Solyndra, California based solar panel company Essay

Solyndra, California based solar panel company - Essay Example It is one of the companies, given assistance by the government in order to counteract the Chinese efforts towards the manufacture of green technology. The company went bankrupt in august 2011. Cynics are using the bankruptcy of the company to prove that the country is not ready for solar energy. Before filing for bankruptcy, the company was given five hundred and thirty five million dollars from the economic stimulus package (Department of Energy). Due to its current status, the manufacturing company is up for sale. The federal loans were part of the Obama administration stimulus program. The company used a new technology called copper indium gallium celenide (CIGS), in the manufacture of cylindrical panels, while competitors were using silicon. At first the company recorded high profits, but with plummet in silicon prices, and increase in prices of the materials they were using, started making losses. This situation was made worse by Chinese companies that produced solar panels at s ubsidized prices, due to low costs of production, thus flooding the market with cheaper products. The costs of manufacturing solar panels using CIGS was expensive to maintain in the end, leading to increased losses. Consequently, the company shut down its operation, and all employees were laid off. There are several laws that apply in this situation. One of them is the Energy Policy Act of 2005. This bill was passed into law by congress and signed by President George. Bush in 2008. It is an attempt to curb energy problems by providing incentives and loans towards cleaner energy alternatives. It has many provisions including subsidies for wind and solar energy production, to reduce environmental pollution. The loan provided by the federal government was guaranteed by the above act towards cleaner energy production mechanisms. The company later filed for bankruptcy two years after the bailout (Solyndra, 2011, 12). The managers of this company are likely to get millions of dollars in t ax breaks, due to provisions in the above act. The question is whether the government ignored the red flags and funded a company which could be a fraud from the beginning. The other is the American Recovery and Reinforcement Act of 2009. Sit was approved by congress and signed into law by President Obama in 2009. Its main aim is to save jobs including those in the â€Å"clean† energy industry. It draws from the Keynesian theory, which argues that during recession, the government should increase public spending, due to a decrease in private spending. Under the energy provision, the act allocated around eight and a half billion dollars for subsidies towards green energy solutions. Milton Friendman was an American economist and a noble price winner who advocated for a free capitalist economy where the government has little or no control over the businesses. As such, there are no constraints. This is was an opposition to the existing Keynesian government policies (Friendman, 1980 ). He was also of the opinion that a person can do whatever they please as long as they do not break the law. He widely promoted the stockholder theory. Basically, this theory is for the opinion that a company’s main obligation is to its stakeholders. As such a business or an organization should work towards maximized profits as long as they do not break the law. This is because the stakeholders have the most to lose from the bad decisions made by business managers. Because of this, a business will in the long run

The Treaty of Versailles Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The Treaty of Versailles - Research Paper Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that the Four long years into the Great War had left the world stranded in a state of disarray. It was no surprise that news of a ceasefire between the Allies and the Central Powers came like a delightful echo and spread all over the world. War stir people celebrated in the streets with all their emotions. The black clouds of war were finally starting to disperse proclaiming a new era of peace. But a lot more was to be done to ensure the progression of current state of tranquility. Many delegates from over 36 nations gathered in Paris in January 1919 merely two months after the cease fire to canvas a plan for post war negotiations. Top four delegates of the Paris Peace Conference- David George Lloyd of Great Britain, Woodrow Wilson of United States, Georges Clemenceau of France and Vittorio Orlando of Italy had a huge task ahead of them. Mission was to lay down terms regarding some of the most sensitive issues of territory, finance and redist ribution of map in front of the Germans and their allies. Big four, as they were called, had an additional work of negotiating and signing treaties with many nations including Berlin’s wartime allies and Turkey. But their most important settlement and by far the most famous treaty of Versailles was signed with the Germans. The twentieth century historiography was enduringly marked by the peace treaty of 1919 known as the Treaty of Versailles. The treaty of Versailles was a failure not only due to the fact that it had numerous inherent weaknesses but also because it paved way for renewed hostilities. The vindictiveness of British and French peace terms were not only silly but also imposed a humiliating punitive peace on Germany after World War I.2 The treaty for constructed for the purpose of ensuring peace but, ironically, the Treaty of Versailles sowed the seeds of World War II by exerting a negative impact on Germany, ruining it politically and economically and imposing a à ¢â‚¬Å"dictated peace†. The harsh punitive peace exerted by the treaty supported the rise of the Nazis and resulted in the Third Reich, which inevitably led to the volcanic eruption in the form of World War II. Bloody yet Fruitful Wars: Each of the three great wars fought in the last century concluded with renewed hopes of transcending ancient rivalries of states and transforming them into cordial ties ensuring mutual benefits. World War I culminated in the formation of fourteen points and the League of Nations while World War II introduced the world to the United Nations and the principles of the Atlantic Charter. The end of Cold War in 1989 resulted in the breaching of the Berlin War and crumbled the communist bloc. The aroma of a heady promise of liberation engulfed the world soon after the end of the Cold War. It is quite fascinating to recall and ponder over the cumulative reasons which forced the rivals to fight for their rights. This paper highlights various aspects invo lved in the construction of The Treaty of Versailles, its impact on Germany, inherent weaknesses and their contribution in renewing hostilities.3 The failure: The treaty of Versailles failed to smother conflicts and brought neither peace nor resolution. Despite great expectations, the peace terms were not able to ensure and maintain a lasting peace. The treaty defied the principles of democracy, self determination and collective security and was a perfect example of French and British cruelty disguised in the name of peace terms. The failure of The Treaty forced Germany to seek economic revisionism. The Unjust Victorious Powers: The delegates of victorious powers met in 1919 in Paris to formulate a peace treaty in an effort to minimize the changes of future hostilities. As expected, the defeated powers were not allowed to have a say in construction of the treaties and their role was only limited to obliging by the clauses of the peace terms and signing them once they were ready. The Paris Peace Conference was dominated by three prominent figures: US President