Db4 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Db4 - Research Paper Example Employees like receiving feedback regularly hence it is very crucial for the manager to constantly provide feedbacks to the employees. Feedbacks help to solve problems before they become too complex (McKirchy 2008, 92). Managers must engage the employees during evaluation of their performance. Managers must regularly talk to the employees throughout the year during the evaluation process. The engagement must be mutual aimed at reinforcing employees’ development. Improvement of performance appraisal also entails using employees’ self-appraisal before the performance appraisal. This makes performance discussion easier since both the employee and the manager have ideas of the forthcoming discussions. According to Attorney (2007, 122), effective performance appraisal must trust the employees to perform the correct thing. Performance goals are critical in performance appraisal but the most important factor is how to set the goals. The manager must set goals in a way that trusts and reinforces employee’s ability to accomplish the set goals. Performance appraisal must support empowerment of employees and their ability to accomplish the necessary steps of accomplishing the set goals. The manager should implement the above five steps in order to improve the value of performance

Explain how the U.S. attitude towards European integration has evolved Essay

Explain how the U.S. attitude towards European integration has evolved between 1945 and the enlargement of the EU to 25 members in 2004 - Essay Example The growth of European unity from a six nation trading block in the 1940s to the 25 nation political, military and economic confederation that exists today has been accompanied by a similar evolution in America’s attitude toward the integration of Europe. There are as many reasons for the US to view the European Union as a threat as there are to view it as a beneficial force. Economically, the EU exceeds the US in population and therefore has the potential to become an economic rival, if it has not done so already. The extent to which the EU has come to coordinate common defense policies and structures also poses a potential challenge to NATO, the primary vehicle by which the US has been able to project military influence throughout the world. Further, a key factor precipitating European integration has been an anti-Americanism born of Europe’s desire to become independent from US influence and to stand on the same stage in exerting its own geo-political influence. Ultimately, the official position of the United States has generally been positive toward the European integration project that has taken place over the past several decades. Official American foreign policy has commonly encouraged and praised European efforts to form cooperative economic, political and military institutions to which its constituent nations subscribe. Nevertheless, the challenge that a unified Europe poses for the United States has made unofficial attitudes somewhat less enthusiastic. In the end, whether American attitudes toward European integration are positive or negative will depend largely on whether Europe rises to become a true global challenge to the U.S. World War II devastated Europe and provided an impetus for the concept of integration as a pragmatic approach to avoiding similar destructive conflicts in the future. Making the countries of Europe economically interdependent, starting with the traditionally fiercest antagonists, France and

Management Of Urban Green Spaces Environmental Sciences Essay

Management Of Urban Green Spaces Environmental Sciences Essay In recent decades there has been an increase in urbanisation and urban sprawl, which has resulted in a decline of green spaces, especially in urban areas. Urban green spaces include parks, play areas, areas specifically intended for recreational use, private gardens, and urban woodlands. More generally, they are areas of land that consist of permeable surfaces such as grass, trees and soil (Dunnett et al 2002). Increasing urbanisation contributes towards a degradation of the natural environment, as developments are overtaking rural areas at an increasingly rapid rate. Furthermore, this will have an impact on climate change, as less green space increases the effects of global warming, and other environmental issues, such as a higher risk of flooding due to lack of green space. This causes social problems as less green space creates health problems. This leads to economic problems, for instance, it is expensive to recover from disasters such as flooding. Therefore careful and sustainab le management of urban green spaces is especially important for social, environmental and economic reasons. The aim of the following essay is to discuss critically the environmental, economic and social aspects of managing urban green spaces. In order to achieve this aim the essay will be split into three main sections. Section one will look at the characteristics of the environmental problem and who is affected by them, linking this into how environmental problems create economic problems. Section two will look at what is and what could be done to address these problems, such as new forms of green spaces. It will also look at the economic aspects of these courses of action and the economic valuation of urban green spaces. It will argue that making a city greener can increase its economic performance, and lead to sustainable economic growth. However, the final part of the essay will challenge this, arguing that creating urban green spaces may not be the best solution for economic sustainability. Finally, the conclusions reached are that there needs to be a well managed balance of green and built areas in cities for sustained economic growth. Market failures in the urban land market Today we realise that we must protect networks of open space (Benedict and McMahon 2002:3). Regarding natural resource use, market forces determine the choices people make. However, resources such as urban green spaces do not have securely enforced or defined property rights which cause a lack of markets. Therefore, environmental resources cannot be directly traded in an open market, which leads to externality problems. Thus, due to market failures the full costs of urbanisation are not represented in the private costs (Panayotou 2000). The structure of the market means the private costs of using environmental resources, such green spaces, is zero (Gwartney et al 2000). Therefore producers have no incentive to protect environmental resources (Cropper and Griffiths 1994). To illustrate this problem of environmental externalities Pigou (2009) used the example of a company who builds a factory in a residential area and thus destroys some of the amenities of the neighbouring sites. The result is that the company sells its products at a lower price than the full costs felt by th e society. Consequently, as a result of these market failures there has been a rapid increase of urbanisation and urban sprawl without efficient land-use planning, and conservation of green spaces. Nationally, urban areas consist of approximately 14% green space (Comber et al 2008). However, the United Nations in 2001 estimated that in Europe the level of urbanisation will increase to almost 80% by 2015, which will result in a further loss of urban green spaces (cited in Tzoulasa et al 2007). Environmental amenities are usually ignored by urban planners, resulting in a shrinking of urban green spaces as they have gradually been taken over by urban development (Kong et al 2007). This level of urban growth presents challenges for tackling environmental issues such as climate change and biodiversity (Tzoulasa et al 2007). Less green space increases the effects of global warming, which is especially important in cities where the mean pollution levels are higher. Urbanisation replaces green spaces with impermeable built surfaces which causes negative environmental effects as green spaces provide rainwater interception and infiltration, evaporative cooling and shading functions (Gill et al 2007). Furthermore, urban areas can be up to 7 °c hotter than the surrounding countryside (Hilliam 2010). The concentration of buildings and paved surfaces creates higher temperatures, which is known as the heat island effect (Dunnett et al 2002). Furthermore, built environments restrict wind flow which in turn restricts the dispersal of pollutants, resulting in even higher air-pollution levels (Morancho 2003). It is important to tackle these issues as in 2003, during the Eur opean summer heat wave, 35,000 lives were lost (Gill et al 2007). Moreover, tackling environmental issues in urban areas is increasingly important as in 2001 nearly eight of every ten people in the United Kingdom lived in urban areas (Pointer 2005:46). Consequently, a higher population and an increase of built surfaces, means urban areas are where climate change impacts will be mostly felt (Gill et al 2007). This also has economic impacts as a lack of green space can increase the costs of public infrastructure and services such as, flood control and storm water management (Goode 2006). Furthermore, a lack of green spaces was often seen to be the main motive for people leaving the city, as they moved to the urban fringe for more green space (Van-Herzele and Wiedemann 2003). The result is economic decline as people move out of urban areas, which creates lower property values, attracting less wealthy people. This makes it hard to secure investment or attract and retain business in the area. A lack of green space also has negative impacts on tourism as fewer people will want to visit the area (Crompton 2001). Furthermore, a lack of green space creates health issues which are costly for the economy as an unhealthy society increases the costs of health care to UK tax payers (Mell 2008). There is a shortage of green space for example; in Greater Manchester the proportion of tree cover is fairly low, with an average of 12% cover, and 16% in urbanised Greater Manchester (Gill et al 2007). The next part of the essay will discuss how to tackle these environmental and economic problems. Solution to the problem Urban green spaces have many benefits which can be divided into market benefits and non-market benefits. Non-market benefits fall into three categories: use, option and existence value. Option value occurs when the future benefits are uncertain and depletion of the resource is irreversible. Existence value refers to the knowing the resource exists, and use value is from the direct use of the resource. Total value is the sum of all three. Thus, urban green spaces have existence value, and direct use value, such as recreational use. Furthermore, urban green spaces create consumer surplus, as the cost of using urban green spaces is usually free (Goodstein 2010). These benefits highlight the need to protect urban green spaces. Moreover, the issues discussed above further raise the need for protection and allocation of urban green spaces. In 2004-2005 local authorities in the UK spent an estimated  £700 million on renovating and maintaining urban green spaces (Comber et al 2008). Furthermore, Londons draft Climate Change Adaptation Strategy in 2010 (online), proposes that there is a need to increase the citys green spaces by creating small parks, which will help to absorb rain on wet days and cool the city on hot days (Bulkeley and Betsill 2003). Urban green spaces can also help to reduce pollution and act as sinks for carbon dioxide which is a major contributor to global warming (Dunnett et al 2002). In cities, gardens and parks absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, which mainly come from private vehicles (Morancho 2003). Vegetation reduces air pollution by absorbing pollutants in the air, and by intercepting particulate matter. Hence the pollution of a car driven 60 miles per day can be offset by only 20 trees. Green spaces also reduce the urban heat island effect by shading heat absorbing surfaces and through evapotranspirational (ET) cooling. Evidence has shown vegetation can lower wall surface temperatures by up to 17 °C (McPherson 1994). This will ensure economic sustainability as less money will be needed to recover from natural disasters and climate change impacts. Thus, green spaces are multifunctional, as regenerating a park may increase tourism and reduce pollution levels (Hilliam 2010, Goode 2006). In a congested environment, existence of greenery within residential zones will improve air quality. This creates social benefits from direct use such as recreation and health benefits as a higher proportion of green space and less air pollution is associated with better population health (Popham and Mitchel 2007). This results in economic sustainability as healthier communities work longer hours, take less sick days and cost less money in health benefits (Goode 2006). Bird (2004 cited in Tzoulasa et al 2007) found that if people live closer to green space then they are more likely to undertake physical activity, which would save the UKs National Health Service up to  £1.8million a year. Moreover, inactivity in children often results in inactive adults, which costs the economy approximately  £8.2billion (Tzoulasa et al 2007). Therefore, protecting and creating green spaces ensures there is economic sustainability through a healthier society (Amati and Taylor 2010). Urban green spaces can act as catalysts for wider economic benefits, such as increases in property prices, attracting and retaining businesses and attracting tourists to urban areas. This is a key part of the solution for economic growth as urban green spaces makes cities more desirable and this can result in local economic stimulation (Dunnett et al 2002). Green amenities attract the highly skilled, who pursue a higher standard of living and quality of life, Florida (2002) describes how green spaces can attract creative class workers and the businesses that hire them. Employers locate in areas where the skilled want to live and this further attracts skilled workers, high-end restaurants and retail stores. Therefore, urban green spaces can raise a citys economic growth. Cities with more skilled workers experience an increase in population, house price and wages. Additionally, people who are highly educated will also be more likely to support investments for environmental protection a nd are usually willing to pay higher prices for environmental quality. Furthermore, a greener city will also have an insurance against recessions as the city remains attractive and people still want to live there. This will pull other industries into the area over time. Therefore, it is important to protect existing urban green spaces. Londons Green Belt is an example of an attempt to reduce development in order to improve the environment by restricting housing supply (Kahn 2006). The Mayor of London has also set targets to plant 10,000 more street trees by 2012, and enhance up to 1,000 hectares of green space (Environmental Agency 2010). This will help to build a good reputation of the area, which enables the community to grow economically, without damaging the environment, and simultaneously creating a desirable place to live for present and future generations (Benedict and McMahon 2002). Additionally, new methods, such as green roofs have been developed to increase green space in urban areas. Green roofs are the roof of a building that is covered by vegetation, the most common being turf roofs. They have several purposes which are similar to urban green space in general such as cooling the heat island effect and absorbing rainwater. They also provide insulation and create habitats for wildlife. The benefits can therefore be divided into private and public benefits. Private economic benefits include saving energy cost and an increase in roof life. Public benefits include storm-water management (Dunnett and Kingsbury 2004). Green roofs are particularly useful in cities that are dense with large populations such as London or Tokyo. London now has a green roof policy and other cities and areas in the UK are developing similar approaches to developing green roofs. However, currently there is only one green roof in Manchester; therefore there is a need to create more green spaces in the form of green roofs (Carter and Fowler 2008). These trends raise the need for green space protection and allocation, which in turn requires estimation of the value of green spaces (Kong et al 2007). Due to their lack of values expressed in monetary terms, green spaces are often not considered in cost-benefit analyses of urban planning policies. Furthermore, it is the failure of the market system, as discussed above, which creates the need for economic measures to value environmental services and guide policymaking (Freeman 1993). Several methods have been developed to value non-market amenities such as the travel cost method, the contingent valuation method (CVM) and the hedonic pricing models. The hedonic pricing method uses house prices to quantify environmental amenities by how much consumers are willing to pay. The hedonic pricing model is a revealed preference method and is based actual behaviour in the market. Properties have many characteristics which reflect the selling prices such as housing structure, neighbourhood and environmental amenities. The monetary value of each characteristic is calculated by observing the differences in the market price of housing sharing the same attributes. Once all the characteristics are collected the next step is to measure the portion of the property price for each characteristic (Boyle and Kiel 2001). By using the hedonic pricing method the value of green spaces can be estimated from actual behaviour in the market (Kong et al 2007). Hedonic valuation can also be applied to retail situations as people are willing to pay about ten percent more for products in greener shopping areas (Miller and Wise 2004:90). The value of urban green spaces can also be an important factor for affecting property prices. There is evidence which suggests urban green spaces can have a positive impact on house prices. There is usually a shortage of land in urban areas, and therefore proximity to urban green spaces has a positive impact on property values, while proximity to negative impacts such as highways reduces property values, as it is desirable to live close to a park, especially in city centres where demand for land is high (Tajima 2003). The demand for a property increases which raises the price of those properties. Numerous studies have shown that property values are typically 8-20 percent more expensive if they are located near a park (Crompton 2000). Therefore, in dense urban areas the value of nearby parks and green space can be one of the key selling points and a stronger feature than lot itself (Tajima 2003). Furthermore, Morancho (2003) found in Spain that for every 100m further away from a gree n area there was a drop of approximately à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1800 in the housing price. Therefore, to reduce the impact of urbanisation, and to ensure economic growth, allocation of new and protection of existing urban green spaces is required (Kong et al 2007). However, the value open space is contextual as it rises with increased income. Open space is considered a luxury good, as demand for open space increases as income rises. Hence, the willingness to pay for environmental quality is highly elastic with respect to income (Anderson and West 2006). Urban green spaces in isolation will not increase economic growth However, not all green spaces are equally beneficial. To ensure that urban green spaces enhance economic growth, they must be well maintained, safe and secure. In recent decades there has been a decline in the quality of urban green spaces in England. This can be linked to the declining budgets for local authorities over the past 20 to 25 years (Dunnett et al 2002). This has a negative economic effect as green spaces that are dangerous or unmanaged are likely to decrease the value of nearby homes, which would lead to economic decline (Crompton 2001). Furthermore, if green spaces are perceived to be overgrown or unmanaged this may have a negative effect on peoples well-being by increasing anxiety caused by fear of crime (Tzoulasa et al 2007). Research shows that open spaces which are most highly valued are those which enhance the qualities of urban life and offer a variety of opportunities (Burgess et al 1988). If there is a lack of facilities or the area is in poor condition then peo ple are less likely to use it. Furthermore, lower-income suburban areas usually have a larger proportion of poor-quality green space. Thus, even if green spaces are in large quantities, but are of poor quality then economic and health benefits are not felt by the population (Popham and Mitchel 2007). Additionally, if green spaces are poorly managed so that they become inaccessible, then less people will use them, especially the elderly or people with disabilities. Therefore, quality as well as quantity of green space is a key factor. Moreover, McConnell and Walls (2005) argue for the importance of distinguishing between different types of open space. The value of green spaces depends on its usage for example, whether it is a well managed park or an open field. Barker (2003) also reported that the value of open space depends strongly on its location and use, for instance, green space in the urban core was valued higher than greenbelt land. Anderson and West (2006:782) show that the v alue of open space depends on the type of open space, how far away it from the house and the neighbourhood characteristics. They found that sales price rises with proximity to the nearest golf course and falls the closer a home is to the nearest cemetery. Furthermore, the net result of restricting housing supply is that prices are driven up. This results in poverty magnets in areas with low property prices, resulting in a segregation of the poor and urban social problems. For example, Glasgow has lost population over time, and relative poverty has grown. Therefore, Londons pursuit to a greener city could further increase house prices and it could be argued that a city can become too green when economic growth is damaged. An upward pressure on house prices could have a negative impact on some residents and first time buyers as it would squeeze out the poorer renters and new immigrants (Kahn 2006). The result of this limited supply would not lead to economic sustainability as it would limit economic growth. Therefore, green spaces will not necessarily lead to a sustained economic growth nationally, but only benefits certain regions (Kahn 2006). It is often the wealthier people who benefit most, as studies have shown that vegetation and tree cover is lower in residential areas with higher levels of socioeconomic deprivation. Therefore only certain areas benefit as less wealthy areas might not be able to afford to maintain new green spaces (Pauleit et al 2005). Additionally, an increased economic wealth will also increase the values of losses; making the cost to restore damages after a disaster much greater (Shaw et al 2007). Furthermore, conserving green spaces may restrict the supply of valued goods, such as housing, shops, offices or private open space, resulting in economic decline. This results in distributional effects as those landowners who can build get an increase in their asset value, whereas those unable to develop will experience a reduction in asset values. Part of the market failure associated with urbanisation is the increase in land prices imposed on existing inhabitants by additional workers. Furthermore, policies of containment, such as greenbelts, may increase energy use as commuters move out bey ond the greenbelt which results in longer commuter journeys. Therefore, it could be argued that policy in the UK restricts urban growth which leads to higher costs and welfare losses. Hence land regulation can have adverse economic effects as it diverts resources from other growth activities. Therefore the solution maybe not regulating land markets but regulating or taxing energy markets (Cheshire 2009). Conclusion To conclude, this essay has highlighted the environmental problem of urbanisation, explaining how this is a result of market failures. It has also shown how this can lead to economic problems. This essay then goes on to argue that a solution would be preserving, maintaining and developing new green spaces in urban areas. It goes on to explain the environmental, social and economic benefits of urban green spaces. It also highlights the hedonic pricing method, which shows how urban green spaces can be valued. It also argues that green spaces create economic benefits by increasing property values. However, the latter part of the essay challenges this, arguing that not all green spaces is equally beneficial. It also argues that preserving green spaces could also have a negative impact as the cost of land increases further, resulting in large increase in house prices. Therefore, it is important to maintain urban green spaces for the many environmental, economic and social benefits. However, this cannot be in isolation as for green spaces to be beneficial they must be well maintained and managed. Furthermore if too much green space is protected then this could have negative impacts overall. Therefore, urban land policies need to ensure green space is well managed in order to achieve the maximum benefits. Furthermore, methods other than land protections could also be used, such as taxing energy use. 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Opal Koboi in Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer :: essays research papers

In the book â€Å"Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident† by Eoin Colfer there is a very intelligent pixie named Opal Koboi. She has an IQ of over 300 which means that she is a certified genius. She appears as a villain in The Arctic Incident and in The Opal Deception (third book in this series). She is the rightful owner of Koboi Labs which designs and creates the majority of the LEPrecon’s (Lower Element Police recon group) equipment. Throughout the time where she was creating all of their stuff she was making it all so she could remotely sabotage it. Opal Koboi is extremely smart. Throughout the book she is proving herself more and more intelligent. She has a plan to takeover Haven City and to do so she hires the B’wa Kell Goblin Triad to assist her. Hiring this gang was a very smart move on her part. The members of the B’wa Kell Goblin Triad are very well known as smugglers. They’ve been illegally smuggling with the mud people (what the people call humans) for the longest time. To smuggle with the mud people is a very dangerous and forbidden thing because if the mud people find a way to the underground towns of the people (basically what any mystical creature in this series call themselves) it would be destroyed. In the beginning of the book Holly Short and her partner have a run in with them and get attacked. It was a smart move because of how sneaky and sly they are. Another example of how intelligent she is, is when she was sent to a mental hospital. Towards the end of the book she is sent to a mental hospital because of her insane plot to capture Haven City. While she is there, really wanting to escape, she is able to make a clone of herself, which took her place, so she could escape. She is also a character that has very realistic problems. She is a very crazy character. After being rescued by the Brill Brothers she became both paranoid and bipolar. She also started having fits of anger. After she escaped she just kept getting crazier and crazier. Opal became so paranoid that she made rules that her pixie enforcers had to follow. There was a rule that no one could look directly at her because she thought that it would be bad for her skin.

Stefan’s Diaries: Bloodlust Chapter 21

I arrived at home at dusk and found Lexi perched on the couch, her arms folded over her chest, and her foot rapidly tapping the floor. She looked like a disgruntled mother hen. Hugo and Percy were lounging, cat-like, on chaises in the far corner. Buxton, I noted with relief, was nowhere to be seen. I wondered how long theyd been waiting for me. â€Å"You decided to come back, I see,† Lexi said, a scowl crossing her face. â€Å"So I did,† I said, trying to suppress a smile. â€Å"And somethings changed,† she added. She sniffed the air. â€Å"But you havent fed, thats good.† She knit her eyebrows together. â€Å"Hello,† I said to Hugo and Percy, ignoring Lexis observation. They gazed at me in surprise. Id never made any effort to speak to either of them in the past. â€Å"Hi,† Percy grunted. Hugo just stared at me. Lexi continued to glare at me, her hands on her hips. â€Å"Out with it, Stefan. We dont keep secrets in this house.† â€Å"I have a plan to free Damon,† I said, wincing at the giddy sound of my voice. â€Å"Thats terrific!† Lexi clapped. â€Å"How are you going to do it?† â€Å"Well, uh, it begins with going on a date,† I confessed. â€Å"A date?† Lexis brows flew up. â€Å"With whom?† I cleared my throat sheepishly. â€Å"With Gallaghers daughter, Callie.† â€Å"You have a date with ahuman?!† Percy said just as Lexi blurted out, â€Å"You have a date withCallie Gallagher.† I put my hands up defensively. â€Å"She wants me to take her out on the town tonight. And while were there, Im going to get information out of her on Damon. I cant influence her because of the vervain, but there are other ways to get a woman to talk.† Percy and Hugo looked up, expressions of disapproval crossing their faces like thunderclouds. â€Å"I wouldnt do that if I were you,† Hugo said. I glanced at him in surprise. Apart from the night theyd found me, it was the first time Id ever heard him speak. â€Å"I agree. Youll either want to kill her or kiss her, and neither scenario will end well for you,† Percy said. The sentence sounded out of place coming from his scrawny, baby-faced body. â€Å"Theyre right,† Lexi said urgently. â€Å"Theyve learned their lessons the hard way. Whos to say what youll do when youre alone with that girl, not to mention what shell do to you. You saw her house the weapons she has. I just worry that–â€Å" â€Å"I know, I know. Im young, I cant control my impulses, and Im going to make some sort of mistake,† I interrupted in annoyance. Lexi stood up and gazed at me. â€Å"All of those things are true. Youre strong, but I worry that you might let your emotions get the best of you.† â€Å"I wont,† I protested. â€Å"Im just going out with her to see if I can learn anything more about Damon. If Im going to rescue him–peacefully–shes my best bet.† Lexi set her jaw, but then heaved a sigh. â€Å"Just be careful.† â€Å"If youre going out, you cant wear that,† Hugo said, lumbering up from the chaise. â€Å"Percy, get him something nice to wear.† Percy looked at Lexi beseechingly. She crossed her arms. â€Å"What? You heard the man.† Percy slid off the couch and marched up the stairs. â€Å"If youre going out with a lady, you need to look nice,† Hugo explained gruffly. â€Å"And Lexi, you need to take him shopping.† â€Å"Yes, well go out tomorrow night, Stefan,† she replied. â€Å"Why are you suddenly being so helpful?† I asked Hugo suspiciously. Hugo showed his pointy teeth in a small smile. â€Å"If you free Damon with the humans help, therell be no need for us to get involved. Now, go get dressed!† I rolled my eyes but followed Percy up the stairs. He handed me a white linen shirt and a pair of black trousers. For a moment I wished that I had brand-new clothes and pomade to slick my hair back with. But then I reminded myself of what Id told Lexi: Right now, I just had to focus on getting to know Callie Gallagher, and, subsequently, learn what made Patrick Gallagher tick. But even though I kept telling myself that Damon was my reason for going on this date, I couldnt help but notice that my mind kept drifting back to the moment when Callie kissed my cheek.

Changes in the environment Essay

The changes in environment that people in space experience also mean changes in significant cues. For example, there is the absence of a fixed horizon that is expected to reduce the efficiency of a person’s perceptions of shape, distance, location and motion (Man-Systems Integration Standards, 2006). The noise aspect is also considered as a human factor particularly in the design of habitat (Special Issue on the International Workshop on Human Factors in Space, 2000). One of the critical requirements in space is the ability of people to communicate with each other. There are noise exposure limits that are established because outside Earth, even low levels, especially when it is intermittent noise, can affect the communication system and human performance especially in complex tasks. Noise also causes fatigue, distraction, irritation and aggressiveness which are already under the scope of psychology but nonetheless, far from what are needed by the people in space (Man-Systems Integration Standards, 2006). The humans must be able to acclimatize themselves to changes in pressure associated with space travel. Because humans are used to atmosphere with 21% oxygen at sea level, equipment and traveling environment are adjusted to maintain an equivalent partial pressure that would sustain life. Pressure values vary from person to person depending on his or her degree of acclimatization to altitude. As a rule, people who are accustomed to higher altitude require less total pressure compared to people who are not accustomed to higher altitude. The partial pressure for normal people who work in space are usually maintained above 152 mm Hg while those who are not accustomed to such environment must maintain a total pressure above 417 mm Hg (Man-Systems Integration Standards, 2006). Psychology The management of human’s psychological state in space is indeed a part of NASA’s standards. â€Å"Human factors research and technology will also ensure that interpersonal interactions are planned maintain a healthy and constructive attitude, thus enhancing productivity and mission success among an international culturally-diverse crew (Man-Systems Integration Standards, 2006). † This implies an assumption that metal and psychological performance and human interactions could have a very significant role in the success of an exploration. Conclusion With the advent of space age, the human factors research contributes significantly especially to the present knowledge in flight, which involves the participation of humans. 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