by UCC as part of a corporate global business strategy. http://www. wikipedia. org/bhopaldisaster Due to its centralized location in India which gave it a competitive edge, Bhopal was chosen as the site for the UCIL’s plant.Transporting products were eased by the existence of railway systems that spanned around the country which evidently brought to extensive cost savings. Furthermore, the location of the plant being situated nearby a large lake guaranteed sufficient water supple for the chemical processes. Electricity needs were also available in Bhopal to supply enough electricity to the plant that enabled the plant to operate 24 hours. The origin on the Bhopal plant was to supply pesticide in order to protect the Indian agricultural production.These pesticides were made to cater to the Indian market and to gain the ability to transform its agricultural sector into a modern activity. No doubt the benefits, the plant also had its perks. India is still nonetheless a developing country which at current still lacks the infrastructure necessary to support this chemical plant. Nevertheless, companies invested in the plant failing to realize the flaws in the infrastructure. The impracticality of the plant’s management brought the creation of a low cost plant with minimal safety features. UCIL also had weak policies, procedures and regulations for their workers.The management’s goals and missions were set beyond the plant’s capability and this is said to be one of the main causes of the tragedy. 4. Industrial Processes and Operation Union Carbide is a known plant that produces the pesticide plant in the Indian City of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh for agriculture purposes in India. Using MIC as an intermediate, an alternative trademark brand name for carbaryl is also known as Sevin. Until 1979, MIC was imported from the United States of America. Bayer, another known manufacturer successfully produced carbaryl without using MIC which evidently led to a greater manufacturing cost.Methyl isocyanate (MIC) is an organic compound that consists of molecules and in 1888, it was discovered as an ester of isocyanic acid. The production of carbate pesticides such as carbaryl, carbofuran, methomyl and aldicar b is an intermediate chemical of Methyl isocyanate. These pesticides were also being used in the production of rubber and adhesives. Methyl isocyanate is a very hazardous chemical which can lead to chronic diseases and death. The chemical process or route that was used in Bhopal plant was to form a reaction between the methylamine with phosgene which could bring to the production of methyl isocyanate.Subsequently, this methyl isocyanate was then reacted with 1 – naphthol to form the end product. This route varies from the MIC free route used elsewhere in which the similar raw materials are used but in a different manufacturing order. This process would begin by forming a reaction between the phosgene and naphtol to produce chloroformate ester which would then be reacter with methyl amine. Either one of these processes would require the chemicals to be stored in large tanks. In the operational side, the plant workers were encouraged to use English manuals, even though only a m inority of them had a grasp of the language.Only six of the original twelve operators remained in service with MIC by 1984. There were no personnel to take on the position of a maintenance supervisor to be placed on the night duty and furthermore, instrument readings were only taken every two hours which differs from the normal practice. Through a union, workers made a strike and complained about these difficulties but no attention was given to them. http://www. wikipedia. org/bhopaldisaster The refrigeration system was designed to inhibit the volatilization of MIC whereby based on the manuals, it was advised that the MIC should be kept at 20 degrees.However, since May 1984 this refrigeration system had been shut down in Bhopal. Current practice shows that the methyl isocyanate should be kept below 5C and should be checked on all the time. Steam boilers were also used for the purposes of cleaning the pipes. 5. Risks that Lead to the Accident Bhopal gas disaster was an industrial tra gedy that took place at a Union Carbide pesticide plant in the city of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. At midnight on 3rd December 1984, it was reported that the plant had accidently released Methyl isocyanate gas and this mishap was exposed to more than 500,000 people.Official death toll announced by the government of Madhya Pradesh confirmed that a total of 3,787 deaths were the result of this gas tragedy. Factors leading to this tremendous gas leak include the use of hazardous chemicals such as MIC instead of a less dangerous but more expensive chemical. It was also noted that the flare tower and the vent gas scrubber had been dysfunctional for the past 5 months before the disaster took place. This eventually led to the gas scrubber not performing its function to treat the escaping gases with sodium hydroxide that subsequently brought the concentration down to a safe level.Investigations in the aftermath of the disaster pointed out that even if the scrubber was in a good working conditio n, the disaster would not have been prevailed as the maximum pressure it could handle was only one-quarter of that which was present in the mishap. Improper designing of the flare tower itself contributed to the tragedy as the tower could only support one-quarter of the volume of gas that was leaked in 1984. Since the cease of production in the early 1980’s, the maintenance of the plant has continuously deteriorated up to an intolerable limit which resulted in the failure of several safety systems.The steam boiler which existed to clean the pipes was out of service for reasons which are unknown. Furthermore, the omission of the slip blind plates installation has played its role in causing this disaster. This omission had incidentally led to a large amount water from the pipe cleanings to leak into the MIC tanks through faulty valves leading the temperature to rise to a level whereby the tank was not designed to support that subsequently resulted in a large amount of toxic gas es to be released..The MIC tank itself has been malfunctioned for roughly a week which caused other tanks to be used in that week. Instead of taking corrective action and repairing the dysfunctional tank, it was just left to â€Å"stew†. Overall to conclude, the build up in temperature and pressure was strongly believed to be the cause in the magnitude of the toxic gas released. Economic conditions also played its part in contributing to this mishap. It was said that the leaking of the large amount of water into the MIC tank was also due to bad maintenance and leaking valves.The pipes were not repaired as it was believed to be very costly and time consuming. Safety systems including the MIC tank refrigeration systems were also shut down to in order to bring cost savings and it is of the opinion that the MIC refrigeration system alone would have prevented the tragedy from happening. http://www. wisegeek. com/what-was-the-bhopal-disaster. htm Material corroding that took place in the pipelines was also the contributing factor to this disaster. Carbon steel valves that were being used in the factory would corrode when exposed to acid.Based on investigations, a leaking of carbon steel valves was found on the night of the disaster. Overall, several factors led to this industrial disaster namely caused by poor maintenance and regulations. 6. Consequences of the effect of the accident The Bhopal disaster can be said to be one of the world’s worst catastrophe that took place at the Union Carbide pesticide plant in the city of Bhopal, India. On 3rd December 1984, the plant released MIC and other toxic gases exposing more than 500,000 people.The city of Bhopal was surrounded with a mixture of poisonous gases causing great panic as people woke up with burning sensations in their lungs. Based on the government of Madhya Pradesh, the effect of the hazardous gas had caused 3,787 confirmed deaths and leaving many trampled in panic. Other sources estimated that around 8,000 people died within the next 72 hours from gas related diseases and roughly 100,000 – 200,000 people are estimated to have permanent injuries at different degrees. http://www1. american. edu/ted/bhopal. htmMass funerals and cremations were taking place as well as disposal of bodies in the Namada River. The health care system became tremendously overloaded as approximately 170,000 people required treatments at hospitals and temporary dispensaries. Authorities had marked 36 wards as being â€Å"gas affected†. Acute symptoms from the gases are burning in the respiratory tract, eyes, breathlessness, vomiting and choking which ultimately led to death. Humans were not the only ones affected from this terrible tragedy. Approximately 2,000 buffaloes, goats and other animals’ carcasses were collected and buried.The effect on trees could be seen immediately as the leaves yellowed and fell of within a few days. Food supplies became scarce due to the fear being felt by suppliers. Further shortages were also caused once fishing activities was prohibited. http://www. bhopal. com/pdfs/browning. pdf Overall, this mishap has brought fear and has frightened many people as the Bhopal city was turned into a toxic city. A settlement was finally concluded in 1989, whereby UCC agreed to pay the Indian government a sum of $470 million in full and final settlement of its civil liability. After the lap f 25 years, 390 tons of toxic chemicals were left neglected at the plant which continued to pollute the ground water which affected thousands of residents who relied on it. 7. Improvements to prevent the accident Substantive investigations pointed out that the main reason which escalated this disaster is due to the management’s intention on reducing their expenses. The design of the plant had been modified by the Indian engineers in order to bring cost savings. This practice should be improvised and the plant should be designed thoroughly and prope rly to support the volume of production and the type of chemical produced.A contributing factor to the tragedy was weak management practices that should be made more stringent. A proactive policy should be adopted whereby dysfunctional items and parts of the plant should be fixed immediately instead of prolonging the situation despite it being costly and time consuming. Strict maintenance should be carried out on a routine basis and the MIC tanks should be continuously monitored to ensure that all processes are smooth going. Rules and regulations set for the plant should be adhered and complied to prevent any setbacks. ttp://www. wisegeek. com/what-was-the-bhopal-disaster. htm As the plant’s production involves a hazardous chemical, more experienced workers in dealing with such reactive chemicals should be hired instead on focusing on low labor cost. Trainings should be provided continuously to improve their expertise. Furthermore, extensive research and studies on how to han dle chemicals of this sort should be carried out prior to any processes to ensure that the staff has sufficient knowledge on what to do and what to expect.Despite sufficient trainings and research, mishaps can occur any at given time. Following that, it is always best to have a detailed contingency and back up plans in order to contain any rotten situation. A good practice is always to expect the unexpected in order to be ready for mishaps. This tragedy has affected the lives of many in the Bhopal city. It is recommended that such factories as this plant should not be located in residential areas and best located in the outskirts to prevent residents being exposed to toxic gases.Ultimately, this disaster would have been prevailed with good management practices, abiding to rules and regulations set and also focusing on safety systems instead of cost savings. http://www1. american. edu/ted/bhopal. htm * 8. Conclusion * The Bhopal gas disaster marked one of the most tragic accidents in the world. The pesticide plant in Bhopal, India was managed by UCIL, a subsidiary of the UCC, had begun the production of a hazardous chemical, methyl isocyanate in 1979. The findings from this research pointed out that UCIL had weak policies and regulations and was prioritizing more on cost savings at the expense of the plant’s safety. The operational side of the plant was suffering from lack of staff namely there was no maintenance supervisor responsible to monitor the MIC tanks. Furthermore, critical parts of the plants were being left unattended when it was dysfunctional due to it being costly and time consuming to repair. Safety systems of the plant were being comprised in order to reduce expenses. * * To conclude, the main improvement to be done is to emphasize on the plants design to support the volume and type of production.Stringent policies and regulations should be set and adhered to in order to prevent similar accidents. Management should divert from a cost savin gs mindset and priorities more on the plant’s safety systems. * Despite being 25 years since the incident, tons of toxic chemicals were still abandoned at the plant and continued to pollute the ground water that affected thousands of residents. Overall, this disaster has brought awareness that international standards for environmental safety should be enforced to prevent similar mishaps. .References 1. Bhopal disaster,online,retrieved 15 November 2009 from http://www. wikipedia. org/bhopaldisaster 2. Bhopal disaster, online, retrieved 15 November 2009 from http://www1. american. edu/ted/bhopal. htm 3. Jackson B. Browning 1993, Health, Safety and Environmental Programs Union Carbide Corporation, online, retrieved 16 November 2009 from http://www. bhopal. com/pdfs/browning. pdf 4. What was the Bhopal disaster, online, retrieved 18 November 2009 from http://www. wisegeek. com/what-was-the-bhopal-disaster. htm