UNODC and organized crimes Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

UNODC and organized crimes - Coursework Example In Afghanistan, the Taliban had a share of about US$ 155 million; drug traffickers obtained a share of about US$2.2 billion while farmers got around US$440 million (UNODC, 2011). The report also claims that the cultivation of poppy in Afghanistan surpasses the global demand leading to vast quantity of stocks. â€Å"Over the past decade, Afghanistan has risen to prominence as the primary global source of illicit opium poppy cultivation† (Wyler, 2012). Despite the fact that Afghan heroin is only trafficked to Islamic nations of Iran, Pakistan and central Asia, it eventually finds its ways to the rest of the world. Approximately 150 tons of Afghan heroin was smuggled into Europe, 120 tons to Asia and 45 tons to Africa in 2009. The fight against illicit drug trade has been an ongoing war. In 2009, law enforcement agencies seized about 76 tons of heroin around the world (UNODC, 2011). This report finding exposes vulnerable areas that should be given more attention. For instance, implementing strict border regulations and controls in places such as the Afghanistan-Pakistan border at Baluchistan province would help greatly in intercepting massive trafficking of heroin, opium as well as precursor chemicals. Another way through which the flow of opiates from Afghanistan could be reduced is through increasing monitoring and search capability so that transit containers at harbors, airports and other transit points can be put under intensive check. This is likely to improve the rate of interdiction. According to the UNODC report, building capacity and ensuring efficient information sharing between transit points and law enforcement agencies in major countries and areas of opiates destination would be crucial in rounding up the trade of illicit drugs. The cultivation of poppy in Afghanistan is strongly correlated with insecurity in the country. The report findings point out that Afghan opium poppy is mainly

Structure paper of presentation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Structure paper of presentation - Essay Example At a sore of 30 China features a low score on uncertainty shunning. Truth could also be relative although within the immediate social circles theres concern for Truth with a capital T and rules (but not essentially laws) abound. At a score of twenty China could be a extremely collectivist culture wherever individuals act within the interests of the cluster and not essentially of themselves. In-group considerations have an effect on hiring and promotions with nearer in-groups (such as family) are becoming discriminatory treatment. Worker commitment to the organization (but not essentially to the folks within the organization) is low. Whereas relationships with colleagues are cooperative for in-groups theyre cold or maybe hostile to out-groups. Personal relationships prevail over task and company. At sixty six China could be a masculine society –success minded and driven. The necessity to make sure success may be exemplified by the actual fact that a lot of Chinese can sacrifice family and leisure priorities to work. People are influenced by formal authority and sanctions and are normally optimistic regarding people’s capability for leadership and initiative. Individuals must not have aspirations exceeding their rank. The justice system ought to even have effective mechanisms for reducing, or altogether eliminating, scoundrel and corrupt parts of enforcement agencies. (Hedging against currency risk will add tier of safety to your offshore investments (Charles, 2002). Traditions are often custom-made to suit new conditions. Chinese folks acknowledge that government is by men instead of as within the Low LTO countries by an external influence like God or the law. Thinking ways in which specialize in the total or no confidence, contrastive with low LTO countries that suppose in probabilistic ways. There is abundant labour in

Motivation Speech or Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Motivation - Speech or Presentation Example This is useful to the organization because it will manage to achieve its own objectives, satisfying its customers and the various stakeholders of an organization. Take for example a cashier serving customers in a retailing organization; a cashier who is well motivated will be (Higgins, 2012); On this basis, the advantages of motivating the employees of an organization will result to the production of high quality work (Karabenick and Urdan, 2010). It is always the role of a manager to motivate his own work force. There are a number of ways and methods of motivating the workforce of an organization. These methods include, It is important to denote that these activities fall under a motivational theory. There are a number of motivational theories developed by scholars of management and psychology. One such theory is the expectancy theory. This is a theory developed by Victor Vroom, and it gives a proposal that people will behave in a certain manner, because of a reward that is attached to the action under consideration (Higgins, 2012). For example, an employee in a manufacturing organization will decide work double shifts in case of shortages of work force, and in return, the employee will expect to get some compensation and praise from the management. Another theory is the equity theory developed by John Adams in 1963. This theory denotes that employees of an organization will be motivated if they are treated equally. For example, if employees of an organization perform the same job, i.e. they are both accountant, then the management should pay them an equal salary (Karabenick and Urdan, 2010). Failure for an organization to treat its employees equally could result to a de-motivated work force. Another theory is the hierarchy of needs theory by Abraham Maslow (Higgins, 2012). This theory denotes that the employees of an organization have several needs, and they are hierarchical in

Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Coursework Example Illustration 1 above shows a Heron’s Fountain schematic drawing. Three major parts of the Heron’s fountain facilitate the functioning of the fountain. In the schematic diagram, there are three components referred as Basins A to C. Joining the basins together are vessels that allow air and fluid pressure to be transferred through. The connection of the parts as shown in illustration 1 show that the apparatus should make use of supporting mechanism in order to hold each component or part to the respective position. With respect to Basin B, the top of the component should be sealed off and then water is poured into the basin. Basin C is left empty and connection hose is hooked to join the two basins/vessels as illustrated in the figure above (illustration 1). Additionally, Basin A is placed above Basin B and a joining hose to Basin B is fitted connecting the two. Basin A and Basin C are connected as well using another hose as shown in the figure above. When water is poured into Basin A, it flows through the hose connecting Basin A with Basin C and collects in Basin C. When the water flows into C, air in C is replaced and hydrostatic pressure results (P2=rho gh2) adding to the primary atmospheric pressure (Patm) of C’s air volume. Following the flow of air from C as result of the Pascal’s principle and forces the water in vessel or Basin B to move up the hose connecting B with A. There is action and reaction between pressure exerted by the air and the primary atmospheric pressure leading to hydrostatic pressure (P1 = rho gh1). Air in basin B and C is compressed and drives the water to shoot from the upper basin thus resulting in a continuous movement of water to run the fountain (Brown, 2010). Heron’s Fountain considered various principles and concepts of physics. Among the most applicable are Pascal’s and Bernoulli’s principles. While Pascal’s principle explains the pressure changes as a

Billie Holiday & Misuse of Drugs Essay Example for Free

Billie Holiday Misuse of Drugs Essay Billie Holiday was born Eleanora Fagan, on April 7, 1915 to a thirteen year old mother and a fifteen year old jazz guitarist, father. After a difficult early childhood, which included scrubbing floors at a brothel and singing in night clubs to make ends meet she was ‘discovered’ by the record producer John Hammond in around 1932. In 1933 she made her first recording of a song called ‘Your Mothers Son-In-Law’ and her career took off. Billie started leisurely use of marijuana as very early in her life, by some accounts when she was twelve years old. However it was the eventual use of heroin, which she was introduced to by the men in her life, which actually destroyed her (Clarke, 2000). She married trombonist Jimmy Monroe on August 25, 1941 and while married to him became romantically involved with trumpeter Joe Guy and became his common law wife. Joe Guy introduced Billie to drugs and was her dealer. It was during the forties that Billy had made some of her most well known recordings. This however was also the time period that her dependence on drugs grew. She started using heroin intravenously during the early forties. It is a well known fact that heroin gives the user a short-lived elation, which is succeeded by drowsiness. Long term effects of heroin are slowing of the heart rate, breathing and activity of the brain. It is also accredited with depressing appetite, thirst and the reflexes. When the effects of the drug begin to wear off, usually four to eight hours after the last dose, withdrawal symtoms set in. These include chills, sweating, runny nose, irritability, insomnia, tremors, and body pain. There comes a point when the user does not take the drug for pleasure but to relieave the pain that sets in as the effects of the drug start to wear off. Unfortunately, at the peek of her career, Billy was not only using heroin but cocaine and opium as well and in addition to alcohol and cigarettes. Her unchecked drug use and chronic depression brought her careen to a sudden halt. In 1947 Holiday was arrested for possession of illegal drugs and volunteered to be placed in drug-rehabilitation center for eight months. In order to revive her career after her release, her manager booked her at Carnegie Hall where she performed in front of a packed hall. However, this was a turning point in her career, as she could not get her cabaret license reinstated. Thus she was not permitted to perform in establishments that served alcohol (Dufty, 1956). With the passage of time, the excessive use of drugs and alcohol had a profound effect on her voice and her health in general, to the point that she had a difficult time making a living performing. In 1954 She toured Europe and performed at the Royal Albert Hall, but by this time her performances had weakened. Miles Davis remembered the last time he saw her was in 1959, when he was performing in Birdland and Holiday came to visit and ask for money to buy heroin. Miles claims he gave her about a hundred dollars (Davis, 1990). Billy Holiday’s last public performance was in 1959. She was forty four years old, and was in such poor health that she had to be escorted off stage only after two songs. Prior to her death on July 17th, 1959, Billy wrote her autobiography with the help of William Dufty and talked about her issues with drug abuse and growing up poor. When Billy died she was under house arrest undergoing treatment for kidney failure, due to drug and alcohol misuse. Use of alcohol, narcotics and tobacco exact a toll not only on the addict but society as well. Misuse of drugs, as seen in the case of Billy Holiday, can make a talented individual a burden on society. Medical treatment of these individuals consumes resources that can be more productively used elsewhere. Nearly 80% of prisoners in U. S. A. are incarcerated for drug related issues. Tobacco kills nearly 400,000 people, while alcolhol kills 80,000 and Cocaine and Heroin kills 4,500 people in a typical year (Drug Information, 1999). Works Cited Clarke, D. (2000). Wishing On the Moon. In D. Clarke, Wishing On the Moon (pp. 12 and 395-9). (1990). Miles: the autobiography. In M. Davis. Drug Information. (1999, June 1). Retrieved June 07, 2010, from www. a1b2c3. com/drugs/: http://www. a1b2c3. com/drugs/ (1956). Lady Sings the Blues . In W. Dufty, Lady Sings the Blues. New York: Doubleday.

Theoretical Perspective Of Principal Agent Theory

Theoretical Perspective Of Principal Agent Theory According to Random House Dictionary, theory is a coherent group of general propositions used as principles of explanation for a class of phenomena. In the formal meanings of the term, theory has the following three meanings (Frederickson and Smith, 2003): Theory in the natural sciences is the rigorous testing of predictive theorems or assumptions using observable and comparable data. The tested and verified hypotheses constitute the foundation of theories. And theories derived from this process usually serve as a highly reliable direction for behavior. Theories in the social sciences, including public administration, implies the sequence of factual material (history, events, cases, stories, measures of opinion, observations) presented in definitions, concepts, and metaphors to promote understanding. The rigorous and the intuitive observation of social behavior, patterns of communication, and culture is the basis to this theory. The last meaning of theory in public administration is the theories of what should to be. These theories compose the bridge between public administration, political science, and philosophy. The theorists aim at discovering theories that account for, explain, or describe observable trends in behavior and to evaluate the normative cues of such behavior. It is often true that public administration theorists use a mix of the second and third definition of theory. And there is no doubt that theory is the bedrock of understanding of public administration (Frederickson and Smith, 2003). If manuscripts contain no theory, their value is suspect (Whetten, 2000). Hence, an important mission of scholars and educators in the areas of management, health, education, and social work is, on the one hand to conduct researches that contribute knowledge to a scientific discipline, and to apply that knowledge to the practice of management as a profession, on the other (Simon, 1967). To do this well, we need to design our research so that it provides an intimate understanding of the practical problems facing the profession. Equally important, we need to appreciate and strengthen our skills in developing good theory so that research conducted about these problems will advance the knowledge that is relevant to both the discipline and the profession (Van DE Ven, 1989). Therefore, this paper aims at discussing what is theoretical from the perspective of principal-agent theory. It is consisted of four sections: 1) What is Principal-Agent Theory; 2) Whats the theoretical contribution of Principal-Agent Theory; 3) Limitations of Principal-Agent Theory; 4) Conclusion. Principal-Agent Theory One day Deng Xiaoping decided to take his grandson to visit Mao. Call me granduncle, Mao offered warmly. Oh, I certainly couldnt do that, Chairman Mao, the awe-struck child replied. Why dont you give him an apple? suggested Deng. No sooner had Mao done so than the boy happily chirped, Oh thank you, Granduncle. You see, said Deng, what incentives can achieve. (Capitalism, 1984) According to Arrow (1971) and Wilson (1968), during the 1960s and early 1970s, economists investigated risk sharing among individuals or groups. The risk-sharing problem, described in this literature, arises when collaborating parties have different standpoints toward risk. Principal-Agent theory expanded the risk-sharing literature to include what is called agency problem. And agency problem occurs when cooperating parties have different goals, information, and division of labor (Jensen Meckling, 1976). Specifically, principal-agent theory concentrates on the ubiquitous agency-relationship, in which one party (the principal) delegates work to another (the agent), who performs that work in behalf of the principal (Eisenhardt, 1989). And principal-agent theory seeks to portray this relationship using the metaphor of a contract (Jensen Meckling, 1976). As a consequence, the central dilemma explored by principal agent theorists is how to stimulate the employee or contractor (agent) to behave in the best interests of the principal (the employer) when the employee or contractor has an informational advantage over the principal and has different interests from the principal. From the agency perspective, most organizations are simply legal fictions which serve as a nexus for a set of contracting relationships among individuals (Jensen and Meckling, 1976). The basic premise of the theory is that if both parties to the relationship are utility maximisers, there is good reason to believe that the agent will not always act in the best interests of the principal (Jensen and Meckling, 1976). In determining the most efficient contract, principal-agent theory brings up certain hypotheses about people, organizations and information. It assumes that agents and principals will act in their self-interest to maximize their own welfare. Agents possess more information than their principals possess. As a result, it identifies two impediments to effective contractual performance: moral hazard and adverse selection. Moral hazard refers to that the agent doesnt put agreed-upon efforts to the tasks. That is, the agent is shirking. Adverse selection refers to the misrepresentation of ability by the agent (Eisenhardt, 1989). The agent may claim to have certain skills, experiences, or capabilities when he or she is hired. Adverse selection arises because the principal cannot completely verify these skills, experiences, or capabilities either at the time of recruitment or while the agent is working (Eisenhardt, 1989). Two types of problems are especially relevant. One is the agency problem which arises from the conflicting goals of the principal and the agent and from the difficulty/expense involved in verifying the agents behavior (Eisenhardt, 1989). The second is the problem of risk-sharing which arises from the different attitudes toward risk on the part of the principal and the agent. The different risk preferences between the principals and agents are likely to lead to different actions. Therefore, the theory concentrates on the contract between the principal and the agent and the ways in which the contract can be made most efficient from the point of view of the principal (V. Nilakant, 1994). Besides, the theory makes two assumptions: that goal conflict exists between principals and agents and that agents have more information than their principals, which results in an information asymmetry between them (Waterman and Meier, 1998). Goal Conflict. In the marketplace, principals and agents clearly have different goals and/or preferences (Waterman and Meier, 1998). Commonly, agents want to make as much money as possible, however principals want to pay as little as possible for services. The same as in the public sector. The government wants to produce as more public goods as possible, while the contractor agents expect to decrease the cost as much as possible. Therefore, in a contract relationship, maximum principals interest couldnt inevitably contribute to the maximum of agents interests. It could even reversely worsen agents advantages, such as less compensation or profit. As a consequence, how to encourage agents to accomplish principals goals at a minimum cost has become a great challenge. Information Asymmetry. As we already have noted, the information asymmetry is a critical assumption of the principal-agent model. The information asymmetry is simply the claim that agents possess more information than their principals possess. (Waterman and Meier, 1998) When the distribution of information between principal and agent is asymmetric, the classic principal-agent problem arises. The problem brought up here is how to avoid information asymmetry so that principals know to what extent the agents have achieved the principals goals, what agents are doing, and what are not done. With these information, principals could better monitor the contract relation and working process to improve organizational performance. In addition to the assumption that partial goal conflict is inherent in any principal-agent relationship, principal-agent theory also presumes that information about the agent is a commodity that can be purchased. (V. Nilakant, 1994) Table 1 presents an overview of principal-agent theory, including key idea, unit of analysis, human assumptions, organizational assumptions, information assumptions, and contracting problems. Table 1 Principal-Agent Theory Overview Key Idea Principal-agent relationships should reflect efficient organization of information and risk-bearing costs Unit of Analysis Contract between principal and agent Human Assumptions Self-interest Bounded rationality Risk aversion Organizational Assumptions Partial goal conflict among participants Efficiency as the effectiveness criterion Information asymmetry between principal and agent Information Assumptions Information as a purchasable commodity Contracting Problems Agency (moral hazard and adverse selection) Risk sharing Problem Domain Relationships in which the principal and agent have partly differing goals and risk preferences (e.g., compensation, regulation, leadership, impression management, whistle-blowing, vertical integration, transfer pricing) Source: Eisenhardt, Kathleen M. (1989). Agency Theory: An Assessment and Review. The Academy of Management Review, Vol. 14, No. 1, p.59 Theoretical Contribution of Principal-Agent Theory Principal-Agent theory has been contributing a lot to organization theory and incentive theory. Principal-Agent theory has been the basis for an extensive set of studies relating bureaucracy to elected officials. It also has been extended to presidents decisions to use force and to the Supreme Court and its relationship to lower courts. (Waterman and Meier, 1998) Before discussing the theoretical contribution of principal-agent theory, Id like to talk about what is a good theory. Above all, a good theory is the theory appropriately used. All theories are false. They are, after all, just words and symbols on pieces of paper, about the reality they purport to describe; they are not that reality. So they simplify it. This means we must choose our theories according to how useful they are, not how true they are. (Mintzberg, 2005) Obviously, principal-agent theory is not omnipotent to explain or solve all problems in an organization. It is true only when it is appropriately used. Furthermore, a good theory is practical precisely. A theory to be useful, should accurately describe or depict a real world event or phenomenon. (Frederickson and Smith, 2003) The first section has demonstrated that principal-agent theory fits this requirement. Scholars devoted to this theory have explicitly described what principal-agent is and what it could explain in the real world. Finally, a good theory is insightful and predictive. Theory is insightful when it surprises, when it allows us to see profoundly, imaginatively, unconventionally into phenomena we thought we understoodà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦theory is of no use unless it initially surprises-that is, changes perceptions. (Mintzberg, 2005) From this perspective, principal-Agent theory may not dramatically change perceptions, but it really brings in some new thinking about organizations and incentives. Firstly, Principal-Agent theory reestablishes the importance of incentives and self-interest in organizational thinking. It reminds us that much of organizational life, whether we like it or not, is based on self-interest. (Eisenhardt, 1989) Both principal and agent are usually assumed to be attempting to maximize their own utilities. Agents would not voluntarily produce desires of principal and it is difficult or expensive for the principal to investigate what the agent is actually doing. Hence, it is significant for principals to provide incentives to agents which lead to an alignment of goals between principal and agent, in order to assure that the agents act for principals aims. That is to maximize principals interests rather than impair principals efficiency through agents over possession of information. Secondly, Principal-Agent theory also makes important contributions to organizational thinking, the most important of which is the treatment of information. (Eisenhardt, 1989). In principal-agent theory, information is considered as merchandise: it has a cost, and it can be exchanged and purchased. The implication is that organizations can invest in information systems in order to control agent opportunism, an illustration of which is the executive compensation. And one of the important factors such compensation requires is information systems. It is assumed that richer information systems control managerial opportunism and, therefore, lead to less performance-contingent pay. Board of directors is considered as one particular relevant information system to monitor executive behaviors. When boards provide richer information, compensation is less likely to be based on firm performance. Also, when boards provide richer information, top executives are more likely to engage in behaviors t hat are consistent with stockholders interest. (Eisenhardt, 1989) Besides, to break agents superiority status on information is of great significance to keep balance between principals and agents and to improve agents performance. Moreover, profit sharing has been widely used as an attempt to give employees more opportunities to involve into and to get pleasurable emotion from the organization and to make employees feel they are part of the organization; to increase employees sense of commitment to organization; to increase sense of co-operation between management and subordinates; and to ensure employees benefit from organization profitability. In the public sector, administrators should frequently involve into policy-making process. Participatory management could be an efficient approach to get an alignment of goals of the management and subordinates and to motive employees performance consciousness. In addition, Principal-Agent theory could be used to elucidate hierarchical control of organizations as well (Moe, 1984). Difficulty in monitoring the actions of subordinates/agents, asymmetric information superior status of subordinates/agents, or transactions costs in supervising and verifying the actions of subordinates/agents all can give agents opportunities to escape from principals goals by maximizing agents interests. Typically, principals find means to ameliorate these problems, for example, by relying on signals that warn them when agents step outside certain bounds. (Song, Segal, and Cameron, 1976) Limitations of Principal-Agent Theory Principal-Agent theory, which characterizes relationships that develop and evolve, is supposed to be a dynamic, rather than a static theory (Waterman and Meier, 1998). It provides insightful and predictive theoretical contribution to organization and incentive theory development. Principal-agent theory provides a unique, realistic, and empirically testable perspective on problems of cooperative effort (Eisenhardt, 1989). Besides its theoretical contribution, however, principal-agent theory needs further improvement as the following: Principal-Agent Theory merely displays a partial aspect of the real world, although it is valid, and it also ignores a great amount of organizational complexity. Additional perspectives could contribute to attain the more important complexity (Eisenhardt, 1989). According to Ogden (1993), the highly simplified model of organizational conflict and the contrasting complexity of the mathematics required to provide solutions to the agency problem have been frequently cited as limitations to principal-agent theory. In addition, principal-agent theory could be developed to a richer and more complicated range of contexts. Principal-agent theory studies the relationship between the principal and the agent defined by contract, resting on a basis in economics. Under this theory, relationship problems are explained from a contractual perspective; and solutions derives from the change of contract. However, noneconomic considerations should be emphasized as well, such as cultural, social, psychological, and political. And some scholars have already argued to look at important non-contractual aspects of principal-agent relationship. So, to study principal-agent relationship from non-contractual perspectives is demanded and valuable. Conclusion Starting from an introduction to what is the principal-agent theory and the importance of the theory in public administration, we conclude that the principal-agent theory has contributed a lot to the development of organization theory and incentive theory. Although theoretical significant, principal-agent theory still has its limitations, such as simplified model and ignorance of non-economic factors, which leaves a long way for future development. Nevertheless, this term paper merely provides a short review and summary of principal-agent theory and its theoretical contributions. It is far from a comprehensive and deep study on principal-agent problems and solutions. Much more works are needed to elaborately review this theory.

History And Importance Of Hydropower

History And Importance Of Hydropower Hydropower is produced by converting the kinetic energy of the moving water to electrical one. The motion of water is part of a continuous natural phenomena called the water cycle. Energy from the sun evaporates water from oceans and rivers and raise it as steam or vapor. When the watervapor reaches a colder atmosphere level, it condenses and forms cloud. The moisture eventually reaches a point at which air cannot keep carrying it, so it falls to the earth as rain or snow, this process is called precipitation. Gravity drives the water, moving it from higher ground level to lower one. The force of moving water can be extremely powerful. Hydropower is a renewable energy source because the water on the earth is in a continuous motion. As long as the water cycle continues, we will not run out of this source. In the old past people used a simple machine called water wheel to produce a specific motion using the movement of the water in the rivers or any other source. The water wheel is located below a source of flowing water. It captures the water in plates that is normal to the wheel, the water hits the plates causes the wheel to turn. Water wheels convert the kinetic energy of the water into another type of motion. That energy can then be used to grind grain, drive sawmills, or pump water. There are several examples of water wheel application in the past. For instance, the Greeks used water wheels to grind wheat into flour more than 2,000 years ago. In the beginning of the 18th century, factories at America and Europe used it also to power machines. In the late 19th century, the potential energy of water was used to generate electricity. The first hydro electric power plant was built at Niagara Falls in 1879 and it started a revolution of Hydro electrical power plants. in the following decades, many plants were built. At the peak in the early 1940s, hydropower occupies 33 percent of USA electricity. But, by the end of 1940s, inexpensive fossil fuel plants also joined the competition. At that time, plants burning coal or oil could make cheaper electrical power than hydro power plants. This fossil fuel plants was burning the fossil fuel and the hydro power plants till the 1970s. In that decade the way was opened for hydro power plants again because of the oil shocks that made people showed an interest in renewable power sources. 1.3 Importance In this part of the report, I am going to relate people and hydropower in a logical chain, that will show how much it is important to change the way that electricity is produced nowadays. People, as we all know, are part of the natural world and the materials they are using in building, clothing, food, etc come from natural resources. What surround us are composed of large numbers of built environment, the facilities built by humans for comfort, security, and well-being. As our built environment grows, we become more reliant on what it is offering to us. To satisfy our demands improvement to our built environment is needed, to do such upgrading we need electricity which can be generated by using the resources of natural fuels. In obtaining these resources, it is necessary to drill oil wells, tap natural gas supplies, or mine coal and uranium. In order to put water to work on a large scale, storage dams are needed. Some human activities have more lasting impacts than others. Techniques to mine resources from below the earth may leave long-lasting impacts on the environment. Oil wells may detract from the beauty of open landscapes. Reservoirs behind dams may cover whole valleys. The usage of energy sources can further impact the land, water, and air in different amounts. People want clean air and water and a pleasing environment. They also want power to heat and light the homes and to run machines. So, what would be the solution? Logically there are two straight forward solutions, but both are hard to be done. One solution is curbing The increasing demand for electrical power. As explained above, this is something that far from the actual trend. The other solution is that more power must be produced in environmentally friendly ways. Conservation can save electricity, but our population is growing. In other words even if we are very conservative in power consumption, our demand is still increasing. So, growth is inevitable. So again, the wisest solution is a careful, planned approach to how to bring a new, efficient ,clean and renewable resource of energy. All choices must be examined, and the most efficient, acceptable methods should be adopted. One alternative is hydro power plants and based on the characteristics of this plants it seems to be a successful choice. These features are many, one is that hydro power plants do not use nonrenewable resources to make electricity. They also do not produce pollution, rarely fail, have low operating costs and they are reliable. WAYS OF HYDROPOWER PRODUCTION I will discuss in this part of the report two methods to produce power using hydro energy that fit with the conditions in Saudi Arabia which are the lack of dams and rivers. These two ways are the sea power plants and power production in water Desalination stations. Using Sea Energy First of all I will discuss tidal energy as one type of the sea energy. The tides rise and fall eternally . Tides are changes in the level of the oceans caused by the rotation of earth and the gravitational force from both the moon and the sun. Nearshore sea level can vary up to 15 meters, depending on different factors. Tidal energy is the most promising source of ocean energy for today and the near future. Tidal energy plants capture the energy in the same manner that happened in dams, but here the dam is the whole coastal line. The water is filling this virtual dam and draining it twice a day. Then, by sitting up a set of turbines that connected to gears to convert the motion of the water into electrical power, and by building specific structures under the sea level which magnify the speed of water during the filling and draining process we will have a perfect tidal power plant. The oldest and largest tidal plant, La Rance in France, has been successfully producing electricity since 1968. Nowadays, the electricity from tidal plants costs a lot compared to other ways. It is expensive and takes time to build up the turbines and the structures, which can be several miles long. On the other hand, the fuel free, always available and green, and the plants are easy to maintain. For example, two operators are needed to run the La Rance plant at night and on weekends. And the plants is durable with little maintenance. Other type of sea energy is current and marine stems. The water in seas are continuously moving. We can use some of the oceanà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s energy, but most of it is out of reach. Capturing this energy problem is not a problem, the real problem is transporting it to the land. Generating electricity in the middle of the ocean just doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t make sense since there is no one living in the middle of the sea. We can only use the energy near shore. Using Steam Energy (In W.D.S.) Of course, during the process of desalinating water, steam must be produced. And the moving pressurized steam has tremendous energy in it. Energy in steam is held both in heat and pressure. When heat is applied to a water, the electrons begin to move quickly around molecules. The change of a liquid state to a gas state takes place when the moving molecules take to the air because of its rapidly moving electrons. The water molecules up in the air stay away from each other. When very large number of water molecules are heated, and all repelling each other, pressure builds. When this pressure is released, energy can be generated. When the pressure in steam is released, it transfers its energy to whatever it hits, so by putting a turbine or a piston, this steam energy will be converted to mechanical one. This movement can be used to generate electrical energy, or it can use the steam energy directly in steam machines, like steams trains. COMPARISON BETWEEN HYDRO ENERGY AND OTHER RESOURCES In this section I will come over many aspects about hydro energy like the cost of power generation depending on hydro energy. Then, I am going to mention some up and down sides of this energy source. Cost Hydropower on average is the world cheapest way to generate electricity today. No other energy source, renewable or not, can be compared to it. Today, it costs about a cent per kWh (kilowatt-hour) to produce electricity at a typical hydro plant. Comparing to others, it costs coal plants about 4 cents per kWh and nuclear plants about 2 to generate electricity. Producing electricity from hydropower is cheap because of many reasons. For instance, if a dam has been built and generators installed, the energy source becomes free one. They are cheap also due to their firm structures and simple equipment. Hydro plants are reliable and durable, and their maintenance costs are low compared to coal or nuclear plants. 3.2 Advantage The advantages of hydroelectric power are so many. The power created through the use of dams and turbines is not reliant on coal, oil, uranium, or any polluting nonrenewable resources. Unlike other sources of power, it does not create carbon monoxide smoke, nuclear waste or any other harmful materials. The second advantage is when you construct a dam, it can create power for years and years to come. For example, the Hoover Dam in the US was constructed back in 1936 and it still provides a large amount of power to California, Nevada, and Arizona, three of the most power consuming states. Another advantage is aside from initial construction costs, it is simple and cheap to maintain a turbine. The Hoover Dam again has had only one large renovation done in the 90 years ago since it was created. The last up side I want to mention, is about water, the source of the turbineà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s power, is one of the earthà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s most abundant resources and it is completely renewabl e. The tides, dams, streams and lakes that hydro electric power sources use to generate power are always moving about, and the turbine simply captures the power, converts it and sends it out to the needed areas. Disadvantage While I spend the majority of report explaining the advantages of hydroelectricity, there are a few disadvantages in terms of cost and wildlife damage. The major disadvantage of hydroelectric power, is its initial cost. Building a dam or marine structures is costless thing to do. Another disadvantage is the need of hiring a professional person who can locate where the dam should be built, as well as a place where the water can build up. In addition to that, redirecting the river for a few months while constructing the dam or evacuating a shore and keeping it dry until building the enormous nuzzles, which is a huge project, and will cost billions. Now, to put things in perspective, once a dam is built, all what is basically needed is a few maintenance workers, so costs become low. Secondly, there is a fact that building a hydroelectric power source is terminating the local wildlife. Whatever done, destroying the surrounding landscapes specially for the dam well happen, whether because of building a whole new lake, or because of adding a large wall into an area where fish used to swim freely back and forth hydroelectric power certainl y takes a toll on the natural habitat. Fortunately engineers started to become a little more conscious of the damage, by building smaller dams, or by providing overflow areas so that fish do not stuck being. While these changes are floating to the surface slowly, at least they are being made. Finally, there is the element of social change that can happen because of a dam being built. By their nature, all sources of hydropower must limit the flow of water in order to make them build up pressure to attain maximum results. As the water is limited, towns and villages downstream can sometimes have their water source drained down to a trickle, particularly after multiple dams, waterwheels and simple use of water can dry riverbeds and render some towns without a water source. Overall, though, considering how much potential energy can be gained by hydroelectric power, the disadvantages of hydroelectric power are probably worth enduring, since they produce so little carbon dioxide, and provide an endless source of electrical power to the area. CONCLUSION In this report, I discussed in detail the Hydro power production trend from the past till now. I gave a brief definition of hydro energy and talked about it importance. In the second part, I explained the types of hydro energy that is available in KSA to use. These types are tidal and marine streams energy and moving pressurized steam in water desalination plants. I introduced the way of each process, and its main up and down sides of them. And finally, I compared Hydro energy with other resources of energy in terms of cost, environmental impact, simplicity and durability. I found out that it is in fact the cheapest way to produce electricity, also it has a simple and firm structure that can last for years with a little care.