Leadership And Change Management At General Motors Commerce Essay

Leadership And Change Management At General Motors Commerce Essay General Motors (GM), one of the worlds largest automakers, was initially founded by William Durant in 1902 and held a remarkable presence in the automobile industry for almost a century. It is predominantly engaged in the designing, manufacturing and marketing of cars, trucks, and other automobile parts in North America, Europe, Latin America, and Asia Pacific regions. Additionally, GM also provides vehicle safety, security and information services through GM OnStar. This company sells not only cars but also trucks under several brands such as Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, Hummer, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn and Vauxhall in 31 different countries (Datamonitor). The main headquarters is located in Detroit, Michigan where over 200,000 people are currently employed globally. Its largest market is in the U.S, followed by China, Brazil, the UK, Canada, Russia and finally Germany. Globally, the automobiles and components industry was severely affected by the global ec onomic downturn in 2008. Unfortunately, the recession in the global economy harmed GMs business by adversely affecting its revenues, results of operations, cash flows, and financial condition. According to Isidore (2009) in CNN Money, General Motors filed for bankruptcy on June 1, 2009. . This move was once viewed as unimaginable, since it was one of the worlds leading automakers. However, after years of losses and market share declines topped by a major plunge in sales, bankruptcy was inevitable. A new company financed by the US Treasury stepped in and purchased most of GMs assets and trademarks. By July 10, 2009, the companys name changed from General Motors Corporation to General Motors Company. Consequently, the company experienced major changes such as massive job cuts, closure of a dozen facilities, emergence of new leaders, etc. In order to evaluate the radical change undergone by General Motors, both internal and external factors leading up to the change must be identified. Several pressures such as economic conditions, competition, government intervention, technology, resource availability, and people can cause change (Porter, Smith Fagg, 2006). In order to be successful, organizations increasingly need to be scanning the environment to anticipate the appropriate change action. More importantly, they need to be proactive in their attitude to change. In the case of General Motors, the causes of change were economic conditions on a global scale and unavailability of financial resources. Even though there was a resistance to change, GM had to swiftly evaluate the situation and devise new strategies on how to move forward. The success of the transition of an organizational change is mainly dependent upon the leadership of senior management (Porter, Smith Fagg, 2006). The Chief Executive Officer at GM, Mr. Fritz Henderson, was replaced by Mr. Edward Whitacre in 2009. He was the former Chairman and CEO at ATT from 1990-2007. Mr. Whitacre serves on the Boa rd of the Institute for International Economics and the Boards of Burlington Northern Santa Fe, Exxon Mobil and the PGA Tour (Datamonitor-GM). Furthermore, he is also involved in The Business Council. Even though leaders of General Motors are still trying to implement stability, the transition leading up to the radical change could have been more efficient and effective. LEADERSHIP THEORIES AND APPLICATION TO GM 1.1 Leadership Theories: Amongst the many definitions of a leader, Bryman (1992, p. 3) describes The leader is characterized by a strong drive for responsibility and task completion, vigor and persistence in the pursuit of goals, venturesomeness and originality in problem solving, drive to exercise initiative in social situations, self confidence and sense of personal identity, willingness to accept the consequences of his or her decisions and actions, readiness to absorb interpersonal stress, willingness to tolerate frustration and delay, ability to influence other peoples behavior and the capacity to structure social interaction systems to the purpose at hand. A true leader has the ability to motivate his or her followers. While the early leadership theories focused on the leaders individual characteristics and behavior, later theories explored the duties of the followers and the environment contributing to the success of a leader. Up to the late 1940s, it was believed that leadership qualities were innate primarily by men or passed along from generation to generation. Whether a leader is born or made was the controversial question that arose in the past. Historical evidence can justify that many effective leaders seem to be born with innate aptitudes. This is known as the Traits theory, which has three broad types of traits. The first is primarily based on the physical factors such as appearance, physique, height, etc. Secondly, the traits reflected on the persons abilities including intelligence, fluency of speech, and knowledge. The third type covers a wide range of personality characteristics such as conservatism, self-confidence, dominance, and emotional control (Bryman, 1992). On the contrary, the Style theory describes that employees will perform better depending on the adopted style of their leader (Porter, Smith Fagg, 2006). In other words, the same group of people will behave differently according to the leaders style. A type of leadership that follows the style theory is transactional leadership, based upon contingency where reward or punishment is given depending on the subordinates performance. The leader designates a specific task, and the subordinate is fully responsible to carry it out despite the circumstances. The emphasis is based on goal clarification, the setting of tasks and objectives, and organizational rewards and punishments. While this approach still remains popular, certain limitations exist such as the assumption that the subordinate is strictly motivated by money and reward (Dave Paper). On the other hand, transformational leadership theory is centralized on the development of commitment and motivation among followers. A transforma tional leader creates a vision and eventually persuades his or her followers to buy in in order to transform the performance of the organization (Porter, Smith Fagg, 2006). Even though people wont readily accept a radical vision, the transformational leader will do whatever it takes to get every person on board. This concept is based on a relational contract, where subordinates willingly contribute beyond the requirements. Both transactional and transformational are equally important to help increase organizational competitiveness in an era of global competition (Mohamed Rafiuddin, 2010). Yet, another leadership theory is that of Vroom and Yettons decision-making model. According to Porter, Smith and Fagg (2006, p.76), All leaders are considered as decision-makers, and their effectiveness can be determined by examining the quality of decisions taken over time. The most appropriate style of leadership is flexible which depends upon the subordinates preferred style, the situation and the task facing the leader. Vroom and Yetton defined five key types of leadership where two are autocratic, two are consultative and one is group-based. The way how the leader obtains information or the way how the leader makes a decision is different for each type. Situational factors influence which method is considered the most pertinent. While the path-goal theory of leadership is similar to the Vroom and Yettons model, many differences exist. A characteristic of the path-goal theory also involves a participative leadership, where the leaders consult with the followers and take their id eas into account for decision-making. However, the leaders are expected to guide, encourage, and support their subordinates in achieving the goals. For example, they are required to clear the path by removing roadblocks so that the subordinates know which way to go (Daves Paper). Moreover, the leaders are to be supportive by showing concern for the followers welfare and creating a friendly working environment. Another similarity to the Vroom and Yettons model is that the path-goal oriented leader will also vary in his or her approach depending on the situation. Finally, a term used to characterize brilliant forms of influence, exceptional, gifted, and even heroic is known as charismatic leadership. According to Galvin, Balkundi and Walkman (2010, p.477), Subordinates who view a leader as charismatic will tend to see the leader and his or her vision as core their own identity and will be willing to sacrifice so as to benefit the collective and achieve the goals and vision of the leader. Some distinguishing attributes possessed by the charismatic leader are confidence, power, success, and influence. A transformational leader can also be qualified to be charismatic and vice versa. Since a transformational leader instills the vision onto the subordinates, he or she can do so in a charismatic manner. 1.2 Leadership in General Motors Leadership models and theories should be used as frameworks for developing personal styles, and self-reflecting. While various theories exist, a successful leader should know their industries, have astute insights, and are willing to induce the changes necessary to their organization (Van Wart, 2010). Furthermore, they are an inspirational figure, where they can influence their followers in the course of events. In the case of GM, the former chief executive, Mr. Fritz Henderson was asked to step down from the position. Mr. Henderson had worked along the former GM president, Mr. Rick Wagoner, throughout his career. According to Madslien (2009), This could pose serious problems for GM, which may now find it hard to find not only a replacement for the charismatic car guy. However, concerns such as the fact that Mr. Henderson was clinging on to power in the name of stability were expressed. Additionally, he was eagerly trying to rebuild the company based on the traditional model that GM used prior the crisis. Based on this analysis, it shows that the former CEO was not apt for changeability. He can be categorized as being a transactional leader, where a clear structure must be set in place and subordinates are required to just follow. Fritz Henderson could also have been path-goal oriented, where he would direct the subordinates, tell them what to do, and provide appropriate guidelines. The new CEO stated, Mr. Henderson had done a remarkable job in leading the company through an unprecedented period of challenge and change (General Motors BBC article, 2009). On the contrary, Mr. Ed Whitacre, who replaced Fritz Henderson, is more of a transformational and charismatic leader. The newly-appointed CEO, who previously ran the ATT telecoms company, was brought in as chairman by the Obama administration. General Motors needed an outsider, who had no attachments, as the leader. When he accepted the post, he announced that sweeping management changes needed to be made at GM (Luft, 2009). The fact that Mr. Whitacre reorganized and restructured departments three days after taking over demonstrates that he is both transformational and path-goal oriented. He managed to guide his followers in how to achieve the goals and objectives set in place for the future GM. Moreover, he had a vision to recreate General Motors and put passion and energy into everything. This type of leader constantly sells the vision to his followers. With all the changes that GM was experiencing, Whitacre realized the workforce was rattled and immediately addressed it by sending a companywide email. According to Bloomberg Businessweek, the email reassured the employees that the major leadership changes are all behind them (2009). Even though Whitacre might be somewhat naÃÆ'Â ¯ve in the time frame of product development amongst other areas, he strategically designates other people to overlook the areas he lacks in knowledge. Furthermore, he wants to give people more responsibility and authority deeper in the organization and hold them accountable for their doings (Luft, 2009). In decision-making, this leader follows Group procedure, where he shares the problems with followers and seeks consensus agreement. Essentially, as a transformational, charismatic, path-goal oriented leader, Mr. Whitacre will try to ensure a smooth and successful transition for GM as a company and for the employees. General Motors new management team will focus more on leadership duties and responsibilities to meet their objectives to design, build and sell the worlds best vehicle. 2.0 EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL FACTORS Organizations are expected to experience changes due to the instability and inconsistency of the environment. Organizational change is usually provoked by some driving force such as decrease in productivity and services, substantial cuts in funding, major new markets and clients, etc (Barbara and Fleming, 2006). The reasons why and how changes occur can only be understood if an internal and external analysis of the company is performed. The Porters five forces, PESTLE and SWOT analysis, and internal resources can be used to conduct an environmental scanning; hence, objectives and strategies can be formulated and used to implement the changes. 2.1 PESTLE Analysis PESTLE analysis is a framework comprised of political, economical, social, technological, legal, and environmental components. From the beginning, General Motors has always been affected by the law and government regulations. Most of the regulations are associated with the environment and concerns for safe automobiles. For example, the EU recently restricted the usage of heavy metals due to environmental issues. Additionally, the vehicle emissions regulations have also become stricter (Datamonitor: Automobile). Economically, since 2008, the global automotive industry has been severely affected by the major global credit crisis where both North America and Europe encountered recession. This in turn caused unstable oil prices, decreases in employment rate and decrease in consumer spending. Other essential components are the sociological and environment factors. With the increasing interest of the environment worldwide specifically in the US and Europe, General Motors has taken a firm s tance in Corporate Social Responsibility in all its business practices. This includes the operation of the factories and business offices, usage of renewable and recyclable materials, production of fuel-efficient cars and trucks, and less emission of greenhouse gases (GM website). Additionally, society has become relatively materialistic and driven by status quo. General Motors is aware of this; therefore, it would target each market depending on status and income. The last component in the PESTLE analysis is the technological component. The rise of the internet worldwide has affected not only the automobile industry, but many others as well. GM can benefit from the increasing usage of the internet, because more and more consumers can access its website and view products more easily. 2.2 Porters Five Forces Porters five forces of competition framework can be used to analyze the intensity of competition and the level of profitability (Grant, 2005). These five forces include competition from substitutes, entrants, power of suppliers, power of buyers, and established rivals. In replace of purchasing automobiles, consumers can use public transportation such as buses, trains, and bicycles. Moreover, consumers can also choose from other automobile products that are not GM-related making the threat of substitutes high-risk. High barriers to entry such as large capital allow the threat of new entrants very low-risk. In the automobile industry, the bargaining power of suppliers is considered low, since these suppliers rely on the automakers to purchase the raw materials such as steel, paint, glass, aluminum, etc. In regards to the bargaining power of the buyers, the risk is high. Customers can choose not only from other automobile manufacturers, but also from many automobile dealers that exist. Finally, there is a high rivalry existing among the competitors of General Motors. The major competitors include Toyota Motor Corporation, Honda Motor Co., Ford Motor Company, Mazda Motor Corporation and several other automakers (Datamonitor- GM) 2.3 Internal Analysis According to Porter, Smith, and Fagg (2006, p.393), Environmental analysis also requires an examination of the organizations internal environment. Internal analysis is concerned with the resources and capabilities that an organization must seek to understand before it can pursue any form of strategy. An internal audit includes the organizations human, financial and other resources which contribute to supporting its strategies. General Motors employs more than 200,000 people worldwide. Moreover, it has created a business environment based upon mutual respect, responsibility, and understanding. One of GM goals is to give employees more responsibility and authority and hold them accountable (GM website). In other words, this company believes in empowering its employees. Additionally, GM understands the effectiveness of performance when personal life and work are linked. Given that General Motors is considered to be one of the largest employers in the world, the benefits offered are just as grand. Amongst some of these benefits are medical plan including dental, investment options, life insurance, paid holidays and discounts on GM products and services. Financially, GM leaders and employees are committed to building its market share, revenue, earnings and cash flow with the goal of paying back its loans by 2010. In the year ended 2009 the estimated worldwide market share was recorded as 11.6%. Furthermore, vehicle sales in the US fell drastically since the peak in 2007 (GM Annual report). 2.4 SWOT Analysis Once an audit of external and internal influences has been conducted, a framework such as SWOT analysis can be used to link an organizations resources and capabilities. Then, the implications of strategies can be identified (Porter, Smith and Fagg, 2006). SWOT represents strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. It is the most widely used analytical management technique. 1. Strengths: General Motors not only has a strong brand portfolio, but also has a wide portfolio of regional brands like Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Hummer, Pontiac, Saab, and Saturn. The strong brand portfolio spanning the global market allows GM to gain a competitive advantage. Also, since it has an extensive geographic presence in 207 locations, General Motors is able to spread its risks across the global markets. 2. Weaknesses: GM incurred significant losses from 2005 through 2008 due to operations and restructurings. The companys liquidity position along with its operating performance was negatively affected by the industry conditions. Additionally, there was a major decline in sales in major business segments. 3. Opportunities: The increase in the global truck market experienced a growth during 2004 and 2008 and will continuously have a steady growth for the future. This represents an opportunity for General Motors to capitalize on this market which can positively affect its revenues and profits. Moreover, there has been a worldwide demand for hybrid electric vehicles. Therefore, General Motors has been focusing on developing new high technology products for these eco-friendly automobiles. Consequently, this would boost the demand for GMs products. 4. Threats: Due to the ongoing global recession, GMs business would be significantly affected in its revenues, results of operations, cash flow and financial condition. More importantly, the global automotive industry is extremely competitive, where General Motors are facing strong competitors. As a result, there would be an adverse effect on vehicle pricing and market share. 3.0 CHANGE THEORIES AND APPLICATION TO GM According to Palmer (2006, p.50), Variety of pressures on managers: the environment, discovery of deviations from standards, new desires and visions of the future or the fundamental nature of organizations themselves. He also continues on stating that the result of change is, ironically, stability. While these pressures for change are constant, advantages of a changing organization are better integration, teamwork, common values, and mindsets. All these benefits contribute to achieving a better organization with more efficient and effective outcomes. John Kotter explains that some forces for change are greater economic integration, maturation and slowdown, technology, and fall of socialist countries and their reorientation toward capitalist economies (Palmer, 2006). 3.1 Change Theories Several change management theories describe the process of developing a planned approach to the changes taken place in an organization. The first model is John Kotters 8 steps, which was published in 1995 in the Harvard Business Review. Firstly, establishing the need for urgency refers to performing market analysis by determining the problems and opportunities. The second step, ensuring there is a powerful change group to guide the change can be performed by creating team structures to help drive the change and making sure the teams have sufficient power to guide the change. Thirdly, developing a vision can be carried out by providing focus for change. Then, the vision must be communicated by using multiple channels to constantly communicate this vision. The next step is empowering the staff by removing organizational policies and structures that inhibit the achievement of the vision. Once this is done, the organization must empower the staff which help support the need for change an d provide motivation. Consolidating gains is the seventh step. This refers to rewarding those who engage positively with the change. Last but not least, the change must be linked to organizational performance and leadership (Palmer, 2006). However, while the Kotters 8 steps outline the management of an organizational change, the Bridges Transition Model suggests that change will not be successful if transition doesnt occur. In this case, transition is defined as the ending of something, which is the first phase. The second phase is the neutral zone, which is a confusing state between the old reality and the new. During this phase, people are not ready or comfortable to welcome the new beginnings. Much importance must be given during this stage, because the change might be jeopardized if the organization decides to prematurely escape. However, if the neutral zone is completed successfully, many opportunities for creative transformation can be presented. The final phase is acceptance of the new beginnings and identification with the new situation (Bridges, 1995). Similarly, another model of change that was developed in the earlier days is that of Lewins. His model also consisted of three phases like Bridges Transition Model. The first phase is identified as unfreezing, where it involved dismantling the existing mindset of the people. For example, a change in the organizational culture would take place in this stage. According to Brown (1998, p.6), Organizational culture refers to norms, attitudes, values, and beliefs that conduct the behavior of members of an organization with each other and with external stakeholders. Changing is the second phase of Lewins model where actual changes are implemented so the organization progresses to the new position. Just like Bridges, this phase is also accounted as the hardest to overcome. In the last phase also known as refreezing, the changes are stabilized. They have been accepted and become the new norm. At this point, the need for recruiting new staff untainted by old habits might be fitting for the or ganization (Senior and Fleming, 2006). 3.2 Changes in General Motors In 2007, General Motors declared record sales of more than nine million vehicles for the third consecutive year. Despite that this company had such an achievement, environmental turbulences such as the global recession in 2009 forced GM to declare bankruptcy. This was considered as the biggest failure of an industrial company in US history (BBC website- GM ready to file). According to the news article GM ready to file for bankruptcy, GM, once the largest company in the world, has been losing market share since the early 1980s (2009). Some causes leading up to this disastrous event are high production costs and collapse in credit markets and consumer spending. Furthermore, the automaker was slow in moving away from the production of gas-guzzling SUVs when consumers were looking for more fuel-efficient vehicles (BBC-Website, 2009). Even though restructuring of the company was necessary, the transition and resistance to change were posed challenging. Using Bridges Transition Model, the radical change that occurred in General Motors can be evaluated. In the first phase, the organization realized there were major discrepancies between its goals and the current system of operation. Consequently, General Motors accepted the fact that it was the end of their glorious era and placed its fate in the hands of the US government. The new GM left the government holding 60% of the companys equity (Clark, 2009). Since this automaker was an iconic symbol of the American auto industry, it was necessary to preserve it. General Motors then entered the second phase, the neutral zone, of the Bridges Transition Model. Herein, the company faced many barriers and resistance to the changes that were taking place. According to Bridges, management and employees would feel anxious, disoriented, resentful, and self-protective (Bridges, 1995). At this stage, it is natural for people to feel confused between rushing forward and going back to the old ways. Th e GM official website states that the company has a new global operating structure, a leaner and more streamlined leadership team, and a restructured Board of Directors (GM Website). The designated leaders take a crucial role in the neutral zone. The newly-appointed CEO Ed Whitacre exercised his authority by drawing up a new management blueprint to improve accountability and responsibility for key market performance within General Motors (Luft, 2009). Inevitably, during the restructuring and reorganizing, employers were fearful for their jobs. Bridges (1995, p.41) advises, Communications help to keep people feeling included in and connected to the organization. On March 31, 2010 Whitacre decided to send out a companywide email to ease the anxiety and anticipation that had been developing during the change. In his email, he wrote, A smart company changes and adapts to the needs of the business. So, while there will always be individual moves within GM, I want to reassure you that the major leadership changes are behind us (Welch, 2010). Once General Motors was out of the neutral zone, the company was able to indulge in the new beginnings that have been much anticipated for. Even though the new GM decided to get rid of Hummer, Saturn, Pontiac, and Saab, it still held on to the most profitable brands such as Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick, and GMC. Additionally, it will continue to press on for structural cost reduction and a healthier balance sheet with a significant lower debt. Most importantly, the automaker will strictly concentrate on investing in innovative products and new technology. 3.3 Resistance to Change While the new GM managed to leave the neutral zone of the change process, it was prolonged because of the resistance to change. Some reasons why individuals resist change are routine, security, economic factors, fear of the unknown and selective information processing (Porter, Smith and Fagg, 2006). In the case of General Motors, management and employees were confined to the traditional way of the companys operations. Even more so, they knew that restructuring and layoffs were going to take place; therefore, they lost their sense of security and allowed anxiety to take over. 4.0 LINKAGE OF LEADERSHIP AND CHANGE According to Porter, Smith and Fagg (2006, p.301), The change agent should be at the center of any change process, and one of the most important jobs for him or her to do is to develop a good relationship between all the parties involved in the change process. This is vital to ensure that commitment, trust and mutual respect develop. The change agent is also known as the leader of the organization. During the transition of the old GM to the new GM, Mr. Ed Whitacre was designated as the CEO. He immediately recognized the importance of organizational development by changing its structure and the people within it. A successful change is accompanied by the redistribution of power within the company so that the decision-making is moved towards shared power (Porter, Smith and Fagg, 2006). CEO Whitacre alongside other directors and managers had to work together as a team in order to carry out the changes successfully. They may even have had to find themselves adopting the role as a transfor mational leader. As leaders, they are responsible in having a clear sense of direction in order to keep the organization moving on track towards the agreed objectives and goals. However, leaders cannot accomplish a successful change on their own. They need to also depend on the subordinates, which can be achieved by encouraging teamwork, empowerment, and acceptance of certain failures (Porter, Smith and Fagg, 2006). 5.0 RECOMMENDATIONS / CONCLUSION While General Motors was able to fast-track the change process with the right leadership in place, certain actions could have been done differently to maximize efficiency and minimize resistance. Palmer suggests that resistance to change can be managed by communication to the followers, participation from everyone involved, negotiation between the leaders and the subordinates, and explicit or implicit coercion (Palmer, 2006). Although Mr. Whitacre automatically sent out a companywide email when the company was in turmoil, it was not necessarily effective. Alternatively, he could have done a video conferencing with all the employees worldwide. In this manner, not only would his body language be viewed, but also would he be able to display emotions. According to Bridges (1995, p.41), Communications help to keep people feeling included in and connected to the organization. Without communications in place, wrong information can be multiplied and people develop apathy. Moreover, since the new General Motors wanted to revive its innovativeness, it is recommended for the company to expose people to new aspects of their tasks and opportunities for collaboration (Vermeulen, Puranam and Gulati, 2010). Also, while an organization is in neutral zone, creativity should be encouraged. This can be fostered by providing training in the techniques of discovery and innovation, encouraging experiment, embracing losses or setbacks, and looking for opportunities to brainstorm new answers to old problems (Bridges, 1995). All these must be carried out by the changing agents or the leaders. In conclusion, General Motors was able to identify their disparities and firmly decided to change the organization in order to accomplish its goals and objectives. More importantly, it acted quickly and and realized that current leadership talent did not have the capabilities to deal with the radical change. As a result, General Motors was assigned a charismatic, transformational leader to guide it through change, solve complex problems, and build for the future.

Discounting And Environmental Valuation In Cba Environmental Sciences Essay

This REMT undertaking supported by GEF grants chiefly consists of two constituents ; Renewable Energy Power Generation – set uping the policy and regulative models and beef uping the institutional capacity for renewable energy development, 2 ) Commercial Solar Water Heating ( CSWH ) – supplying proficient aid and edifice industrial capableness for CSWH systems and services [ 1 ] . The undertaking appraisal study examined its feasibleness by non merely incremental cost analysis of the undertaking but besides the economic and fiscal analysis of possible renewable energy undertakings which the REMT undertaking would promote to implement. I have focussed on cost benefit analysis of the undertaking and looked at whether or non the estimated price reduction rate and rating of nonmarket merchandises and services are decently determined during the undertaking assessment. Particularly, I have reviewed the assorted methods of environmental rating and different consequences on economic value of CO2 emanation decrease, which is considered as a major benefit of the REMT undertaking.Background to the UndertakingIn general, South Africa has a well-developed power sector, with a entire 42GW installed capacity and 244,607 GWh electricity production accounting for about 45 % of sum produced power in Africa in 2004. As a consequence of heavy dependance on coal for energy ingestion, South Africa remains the top 10 manufacturers of GHG emanations in the universe. As such, the Government published its White Paper on Renewable Energy taking for renewable energy development and set a mark of 10,000GWh of renewable energy part by 2013 [ 1 , 2 ] . The REMT undertaking aims to take the barriers of renewable energy engineerings development by back uping the Government in set uping the policy and regulative models. In add-on, the undertaking provides proficient aid and capacity edifice for renewable energy development. The GEF besides finances some portion of advisers ‘ services and goods for CSWH systems installing under the public presentation grants. Ultimately the undertaking is expected to excite important private sector investing in renewable energy sector and to assist accomplishing the Government ‘s mark [ 1, 3 ] . Furthermore, it contributes to extenuate nursery gas emanation in the line with the GEF ‘s planetary environmental nonsubjective [ 4 ] by replacing the conventional power works with renewable energy.Analysis for Project AppraisalIncremental Cost AnalysisThe intent of the GEF is to supply supportive support for incremental costs to increase the planetary environmental benefits. As such the incremental cost and the planetary environment benefit demand to be explicitly analysed during the undertaking assessment. The undertaking appraisal study defined value of CO2 emanation avoided by CSWH systems as a Global Environment Benefits of the undertaking. The table-1 below summarises incremental cost analysis in this study. [ 1 ] Table 1: Summary of Incremental Cost Analysis for REMT undertaking Baseline Alternate Incremental Domestic Benefit Job Creation, Private Net income Job Creation, Private Net income None Global Environment Benefits Slow advancement towards overall renewable energy mark ; 15 old ages cumulative value of CO2 emanations avoided by CSWH systems ( 0.15 M metric tons ) Accelerated advancement towards overall renewable energy mark ; 15 old ages cumulative value of CO2 emanation avoided by CSWH systems ( 1.15 M metric tons ) Cost ( US $ ) 2.3 M ( Government ) 2.5 M ( Private Sector ) 8.3 M ( Government, GEF ) 9.0 M ( Private Sector ) 6.0 M ( GEF ) 6.5 M ( Private Sector )Economic and Financial AnalysisGiven catalytic map of the proficient aid, out economic and fiscal analysis was carried out non merely for CSWH undertaking but besides a sample of possible undertakings which this TA undertaking could promote the private sector to put in [ 1 ] . The societal and economic impact classs, measurement indicant and other values which were used for the analysis are outlined below [ 2 ] . Table 2: Summary of Economic and Financial Analysis for REMT undertaking Undertaking Component Renewable Energy Power Generation CSWH Cost Capital Cost Market monetary value ( 2004 ) estimated by proficient expert Capital Cost Market monetary value ( 2004 ) estimated by proficient expert O & A ; M Cost O & A ; M Cost Benefit Avoided Coevals Cost Long run fringy cost ( LRMC ) Cost avoided by exchanging ( Saved Electricity ) Eskom ‘s Duty Avoided nursery gas emanation Carbon emanation decreases ( CERs ) monetary value Avoided nursery gas emanation Carbon emanation decreases ( CERs ) monetary value Discount Rate 10 % 10 %Evaluation of the Project Appraisal DocumentDiscount RateThe price reduction rate was non explicitly stated in the appraisal study, but harmonizing to its economic and fiscal analysis due diligence study [ 2 ] , it is found that the price reduction rate of 10 % was applied for the economic analysis for the possible undertakings ( renewable energy power coevals ) . The studies justified the determination of the price reduction rate of 10 % saying the same price reduction rate was used for recent electricity sector surveies from National Electricity Regulator ( NER ) . On the other manus, in the economic analysis of CSWH system shown in Annex 9, it revealed that the price reduction rate of 0 % was applied without any justification. Therefore, it is necessary to reexamine how to find the price reduction rate on the REMT undertaking which has the long term planetary environmental benefit from CO2 emanation decrease. In general, the pick of appropriate societal price reduction rate in the cost benefit analysis is a cardinal issue for finding the present value of any long footings societal impacts that occur in the hereafter [ 5 ] . The ADB economic and research section working paper provinces that: â€Å" Puting the societal price reduction rate excessively high could prevent many socially desirable public undertakings from being undertaken, while puting it excessively low hazards doing a batch of economically inefficient investings. Further, a comparatively high societal price reduction rateaˆÂ ¦favours undertakings with benefits happening at earlier day of the months ; while a comparatively low societal price reduction rate favors undertakings with benefits happening at subsequently day of the month. † [ 6 ] In peculiar utilizing high price reduction rate on undertakings refering the environmental issues such as clime alterations and planetary heating has been criticized. There are a assortment of statements on finding the proper price reduction rate. Some has argued that the price reduction rate demands to be lowered in general to stress future environment effects. The usage of a lower price reduction rate individually on certain environmental impact and worsening price reduction rates has been besides suggested [ 7 ] . Sing a fanciful price reduction rate ( 10-12 % ) for the World Bank funded undertakings [ 8 ] , the price reduction rate of 10 % used in the REMT undertaking seems proper. However, as the REMT is the planetary clime alteration related undertaking which has intergenerational environmental benefits and costs, it seems more sensible to use the lower rate. Even though legion reviews on the Stern Review exist, it is found that the societal rate of clip penchant of 1.4 % was applied for dismissing planetary clime alteration impact [ 6 ] , which is significantly lower than the price reduction rate for the REMT undertaking. In add-on, harmonizing to the manual for ciphering GHG benefit of GEF undertaking, the larger uncertainnesss for GEF undertaking compared to CDM undertaking compromises the quality of a GHG impact appraisal for undertaking assessment by using no price reduction rate on future GHG emanation decreases [ 9 ] . This could be another ground why the lower price reduction rate should be considered for the REMT undertaking.Environmental Valuation ( CO2 Emission Reduction )One of the advantages to utilize cost benefit analysis is that a policy or undertaking can be assessed by quantifying the value of all societal and economic effect in pecuniary footings. It besides means predicting and monetising all impacts are significantly of import for the accurate analysis. However, in pattern valuing in pecuniary footings is hard and combative particularly for environmental impacts. [ 10 ] The REMT undertaking identified one of the benefits as the value of avoided nursery gas emanation from conventional coevals displaced by renewable coevals. In the economic analysis, the value was calculated by the market value of gas emanation decrease ( CERs, $ 3.75/tonne CO2 ) mentioning to the old Prototype Carbon Fund Durban Landfill Gas Project [ 1 ] . Of class, there are the big scopes of the estimated economic value of emanation decrease depending on different premise by each survey [ 12 ] . However, it seems hard to state that a simple market monetary value of CERs to the full reflects the environmental and societal value of reduced gas emanation for the analysis. Furthermore, the estimated value of CO2 emanation decrease seems undervalued being considered as the planetary benefit of the REMT undertaking. Duong has categorised the monetary value of C as five definitions ; ‘the expected extenuation of climate-change harm ‘ , ‘the cost of cut downing CO2 emanations ‘ , ‘the societal cost of C ‘ , ‘the politically negotiated value ‘ and ‘CO2 market monetary values ‘ . And it stated that the monetary value of different definition well varies. [ 12 ] Among the above definitions, in order to monetise the entire societal and environmental benefits from reduced emanation accurately, it could be more sensible to utilize the societal cost of C, an estimated pecuniary value to society of environmental CO2 emanation impact [ 13 ] , alternatively of the market monetary value. In general, chief attacks for environmental rating are known as ‘stated penchant methods ‘ , ‘revealed penchant methods ‘ and ‘benefits transfer ‘ [ 14 ] . In add-on, Koomey introduced two rating methods particularly for emanation decrease. ‘Direct harm appraisal ‘ monetise the amendss such as human wellness and environmental effects definitively related to emanation of a pollutant. This method is highly complicated and hard. On the other manus, ‘cost of suspension ‘ uses the cost of pollution controls imposed by regulative determinations as a placeholder of the outwardness costs. But rapid society ‘s penchants may ensue in misrepresentative suspension cost computations. [ 15 ] In malice of recent progress in environmental rating methods, ‘Benefits Transfer ‘ deducing the values from old surveies has been progressively popular for policy assessment in footings of environmental rating, since it can be carried out faster and more cheaply than primary rating surveies [ 14 ] . There are several different attack of benefits transfer method, which have been introduced ; the first attack is reassigning original unit value from a ‘study site ‘ to ‘policy site ‘ and the 2nd attack is reassigning full WTP maps. Another method is a meta-analysis of bing rating surveies to find sensible value for a policy site [ 16 ] . While the research on the societal cost of C has been conducted, Tol examined 211 estimations of the societal cost of C through the meta-analysis and concluded that a average value were $ 120/ton of Carbon ( $ 33/tonne CO2 ) for surveies between 1996 and 2001 and $ 88/tonne of Carbon ( $ 24/tonne Cos ) for surveies since 2001. [ 17 ] Even though the average value of Tol ‘s analysis ( $ 29/tonne CO2 ) has been criticized, it seems clear that the value of $ 3.75/tonne CO2 estimated in the REMT undertaking is non plenty to reflect the economic and societal impacts of CO2 emanation decrease.DecisionThis essay has reviewed the societal price reduction rate and environmental rating used for the economic analysis of the REMT undertaking. These two factors are significantly critical to analyze and gauge net present value of the cost and benefit of the undertaking, which is considered as the chief standard to be applied in determination. By reexamining the surveies on an appropriate price reduction rate and CO2 emanation rating, despite ongoing arguments, it seems a more wise attack to use the lower price reduction rate and higher economic value of CO2 emanation decrease for the REMT undertaking. This attack leads to the addition of economic and societal benefits of the undertaking and shows the determination to continue with the REMT undertaking was sensible overall. However, in footings of choice of subproject, different determination could be made based on this attack. The undertaking appraisal study has clarified the ground for singling out CSWH among the possible options such as biomass, air current, small-scale hydro and landfill gas. But if the lower price reduction rate and higher economic value of decreased emanation was used, so during the undertaking planing stage, the REMT undertaking might displace other specific options which may hold more economic and societal benefits compared to CSWH.

Helen Burns in Jane Eyre

Though Helen Burns is a short- lived character, her appearance in the book is significant on a symbolic level. In the novel, Helen epitomizes religious devotion and Christian principles, with the idea of ‘love your enemies’ summarizing her beliefs.Helen’s religious beliefs define her character and are referenced to help demonstrate the missing relationships in her and Jane’s life, as a result of being orphaned. Her religious conduct provides a comfort to her, and later on a comfort to Jane when confronted with her dying friend.The friendship formed with Helen greatly affects Jane and teaches her a lot, including how to mask her passion. Helen is the first person we see Jane form a friendly and intimate relationship with, increasing the impact and significance of Helen’s death scene; which can be viewed as a pivotal moment in Jane’s life, and a possible symbol of the death of her passion. Helen’s references to religious teaching can be u sed in the novel to demonstrate missing relationship dynamics in the girl’s life and help explore the friendship that they form.For example, Helen refers to God as ‘maker, father, friend, universal parent. ’ It is significant that God has these roles, as they are foundation figures in life that the girl’s have fallen short of. It is possible that part of the appeal of God to Helena, and soon to Jane, is because these individuals are not present in their life.This would demonstrate and explain the importance of religion in Helen’s life and the comfort God brings to her. Similarly, Helen suggests that one of the appeals to God and religion is the opportunity it provides to create a relationship.When Helen tells Jane ‘I love him, I believe he loves me,’ she is presenting ides of reciprocity and balance in a relationship. These ideas are contrasted in the relationships Jane and Helen have experienced in Mrs Reed’s house, the orphanag e and at Lowood.However, this can be a reminder to us that these ideas are seen with in the relationship between Helen and Jane; emphasizing the importance of their friendship to each other and further increasing the heartbreak of her death for Jane. Helen represents a model of Christianity that stresses tolerance and acceptance.Helen’s compliant attitude to life is center to her character and is significant in the story as it has a great impact on Jane. Helen Burns is a character incapable of anger or vengeance. This can be seen through the bullying of Helen by Mrs. Scratcherd.As Jane observes Mrs. Sctratcherd continually ‘make her an object of constant notice’ she finally lashes out at Helen for not having cleaned her nails. Helen ‘without being told, unloosened her pinafore,’ and Mrs Scratcheard striked her a dozen times. Helen is unresponsive.Jane is confused by Helena’s patient response to mistreatment and later tells Helen that ‘If I were in your place, I should dislike her, I should resist her. ’ However, her ability to remain graceful and calm even in the face of (what Jane Sees as) unjustified punishment makes a great impression on Jane who ‘heard her with wonder’ as Helen explained the way she conducts herself. It is possibly through Helen Burn’s example that Jane learns to ‘mask’ her passion. As well as being an ideal for the Christian ethos, it could be said that the character of Helen Burns possesses Christ like characteristics.Helen’s suffering of rejection at Lowood can be compared to Jesus’ suffering of persecution. Furthermore, her response to suffering can be said to mirror those of Jesus. The idea of ‘Love your neighbor,’ summarizes Helen’s beliefs; she never passes judgment or rebels, and she seeks to forgive those who hurt her.This view of Helen should be noted as it links to and can emphasize the idea of Helen being a â €˜teacher’ to Jane, and the large impact that Helen will make on Jane’s life. While Jane and Helen are very dieeferent character’s, Jane very much feels she can relate to Helen and learns from her influence.Like Jane, Helen is an orphan who longs for a home. In the scene before her death, Helen tells Jane she is ‘going to my long home- my last home. ’ This is one example of the difference in the two girls beliefs. Helen believes that she will find her home in heaven rather than England.This conversation about life after death contrasts what adult’s in Jane’s life have taught her and similarly goes against Jane’s previous fears regarding ghosts, death and the supernatural. In this moment, however, we as the reader see Jane is  comfortable literally next to death, a concept she feared when living with the reads.This is the first intimate moment we see Jane experiencing- Jane is nestled in close to her friend, whose arm is aro und her. In this moment we feel Jane is contempt and comfortable. It is possible that Jane’s attitude to death was a fear of the unknown, which now Helen has made more familiar, therefor providing her with the strength to cope so close to death. Helen’s death can be seen symbolically on many levels.One interpretation of Helen’s death is that it symbolizes the death of Jane’s passion. The name ‘Helen Burns’ itself implies destruction, fire and burning. Fire is a recurring theme throughout the beginning of the book, which is referred to to represent the fiery and passionate nature of Jane’s character.As well as this, during the short friendship between Helen and Jane, we can notice the awe in which Jane has for the levelheaded attitude that Helena carries. Therefore, on both a literary and symbolic term, the death of Helen burns suggests death or destruction to Jane’s passion.

Arizona State University Acceptance Rate, SAT/ACT Scores, GPA

Arizona State University is a public research university with an acceptance rate of 85%. The university is one of five unique ASU campuses located throughout Phoenix: the main campus in Tempe, the Downtown Campus in Phoenix, the West Campus in Phoenix, the Polytechnic Campus in Mesa, and the Colleges at Lake Havasu City. The Tempe campus has over 51,000 students and is one of the largest universities in the country. Arizona State has well-respected academic programs in Business and Engineering. It was also awarded a chapter of  Phi Beta Kappa  for its strengths in the liberal arts and sciences. The Arizona State Sun Devils compete in the NCAA Division I  Pacific 12 Conference. Considering applying to Arizona State University? Here are the admissions statistics you should know, including average SAT/ACT scores and GPAs of admitted students. Acceptance Rate During the 2017-18 admissions cycle, Arizona State University had an acceptance rate of 85%. This means that for every 100 students who applied, 85 were admitted, making ASUs admissions process less competitive. Admissions Statistics (2017-18) Number of Applicants 26,869 Percent Admitted 85% Percent Admitted Who Enrolled (Yield) 39% SAT Scores and Requirements Arizona State requires that all applicants fulfill aptitude requirements. These requirements can be demonstrated by class rank (top 25%), average GPA of 3.0 in competency courses, an SAT score of 1120 or above (residents), or 1180 or above (nonresidents), or an ACT score of 22 or above (residents), or 24 or above (nonresidents). Some degree programs have higher SAT/ACT requirements. During the 2017-18 admissions cycle, 60% of admitted students submitted SAT scores. SAT Range (Admitted Students) Section 25th Percentile 75th Percentile ERW 570 670 Math 560 690 ERW=Evidence-Based Reading and Writing This admissions data tells us that most of Arizona States admitted students fall within the top 35% nationally on the SAT. For the evidence-based reading and writing section, 50% of students admitted to ASU scored between 570 and 670, while 25% scored below 570 and 25% scored above 670. On the math section, 50% of admitted students scored between 560 and 690, while 25% scored below 560 and 25% scored above 690. Applicants with a composite SAT score of 1360 or higher will have particularly competitive chances at Arizona State University. Requirements ASU does not require the SAT writing section or SAT Subject tests. Note that Arizona State participates in the scorechoice program, which means that the admissions office will consider your highest score from each individual section across all SAT test dates. ACT Scores and Requirements Arizona State requires that all applicants fulfill aptitude requirements. These requirements can be demonstrated by class rank (top 25%), average GPA of 3.0 in competency courses, an SAT score of 1120 or above (residents), or 1180 or above (nonresidents), or an ACT score of 22 or above (residents), or 24 or above (nonresidents). Some degree programs have higher SAT/ACT requirements.During the 2017-18 admissions cycle, 58% of admitted students submitted ACT scores. SAT Range (Admitted Students) Section 25th Percentile 75th Percentile English 21 29 Math 22 28 Composite 22 29 This admissions data tells us that most of Arizona States admitted students fall within the top 37% nationally on the ACT. The middle 50% of students admitted to ASU received a composite ACT score between 22 and 29, while 25% scored above 29 and 25% scored below 22. Requirements Arizona State does not require the ACT writing section. Unlike many universities, ASU superscores ACT results; your highest subscores from multiple ACT sittings will be considered. GPA In 2018, the mean high school GPA of Arizona State Universitys incoming freshman class was 3.54. This information suggests that most successful applicants to ASU have primarily B grades. Self-Reported GPA/SAT/ACT Graph Arizona State University Applicants Self-Reported GPA/SAT/ACT Graph. Data courtesy of Cappex. The admissions data in the graph is self-reported by applicants to Arizona State University. GPAs are unweighted. Find out how you compare to accepted students, see the real-time graph, and calculate your chances of getting in  with a free Cappex account. Admissions Chances Arizona State University, which accepts over three-quarters of applicants, has a slightly selective admissions process. If you have completed the course competency and aptitude requirements you have a strong chance of being accepted. ASU requires all applicants to have four years of English and math, 3 years of laboratory science and social studies, 2 years of the same foreign language, and 1 year of fine arts or technical education. In addition to course requirements, ASU applicants must demonstrate aptitude by class rank, GPA, or minimum ACT or SAT scores. If an applicant fulfills these requirements, they will likely be admitted to ASU. A student who doesnt meet minimum grade and test score requirements will still be considered through individual review, a process by which an individuals background and accomplishments are taken into consideration. Also, as a strong Division I university, Arizona State may take a students athletic skill into consideration during the admissions process. In the graph above, the blue and green dots represent accepted students. You can see that the majority of successful applicants had A or B averages in high school, and they had combined SAT scores of about 900 or higher (ERWM) and ACT composite scores of 17 or higher. Having scores and grades above that lower range significantly increases your chance of getting an acceptance letter from Arizona State. All admissions data has been sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics and Arizona State Universitys Undergraduate Admissions Office.