Kalamazoo River PCB content or Oil Spill Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Kalamazoo River PCB content or Oil Spill - Essay Example It stretches across several states, and drains into Lake Michigan. The rivers course covers about 178 miles and its median flow is about 2000 cubic feet per second. The archeological artifacts show the use of this river by humans for a period of over 10000 years. The river is home to abundant aquatic life and a natural habitat for several fish species. It has ponds and a natural scene that is conducive for most aquatic invertebrates. The river has though undergone a lot of pollution from industrial wastes in the past. Despite the continued efforts to clean the river of industrial wastes, the presence of chemicals left behind by previous pollution is still a setback to the efforts. A major oil spill that occurred in the Kalamazoo River in 2010 spelled a major disaster as a broken pipeline leaked a million gallons of diluted bitumen into the river. The occurrence sparked the most costly cleanup operation in the history of the United States. It took over 750 million dollars to clean up the leak, but the long term effects still remain to date. The Alliance for Great Lakes blames the leaks on companies trying to minimize costs and use of substandard pipelines, which lack proper maintenance. Oil spills are a major cause of worry in relation to the effects they have on the environment, oil in its form inhibits penetration of gases and can easily suffocate marine by cutting oxygen supply. After the oil spill, the Kalamazoo had dead fish all over the surface; fishing activities ban for some time affected the livelihood of the people. Enbridge Energy Partners came under criticism, as they owned the pipeline. The effects of the Kalamazoo oil spill are both direct and indirect. The spill led to the closure of sections of the river for dredging. The dredging works cost Enbridge more than the insurance cover they had undertaken and was subject to many legal battles. They also came under public criticism due to closure of sections which used by many people. The slow pace of t he cleanup exercise too attracted public criticism and dissatisfaction. It ended up bringing back the subject of pollution experienced previously on the river, according to a survey AGL conducted people complained of companies being allowed time to conduct more research on the effects rather than concentrating on removal of the toxic wastes from the river. The presence of carcinogenic chemicals like polychlorinated biphenyl’s from wastes of landfills left by paper mills from recycled carbonless paper a now illegal chemical. Despite a major cleanup exercise, AGL believes everything changed after the leak. Some people vacated the area; others still live in uncertainty and are unsure of what long-term effects to expect. The land along the shores soaks with oil and solid materials still float along the riverbed. The scars of the disastrous spill are still visible. The period it takes to clean up an oil spill completely is hard to tell especially on such a large water body. The ef fect on wildlife is under research and turtles and ducks submerged in oil. The effect of this oil coating on feathers and turtle shells is may cause a change in breeding patterns, a negative effect on the animal’s reproduction or even damage to organs in their bodies. The uncertainty breeds anxiety on the actual impact expected to result. There is a drastic change in the food chain, and already there is a drastic reduction of fish in the most affected parts of the river. Certain insects

Blue Ocean Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Blue Ocean Report - Essay Example BOS tools and frameworks include value curves, strategy canvas, 6-paths, 4-actions framework, purchaser utility map, purchaser experience cycle, as well as, the BOS index. BOS covers strategy implementation and strategy formulation. The BOS simulation represents computerized strategy games demonstrating BOS methodologies, concepts, and analytical tools. The aim of a simulation could be moving out of an undifferentiated product Red Ocean and attempt to create a niche marketplace to accomplish the result. The BOS denotes a marketing approach inspired by a study of numerous strategies commercial ventures have employed to remain competitive crosswise century period. The premise of the strategy is that the success of the business comes about when they transform their focal point from trouncing the competition to emerging companies that offer such exceptional value that are exclusive in the market. BOS characterizes an immense marketplace wherein every innovative exertion that offers true worth can flourish. Numerous commercial ventures have profited from this notion. The significance of the BOS hinges on it consenting to a business selling its product with no or minimal competition from other companies. The strategy is efficient for new businesses that do not have loads of finances available for advertisement and do not desire selling their products within markets where other business have in the past established solid brands (Wells & Hymes, 2012). The BOS compares the blue ocean to the red ocean. Within an established marketplace, commercial ventures constantly fight each other to win over clients and upsurge sales. This denotes an ocean packed with shacks that gash one another, consequently turning the ocean water red with their blood. A commercial venture has a capacity of shifting to another ocean that is blue and peaceful, devoid of the vicious sharks. The commercial venture realizes the necessary expenses and might offer further profits with additional investm ent and eliminate expenditures that do not boost profits even when the competitors incur finances on them. Case in point is a circus that incurred more finances hiring acrobats and eradicated performing animals that characterize a different strategy with the conventional uses of circus. Companies that use BOS do not attempt to gain their customers from conventional competitors. The focal point entails creating innovative business models that are exceptional. Even though, the company could still be within a similar industry as the competition, it centers on the manners of attracting fresh customers. Customers who favor the obsolete model could revert to the products of the competition (Niciejewska & Dimitrov, 2009). The BOS is mainly efficient when there is a saturation or a decline in the market. When video gaming companies started trading their innovative consoles, numerous competitors sold games and video gaming consoles. Majority of competition target youthful males who ordinaril y purchase the bulk of video games. The corporation created games that suited casual players who had not purchased in the past as many games. Consequently, the company increased its customer base. A BOS can incorporate the essential features from different markets to creating a solitary product with benefits over competing within the marketplaces. For instance, corporate executives could fly commercial class on a plane-jet with other