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Monday, September 30, 2019

Jing-Mei Woo: The Joy Luck Club Essay

In this chapter we are introduced to the Joy Luck Club which originated all the way back in China when Jing-Mei Woo’s mother Suyuan was in the city of Kweilin. At the Joy Luck Club a group of old Chinese women sit around and eat and after that they sit down in a table to play a friendly game of Mah-Jong. At the Joy Luck Club there are 4 major members, Lindo Jong, Ying-ying St. Clair, An-Mei Hsu, and Suyuan Woo. In the beginning of the chapter we learn that Suyuan has died and Canning Woo, Jing-Mei’s father and Suyuan’s husband has asked Jing-Mei to take her mothers place at the Mah-Jong meeting. In this chapter we learn of how Suyuan had lived in China and during the war as the Japanese were slowly invading China, she had to take her family and leave for the city of Kweilin while her husband, Suyuan’s first husband that is, goes off to Chunking to fight the Japanese. In this chapter we learn about the other Mah Jong players, Lindo Jong, mother of the young girl Waverly, Ying-ying, a woman married to a white man and An-Mei Hsu. In the end of the chapter they old ladies tell Jing-Mei how they have contacted her long lost sisters and they want to send her to China to meet them. The story is quite interesting so far, its interesting to see how the women in this story resemble the way my own Chinese grandmother acts. Its quite funny too actually be able to know what Mah Jong is although I have been so white washed. I was born here in America so all I’ve ever known is American culture and although I look 100% like a Chinese kid would, when I went to visit China for the first time I felt so different from them. An-Mei Hsu: Scar We learn how An-Mei’s father is long gone and that her grandmother who has been a predominant figure in her life is slowly dying. While An-Mei is describing her dying Grandmother (Popo), she talks about her real mother who had dishonored the family by going off to marry a man with many wives thereby getting herself disowned by her own family. As the grandmother is dying, An-Mei’s mother comes back and as a last resort, tries to save grandmother by cutting off a piece of her own flesh and sticks it into a soup that she tries to feed to her mother (the grandmother). I thought it was interesting to see an example of an old Chinese remedy for something. I kind of wonder if that was even a real remedy, rather harsh and repelling if you ask me. Lindo Jong The Red Candle In this story Lindo, the mother of Waverly Jong, the National Chess Champion talks about her own struggles. In China Lindo was forced to marry a man named Tyan-yu whom she didn’t love at all. When she was finally married to him, she would avoid him and the groom’s mother realized this and hired a marriage counselor type of person to help fix things. The marriage counselor lit a candle and said if it was still lit the next day without going out then the marriage will last forever and even if the groom dies, Lindo may never remarry again. Upset, Lindo tries to blow out the candle and succeeds but the next day the servant lies about the candle not going out. Lindo now becomes desperate and tries to devise lies to help her get out of there and finally succeeds and the husband eventually marries one of the pregnant servants and Lindo is sent to America. The odd part of this story was how I was able to empathize with the other  characters in their discussions of their hardships when they were younger while I couldn’t with Lindo. Maybe I’m biased because of how Lindo is so harsh and headstrong towards the other characters in this story. She in my mind seems to be a great description of the family members in my own life, for they are all harsh and headstrong towards each other. Ying-ying St. Clair: The Moon Lady In Chapter 4 we learn about Ying-ying. As a child Ying-ying came from a wealthy family. Unlike she is now Ying-ying was once a very problem child, because she was so spoiled by her family she never thought twice about doing things and because of that she ended up getting lost at what was called â€Å"The Moon Festival†. At the Moon festival she watches a play about the Moon Lady whom she takes as the real person but then realizes her own stupidity and leaves the festival and if finally found by her family. An important part of this chapter is how Ying-ying ends it with the words â€Å"I wished to be found†. Those words to me tell me how she wants to be closer to her daughter and if granted one wish from the Moon Lady that would be it. Ying-ying doesn’t like how her daughter is ashamed of her and has abandoned all of their Chinese traditions In the prelude to The Twenty Six Malignant Gates I found it amusing to see how the little girl like all young children are headstrong and seem to think they are impervious to the dangers of real life and she ignores her mothers advice until it is too late when she falls off the bike like her mother said would happen Waverly Jong- Rules of the Game In this chapter we learn about Waverly’s life and how her mother has taught her â€Å"the art of invisible strength† which has allowed Waverly to do well in life especially in the world of Chess where she became National Chess Champion at a very young age. Waverly however hates her mother for even though she adopted her mother’s quality of â€Å"invisible strength† she dislikes everything about her mother from their culture to the way her mother acts. Waverly unlike her mother doesn’t like to brag about herself and is very upset at her mother who is always comparing her child to everyone else’s and using Waverly’s fame to her own advantage. Lena St. Clair- The Voice from the Wall This is the second story told from eyes of the daughters. Lena in this chapter describes the life of her mother when she was younger. Lena describes Ying-ying as a paranoid and somewhat psychotic person who married her father Clifford St. Clair, and Englishman who spoke very little Chinese and was found unable to understand what her mother was saying half the time they were together. Towards the end of the story Lena describes what is seems like her mother Ying-ying had a miscarriage and Ying-ying who was already mentally unstable blames the death of the unborn child on herself and becomes even more unstable. In this chapter we learn about Lena’s childhood neighbor who was always getting into fights and because in her own Chinese culture when the children would argue with their elders, the argument would ensue a beating from the parents so she always imagined her neighbor to look very beat up since they seemed to argue all the time but to her astonishment when the neighbor sne aked into her house one day, the young girl was unharmed and that same night could be heard laughing with her mother whom she had an argument with a few hours earlier. Jing-Mei Woo â€Å"2 Kinds† I thought it was funny to see how Jing-Mei’s mother wanted her daughter to be like â€Å"Shirley Temple† but then again it makes sense, Shirley Temple was America’s Sweetheart in the early 90’s so it would be fitting since everyone wants the best for their children. It was also interesting to see June’s interest in piano after watching a Chinese girl play the piano on the television but she quickly lost interest in the piano ever since she found out her teacher was deaf and therefore she stopped practicing. Lena St. Clair â€Å"Rice Husband† In this chapter we look into Lena’s life and find out that she is married to a white man named Harold. At first they had a true love and enjoyed their life together and decided to share all their costs but lately the marriage has begun to fall apart and the only thing still concrete in their marriage is their sharing of the costs of things they use and that have become the root of most of their problems. Waverly Jong â€Å"Four Directions† Waverly who is trying to look for a way to tell her mother that she is getting married to her fiancà © Rich, takes her mother out for lunch but ends getting scrutinized by her mother like always. With a certain un-eagerness Waverly invites Rich to meet her mother at her mothers house for dinner and although the dinner was a complete disaster for Rich, Waverly in the end found out that her mother did approve of Rich and that event brings all three of them closer together than before. In the beginning of the chapter we learn that Waverly is a smart young child but her mother has an iron grip on her life and Waverly’s first marriage falls apart completely because of her mother and how she began to see things the way her mother did about her husband. Rose Hsu Jordan â€Å"Without Wood† Rose for once doesn’t believe what her mother says, which was about her husband Ted cheating on her which he really did do. The husband after filing for divorce tries to bully her but Rose stays strong and is able to keep the house and keep her ex-husband in check. Jing-Mei Woo â€Å"Best Quality† In this chapter we learn how Suyuan hurts Jing-Mei, enough that Jing-Mei begins to doubt her mothers love for her but when New Years Eve comes along, Suyuan proves Jing-Mei wrong and then Jing-Mei realizes how much her mother really loves her at dinner. Because of her mothers love for her, Jing-Mei never takes off the pendant Suyuan has given her before she died. An-Mei Hsu â€Å"Magpies† In this chapter An-Mei is taken away to live with her mother. In this chapter both An-Mei and her daughter Rose wonder if their culture has made them weak in the eyes of society. An-Mei was upset at Rose earlier because of Rose’s unwillingness to do anything about her husband request for a divorce. In this chapter we see how Chinese women couldn’t do much with their lives, if they were unhappy all they could do was cry about it so when faced with these types of problems in America, the both of them wouldn’t know what to do although being in America they could do whatever they want. Ying-ying St. Clair â€Å"Waiting Between the Trees† Ying-ying in this chapter reflects on her childhood and from her mistakes she wants her daughter Lena to learn from. Ying-ying wants her daughter to lead a happy life, that her marriage is going to fall apart and she wants her daughter to be strong when this happens. Lindo Jong â€Å"Double Face† In this chapter we see the two cultures, the American culture represented by Waverly and the traditional Chinese culture represented by her mother Lindo Jong. Waverly who was uncertain of herself, thinks she’ll be easily seen as a foreigner but Lindo says she won’t be noticed. Later in the chapter both mother and daughter become closer after Lindo decides to ask Waverly why the year before when Lindo went to visit China, that they knew she was a foreigner despite all of her Chinese styles and traditions still in tact with her. Jing Mei-Woo â€Å"A Pair of Tickets† The last chapter of the book ends with the final daughter and mother couple coming together for Jing is able to finally discover who she really is, for as American she is, she’s also just as much Chinese.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Plot and character outlines Essay

   He also wants different colored rabbits that he can feed with the alfalfa that he will collect. Lennies dream doesn’t come true as his child like nature means that he tries to stroke Curly’s wife’s hair and not wanting her to scream he breaks her neck. He then flees to the â€Å"brush† where George told him to hide if anything went wrong. George wanting to protect Lennie from the pain of being hung decides instead to shoot him in the back of the head similar to the way Candy’s dog was so mercilessly killed. Another character who has a dream is Candy. Candy is a decrepit old man who is described as a â€Å"swamper† who lost his hand at the end of his useful life on the ranch. He wishes to join George and lennie to escape the ranch. His dream is to join George and lennie and seeks security in his old age. He is desperate and determined to make it happen as he is afraid he will end up like his dog as he will be sacked as soon as he becomes too old to do any work. Candy is considered useless as he only has one hand â€Å"I got hurt four years ago†¦ they’ll can me pretty soon†. Candy’s only friend on the ranch was his dog who was shot and so he seeks company and doesn’t want to be lonely any more, wants company in his old age â€Å"I won’t have no place to go, an’ I can’t get no more jobs† Candy’s dream doesn’t come true as he has to abandon his plans as lennie is killed and George has to leave town as many of the men at the ranch believe that he might have been conspiring with lennie. At this Candy,s American dream is crushed. The next character who dreams is Crooks. He is a black stable hand, lives by himself in the harness room, a shed attached to the barn. Injured when a horse kicked him, Crooks has a body that is bent to the left because of his crooked spine. The stable hand has many horse care items in his room, as well as personal belongings he keeps because he is a more permanent tenant. He is a proud man but he feels segregated from the other guys and so spends most of his time in his room reading. He used to own his own hand but he lost it He dreams of one day being accepted and being able to â€Å"sit in the bunk house and play cards† he wants to be able to fit in and find his own place in society, have somebody that he can talk to â€Å"A guy needs somebody to be near him. A guy goes nuts if he aint got nobody†. He wanted to join George and Lennie but he pulls out after George finds out that Lennie and candy have been talking to crooks about the land and Crooks’ wanting to avoid disappointment decides that it is best he pulls out as George is not happy. Curly’s wife also has a dream. Curly’s wife is a seductive, pretty woman who not happy with her marriage to curly seeks excitement and a new life â€Å"A show came through, an’ I met one of the actors. He says I could go with that show. But my ol’ lady wouldn’t let me†¦ If Id went, I wouldn’t be livin’ like this, you bet†. she doesn’t like Curly’s and says he is a â€Å"mean guy† she is also happy when Lennie breaks Curly’s hand as she says â€Å"it’s good you busted curly up†. Her dream is to become a big movie star as she makes reference to â€Å"Nother time I met a guy, an’ he was in pitchers†¦ he says he was gonna put me in the movies. Says I was a natural. Soon’s he get back to Hollywood he was gonna write to me about it†¦ I never got that letter†¦ I always thought my ol’ lady stole it. † Her dream was to go on stage and entertain as she also tried to run away with the circus A show came through, an’ I met one of the actors. He says I could go with that show. But my ol’ lady wouldn’t let me†¦ If Id went, I wouldn’t be livin’ like this, you bet. † this makes reference to the fact that she is lonely as the only woman on the ranch and resents her life. Curly’s wife trys to leave the ranch when she comes across lennie and they get talking, she lets Lennie touch her hair but he gets carried away and ends up killing her. Her dreams of fame and belonging are dashed as she dies before she gets the chance to leave the ranch. The last character who has a dream is Curly. He is the boss’ son, a young, pugnacious character, once a semi-professional boxer. He is described by others, with some irony, as â€Å"handy†. He is very jealous and protective of his wife and immediately develops a dislike toward Lennie. He is married but his marriage is a shame as his wife feels lonely and spends half her time supposedly looking for curly. His wife could be described as a promiscuous as she seems to take a interest in the other men on the ranch. Curly is a small guy and doesn’t like big guys, â€Å"like all small guys, he don’t like big guys† His dream was to become a professional boxer but he had to stay on the ranch, he feels insecure and possessive of his wife, as she has a promiscuous personality. â€Å"Seems like Curly is cockier than ever since he got married†. His dreams were dashed as he had to stay on the ranch and was not allowed to follow his dream, this may be why he is so bitter and angry . He also cannot even keep his wife as she seems to wander off a lot. His dreams are further crushed as his hand is badly damaged in a fight with Lennie. As his hand is broken he will never be able to fight again, as well as the shame of being beaten by someone who is considered to be mentally handicapped really damaged his reputation. To sum up, most the characters in the book have a dream of some sort. All of the characters dreams in the book ‘of mice and men’ do not come true . Lennie and Georges dream is slashed by Lennie killing Curlys wife and her dreams are slashed as she is killed but Curly’s wife dose finally decide to leave Curly which was part of her dream. Candy’s dream dies with Lennie as George is not interested in the farm anymore. Crooks had his dream when he used to own his own bit of land but it was taken away from him and so his dream was crushed. They chased their dreams but none of them came true which has reference to the American dream which many people chased but most never achieve. By marc di-trolio Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE John Steinbeck section.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Article 2 v Article 3 In a Ticking Bomb Scenario Dissertation

Article 2 v Article 3 In a Ticking Bomb Scenario - Dissertation Example This essay discusses that all around the world, the civil societies considered it flagrant violations of human rights. It is also unacceptable under Article 5 of UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, signatories of Third and fourth Geneva Conventions. Besides United Nations Convention against Torture, ratified by the representatives of 147 countries does not allow torture on captive suspects. The concept of thought experiment was initially introduced by the famous novelist Jean in the year 1960. The driving force of cited thoughts stems from the first Indo China War. The professor of Political Science at Reed College endorsed torturing on suspects provided he or she is involved in claiming or intended to claim numerous lives and destruction of properties through their subversive activities. In accordance with the definition of 1984 United Nations Convention Torture is: â€Å"Any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a pe rson for such purposes as obtaining from him, or a third person, information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. It does not include pain or suffering arising only from, inherent in, or incidental to, lawful sanctions†. ... In accordance with the definition of 1984 United Nations Convention Torture is: â€Å"Any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him, or a third person, information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. It does not include pain or suffering arising only from, inherent in, or incidental to, lawful sanctions†3. Mentioned definition is strictly applicable on the nations and the government sponsored torture. The torture inflicted directly or indirectly includes: a) torture inflicted upon by the gangsters, ethnic group, rebels or t errorists b) abrupt violence during war and c) whipping d) politically motivated torture of all sorts. The intellectuals of the United Kingdom are of the view that though the torture on suspects is not morally justifiable or legally permissible as per UK law. But under certain circumstances, torture on the suspects to get material information may be allowed. For example if a terrorist who is in the custody of law enforcing agencies / investigation agencies planted bomb in a busy shopping area, if exploded may claim hundreds of lives and mass destruction of properties. In such situation, torture on a suspect to get critical information relating to their links with the terrorist

Friday, September 27, 2019

Eradication of Obesity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Eradication of Obesity - Essay Example The proposed obesity eradication plan has many outcomes that occur during its implementation. The first one is that the long-term programs that address physical activity are often successful.   The programs that are implemented for more than five months are associated with increased physical activity and the young generation. Moreover, the programs that teach skill building are often associated with enhanced physical activity. While teaching the young people self-controlled physical action, expertise includes training them in ways by which they should integrate physical training into their lives and look for ways of making the physical exercise enjoyable and autonomous. In addition, the physical exercise obesity eradication plans that are designed for the adolescence group were very much effective. Implementation of the eradication of obesity project has benefits to the patients rather than the hospital. However there are some advantages that the hospital personnel have that affect the hospital indirectly. The implementation process helps the managers to perfect their managerial skills in the field. This in turn benefits the hospital because the managers could now handle their work with more efficiency thus benefiting the hospital. Moreover, the obesity eradication implementation action plan helps to break the monotony that nurses might be having in the hospital. In so doing, their brains are refreshed and thus they become rejuvenated and can improve their service afterwards thus benefiting the hospitals.  

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Infrastructure Application and Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 3

Infrastructure Application and Review - Essay Example Nevertheless, scientists and engineers continuously laboured to keep abreast of modern trends in highway administration and maintenance. As early as 1989, the maiden version of a digital road map database for land navigation has been completed. The database contains precise information on the road attributes all over Japan and may be used to strengthen highway management initiatives (Kamijo, Okumura and Kitamura, 1989, p. 319). It was, however, in 2003 when Japan introduced a road management mechanism in order to promote efficacy and transparency in road administration. The scheme is anchored on a system of measurements based on indices. Salient features of the road management system are performance plans, achievement reports and the Guidance for Road Administration Management (GRAM). A performance plan which delineates numerical targets, policies and projects are published yearly; while an achievement report which contains an assessment of the level of achievement of the numerical targets are also published at the end of each fiscal year. Meanwhile, to maximize the gains of the road administration management system as it is implemented in the countryside, the GRAM is prepared and disseminated. Figure 1 shows the typical flow of road administration management in Japan as practised by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (Road Bureau, 2008a). Over the years, the Japanese government and the concerned institutions struggled to encourage systematic management founded on existing circumstances and forecasts. Preventive maintenance is commonly implemented to extend the functionality of infrastructure like bridge systems. This approach is known to mitigate costs related to repair and rebuilding. To be able to capitalise on the benefits of preventive maintenance, Japanese road administrators also practiced competent defect identification and

Should Military Recruiters be Allowed in High Schools Thesis

Should Military Recruiters be Allowed in High Schools - Thesis Example Students must be open to all kind of possibilities and military is one of them. Military recruiters’ presence at campus is to inform, educate, motivate and assist young students for an honorable, potentially lucrative and competitive career. According to Weekly Reader Corporation (2006) almost 100,000 teenagers joined United States military in 2004. Approximately 57 percent of all army, Marine, Navy and Air Force recruits are between 17 to 19 years of age. These statistics points towards influence military recruiters have on high school students when it comes to deciding about volunteering for army. According to a clause of No Child Left behind Act 2002, military recruiters are allowed to visit high schools twice a year and schools must provide students’ contact information with recruiters. Military recruiters should be allowed in high schools due to the fact that not only military entirely depend on recruiters to enroll educated and young people to defend the country but also the young students should be aware of all options for making informed and beneficial career decision in uncertain economic conditions and increasing competitiveness for higher education. Military recruiters should be allowed in high schools because army and our defense system depend on the contributions of these young people. According to U.S. Recruiting Command, since the abolition of draft in 1973, United States has an all-volunteer military. It implies that army is completely dependent on recruiters for recruiting well-educated, properly trained and sophisticated people to defend us on war fronts and save our sovereignty (S. Douglas Smith as cited in Herbert, 2006) Parents and students must not feel forced to join military. It is a fact that every employer search for the best to serve and military is no exception. By visiting high school campus, military recruiters not only serve the nation as a whole but also broaden the horizon for teenagers. Their

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Spirituality 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Spirituality 3 - Essay Example The following is a brief summary of the assessment. It was noted that the patient admitted to being affected by her relationship with God due to her illness. She has not been able to do things related to spirituality effectively as a result of her illness. She relates her devastation in her relationship with her family and friends as they consider her an outcast in the community. From the assessment it was observed that the kind of ailment she was suffering was considered to infect someone who went against the culture of the community. The patient had a desire to make up with children who have since been separated from her for three months of her ordeal. She reiterated that she wish to profess her love for her children. It is apparent that the conflicts are likely to affect the medical situation where the patient is likely to die faster than anticipated. Besides, she preferred to speak to her chaplain before she passed on, which is a request she made to the nurses to help her soul rest in peace. The major challenge in conducting the assessment was behind the fact that the patient was emotional at some point. She blamed everyone in the society for her current situation, her family members for abandoning her and God for letting things happen the way they are. It was not easy to complete the entire assessment. In future, I intend to change the line and formatting of the questions in away to avoid build up of emotions among the patients (Clark, Drain & Malone, 2003). Besides, I failed to take into considerations that this patient had reached a point of believing that God is not in control and hence He is a mean super being who lets His people suffer. Through the assessment I learnt some few vital lessons. One of the significant things I learnt was spirituality is essential to some patients while other patients who tend to be pagans in nature it might not help a lot. Moreover, it is one of

Monday, September 23, 2019

The Relevance of Employee Engagement Indices as a Performance Measure Dissertation

The Relevance of Employee Engagement Indices as a Performance Measure and Indicator in Institutions - Dissertation Example This dissertation seeks to establish the relevance of employee engagement indices as performance measures and indicators with practical use in organizations. It examines the effectiveness of employee engagement indexing as a common practice among institutions in measuring organizational performance. The study found that employee engagement indices bore significant relationship to certain aspects of companies’ operational performance, to degrees that vary among the scale and type of the organization. Human resources aspects of operations that are significantly related to EEI are the line manager’s actions, the degree to which employees believe management will take action based on the EEI survey, the employees’ workload, their pay, the team with which they work, and the organizational policies and practices that impact upon their working conditions. Overall, the employee engagement index is an effective tool in improving performance, provided the EEI is formulated according to firm-specific factors and conditions, and provided they are analysed consistently and refined strategically over the long term. Table of Contents Abstract 2 List of Tables 7 Chapter 1: Introduction 8 1.1Chapter overview 8 1.2 Background of the problem 8 1.3Purpose of the Study 10 1.4Aim and Objectives 10 1.5Research questions 11 1.6Assumptions 12 1.7Rationale and significance of the study 12 1.8 Chapter summary 13 Chapter 2: Literature review 15 2.1 Chapter overview 15 2.2 Concept of employee engagement 15 2.3 Engagement as a driver of productivity 18 2.3 Practices in measuring employee engagement 24 2.4 Identified drivers or measures of employee engagement 26 2.5 Chapter summary 27 Chapter 3: Research methodology and methods 28 3.1 Chapter overview 28 3.2 Research approach and strategy 28 3.4 Research methods and techniques 29 3.5 Methods of data gathering 31 3.6 Methods of data analysis 32 3.7 Hypotheses 33 3.8 Description of population and sample 33 3.9 Limitations o f the research methodology 34 3.10 Ethical and Political Considerations 36 3.11 Chapter summary 36 Chapter 4: Data Analysis 38 4.1 Chapter overview 38 4.2 Respondent profile 38 4.3 Respondents’ perceptions based on mean scores 45 Table 15: MNE, LDC, and SME Mean scores and standard deviation 53 4.4 Correlational study 58 4.5 Regression analysis 62 4.5.1 Overall Sample 62 4.5.2 Multinational Enterprises 68 4.5.3 Large Domestic Corporations 71 4.5.4 Small and Medium Scale Enterprises 73 4.6 Qualitative information provided by respondents 77 4.7 Chapter summary 78 Chapter 5: Conclusions and Recommendations 80 5.1 Chapter overview 80 5.2 Summary of findings 80 5.3 Conclusion 86 5.4 Recommendations 87 5.5 Directions for future research 89 Bibliography 90 Appendix 92 List of Tables Table 1: Frequency distribution according to age 38 Table 2: Frequency distribution according to gender 39 Table 3: Frequency distribution according to education 39 Table 4: Frequency distribution accord ing to position in the company 40 Table 5: Frequency distribution according to scale of company 41 Table 6: Frequency distribution according to employment status 42 Table 7: Frequency distribution according to length of stay 43 Table 8: Frequency distri

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Current issue in global business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Current issue in global business - Essay Example In 2008, one of the most severe financial crises since the Great Depression struck. Banks had been lending money recklessly for several years and this led to a serious asset bubble. To make things worse, many of the people who borrowed money were completely unable to pay off their debts as they became due. Banks and businesses collapsed. Millions of people were laid off. Credit dried up, making it very hard to borrow money and allow companies to begin the rebuilding process. Throughout these problems, corporate taxes remained high in most developed countries. In Canada, they were reduced somewhat, with an eye towards encouraging business opportunities (Vieira). Elsewhere, however, they remain high and continue to limit the amount of jobs that can be created and the economic re-bound that is desperately required to restore western economies to a level comparable to pre-2008. This is an issue for everyone who cares about global stability and economic growth. The backbone of our economi es are our corporations, be they small family-owned businesses are huge multi-national companies. We need to work hard to create environments in which they can thrive and hire employees. There are those who would wish to raise corporate tax rates and effectively stifle growth. ... They wish to see Ireland's advantage wiped out completely. Ireland has been forced to accept a massive bailout from the EU and so far has managed to keep its tax rate, a point of national pride, but only after great duress was brought to bear on its government by countries such as France, which have a high corporate tax rate and don't like Ireland's competitive tax advantage (EU Business). When countries squabble like this, it is businesses that lose out. This kind of instability is anathema to good business. They have a very difficult time planning long-term when they are not sure what the tax rate will be a few years down the line. Stability is key in these kinds of situations. Some say that lowering corporate tax rates is the wrong policy. It involves giving extra cash to those who need it less. They suggest it makes more sense to give money to education programs and needy families. But they miss the point. Lowering corporate taxes jump-starts business. It allows companies to hire more people. Businesses form the cornerstone of the economy. We should not punish them with high taxes. Of all countries in the world, it is most surprising to learn that the United States has one of the highest tax rates in the world. Despite the fact that it is often seen as a champion of business, it makes life very difficult for them. Even Republicans see fit to attack business when they talk about putatively lowering taxes. A recent article discusses the opinion of Eric Cantor, the majority Republican leader in the House: As a first step toward that wider overhaul, Mr. Cantor said he supports allowing U.S. multinational corporations to bring nearly $1.2 trillion in profits derived from foreign operations onshore at a temporary lower tax rate, in a bid to

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Social Cost-Benefit Analysis of Delhi Metro Essay Example for Free

Social Cost-Benefit Analysis of Delhi Metro Essay Key words: Transport, Air Pollution, Cost- benefit analysis and Shadow prices. Abstract: The growing demand for public transport in mega cities has serious effects on urban ecosystems, especially due to the increased atmospheric pollution and changes in land use patterns. An ecologically sustainable urban transport system could be obtained by an appropriate mix of alternative modes of transport resulting in the use of environmentally friendly fuels and land use patterns. The introduction of CNG in certain vehicles and switching of some portion of the transport demand to the metro rail have resulted in a significant reduction of atmospheric pollution in Delhi. The Delhi Metro provides multiple benefits: reduction in air pollution, time saving to passengers, reduction in accidents, reduction in traffic congestion and fuel savings. There are incremental benefits and costs to a number of economic agents: government, private transporters, passengers, general public and unskilled labour. The social cost-benefit analysis of Delhi Metro done in this paper tries to measure all these benefits and costs from Phase I and Phase II projects covering a total distance of 108 kms in Delhi. Estimates of the social benefits and costs of the project are obtained using the recently estimated shadow prices of investment, foreign exchange and unskilled labour as well as the social time preference rate for the Indian economy for a study commissioned by the Planning Commission, Government of India and done at the Institute of Economic Growth. The financial internal rate of return on investments in the Metro is estimated as 17 percent while the economic rate of return is 24 percent. Accounting for benefits from the reduction of urban air pollution due to the Metro has increased the economic rate of return by 1.4 percent. This paper forms part of the work done for a project `Economic Evaluation of Investment Projects in India’ funded by the Planning Commission, Government of India. We express our thanks to the officials of Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES) for providing us access to the detailed technical reports prepared by them for the Delhi Metro project. We are grateful to the participants in the workshop at the Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi-110007 for their useful comments. About Metro Rail in Delhi Delhi, the capital city of India, is one of the fastest growing cities in the world with a population of 13 million as reported in the Census of India Report for the year 2000. Until recently, it was perhaps the only city of its size in the world depending almost entirely on roads as the sole mode of mass transport. The total length of the road network in Delhi has increased from a mere 652 km in 1981 to 1122 km in 2001 and it is expected to grow to 1340 km in the year 2021. This increase in road length is not at par with the phenomenal growth in the number of vehicles on these roads in Delhi. The cumulative figure of registered private and government buses, the main means of public transport, is 41,872 in 1990 and it is expected to increase to 81,603 by the year 2011. The number of personal motor vehicles has increased from 5.4 lakhs in 1981 to 30 lakhs in 1998 and is projected to go up to 35 lakhs by 2011. With gradual horizontal expansion of the city, the average trip length of buses has gone up to 13 km and the increased congestion on roads has made the corresponding journey time of about one hour. Delhi has now become the fourth most polluted city in the world, with automobiles contributing more than two thirds of the total atmospheric pollution. In this context, the decision of the Government of India to develop a mass transport system for Delhi providing alternative modes of transport to the passengers was most satisfied.

Friday, September 20, 2019

The History Of Communication History Essay

The History Of Communication History Essay Before the discovery of radio waves, telegraphy had been developed as a means of communication. Telegraph meant long-distance writing in Greek. Earlier means of communication included smoke signals, torch signaling, heliographs (flash mirrors), and signal flags were used to convey message over distance (Crowley Heyer, 2002; Farnham, 2005). In the 18th century various methods of communication came into use. They were mainly used in the military arena during the French revolution and the Napoleonic wars. This period marked the development of the first optical telegraph system. By the mid 1800s this system covered about 5000 km and involved more than 550 stations (Farnham, 2005). In the Late 1800s first radio signals were sent across the English Channel. During the titanic disaster, the challenges of unresponsive ineffective radio operators were witnessed. This led to the enactment of Radio Act of 1912. This required that at least two radio operators be on board all vessels carrying more than 50 passengers, and at least one operator be on duty in the Marconi room all the times while the vessel was underway (Farnham, 2005). The 1912s marked the development of radio telephony, or voiceless communication using radio waves in safety and military communications. During this period, the development of amateur radios was taking place in countries with this technology. Amateur radio operator, Hiram Percy Maxim came up with what is now known as the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) whose role was to set up a voluntary network of associated radio amateurs to facilitate the long-range relay of radiograms. The reliability and accuracy of relaying messages through such means was very important for military, commercial and public services (Farnham, 2005). Microfinance is the practice of making small loans to farmers or business owners too poor to provide collateral. The research could help lenders establish more successful microfinance operations. Details are published in the Journal of Development Economics. What this helps us do is better understand which microbanks are successful throughout the developing world-and why, says Christian Ahlin, associate professor of economics at Michigan State University. The microfinance movement has exploded during the past two decades, Ahlin notes, with more than 100 million customers now borrowing small loans from more than 10,000 microfinance institutions around the world. The movement was thrust into the spotlight in 2006 when Grameen Bank, a Bangladesh microbank, and its founder, Muhammad Yunus, were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Ahlin and colleagues from New York University and the University of Minnesota examined the experiences of 373 microbanks worldwide. Because borrowers of microloans typically are third-world farmers or operators of tiny businesses in rural, isolated settings, it wasnt clear how they are linked to the larger economy, he says. Ahlin was surprised to find that as the larger economy grew, the microbanks profit margins grew as well, nearly one-for-one. For example, if the economic growth rate increased 5 percent, a typical microbanks profit margin went up by 5 percentage points. The finding of this study is not that context is everything, but that it does help explain significant differences in performance of the microbanks, Ahlin explains. Microbanks generally grow more successfully in countries with less of a manufacturing base, such as Nigeria and Mongolia, as opposed to more industrialized nations such as China and Indonesia. Ahlin says this is likely because manufacturing jobs tend to crowd out the more entrepreneurial-related jobs supported by microloans. The researchers also say that better developed governing institutions can impact microfinance business negatively by driving up costs, for example, suggesting that borrowers may benefit from a hands-off regulatory approach. Finally, microfinance institutions generally cover costs more easily in countries with a per-capita income of about $6,000-countries that are not too poor, but not too rich either, Ahlin says. In extremely poor countries, he says, there may be a lack of education to run a microenterprise and little demand for goods beyond basic food and medicine. But that doesnt mean lenders should steer clear of the most impoverished nations, Ahlin points out. On the contrary: The research findings could help support the case for more sustained donor support of microfinance in those areas. Although covering costs internally may be harder, Ahlin says, the impact could be greater in these poorer countries. Communication in the Cold War Introduction Cold war was a period between 1945 and 1991 involving the conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union. It was over the military might, often characterized by the struggle between capitalism and communism. Communication played a vital role in cold war, mostly in the use of various means to convey propaganda (Crowley Heyer, 2002; Jenks, 2006). The historical account of the mass media influence on the population has a very negative background. As pictured by Taylor (1997), the blind are leading the blind à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ sleaze and sophistry have triumphed over sophistication and subtlety and biased presentation of foreign news has resulted in serious distortion and misunderstanding (pp.1). The application of technology in global communications played a fundamental role especially during cold war. As indicated by Taylor (1997), the cold war created an environment that prompted new rules à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ in which the control, manipulation and dissemination of information à ¢Ã ¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (pp.28) became very essential. The United States was committed to freedom of information in their transaction with other nations in an attempt to win their support. With time technological advances from radios, through the television to faxes, satellites and e-mails changed the initial perceptions (Taylor, 1997). Communication during the cold wars Before the United States involvement in the Second World War in 1940, the ARRL established an Emergency Corps that trained on frequencies not initially used by casual amateurs. Up to this day military radio system has involved the training of personnels and continued tests. The cold war reached its greatest heights in 1952. During this period, Radio Amateur Society was formed under the effort of the Civil Defense. This development and many others were as a result of the recognition of the essence of disaster and emergency communication. In the cold war period, transistors and integrated circuits were also invented. It also saw the improvement of frequencies from the lowest to microwaves (Farnham, 2005). By 1945 the debate was still ragging on whether the United States should continue with its broadcasting via the Voice of America (VOA) after the end of the Second World War. It was viewed by many as a weapon of war hence could not be part of foreign policy. The government was however hesitant in abolishing the VOA. On the other hand, the Soviet Union continued with their intention of extending their coverage to most parts of Eastern Europe. Their enmity with the United States prompted the continuation of VOA expansion to integrate the Russian language in 1947. This was out of the United States optimisms that radio would be successful in penetrating the communication barriers experienced during the World War II. By 1949, the Americans were under extreme fear over the infiltration of communists in the United States. That year saw the enactment of the Central Intelligence Agency Act by the Congress. Besides, the establishment of the CIA, this act enabled the setting of a new radio servi ce as a project for public diplomacy. National Committee for a Free Europe organization was also established to address the plight of exiles from Eastern Europe. Funded by the CIA, this organization established Radio Free Europe (REFE) in 1950, beginning its broadcast in July of the same year from Germany. Another radio targeting the Soviet Union (Radio Liberty or RL) was created by a similar organization of exiles. Since it was also broadcasting from Germany, the RL signal faced constant jamming by Soviet leaders from its inception. Jamming was a technology used by the Soviet Union to interfere with the radio transmission (Parsons, n.d). Computing in the Cold War It is commonly believed that war influences the rate of technological development. This is probably true in the arena of computing. Many earlier machines such as the ENIAC and the Mark I for instance were invented for military calculations. It is however believed that the cold war promoted the greatest advances in computing (I-Programmer, 2010). The computer was very important in for gathering and processing information about the enemys whereabouts. An example is the SAGE (Semi Automatic Ground Equipment) computer system used by the United States to track any movement in the sky, to send signals of any nuclear attack. In 1940s, the Whirlwind computer, the fastest model available was built at MIT. Although not understood by many, Whirlwind computer was an important tool for flight simulations. In 1945 the Air Defense Committee was formed. It recommended the need for integrating the radar system in the newly invented computers. The radar was important in detecting airborne objects and the computer monitored and verified the objects to ensure that they familiar (I-Programmer, 2010). This was an important step since both computer and the radar system were new technologies which whose impact were unimaginable in the first place. It was quite ambitious to think of the interconnection of a radar network stations and central computer data processing in the absence of a modem. Mass storage devices, graphical visual display unit and computers were still made of valves. In 1951g, the Project Lincoln research was initiated to develop the new system with the supply of computer hardware (Whirlwind I) and data communications from the Air Force Research Laboratory (CRL) (I-Programmer, 2010). Cold War Propaganda In the early period of the cold war, the British government established a voluntary civil defense with the objective of protecting the nation from the enemy in case of attack. The civil propaganda was successful in mobilizing many people to participate in the war (Jenks, 2006).During the cold war both the United States and the Soviet Union were involved in propaganda. In the period of the Red Scare, characterized by mass hysteria over communism, the United States government perpetuated this hysteria in movies, comics, books and even lessons in schools. It was mostly focused against communism reign. The use of propaganda had negative impact on the population. Both the America and the USSR used propaganda to instill hatred of their enemies in their citizens and also to ensure that the citizens would fully support the government. The two countries used different media for conveying their propaganda. The Soviet Union used military prowess to impress their citizens while America relied on Hollywood and the media. The result of the propaganda was the victimization of many employees in the government and Hollywood. For this reason many innocent people were caught in between the wrangles and suffered ruined lives as a consequence (Kerrington, 2007). The electronic medium commonly in use that time was the black and white television. Although quite costly, many could still afford one. The use of television opened a fresh page in the propaganda war. It was used to dispel fear that the Soviet Union was on the wrong side. It promoted the idea that white Americans were superior over the other races and there could easily be victorious over the Soviet Union (Hudson Stainer, 1997; Kerrington, 2007). Another form of the media in America in that period was the radio. While not everybody could afford the television, everybody at least had a radio. It was a symbol of family union since most members of the family could gather around it at dinner session to listen to news briefings or their favorite programs. It was quite valued and people took extra care to maintain it. It was the best way to reach the vast population. The united p states government took the initiative to perfect the broadcasts. The government invested largely in the Voice of America which enabling broadcast to reach the Philippines, Germany and Japan. Movie theaters were flocked by people of all ages as relief from the worries of life (Hudson Stainer, 1997; Kerrington, 2007). The propaganda reached its greatest height especially in the wake of Senator McCarthys leadership. Films were used to convey the idea that the Soviet Union was going to win unless the patriotic Americans determined to wipe out communism. It would portray the importance of upholding the traditional values advocating for goodness over evil in the attempt of defeating the enemy. Some movies focused on highlighting the negative side of communism. Such movies received a lot of financial support from the government. Examples include the Red Nightmare, nowadays referred to as The Commies Are Coming, and the Invasion USA! presently these types of movies lack the impact they had during the cold war, they are even taken as comedies in most occasions. Initially, they drew a lot of seriousness and they were even integrated in the curriculum of civics and history in schools. Some such as the James Bond movies are presently still enjoyed (Kerrington, 2007). People could also be exposed to propaganda through literature. Several fiction novels, the paperback novels, and comics were used to propagate anti-Soviet or communism ideologies. They were readily available due to their low cost. These novels depicted the heroic actions of the cowboys in their rescue missions. On the other hand, the non-fictional books were also extremely biased negatively depicting the threat posed by communism. The comics, focusing mainly on the young generation were aimed at inculcating hatred for the communists. Communists were also not allowed to express their idea freely; they were prevented from teaching in colleges and at secondary level. As a result many people lost their jobs because of such stance (Kerrington, 2007). Soviets were not exempted from propaganda. They also had radios, literature and films. Their form of propaganda involved the demonstration of e military might by constantly holding military marches. These were used to remind the public that their army was the most invincible. Stalin propagated his against the Americans via the radio, always insisting that communists should uphold their togetherness. The Americans were painted as racists, sexists, treacherous and indifferent to others. In Stalins perspective the Americans were ignorant, and America faced probable defeat. Unlike the American methods, Stalins methods of propaganda were more direct. They were also equally successful (Kerrington, 2007). Conclusion Communication played greatly defined the cold war. Various means of communication such as the televisions and radios were used by both parties of the conflict to marshal civilian support against their enemies. As portrayed above this period was marked by the distortion of foreign reporting, issuance of threats, and accusations which were only made possible via the mass media.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Internal Enemy :: essays research papers

The Internal Enemy A good novel’s theme is often proven by the character’s actions. A novel in which this occurs is Lord of the Flies by William Golding. In Lord of the Flies Golding uses various characters to portray that man is basically evil because of his violence and irresponsibility. One can see that Golding’s theme of the novel is that man is basically evil because of his violence when the savages steal Piggy’s glasses and when Roger kills Piggy. When the savages come to steal Piggy’s glasses they start a fight. Instead of peacefully stealing the glasses the savages lash out at the boys leaving them bruised and bloodied. The fight that the savages provoke is an example of their violence which helps prove that the theme of the novel is that man is basically evil. A second way in which Golding demonstrates this, is the incident where Roger kills Piggy. Roger seems to kill Piggy, not because he is a threat, but because Roger seems to experience a primitive desire to kill. When Roger kills Piggy he performs the task thoughtlessly and does not experience any remorse. The fact that Roger kills Piggy again shows man’s violence, proving that the theme of the novel is that man is basically evil. The above examples have helped prove Golding’s theme. Another way in which Golding portrays man as being basically evil is their irresponsibility when no one helps Ralph build huts and when the hunters let the fire go out. The boys voted that building huts was important and that shelter was a necessity, but none of them helped Ralph and Simon make the huts. This shows that they are not interested in living in a civilized society. When the boys are unwilling to build huts they show that they are irresponsible and that the theme of this novel is that man is basically evil. An additional way that the boys show their irresponsibility is when the hunters let the fire go out. Although they thought that it was important to be rescued they were reluctant to help with the fire, their only hope of rescue. They are more interested in killing than in being rescued. It is evident that Golding portrays man as being basically evil because the boys do

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Race and Political Power in the Pre-Civil War Period Essay -- Essays o

Race and Political Power in the Pre-Civil War Period How did race translate itself into political power during this period, and how did Blacks attempt to combat that power. Racism has been the most provocative topic in American history; it has seemed to transcend other struggles, and fester its way into almost every facet of American culture. It has grown like weeds in an unattended garden in to the ideology of America. Politicians use it as a tool for reelection, corporations use it as a way to exploit, and the media uses it as a way to control. But the underlying question is where did it come from, how did it translate itself into political power, and how and what did African Americans do to combat that power. Many of the answers to these questions lie in the pre civil war area also known as the antebellum period. During the early 17th century a powerful farmer by the name of Nathaniel Bacon tried to use African Americans to conquer surrounding tribes and take their lands for indentured servants who had served their time and wanted land. Bacon added blacks to his corps of whites only after he found out he had to fight William Berkley the colonial governor. Berkley thought that arming the Jamestown rubble was too dangerous to be allowed. After Bacons death the Virginia government reacted to the spectacle of interracial servant solidarity by slowly eliminating white servitude and expanding the then new institution of black chattel slavery. By doing this he could guarantee a permanent labor force and win the support of his constituents. Because of efforts like that of Governor Berkley, Virginia had become the primary site for the development of black slavery in the Americas. By the 1650s some of the indentured servants had earned their freedom. Because replacements, whether black or white, were in limited supply and more costly, the Virginia plantation owners considered the advantages of the perpetual servitude policy exercised by Caribbean landowners. Following the lead of Massachusetts and Connecticut, Virginia legalized slavery in 1661. In 1672 the king of England chartered the Royal African Company to bring the shiploads of slaves int o trading centers like Jamestown, Hampton, and Yorktown. Slavery spread quickly in the American colonies. At first the legal status of Africans in America was poorly defined, and some, like European indentured servants,... ...ed afterward may have reached 100. But the rebellion lasted less than two days and was easily suppressed by local residents. Like other slave uprisings in the United States, it caused enormous fear among the whites, but it did not seriously threaten the institution of slavery. Less organized resistance was both more widespread and more successful. This included silent sabotage, or foot-dragging, by slaves, who pretended to be sick, feigned difficulty understanding instructions, and "accidentally" misused tools and animals. It also included small-scale resistance by individuals who fought back physically, at times successfully, against what they regarded as unjust treatment. The most common form of resistance, however, was flight. About 1000 slaves per year escaped to the North during the pre-Civil War decades, most from the upper South. This represented only a small percentage of those who attempted to escape, however, since for every slave who made it to freedom, several more tried. Other fugitives remained within the South, heading for cities or swamps, or hiding out near their plantations for days or weeks before either returning voluntarily or being tracked down and captured.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Essay example --

"The Old Man and The Sea" is an unbelievable story of a man with struggles within nature. The simplicity of the story’s structure engages readers of all ages. How the main character overcomes his struggles and tribulation is wild, inspiring, and humanistic. The tale can easily be taken into every aspect in life situations. It is truly a classic with an unforgettable plot that leaves the reader wanting more. The fiction novel, "The Old Man and the Sea" became one of the most enduring works of Ernest Hemingway. The novel was written in 1952 and published by Simon & Schuster Inc. Hemingway, is known for writing main characters of courage and conviction. Therefore, creating roles that draw a reader in. The main character is an old Cuban fisherman, named Santiago. â€Å"Everything about him was old except his eyes and they were the same color as the sea and were cheerful and undefeated.† Santiago has had bad luck in catching anything in the last few months. One day Santiago sets out into the Gulf Stream, when he hooks a giant marlin. â€Å"Fish, I love you and respect you very much; but I will ki...

Beta Case Study

25721 Investment Management BMC Case Study Student Name: Junwei Wang Student ID: 11516655 Class Time: 6 p. m. – 9 p. m. Tuesday Lecturer: Wing Bui Table of content Q 1. 1 Q 2. 1 Q 3. 2 Q 4. 2 Q 5. 3 Beta Management Company I. Case Background Beta Management Company was founded in 1988 by Ms. Wolfe. Beta Management Company is a small investment management company based in a Boston suburb. Beta Management Company was successful in 1989 and 1990. This success had brought in enough new money to double the size of the company. However, Ms.Wolfe had lost some potential new clients who had thought it unusual that Beta Management used only an index mutual fund and picked none of its own stocks. Sarah Wolfe was considering Beta’s new goal and directions for coming year. II. A. Ms. Wolfe decided to follow â€Å" index† to adjust equity market exposure. This is a good strategy due to that at the beginning of the foundation of the company, the size of her account was small a nd there were no much money for her to take a risk. The strategy she followed was the lowest risky way. Ms.Wolfe kept a majority of Beta’s funds in no-load, low-expense index funds, adjusting the level of market exposure between 50% and 99% of Beta’s funds in an attempt to â€Å"time the market†. B. Ms. Wolfe now has decided to increase her equity exposure to 80% with the purchase of one of the California R. E. I. T. and Brown Group, Inc. While Ms. Wolfe wanted to extend her business, she found that some potential clients thought it unusual that Beta Management used only an index mutual fund and picked none of its own stocks, Ms. Wolfe was engaging her new strategy. Unlike before, Beta increase the equity exposure from 50% to 80%.Beta used to have 1% to 50% debt and 50% to 99% equity. Now, the portfolio will become as 20% debt and 80% equity. And also based on the performance of the two stocks, they are both unsteady stocks which mean that the risk of the Betaâ €™s portfolio will be increased. However, we can also found that the return will be much higher. C. Ms. Wolfe is a contrarian investor. Base on the performance of the two stocks, these two stocks were unsteady and the losses rate is much higher than the return rate. III. a. California R. E. I. T. was a real estate investment trust.Their stock had been badly damaged by the â€Å"World series† earthquake of 1989. Base on the Figure 1, it is easily found that the performance of the stock is volatile. Although the trend is similar with the index trend, California R. E. I. T. was still in a bad position. b. Brown Group Inc. was one of the largest manufacturers and retailers of branded footwear, and had been undergoing a major restructuring program since 1989. The stock performed steady and positive. However, there was a significant drop in late 1989 and late 1990. IV. a. The average return of California R. E. I. T. is -2. 7% and the average return of Brown Group Inc. is -0. 67 %. The standard deviation of California R. E. I. T. is 0. 092307 and the standard deviation of Brown Group Inc. is 0. 081668. The standard deviation of S&P index is 0. 46036. Compare with SP500, California R. E. I. T. is more risker. b. In portfolio SPC, the standard deviation is0. 046526 and in SPB the standard deviation is 0. 046419. And the incremental risk of SPC and SPB over a portfolio with 99% in the SP500 and 1% in a risk-free asset are 0. 409504 and 0. 409611. From the data we can see that the California R. E. I. T. affect the portfolio more.The SP500 index is the safest stock and the California R. E. I. T. is still the risker stock. c. The regression of California R. E. I. T. ’s monthly return on index return was attached as Appendix 1. The coefficient is 0. 011856. The regression of Brown Group Inc. ’s monthly return on index return was attached as Appendix 2. The coefficient is 0. 013509. We can still find that the California R. E. I. T. is risker stock tha t affect the portfolio more. d. The return of SPC equals to 99%*E(Rindex)+1%*E(Rc) and the return of SPB equals to 99%*E(Rindex) + 1%*E(Rb) and the return of risk-free portfolio is 99%* E(Rindex) + 1%*E(Rf).The excess return for SPC is 1%*E(Rf) -1%*E(Rc) and the excess return for SPB is 1%*E(Rf) -1%*E(Rb). From the expression, we can find that the excess return for each unit is the difference between the expected return of risk-free asset and the expected return of the stock. V. Summary * If the size of account is small, the safer way to maintain and adjust equity market exposure is â€Å"index†. * Create portfolio smarter; do not invest all money in single area. * The excess return of the stock is difference between the return rates. * When investing, index will be a good indication to predict the stock’s future trend.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Macbeth- the Weyward Sisters

English| Macbeth- The Weyward Sisters | Discuss the nature of the three witches who foretell Macbeth’s future. The Three Witches in William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth (1603-1607) add an element of supernatural and prophecy to the play. These three witches represent the personification of evil, conflict and chaos in an already hectic story. The predominant witch, Hecate- the Greek goddess of the moon and later witchcraft- and her two following witches- Graymalkin and Paddock- predict General Macbeth’s rise to the throne.The witches are described as having beards but appearing human. Also known as the ‘weyward sisters’- as quoted in Macbeth- these old, decrepit prophetesses recite â€Å"Fair is foul and foul is fair; Hover through the fog and filthy air†( 1;1;12-13). This line sets up the play with suspicion and confusion as the line suggests that tables will turn. â€Å"Double, double toil and trouble† (4;1;10-11) the three witches chant - making it clear that these witches seek trouble, what is unclear is whether they are changing and controlling fate or if they are merely ensuring its success.What do these prophecies represent, what clues does Shakespeare provide and what conclusion (if any) does he allow his audience to come to? â€Å"All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor; All hail, Macbeth! That shalt be King hereafter! † (1;3;11-12) â€Å"The power of man; For none of woman born; Shall harm Macbeth† (4;1;88-89) The witches’ prophecies imply Macbeth will reign and that no man of natural birth will cause his downfall. The prophecies foreshadow the development of the plot, they hint to the audience the likely direction of the story and they give legitimacy to the final outcome of the plot.They give righteousness to the outcome; because its destiny. Shakespeare hints throughout the play of the expected downfall of the murderous King Macbeth. The second prophecy â€Å"For none of wom an born; Shall harm Macbeth† hints that an unnatural birthed man can kill or overthrow Macbeth. Macbeth is later be-headed in a duel against Macduff- retribution for the killing of his family including King Duncan. The audience come to a conclusion that good is returned- that fair is no longer foul. The wayward sisters and the death of Macbeth illustrates the need to follow good rather than choose the path to evil.The audience has seen the effects of Macbeth’s tortured soul- the death of his beloved wife and even his own- emphasizing the need to rid a guilty conscience. Was the ambiguity of the witches’ prophecies necessary to the development of the play’s plot and key themes? Hecate, Graymalkin and Paddock foretell the uprising of Macbeth and inform him of his future and what he must do in order to pursue his destiny as king. The Three Witches never tell Macbeth to kill King Duncan, they merely imply that Kind Duncan must die for Macbeth to become king.Th e witches set a path for him that only he may choose to follow should he wish. Through temptation of sure success he kills King Duncan and follows the path to destruction. Macbeth is not psychologically capable of living with the guilt of murder, however the Three Witches prophecies have given Macbeth the assurance that he will succeed- blanketing his guilt and giving him the confidence he needs to commit the crime. Had the witches kept their prophecies to themselves, Macbeth would not have enough confidence, or encouragement from Lady Macbeth, to kill King Duncan.However there would be a lack of supernatural and excitement in the play. Macbeth is unique because of its treacherous witches, unreal fascinations of King Duncan’s and Banquo’s ghosts and Lady Macbeth’s ‘blood’ on her hand- individualising this play to numerous regicide stories. Word Count- 711 Bibliography Stewart, M. Ancestry. com –The Three Witches. Published 1998 by Zimmerman. Accessed 14/11/11 At: http://homepages. rootsweb. ancestry. com/~maggieoh/Macbeth/witches. htm PotW Org. Poem of the Week- Macbeth. Unknown publisher or author. Accessed 17/11/11 At: http://www. potw. org/archive/potw283. html

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Algal Biomass

In addition to that, access to carbon dioxide and water areessential. Even though microalgae can produce in the presence of saline water,fresh water is needed in a raceway pond system to compensate for the evaporativeloss depending on the wind velocity, air temperature, and humidity level of thelocation. Temperature is an important element in biomass cultivation. Most algaegrow better in warmer climates ranging from 25-40?. Tropical locations with auniformly warm temperature throughout the year (Chisti, 2016), can act as perfectlocations for algaculture as the temperature doesn't have to be monitored at alltimes, and the algae can adapt to local conditions.There are however some drawbacks while using raceway pond systems, thatrender them sometimes ineffective. Since, carbon dioxide is required to acceleratethe production of microalgae, an accumulation of oxygen can act as a hindrance tothe process. There is no known mechanism in a raceway pond, that helps curb thisaccumulation of oxygen. Peak sunlight hours during the day can hamper with thephotosynthesis, as the level of oxygen may increase to up to three times of the levelin saturated water. For this reason, smaller raceway ponds achieve better resultsthan larger ponds with respect to oxygen removal, and in turn better productivity. Another issue with raceways is the contamination due to exposure to rain, dust andother debris. Smaller ponds may be placed inside, but that can't be said for largerponds. Filtration can help inhibit infestations and contamination of the ponds, but thatis an expensive process.The production cost of biomass with raceways is considered to be the leastexpensive option. The cost of a pond depends on the type of facility it is built in,plastic lined earthen raceways are the least expensive alternatives with their totalcost of construction amounting to be approximately $70,000 per hectare, whereasponds enclosed in greenhouses or covered facilities are more expensive as theyprotect from contamination. Raceways require least amount of capital investmentand therefore remain the system of choice, despite their low productivity anddrawbacks.Photo-bioreactors (PBRs)A photo-bioreactor is a closed equipment which provides a controlledenvironment and enables high productivity of algae. PBRs curb all the problems thatare faced in raceways ponds, like carbon dioxide supply, temperature, optimaloxygen levels, pH levels etc. There are two types of photo-bioreactors- flat-plate andand tubular. Both PBRs are made of transparent materials for maximum solar lightenergy absorption. Flat-plate PBRs are suitable for mass cultivation of algae,because high photosynthetic efficiencies can be achieved. Tubular PBRs aresuitable for outdoor cultivation, and are constructed with either glass or plastic tubes. Systems covering large areas outdoors, consist of tubes exposed to sunlight and canbe operated either in batches or continuously. Photo-bioreactors usually have a4water pool as a temperature control system in order to prevent the tubes fromoverheating as they act as solar receptors. They also have built in cleaning systemfor the tubes without stopping production. Fundamentally, using photo-bioreactorsare more advantageous than using raceways for many reasons, like cultivation ofalgae under controlled environments resulting in higher productivity, protection fromcontamination, space-saving and larger surface to volume ratio. However there aresome limitations attached to PBRs; the capital cost is very high which is impedingthe progress of microalgae biofuel production, in spite of larger production levels. Also, data from the past two decades has shown that the productivity in an enclosePBR is not much higher than that achieved in open-pond cultures.3. Environmental Limitations of Microalgae CultivationAs with all large scale productions, wide scale microalgae biofuel productioncould have diverse environmental impacts. Water is a critical element of the biofuelproduction processes, in both raceway-ponds and PBRs. With the current globalwater crisis, using large amounts of fresh water to compensate for evaporation inopen ponds or to cool PBRs, renders the system economically unviable. Seawater orbrackish water may be used in these functions, but have to be filtered in order toprevent infestation of bacteria, and contamination. Recirculating water is onealternative to curb the usage of water, but that has risks of virus infestations, and theresidues of previously destroyed algae cells. Filtration systems are expensive, andfactor in with the lack of cost effectiveness of these systems.Most microalgae production farms have to be located close to the equator inorder to ensure high levels of production due to the uniformity of the climate, andadequate amount of solar radiation. Another factor is the type of land and terrain thefarm is located in, for instance to install a large raceway pond, a relatively flat land isrequired. The addition of nutrients and fertilisers like nitrogen and phosphorus is alsoessential for algaculture. The amount of nutrients and fertilisers to be usedadditionally depends on the soil porosity and permeability of the land. Algalcultivation requires a lot of fertilisers to make up for the compensation for fossil fuels.Researching and budgeting nutrients and fertilisers is a key concern in research anddevelopment of microalgae cultivation. Algal cultivation requires usage of fossil fuels continuously in a plethora ofways, ranging from electricity consumption during cultivation and natural gas used todry the algae for production. In PBRs, the temperature control for cooling the pipesfrom overheating increases the use of fossil fuels. This use of fossil fuels in algaebiofuel production is paradoxical to the cause and a dire need to optimise the systemto minimise the energy usage is established. That being said, microalgae cultivationfaces a variety of environmental challenges, coming from the location to the type of5algae. Energy conservation and water management are two of the main challengesto be conquered to make the system sustainable in the future.4. Cost EffectivenessThe cost of algae biofuel production is essential to establish to know howsustainable this system can be in the future. The cost of biofuel production dependson a variety of factors, such as the the yield of the biomass, geographical location, oilcontent, scale of production systems etc. Presently, microalgae biofuel production isstill more expensive than normal diesel fuels because of the ongoing R&D, and theambiguity of current knowledge. Chisti in 2007 approximated the cost of productionof algal-oils from a PBR with an annual production capacity of 10,000 tons per yearand estimated the cost of $2.80 per litre, considering the oil content to be 30% in thealgae used. This estimation is exclusive of the algal oil to biodiesel conversion costs,logistics, marketing costs and taxes. Due to these high costs of algal-fuel, the utmostimportance during research should be given to cost-saving itself, in an attempt tomake biofuel from microalgae affordable enough to be commercialised in the nearfuture.Open pond systems would ideally be the most economically viable way tocultivate microalgae biofuel, but not without it's set of intrinsic disadvantagesdiscussed earlier in this research paper. As the technology gets increasinglyadvanced, the cost factor multiplies as well making the entire process a lot lesseconomical than what was started with first hand. Improved yield of biomass andnutrient oils (or lipids) would make the production costs drop rapidly.Moreover, to reduce the production costs alternative ways to manage energy andwater consumption have to be devised, a simplified design for PBRs is necessary.Substitutes for fresh water like wastewater and flue gases can contribute to lowercosts of production. Biofuel Production The rapid growth of environmental pollution by the usage of conventionalfossil fuels has sparked a lot of concern globally. The research and development foralternative fuels is one of the principal focuses for every country in an attempt for asustainable and promising future on this planet for all generations. Various optionsare available to us to help us make this shift, however to find a sustainable methodwhich is as promising as it is economically viable is a global challenge. Currently,biomass derived fuels seem to be the most optimistic path.Various ways of harvesting algae have been discussed in this paper, the next step istypically to process the algae in a series of steps which differ from species to6species. One of the most important approaches in biomass production isHydrothermal Liquefaction or HTL.5.1 Hydrothermal LiquefactionHydrothermal Liquefaction employes â€Å"a continuous process that subjectsharvested wet algae to high temperatures and pressures† (Elliot, 2013). Convertingsolid biomass to liquid fuels is not a spontaneous process. The liquid fuels derivedfrom fossil fuels on a large scale took thousands of years to convert biomass tocrude oil and gas. In present day, there are many modern conversion technologies toobtain liquefied fuels from various biomasses, these conversion technologies canfundamentally be classified into biochemical and thermochemical conversion.Biochemical mass usually has low energy density, high moisture content and doesnot have a very viscous physical form. Thermochemical conversions in comparisonare much more viscous as they are converted at very high temperatures in highpressures in the presence of catalysts that make the conversions much more rapid.Simply, Hydrothermal Liquefaction is â€Å"the thermochemical conversion of biomassinto liquid fuels by processing in a hot, pressurized environment for sufficient time tobreak down into solid bio polymeric structure to mainly liquid components†(Gollakota, 2017). Microalgae is, amongst all possible biomass sources, the most efficientand reliable source of wet biomass due to its high photosynthetic efficiency,maximum production levels, and its rapid growth in almost all environments. Overthe years, many thermochemical conversions have made their way, and while eachhas their pros and cons, HTL has come a long way as one of the most appropriateprocesses to tackle thermochemical conversion of wet biomass. Many scientists overthe years have done extensive research pertaining to the development ofhydrothermal liquefaction, such as Beckmann and Elliott who studied the propertiesof oil obtained from HTL of biomass, and gave crucial inputs with respect to the kindof catalysts and other parameters are pertinent to the HTL process to ensuresignificant productivity.5.2 Process MechanismCurrently, the knowledge about HTL process mechanisms is qualitative andneeds a lot more space for research. The mechanism comprises of three majorsteps: depolymerisation, decomposition and recombination. The chemistry behind allthese processes is very complex as the biomass is a complex mixture ofcarbohydrates, proteins, oils etc. Each working mechanism of hydrothermalliquefaction is discussed below.5.2.1 Depolymerisation7In this process the macromolecules of the biomass are dissolves through theirphysical and chemical properties. Depolymerisation makes it easier for the biomassto overcome it's natural qualities and start behaving like fossil fuels. It mimics thegeological processes, that are involved in the production of conventional fossil fuels.The process first grounds the feedstock material into small chunks and mixes it withwater, if the feedstock is fry. This mixture is then put into a pressure vessel reactionchamber where it is heated at a constant volume at a temperature of 250?, themixture is held in these conditions for approximately 15 minutes at the end of whichthe pressure is released and most of the water is boiled off. The resultant concoctionconsists of crude hydrocarbons and solid minerals. The minerals are removed andthe hydrocarbons are sent to the second stage.The disadvantage of this process is that it only breaks down long molecularchains into shorter ones, this implies that smaller molecules like carbon dioxide ormethane cannot be broken down further by depolymerisation. Decomposition or Dehydration The second stage of hydrothermal liquefaction involves the loss of the watermolecule, the carbon dioxide molecule and the acid content. Water at high pressuresand temperatures breaks down the hydrogen bonded structure of celluloses and inturn forms glucose monomers. This is how HTL provides an alternative processroute from microalgae biofuels to hydrocarbon liquid fuels.5.2.3 RecombinationThis is the last step in HTL which is reverse of the two previous processesbecause of the absence of the hydrogen compound. The free radicals are largelyavailable which in turn recombine or repolymerise to form high molecular weight charcompounds.5.3 Hydrothermal Liquefaction of Microalgae:The main advantage of using HTL for microalgae is that it doesn'trequire the predrying of feedstock, yet ensuring a relatively high production. Theprocess of HTL applied to microalgae is similar to treating cellulose but with a fewdifferences, the major one being treating wed feedstock as opposed to dryfeedstock. One of the principally researched issues that will ensure high productivityis a high lipid yield, which is necessary to convert microalgae into biodiesel. Theeffect of significant variables, such as temperature, pressure, volume, biomassconcentration and compositions of algae, catalysts et al. is still under research.During hydrothermal liquefaction of microalgae, a rational heat management system8must be put in place that ensures energy efficiency and separation of the endproduct. Current Situation ; Future Viability:In present day, pertaining to all the advantages and disadvantages of HTL,there is sufficient proof that HTL has potential to become a commercialisedtechnology in the future.Biofuels produced using hydrothermal liquefaction are absent of carbon, thisimplies that there are no carbon emissions produced when the biofuel is burnt.Materials like algae use photosynthesis to grow, and therefore use the carbondioxide already present in the atmosphere. The carbon imprint produced by biofuelsis exponentially lower than what is already being experienced by conventional fossilfuels. Hydrothermal Liquefaction is a clean process, which doesn't harm theenvironment by producing harmful gases like ammonia or sulphur. If the technologyis mastered, HTL can pave the way for clean algal biofuels globally, although thereare still a number of challenges to be overcome. Conclusion The cultivation and production of microalgae biofuels is swiftly developing andis receiving attention and funding from global leaders. The rapid increase in worldpopulation, and hence the energy demand is a siren call to devise an alternativeenergy source. Microalgae's versatile qualities make it a promising path to tread onwhen it comes to biofuels. There are various ways to derive biofuels from algae aswe saw in this paper, and also many challenges attached with them. Bio-oil obtainedfrom various processes suffers from various drawbacks such as a high oxygencontent, instability etc, therefore an optimal technique to efficiently convert biomassto biofuel should be researched in order to be able to commercialise the use ofbiofuels in the near future. Making biofuels economically viable in the future is a bigchallenge in itself. Even though, photo-bioreactors promise a bright future in terms ofbiofuel cultivation, the overhead costs attached from cultivating the biofuel to makingit market ready and selling it are still quite high. These high costs of biofuels ascompared to conventional fossil fuels are what render them unready forcommercialisation. However, even with theoretical development and research, abright future for microalgae fossil fuels presents itself.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

The Philosophy of Supply Chain Management in the New Economy

THE PHILOSOPHY OF SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT IN THE NEW ECONOMY: NET READINESS IN THE NET SUPPLY CHAIN The use of Internet in business can bring change in business sector that can lead the traditional enterprise to collapse. Globalization processes, massive implementation of Information Technology and the establishment of virtual enterprises are the basic elements in the era of the Digital Revolution. Net readiness is the ability of the enterprise to adapt to the new technologies.With the vast development of internet technology, there is a tremendous development in the supply chain management and traditional SCM has been transformed into e-SCM. So the new economic system is largely based on the information technology. Based on a huge implementation of Information Technology foundations for the New Economy are laid. D. Tapscott gave 12 principles of the New Economy. A continuous process of adaptation is required to these processes to meet evolving consumers’ needs.New principles o f operation are applied by new economy enterprises. Within the Time Based Management an ever-increasing effectiveness is guaranteed in the implementation of the Internet. Physical, informational and financial flows are present on the logistics pipeline. Virtual organizations are treated as production systems used to create products and satisfy customers’ needs. These virtual organizations utilize a concrete supply that is input and output to satisfy the needs and ensure expected profit.Users, telecommunications businesses and suppliers are the three groups of enterprises that utilize Internet infrastructure. They offer a wide variety of services to both traditional and virtual enterprises, which is based on the ‘5C’. Based on the flow of goods and services the created virtual chain is connected with traditional supply chain. The synergy effect of traditional business solutions and Internet technology applications are the two specific characteristics of the supply chain functioning.The utilizations of the resources and advantages of e-SCM can be directly related to the term called â€Å"Net Readiness† (NR) described by the employees of Cisco which means that the ability of the existing enterprise to adapt to new technologies and conduct their activities using the web. NR evaluation chart is the main NR research tool, which describes the level of involvement of an enterprise in e-business solutions. In relation to the best representative in its group it enables the position of the enterprise to be determined.Enterprises are divided into five groups: Internet visionary, Internet expert, Internet savvy, Internet aware, Internet agnostic. Modern supply chains have many advantages, but they have threats resulting from characteristics of e-economy. Due to a world-wide economic stratification and a clear division into digital civilization and outsiders limits in new opportunities can be noticed. Due to the e-businesses in the new economy, th e society is evolving into information society and a lot of innovative techniques which saves time are being implemented which adds value to the production and customer service.

Friday, September 13, 2019

Entrpreneurship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Entrpreneurship - Essay Example On the other hand, sustainable entrepreneurs are entrepreneurs or firms that work in a sustainable manner and contribute to the creation of sustainable development (Weidinger et al., 2013). Sustainable development has grown significantly for the past few decades; people and corporate have come to realizes that is easy to do business sustainably. They noted that doing businesses is quite easy at the same time trying to solve issues facing the society. According to the view of sustainable entrepreneurs, challenges can be easily solved and at the same time create business strategies that have more value to the society and economy. Current society is characterized by high level of environmental destruction, climate change, and ozone depletion; such practices pose a great danger to us and the needs of futures generations. However, with sustainable entrepreneurship, environment will be safe, destruction of forest will reduce, and improvement of agricultural practices will increase. In addition, sustainable entrepreneurship is a vital opportunity to developing countries. It improves and increase access to education, creates more job opportunities, increase productivity, physical health and economy (Rendtorff, 2009). Additionally, motivations to sustainable entrepreneurship are changes in environmental businesses, in this sense, the change in demand and supply. Such change motivates an entrepreneur to stand tall and focus of sustainable entrepreneurship. A change is an opportunity; an opportunity in this perspective is availability of raw materials to start a business. It is an ethical responsibility of business firms to be more concern about sustainability; at the same time it is also legal for business to be a concern. Currently, businesses are no longer viewed by the capability to avail goods and services but, the way the avail such commodities and impacts on the society. The main aspects which businesses are more concern with are; environmental,

Thursday, September 12, 2019

The Turn of the Screw Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Turn of the Screw - Essay Example Whereas a conventional fiction-writer endeavors to establish the credibility of the reality which s/he depicts in his fiction, James intentionally attempts to stir up the readers’ doubt about the credibility of the narrator’s presentation of the uncanny monstrosity of the children’s and the monstrous environment in the House. In the novel, James has employed various narrative strategies to support his assertion that nothing truly exists outside the human imagination or takes precedence over the human imagination, using the characters to defend and analyze this position. His first strategy is to instill the uncanny monstrosity in the characters of the novel. The novel does not directly tell the readers whether the Children are really monstrous or not. Rather it inspires the readers to decide whether they are monstrous. Another strategy of James is that he makes the Governess’s character unreliable. The way how the Governess tells the story necessarily provo kes the readers to think that there must be a number of different possible interpretations of the reality which she presents. In the novel, James has made a shrewd application of the uncanny to justify his comment that the fictional reality is what and how we perceive it. ... Even sometimes she herself proves to be wrong and seems that she suffers from hallucination. This uncertainty of the Governess’s storytelling provokes the readers to question whether the children are really monstrous or this monstrosity is a misperception or fabrication of the Governess. Both any possible conclusion what a reader may reach is that the horizon of a fiction is, indeed, a vast area where the writers enjoy the utmost freedom to arrange the events in a particular sequence to make the plot credible. While reading the novel, the readers’ attentions become focused on two focal points. First, they grow doubtful about whether the children, Miles and Flora, are really monstrous or not. Secondly, they question whether there is something wrong on the Governess’s part. Indeed, James’s success to divide up the readers’ attentions on two apparently contradictory focal points tends to establish his claim that, whatever the reality about the children is, the ultimate reality is how we perceive it. For example, a reader can tell for sure whether Miles and Flora maintain a secret relationship with Quint, the dead valet and Miss Jessel who is also dead now. Flora’s nocturnal movement and the discovery of her ‘too free’ intimacy with Miss Jessel, Miles’s association with the ghosts, his unexplained banishment from the school –all these events seem so supernatural and ominous. The Governess claims that she could see some ghostly associations of Miles and Flora with the dead valet and governess. Even she claims that she has encountered with their ghosts for several times. But this claim makes the readers dubious about her psychological sanity, when they once

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Managing Information in Toyota Motor Corporation Research Paper

Managing Information in Toyota Motor Corporation - Research Paper Example The objective here is to achieve optimum cost control so that it will reflect positively on the bottom - the line of the company’s profits and give maximum returns to the stakeholders of the company. Efforts at cost control, without compromising on quality, are an everyday effort within the company Cost control can be defined as â€Å"Application of (1) investigative procedures to detect variance of actual costs from budgeted costs, (2) diagnostic procedures to ascertain the cause(s) of variance, and (3) corrective procedures to effect realignment between actual and budgeted costs.† The type of information that is required to achieve cost control is wide-ranging and has to be acquired from a variety of sources. The types of cost that are incurred in a typical manufacturing concern include direct costs, indirect costs, hidden costs, future liability costs, intangible costs, external costs etc.a. Direct costs: Direct cost is costs that can be readily identified as those d irectly incurred in them the manufacturing process. It includes raw materials, wages depreciation etc.  b. Indirect costs: Costs, which cannot be attributed directly to production, are termed as indirect costs. These include salaries, rent, marketing expenses etc.  c.   An example would be where customers are not satisfied with the product which results in a fall in sales. â€Å"Some examples of hidden quality costs are customer dissatisfaction with a product or defects in a product that causes a loss of sales.

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Research paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 12

Research paper - Essay Example A good swimming technique relies on the efficiency of one’s power transfer process by overcoming drag. Moreover, deriving maximum energy output from the effort put in is mainly the essence for swimmers to improve their performance in competitive swimming. The discussion provides a detailed technical analysis of swimming strokes – freestyle, backstroke, and butterfly, along with a review of the biomechanical principles related to each of those strokes. Furthermore, suggestions of drills or exercises for improving the favorite stroke of backstroke, based on the technical and biomechanical aspects, will also be critiqued. The basic swimming strokes of Freestyle, Backstroke, and Butterfly stroke are taken for analysis focusing on its biomechanics and technical aspects. Freestyle is generally the fastest and most popular stroke, with front crawl being the most commonly chosen among swimmers. That is, although swimmers or in particular ones in competition can choose whatever stroke they wish during the freestyle, mostly they choose front crawl which involves the swimmer circling his/her arms forward in alternation even while kicking their foots up and down. Next, the Backstroke, or otherwise the elementary backstroke is perfect for recreational and competitive arena. In this swimming stroke, the individual lies right on his back in the supine position on water and the strokes are done with one arm at a time. Last, the butterfly stroke is done on the breast, by moving both the arms and is accompanied by the dolphin kick. Unlike the other strokes, butterfly stroke is quite difficult and requires adequate practice with proper technique and strong muscle coordination. Freestyle, being the fastest stroke, would clearly improve one’s speed in swimming and this stroke is quite essential for lifeguard practices. As above-mentioned, it is characterized by stroking of the arms alternatively over the water surface, accompanied with alternating flutter kick in an

Monday, September 9, 2019

Beveridges Social Security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Beveridges Social Security - Essay Example "There is world economy, but there is no world polity". (Altiero Spinelli and Brit Federa: Writings by Bevirdige, Robbins and Spinelli) The Beveridge Report is based on certain principles that put forth the cause of the lower strata of the society and social security. Firstly, the main principle underlines in the Report is that all the proposals for the establishment of a Welfare State and to promote the interests of the society, need to be unbiased and non-partisan. The proposals need to be commonly targeted and certainly not in the interest of a section of the society. Besides using past experience and knowledge in governance, proposals need to highlight the positive impact they would bring about, on the entire society, and not only the affluent strata. Secondly, the Report highlighted that social insurance must be incorporated into the process of bringing about social welfare.

Sunday, September 8, 2019

Fitness Proposal Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Fitness Proposal - Research Paper Example The concept of nutrition is not just limited to the products we intake, but the entire process involved which involves metabolism and catabolism at the same time. In a broader sense it involves the entire digestive system of human body. Nutrients come in a wide variety and the proteins, vitamins; minerals encompass the circle of nutrients. They are required in certain amount for ensuring the proper working of human body. While proteins and carbohydrates provide energy, vitamins are multi functional in nature and at times they are source of energy, at others they provide protection against diseases and help in healing processes in the body. Excessive fats are enemy to the human body and not only do they obstruct the mechanism of proper working of different components of the body ,they additionally pose threat in form of severe malfunctions which may result from deficiencies of several nutrients that are required by the body. The cholesterols result in an underlying surface of fats which hinder the proper working of the nutrients and other natural foods. Supplements are quite common in practice for purpose of maintaining fitness and health. They are more commonly in use in areas of athletics and other activities where physical labor is desired. For long their use, and subsequent reaction and impact on the body has been questioned. Many researchers have conducted intensive research in this area to determine the possible downsides of supplements. However from a rational study and analysis of the entire study, it can be deduced that supplements are not solely bad, the manner in which they are used, determines its use and abuse. Many a times, body suffers due to stress induced. It occurs because of the lack of knowledge on behalf of athletes. The human body consists of areas that are relatively stronger, and those that require specific consideration while exposing them to direct training