Texas City Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Texas City Case Study - Essay Example The gas condensed into a liquid that was ultimately ignited by an idling truck. The workers on the crew that overfilled the tank, as well as the driver of the idling truck are in this sense directly responsible for the disaster. They violated proper procedure and those failing to intervene or report these violates are culpable. This culpability is mitigated by the requirement that fatigue workers work 12 hour shifts, in the context of normative, company-led safety violations and lack of safety training, functioning alarms and other safety equipment. The driver of the truck, while perhaps the most proximate individual trigger for the disaster, is fairly neutral in terms of culpability, having no knowledge of the gas inside the tank. Laudability and culpability are mixed, though weighted more toward culpability when it comes to the government body tasked with overseeing workplace safety. OSHA, despite issuing a warning to BP before the disaster, OSHA failed to instigate comprehensive inspections. This lax attitude nullified the lastline of defense against such tragedy. Merritt, lead investigator for the CSB, said that â€Å"the drastic effects of corporate cost-cutting† caused the fire. At the time of the disaster, the company had recently merged with Arco. Low oil prices put pressure on management that ultimately resulted in the most culpable decisions leading to the disaster; lack of investment in plant safety and infrastructure, deliberate skirting of needed safety equipment and precautions, as well as staff cuts and overwork. According to the CSB, BP managers cut capital spending and spending on maintenance in the years leading to the disaster, and following years of low investment. This was, however, an industry norm at the time. Safety features such as alarms were not present or not working, while the layout

Personal Philosophy (Mission Statement) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Personal Philosophy (Mission Statement) - Essay Example Amidst all frustrations in life, optimism is essential. Everything can be achieved if we remain positive. With sufficient determination, we can climb the highest of mountains. That cannot be achieved in the absence of faith. Philosopher Henry David Thoreau once said, "If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with success unexpected in common hours." We cannot afford to lose hope and faith. Hope and faith may only seem a simple word but they are the tower of strength in times of anxiety and despair. My spirituality remains extremely important in my life; it is the backbone of my inner self. I am basically a simple person who appreciates the goodness of life. One of the things I enjoy is watching movies. Films are both entertaining and educating. Whether captured from actual accounts or just purely fictional fragments, they depict reality and display the expanse of man's imagination. I have always been amazed at man's cleverness in producing movies. I constantly look forward to meeting new people. It gives me a sense of excitement. Perhaps it's because this is a very big world and it is probably impossible to meet all the six billion plus people inhabiting earth. I always find something interesting in the diversity of man's character. And I have proven that whatever color we may be, beyond the variety of race and culture, beneath the skin we are all the same; we are brothers and sisters. Whenever I feel exhausted from everyday routines, I go shopping. When it comes to relaxation, shopping is indeed a pleasant diversion. I also found out that until now I am fond of exploring new things. I guess that the curious little child in me never grew up. Many things capture my interest and I don't stop until I learn about them and then put them to good use. There are quite a few things I wish to change about myself. Some say that I have a little attitude and that I easily get angry. Perhaps that is because I am far from my country and that I miss my family and friends very much. Sometimes I also easily get impatient. I get annoyed when things get delayed and not done right away. Personal, Academic, and Career Goals Coming from a small family of four, it is my dream to have a large family. I intend to stay with my husband for the rest of my life and be able to provide my kids a happy life and good education. I also want to stay close with my parents and only brother. I aspire to have a 4.0 GPA and get my bachelor degree sooner than expected and start my MBA soon after. I believe that I would need all the skills I can acquire to competently manage my mother's business. I plan to make many changes and practice the theories I have learned. Strengths and Weaknesses I am happily married and have just recently given birth to a healthy baby boy. Even from the womb, he is my inspiration. He is definitely one of my treasures in this life. My son embodies the love that has flourished between me and my husband. My son provides in me the strength to desire a better future for my family. I am not a very patient person but having a child gradually remedies that. Caring for an infant requires patience and my love for my

The Structure And Function Of Proteins Biology Essay

The Structure And Function Of Proteins Biology Essay Proteins are large macromolecules which consist of hydrogen, carbon and oxygen; proteins are polymeric chains that are built from monomers known as amino acids. Proteins have a major function in a living organism, for example, the replication of DNA, catalysing metabolic reactions (catalyst); stimulus response and also transporting molecules form one place to another. There are 20 different types of amino acids which synthesize proteins, however the function and different properties of each type of protein is due to the precise sequence and structure of the amino acids present. Each amino acid consists of a central carbon atom (C), which is attached to a hydrogen atom (H), an amino group (also known as NH2 group), a carboxyl group (- COOH, this gives up a proton hence why this is known as an acid) and also a unique side chain or R group. Amino acids are linked linearly via covalent peptide bonds, short chain amino acids are known as peptides whereas long chain formations of amino acids are called polypeptides, where the peptide bond is formed between the carboxyl group of one amino acid and the amino group on the neighbouring amino acid. This reaction occurs as a condensation reaction where there is a removal of a hydrogen atom from the amino group of one amino acid and the removal of a à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬OH group from the carboxyl acid from another amino acid forming a water molecule (Fig 1). http://ibhumanbiochemistry.wikispaces.com/file/view/CondensationReaction.jpg/31781961/CondensationReaction.jpg Fig 1: a condensation reaction between two amino acid molecules, there is a formation of a water molecule as a waste product. The unique side chain or R group is what disguises one amino acid from another; the overall structure and properties of the proteins are therefore dependent on sequence of the R group of each amino acid. Furthermore these variations of the R group and also the arrangements of the other amino acids would form a number of different polypeptides. Each protein consists of a different number of these polypeptide chains which are folded into complex three dimensional shapes therefore different proteins would have different shapes. There are four levels of protein organization found in polypeptides; these structures are known as: primary structure, secondary structure, tertiary structure and also quaternary structure. Primary structures is the basic structure of the levels of organization, the primary structure is the linear arrangements/sequence found of the amino acid in the protein, and also could be thought of as the covalent linkages found in the polypeptide chain or the protein, such as a disulphide bond. The secondary structure is the areas of folding found within the protein, where there is an ordered arrangement of the amino acids in some localized regions of the polypeptide molecule; hydrogen bonds play a vital role in stabilizing the folding patterns which are found in the protein molecule. Although the conformation of each protein molecule are considered unique, there are two main types of secondary structure, or folding patterns, that are often present; these are the alpha helix and the anti-parallel beta-pleated sheets, these two folding patterns are common due to the hydrogen bonding occurs between the N-H and C=O groups in the backbone of the polypeptide. However there are a number of other secondary structures but the alpha helix and the anti-parallel sheets are the most stable form of secondary structures found. Furthermore there may be a number of these two types of secondary structure found in a single polypeptide chain. An alpha helix is spiral structure where this could be either a right handed or left handed spiral, in which the peptide bonds are found to be Trans conformational and planar, it would also be found that the amino group of each of the peptide bonds is generally in the upward position where as the carboxyl group points in the downwards position. An alpha helix structure is generated when a single polypeptide chain has turned around itself to form a rigid cylinder where a hydrogen bond is formed between every fourth amino acid (fig 1.2), which links the C=O group of one peptide bond to the N-H group on another amino acid (fig 1.2). http://faculty.ccbcmd.edu/courses/bio141/lecguide/unit3/viruses/images/alphahelix.jpg Fig 1.2: shows the hydrogen bond formed between every fourth amino acid, also linking the N-H group and O=H group. There are two types of beta sheets; parallel and anti-parallel beta sheets. The Beta pleated sheets are extended polypeptide chains with another neighbouring polypeptide chain extending either parallel or anti-parallel to each other, this occurs due to the hydrogen bonds being formed between the segments of the polypeptide chain so are essentially place side by side. The parallel beta sheets is when the structure is shown to consist a polypeptide chain and neighbouring polypeptide chain that would run in the same direction (from the N-terminus to the C-terminus), is known as the parallel beta sheet (Fig 2.1), whereas when the polypeptide chain runs in the opposite direction of that of its neighbouring chain, it is known as an anti-parallel beta sheet (Fig 2.2). http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSXEJyNbzn7F6PlFREwMGrUg4oz5Ysk1Fho12R9GMWzGFSIQjfK9M9bVZ80 Fig 2.1: shows the parallel beta sheets, the dotted line represents hydrogen bonds. The polypeptide chains shown are placed side by side but run in the same direction so are parallel to each other. Fig 2.2: shows the anti-parallel beta sheets, the dotted line represents hydrogen bonds. The polypeptide chains shown are placed side by side but run in the opposite direction so are anti-parallel to each other. The beta sheet are stable structures that produces a very rigid, pleated structure; this is due to the beta sheet being stabilized by hydrogen bond being formed between the amino group on one polypeptide chain and the carboxyl group on the adjacent chain. The tertiary structure of a protein is the full three dimensional structure of the arrangements of atoms found within the polypeptide chain, this structure is the final geometric shape that protein assume and would be the highest level structure that a protein can attain, the structures include the alpha helix, beta sheets, random coils and also other structures such as loops and folds, which are formed between the N-terminus and the C-terminus. The tertiary structure is mainly stabilized by the formation of disulphide bonds, this is also known as a disulphide bridge because these bonds are formed by oxidation reaction of the side chains of cysteine, by oxidizing the two thiol groups (SH) which would form a disulphide bond (S-S) (fig 3). http://www.elmhurst.edu/~chm/vchembook/images/563cysdisulfide.gif Fig 3: Shows the equation of an oxidation reaction in the tertiary structure to form a disulphide bridge (S-S), where a molecule of water is formed. The quaternary structure of a protein is the arrangements of many different types of coiled and folded polypeptides to form a unique functional protein and is stabilized by several non-covalent bonding, where some of these types of bonding are also found in tertiary structures, for example; hydrogen bonding, Van Der Waals interactions, hydrophobic interactions and also ionic interactions. These can occur if there is more than one polypeptide chain present in a complex protein.

Alan Bennetts Talking Heads inspired my initial idea. :: Drama

Alan Bennett's 'Talking Heads' inspired my initial idea. DRAMA PRACTICAL =============== Our group comprised of Jennifer Harney, Jamie Hollaway, Antonia Forsyth, Nick Hudson and myself. Alan Bennett's 'Talking Heads' inspired my initial idea. I had imagined two seats on stage with two people portraying an unusual event. The other actors would then act out the narrated story. However this was not met with great enthusiasm and so was immediately dismissed. Our second idea was more stimulating. We came up with the idea of a failing band who were looking for new talent a la 'The commitment', and were holding auditions. Jenny was immediately taken with the idea and imagined herself portraying the role of director. We soon had discussed this idea to death and were no longer inspired by it but dreaded the thought of how we would bring it to the stage.. The end of the lesson arrived and we realised we had done nothing but talk and had rubbished all the ideas we had come up with. We repeated the second lesson in the same way, however it was a little more productive. We moved from the idea of a failing band to an actress who was finding it tough being at the top. However two problems soon emerged. The first was that we were coming up with fantastic ideas that would obviously only work on film, and not on the stage. The second was the lack of insight and excitement for all the characters, other than the star herself, leaving everyone else feeling worthless and unimportant; the group was starting to split- this was turning into a disaster. We were able to salvage this by the lifeline provided by Nick. Although his idea also contained many problems that needed to be discussed, we were able to recover the fading spirit of the group. During the third lesson we became worried that we not getting anywhere fast, so we decided to change our approach. We remembered that in earlier workshops, when we had been stuck for inspiration, we wrote down random words and then just improvised based around the chosen word. The first to be used was squash, after the second attempt I was reminded of the metaphor 'When life gives you lemons make lemonade'. Although this was a slight deviation from 'squash, nevertheless the group was inspired ands so we spent twenty minutes discussing the idea. We then realised our idea had, once again, dragged us back into the fatal area of discussion, which we were trying to avoid! The fourth lesson we returned we asked for the help of our teacher (Mrs. Curtis)- we were aware of the other group's developments, and

Personally Identifiable Information (PII) Essay

Personally Identifiable Information (PII) refers to information that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual’s identity, either alone or when combined with other personal or identifying information that is linked or linkable to a specific individual. 1 PII can include but is not limited to; a full name, an address, a home, office or mobile telephone numbers, an email address, a social security number or other form of national ID number, an Internet Protocol address or a fingerprint or other biometric data . Non-PII can become PII whenever additional information is made available that when combined with existing information, could be used to identify an individual. Most people don’t give a second thought to the information they are asked to provide when using ecommerce sites or creating accounts on various sites such as Facebook and Twitter. What is the data you entered being used for? What happens to this information once you have entered it and completed your transaction with a business? How is this information stored and for how long? How is my information protected from theft? Will my information be sold to third parties? What are my rights should my personal data be lost or compromised? These are questions everyone should ask because your information in the wrong hands can be used to steal your money, steal your identity or both. According to the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, from April 2005 to April 2012 there were 3,062 data breaches nationwide affecting more than 546,000,000 PII records . Businesses have an ethical and legal obligation to protect your PII. Not only will a breach and subsequent loss of data cost businesses money, it will also affect their reputations. When collecting and storing PII businesses must set policies on how the data is received, accessed, stored, transmitted and released to third parties. Protecting PII involves a combination of only collecting and storing data that is needed to complete the task or transaction at hand, using encryption to store and transmit data, data-loss prevention and policy training and compliance . Unfortunately there are not many standardized laws outside of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)2 exist that address the collection, storage and use of PII. There are even different standards among states when it comes to the notification of security breaches involving personal information. Forty-six states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands each have different legislation dealing with notification of the theft of PII. Businesses have to ensure they are aware of the various Federal and State laws dealing with PII. They must enact corporate policies and train their employees in the collection, handling, processing, storage and transmission of PII. Individuals must be vigilant and read the privacy policies of companies they do business with on-line so they are aware of what can and will be done with their personal information.

Biography of Ataturk

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was the founder of the Turkish Republic and its first President. He was born in 1881 to Ali Riza Efendi and Zubeyde Hanim. His father was a militia officer, title deed clerk, and lumber trader. Mustafa Kemal had five siblings, only one of whom survived until 1956 (Biography of Ataturk). Mustafa Kemal lost his father in 1888, at a time when the young boy had been attending school. The boy returned to his birth town, Salonika, to finish his studies after his father’s demise. After his primary education, he joined a secondary school only to be transferred soon to a military institution.Mustafa Kemal attended the Manastir Military School and later the Military School in Istanbul from which he graduated with the rank of lieutenant in the year 1902 (Biography of Ataturk). The young man entered the Military Academy afterwards and graduated with the rank of major in the year 1905. This began Mustafa Kemal’s career as a soldier. Between 1905-1907, the man w as stationed with the 5th Army in Damascus. He was promoted to the rank of senior major in 1907, and was posted in Manastir with the 3rd Army. When the â€Å"Special Troops† entered Istanbul in 1909, Mustafa Kemal was the Staff Officer of the troops (Biography of Ataturk).The man was sent to Paris in 1910 where he attended the Picardie maneuvers. In 1911, Mustafa Kemal returned to Turkey where he began to work at the General Staff Office in Istanbul. He won the Tobruk battle against the Italians in the same year, after which he was made the Commander of Derne. Mustafa Kemal’s rapid progress as a soldier did not stop here, BIOGRAPHY OF ATATURK Page # 2 however.He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel in 1914 during the Balkan War because his contributions to the recapturing of Dimetoka and Edirne were considerable (Biography of Ataturk). When the First World War began with the involvement of the Ottoman Empire, the man was posted to Tekirdag and charged with th e formation of the 19th Division. Then, at Canakkale, Mustafa Kemal won more accolades for heroism. He was promoted to the rank of colonel after a victory he won in the First World War. Mustafa Kemal went on to win more victories against the Allied forces.At one time, he commanded his soldiers thus: â€Å"I am not giving you an order to attack, I am ordering you to die! (Biography of Ataturk)† Mustafa Kemal was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general in 1916. He returned to Istanbul in 1917 and soon began traveling to Germany with the heir to the throne. To Khalleppo he returned in 1918 as the Commander of the 7th Army. He was successful in his defense wars and soon appointed as the Commander of Yildirim Armies. On 13 November 1918, the man returned again to Istanbul to work at the Ministry of Defense (Biography of Ataturk).Mustafa Kemal went to Samsun as the 9th Army Inspector in 1919 once the Allied forces had begun to take over the Ottoman armies. He called the meeting of the Sivas Congress at this point and also convened the Erzerum Congress to define the path to be followed towards the freedom of Turkey. The initiation of the Turkish Grand National Assembly in 1920 was a significant step in this direction. Mustafa Kemal was elected at this time as the head of the National Assembly as well as the head of the Turkish Republic.With this decision, the Grand National Assembly also started putting into effect the legislative measures required for a successful conclusion to the BIOGRAPHY OF ATATURK Page # 3 Turkish Independence War. This war had begun on 15 May 1919 during the Greek occupation of Izmir. Militia forces called Kuva-yi Milliye had begun their fight against the victors of the First World War who had divided up the Ottoman Empire.The war was concluded when the Turkish Assembly achieved integration between the army and the militia. Under the command of Mustafa Kemal, the Turks recaptured Sarikamis, Kars, and Gumru besides attaining other imp ortant victories (Biography of Ataturk). After the conclusion of the Turkish War of Independence, Mustafa Kemal was free to form a new nation on the Turkish soil – now considerably shrunk through the Treaty of Sevres which had partitioned the Turkish Empire. On 29 October 1923, the Turkish Republic was officially proclaimed and Mustafa Kemal was elected as its first President.Ismet Inonu formed the first government of the Republic, and Mustafa Kemal assumed his position of principle leadership with the twin principles of the Turkish Republic: â€Å"Sovereignty unconditionally belongs to the nation† and â€Å"peace at home, peace in the world† (Biography of Ataturk). The man undertook a series of reforms at this point in order to modernize Turkey. He was elected as the Speaker of the Grand Assembly in 1920 and again in 1923. Moreover, in recognition of his efforts, the Turkish National Assembly conferred upon him the surname, â€Å"Ataturk† or the Father T urk and Ancestor Turk on 24 November 1934 (Mango).Ataturk died on 10 November 1938, finally defeated by a liver ailment (Biography of Ataturk). BIOGRAPHY OF ATATURK Page # 4 Works Cited 1. Biography of Ataturk (2007). Retrieved from www. ataturk. com. (27 February 2007). 2. Mango, Andrew. Ataturk: The Biography of the founder of Modern Turkey. New York: John Murray, 2004.

Criminolgy Assignment Essays

Criminolgy Assignment Essays Criminolgy Assignment Essay Criminolgy Assignment Essay Criminology- SMT231 Instructor: Professor Rachel Singer Student: Carlos Fuertes June 30, 2010 Homework Assignment: Page 207 Questions for Review 1. What are the central assumptions of biological theories of crime? How do such theories differ from other perspectives that attempt to explain the same phenomena? A: The brain is the organ of the mind and the locus of personality. The basic determinants of human behavior, including criminal tendencies, are to a considerable degree, constitutionally or genetically based. Observed gender and racial differences in rates and types of criminality may be at least partially the result of biological differences between the sexes and between really distinct groups. The basic determinants of human behavior, including criminality, may be passed on from generation to generation. Much of human conduct is fundamentally rooted in instinctive behavioral responses characteristic of biological organism everywhere. The biological roots of human conduct have become increasingly disguised, as modern symbolic forms of indirect expressive behavior have replaced more primitive and direct ones. At least some human behavior is the result of biological propensities inherited from more primitive developmental stages in the evolutionary process. The interplay among heredity, biological, and the social environment provides the nexus for any realistic consideration of crime causation. I believe these theories are different from other perspectives, because in the biological theory, they tend to emphasize genetics as the cause of someone’s criminal behavior pattern, where in other theories, they tend to emphasize other factors; such as psychological and sociological factors. 2. What biological factors does this chapter suggest might substantially influence human aggression? A: The biological factors that might substantially influence human aggression are hormone, testosterone, androgens, and fluctuation. 3. What have research studies in the field of genetics had to say about possible causes of crime? A: Carlos Fuertes Page 1 Research studies in the field of genetics have shown that genes are the major determining factor in human behavior. Therefore, researchers believe that criminal behavior is mostly inherited. 5. What are some of the constitutional factors that this chapter identifies as link to criminality? A: Some of the constitutional factors that this chapter identifies as link to criminality include the following: Age Gender Body type Intelligence Personality Carlos Fuertes Page 2

Life-Centered Perspective essays

Life-Centered Perspective essays The Justification of a Life-Centered Perspective Santa Cruz is a city known for its beach access and huge redwoods. These redwoods have lately come into an environmental debate regarding their co-existence with the lime kiln, and the subsequent new growth dominance of the redwoods over the kiln. In this nature v. culture debate, arguments range as to whether or not the redwoods should overtake the kiln or be driven back by human intervention. Such human intervention looks to sustain what is to be considered a historical monument in the cement-creating kiln that helped re-build San Francisco in the 1906 quake. But human intervention not only determines the kilns survival, it also establishes a practice of cultures dominance over nature. This reasoning - that humans are intrinsically more valuable than non-humans - details American idealism, which dominates the social and political arenas that control human society (and, thus nature). In laying out and representing the opposing ethical arguments, an answer will reasonably c ome forth as to whether or not this dominance of nature by culture is right, or whether our dominance over nature is just a manifestation of what humans want for their own interest. In doing so, anthropocentric views are reasoned to be unjust and nature is concluded to have equal beings with equal rights. Being such, the redwoods in Santa Cruz must be permitted to grow uninhibited and overtake the lime kilns. The essential reasons for the current excessiveness of man's interaction with Nature (the reasons for the destruction of Nature) and/or reasons for the inefficiency of the current normative interference (i.e., the environmental protection law) should be equated with the dominant anthropocentric cultural paradigm of the western cultures oriented towards an un-limited material progress. Anthropocentricism understands humans ...

Capitalism in the US

The United States is a wonderful country. It may be the longest free country in world history. The founder who builds our form of government and constitution is the brains of genius. Our republic is built on the economic system we call capitalism. Unfortunately, today capitalism was attacked in the United States. The United States must quickly return to a purely capitalistic financial system or risk the economic crisis. Capitalism has made Japan strong, so we need to protect it from enemies. The term capitalism was first used by William Thackley at the 1854 novel Newman. The term capitalism was formerly used to refer to the owner of capital goods. This term was promoted by German sociologist Max Weber and socialists who used this term to condemn the private sector as a system to exploit workers. In response, supporters of free market use this term to private enterprises and to praise the concept of free market economy. Confusion as an adjective applies this term to interventions such as government agencies and state capitalism, family capitalism, welfare capitalism, monopoly capitalism, taxpayer capitalism. Therefore, use capitalism to refer to the current complex economics (mixture of market intervention and government intervention) and the concept of purely free market. Please refine your class. Americans believe capitalism is a substitute for democracy. They are driven by this belief and they try to use capitalism to fight capitalism so that they always try to fight fire. But capitalism can not fight capitalism like a flame. They have learned to temporarily threaten to detain their business - but they do not, and may not be able to act as citizens. As a result, capitalism is only growing. As a consumer, less expenditure in one or two days can not act as a citizen. There is something wrong with this picture. The era of extreme capitalism is already at the forefront and the era of capitalism is the end. While the United States may stick to extreme capitalism w ith religious zeal, many other countries in the world can no longer use it as the sole model of the human organization. Therefore, After the end of capitalism is not to use toxic medication so much, it is not to throw out old bread. why? And the above facts really explain that if you link points, it is a new reality the world will adapt: ​​distribution is more reasonable, rational, fair, a good day

Time, value, stocks and bonds Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Time, value, stocks and bonds - Assignment Example This, therefore, helps the company make both long and short term decisions regarding the functioning of the company. Valuation, in this case, determines the course of the company so as to maximize its profits (Hitchner, 2011). On the other hand, Harrison & Wicks (2010) argue that company executives make the best value for its stakeholders through assessing all company documents that relate to the company’s performance. It is also the responsibility of the executives to scrutinize the market so as to review the capability of the corporation to compete with other companies (Harrison & Wicks, 2010). Executives also create the best value for its stakeholders through selecting the finest approach in the course of valuation (Harrison & Wicks, 2010). This is done after a complete understanding of the current value of the company then determine whether a market approach, an income approach or otherwise would be valid for the

Geology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Geology - Essay Example After miners have extracted the ores from the ground, they then refine them using other substances to remain with the valuable elements. Extraction and processing of these iron ores is an expensive venture but it largely depends on mineral concentration and the form it occurs in the ground. In order to establish if a mine is commercially viable, the engineers evaluate if it has substantial mineral and metal deposits whose proceeds will generate income over and above the mining costs. In mineral extraction, there are terms that help us understand this whole refining process. Industrial minerals are stones and other naturally occurring substances that are mined and processed because they have an economic value. This is because they are used to produce other compounds and objects that are used for technological advancements. Protolith is the original rock formation that is passed through a series of solutions to come up with the resultant mineral, the process of passing these rocks thro ugh water and other solutions through a chemical reaction is called metasomatism. Gangue is a term that refers to the parts of the ore left after minerals and metals have been extracted. It is the largest contributor to environmental concerns associated with mineral extraction since it forms large debris that is not easily disposed. They also contaminate water meant for commercial and domestic use when it comes into contact with. This is because it has other dangerous minerals which mix with water to form a harmful compound to animal and plant life (Middleton, 2003 p 56)2. Other gases are released to the atmosphere causing air pollution. Occurrences The earth is made up of three components; the air (atmosphere), water (hydrosphere) and land (lithosphere). Minerals form part of the soil underneath our feet. There are numerous geological reactions that happen underground that result in mineral formation and its contents largely depends on the amount of each element taking part in the process. The time taken to form these minerals also ensures huge deposits since some chemical reactions take time to reach full reaction. The time taken and amount of elements forming these minerals and metals determine the quantity and quality of eventual produce. Geologists then determine these considerations before engaging the authorities and locals in preparations for extraction. For instance, to extract commercially viable aluminium from the ground, its composition in the gangue should be at 8.2%, with an acceptable grade of 30%. It is at 5.6% and 50% for iron respectively (Mather, 1967)3. These metals exist in their mineral form in a variety of compounds shown by chemical formulas. Table 1: Mineral occurrences of famous metals Mineral Metal Mineral formula Galena Silver Ag Native gold Gold Au Azurite Malachite Chalcopyrite Copper (exists in three forms) Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2 Cu2CO3(OH)2 CuFeS2 Haematite Magnetite Pyrite Iron(exists in three forms) Fe2O3 Fe3O4 FeS2 Galena Lead PbS Ca ssiterite Tin SnO3 Cinnabar Mercury HgS Geological distribution These metals exist in the ground as sulphides, sulphites, sulphates, silicates and oxides. The choice of chemicals used in purification stage depends on the form parent metal exists in. Copper exists in three forms (Cu, Cu2 and CuO) and together with iron, are mostly found in carbonate rocks which are formed through a prolonged process of chemical reactions. These metals are also found in sandstones and shales which are sub-crustal rock formations (Press, 2004 p 71)4. Evaluating mineral deposits across the globe is an arduous task since it is difficult to effectively determine the presence of a metal in geographically expansive

An empirical analysis of manufacturing overhead cost drivers Essay

An empirical analysis of manufacturing overhead cost drivers - Essay Example According to a Cornell University website, Gordon Potter is still with the School of Hotel Administration of the Cornell University. The same website revealed that Cornell has a PhD in Accounting from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an M.S. in Accounting from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, and a B.A. Economics from Rutgers College-Rutgers University. The economics background of Gordon Potter may partly explain why the research methodology employed by Banker et al. (1995) are similar to those used in economics or in econometrics. In Cornell University, Potter has been an Associate Professor since 1993 until today. However, Potter has taught at the University of Wisconsin from 1982 to 1986. His resume in the Cornell University website does not reflect a job description entry from 1986 to 1993, possibly indicating that he took his PhD schooling during the period. Potter’s 5-page resume in the Cornell University website indicates Potter’s numerous achievements that included authorship of several papers.Roger Schroeder is a distinguished author in a textbook called Operations Management. According to the website of the Sage Publication, the ISI has classified him as the most highly cited scholar in the world in the field of Operations Management. The Sage Publication also reported that he holds the Frank A. Donaldson Chair in Operations Management at the Carlson University School of Management of the University of Minnesota.... (1995) are similar to those used in economics or in econometrics. In Cornell University, Potter has been an Associate Professor since 1993 until today (no indication in the Cornell University website that he was promoted in the University of Cornell since 1993). However, Potter has taught in the University of Wisconsin from 1982 to 1986. His resume in the Cornell University website does not reflect a job description entry from 1986 to 1993, possibly indicating that he took his PhD schooling during the period. Potter’s 5-page resume in the Cornell University website indicates Potter’s numerous achievements that included authorship of several papers. Roger Schroeder is a distinguished author in a textbook called Operations Management. According to the website of the Sage Publication, the ISI has classified him as the most highly cited scholar in the world in the field of Operations Management. The Sage Publication also reported that he holds the Frank A. Donaldson Chair i n Operations Management at the Carlson University School of Management of the University of Minnesota. The Sage Publication website identified Schroeder as the author of over 100 articles in academic journals. The topic addressed by the work of Banker et al. (1995), overhead costs, is an important issue for manufacturers. This is indicated by the abundance of internet entries on the concern. A quick check on the internet indicates that there are at least 3.6 million entries on the worldwide web on the importance of reducing overhead costs for manufacturers. In 1995, during which the Banker et al. (1995) was published, overhead costs is one of the primary concern of manufacturers and manufacturers had

Safe Work Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Safe Work Environment - Essay Example The main question is whether or not the untidy state of the office in connection with the moving of desks and filing cabinets was such that it was a breach of the employer’s statutory duty to provide a safe and healthy workplace. Assuming therefore that a work system was devised in which employees were supervised and competent regarding working around the boxes, and there was a reasonable explanation for the untidy state of the office, the employer is not in breach of the statutory and common law duty to provide a safe and healthy workplace. The main question is whether or not it was reasonably practical to move the boxes from the work area and whether or not it was reasonable to expect for workers to assume some responsibility for their own safety given the state of the office at the time (Smith v Scott Bowyers 1986). The employer can also expect employees to exercise some degree of common sense in situations where an obvious danger exists (O’Reilly v National Rail 196 6). ... n that James would play a practical joke on Juliana and it would appear that the injury suffered by Juliana was a result of the practical joke and not as a result of the untidy state of the office. It is not known whether or not James was predisposed to playing practical jokes on the job. For example it was held in Smith v Crossley Brothers (1951) that where employers were unaware of the fact that an employee was a practical joker they cannot be vicariously liable for the harm caused by a practical joker on the job. In such circumstances the practical joke cannot be predicted nor can it be prevented. Moreover, in such a case, the employee is said to be off on a frolic of his own and not acting in the course of his or her employment (Smith v Crossley Brothers, 1951). Had James played a practical joke in the course of performing a duty, the employer would be vicariously liable for James’ behaviour and the resulting injury to Juliana (Harrison v Michelin Tyre Co. 1985). If he is known to be a practical joker on the job and the employer did nothing to stop or prevent James playing practical jokes, they may be vicariously liable for the injuries to Juliana (Hudson v Ridge Manufacturing Co. Ltd. 1957). It was held in Hudson that when an employer is aware that an employee by his or her behaviour poses a source of danger to other employees, the common law duty of care to provide a healthy and safe workplace requires the employer to remove that source of danger (Hudson v Ridge Manufacturing Co. Ltd. 1957). It therefore follows that now that the employer is aware of James’ behaviour and there is a reasonable belief that James may repeat this behaviour, the employer may dismiss James (Albernethy v Mott, Hay and Anderson 1974). The onus is on the employer to prove that the

Merger versus IPO or Acquisition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Merger versus IPO or Acquisition - Essay Example However, the company is bound by regulatory restrictions to seek prior permission to conduct this exercise; a permission that might be granted or otherwise rejected under strict terms of engagements. Another threat lies in the management of the many stocks. The company may get locked up in meeting the expectation of the public market both in the short term and into the unforeseeable future before embarking on a meaningful journey of expansion (Burton & Prasad, 1997). Kudler Fine Foods also has the option of expanding its operations through mergers or opting to acquire another firm within its line of operations. Noteworthy, these two options possess more or less similar opportunities and challenges. In fact, the special alchemy of a merger and/or an acquisition is that a combined effort is greater than the sum of individuals’ efforts (King, Slotegraaf & Kesner, 2008). Accordingly, it would be more valuable for Kudler Fine Foods to seek the services of another company than function as an individual entity. Merging with a company offering delivery services has the possibilities of giving Kudler Fine Foods a competitive advantage over other similar businesses in the market. Additionally, such a combined effort would set the company on a cost saving path related to the management of the delivery services of its food delicacies. Whichever option between a merger or an acquisition, the resultant company would give Kudler Company a synergetic com petitive strength to function efficiently and the capacity to acquire a greater market share with a re-doubled effect of generating more revenues. On the negative side, mergers and acquisition provide narrower market opportunities compared to an IPO. They are not only less efficient in market pricing, but they may also result into one or both parties losing vital control of key operational elements

An empirical analysis of manufacturing overhead cost drivers Essay

An empirical analysis of manufacturing overhead cost drivers - Essay Example According to a Cornell University website, Gordon Potter is still with the School of Hotel Administration of the Cornell University. The same website revealed that Cornell has a PhD in Accounting from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an M.S. in Accounting from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, and a B.A. Economics from Rutgers College-Rutgers University. The economics background of Gordon Potter may partly explain why the research methodology employed by Banker et al. (1995) are similar to those used in economics or in econometrics. In Cornell University, Potter has been an Associate Professor since 1993 until today. However, Potter has taught at the University of Wisconsin from 1982 to 1986. His resume in the Cornell University website does not reflect a job description entry from 1986 to 1993, possibly indicating that he took his PhD schooling during the period. Potter’s 5-page resume in the Cornell University website indicates Potter’s numerous achievements that included authorship of several papers.Roger Schroeder is a distinguished author in a textbook called Operations Management. According to the website of the Sage Publication, the ISI has classified him as the most highly cited scholar in the world in the field of Operations Management. The Sage Publication also reported that he holds the Frank A. Donaldson Chair in Operations Management at the Carlson University School of Management of the University of Minnesota.... (1995) are similar to those used in economics or in econometrics. In Cornell University, Potter has been an Associate Professor since 1993 until today (no indication in the Cornell University website that he was promoted in the University of Cornell since 1993). However, Potter has taught in the University of Wisconsin from 1982 to 1986. His resume in the Cornell University website does not reflect a job description entry from 1986 to 1993, possibly indicating that he took his PhD schooling during the period. Potter’s 5-page resume in the Cornell University website indicates Potter’s numerous achievements that included authorship of several papers. Roger Schroeder is a distinguished author in a textbook called Operations Management. According to the website of the Sage Publication, the ISI has classified him as the most highly cited scholar in the world in the field of Operations Management. The Sage Publication also reported that he holds the Frank A. Donaldson Chair i n Operations Management at the Carlson University School of Management of the University of Minnesota. The Sage Publication website identified Schroeder as the author of over 100 articles in academic journals. The topic addressed by the work of Banker et al. (1995), overhead costs, is an important issue for manufacturers. This is indicated by the abundance of internet entries on the concern. A quick check on the internet indicates that there are at least 3.6 million entries on the worldwide web on the importance of reducing overhead costs for manufacturers. In 1995, during which the Banker et al. (1995) was published, overhead costs is one of the primary concern of manufacturers and manufacturers had

Merger versus IPO or Acquisition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Merger versus IPO or Acquisition - Essay Example However, the company is bound by regulatory restrictions to seek prior permission to conduct this exercise; a permission that might be granted or otherwise rejected under strict terms of engagements. Another threat lies in the management of the many stocks. The company may get locked up in meeting the expectation of the public market both in the short term and into the unforeseeable future before embarking on a meaningful journey of expansion (Burton & Prasad, 1997). Kudler Fine Foods also has the option of expanding its operations through mergers or opting to acquire another firm within its line of operations. Noteworthy, these two options possess more or less similar opportunities and challenges. In fact, the special alchemy of a merger and/or an acquisition is that a combined effort is greater than the sum of individuals’ efforts (King, Slotegraaf & Kesner, 2008). Accordingly, it would be more valuable for Kudler Fine Foods to seek the services of another company than function as an individual entity. Merging with a company offering delivery services has the possibilities of giving Kudler Fine Foods a competitive advantage over other similar businesses in the market. Additionally, such a combined effort would set the company on a cost saving path related to the management of the delivery services of its food delicacies. Whichever option between a merger or an acquisition, the resultant company would give Kudler Company a synergetic com petitive strength to function efficiently and the capacity to acquire a greater market share with a re-doubled effect of generating more revenues. On the negative side, mergers and acquisition provide narrower market opportunities compared to an IPO. They are not only less efficient in market pricing, but they may also result into one or both parties losing vital control of key operational elements

Reading through “Winter in a Warehouse” Essay Example for Free

Reading through â€Å"Winter in a Warehouse† Essay â€Å"Winter in a Warehouse,† is about a group of warehouse women on their way to and from the washroom of the milling company. The washroom is in the office building which is a considerable distance from the women’s workplace, the warehouse. As it is winter, the trek from one building to the other becomes a tedious and an unwished-for errand. The atmosphere is cold and hostile as the people they come across with. The short journey evokes in the narrator’s mind several issues – gender, class and social status between the warehouse women and the rest of the characters in the poem. In â€Å"Winter in a Warehouse,† Anne Spillard speaks about the condition of the lower- class working women in the latter-day industrial society. The poem started with the narrator’s voice fondly recalling the image of his grandfather, â€Å"Grandad ‘goes for a loo */Behind the old chimbly† (lines 1-2), from a long time ago. The tone here is friendly, the language is colloquial and the mood is gay. Grandad, being old, â€Å"Dragging his feet in carpet slippers† (3), is also probably retired from his work in the mill. The use of grandfather in the poem suggests time difference. The corrugated iron â€Å"Where the wind flaps rusty limbs/ Of corrugated iron† (7-8), denotes a time long gone by. It is probably 40 to 50 years ago since grandfather worked in that company when manufacturing firms employed mostly men in its workforce. Noting the narrator’s familiarity with the setting, it is likely that he or she is a third generation worker employed in the same mill or factory that his grandparent worked for. Grandfather finds the long walk to the office tiresome, â€Å"†¦ ‘It’s too far to trail/ ‘T ‘ the bloody office’ (4-5), so he simply decides to pee against the chimney by the bank. The narrator seems to perceive this as an unusual gesture, â€Å"And pees against the great black chimney† (9). The chimney, great and black, is a thing of significance and not to be trifled with. Grandfather’s peeing where he pleased perhaps constitutes defiance of the convention on peeing and of what the chimney signifies. On the other hand, the narrator’s voice registers a suspicion about grandad’s account, â€Å"Or so he tells us† (10). It implies that grandfather could be lying, that perhaps it is not that easy to break the company regulation as well as the convention. It is only at the 10th line, with the use of â€Å"us† that the narrator is revealed. They are women workers stationed in the warehouse gone for a walk to the office building within the company compound to wash their empty coffee cups and to pee. Upon arriving there, they see the millpond nearby, â€Å"Down to the office/ Where the mill manager used to sit† (12-13). The mill manager, like the grandfather, is a representation of an era gone by. In the early stage of industrialization, it was the manager, who was usually also the owner of the business, who conducted his businesses in an office with the help of a staff or two. He was also visible in the company premises. In more recent times, with further division of labor and the expansion of industrialization, the manager has normally taken to holding his office in an inner chamber within the office building. He is scarcely visible to the workers and as such, there is usually a layer of office staffs that deals with the rank and file or the ordinary workers of the company. It is these office girls that the warehouse women came across with when they went to the office premises to have use of the washroom. The office girls act and speak superior to the warehouse women. They address the women collectively, in a cold and impersonal manner. The washroom is in a state of disrepair, â€Å"Melted snow drips through the washroom ceiling† (18). The water at the mains must be turned on first before the women could flush the toilet. The male washroom, â€Å"†¦ it’s leaking. † (23). These little details describe the ambience of the washroom area – old, ill-kept and deteriorating. And yet, the office girls almost begrudge them for using it. â€Å"‘You warehouse people always arrive/ ‘Just when we’ve boiled the kettle/ ‘for elevenses,’ the office girls rebuke us. † (15-17). The warehouse women do not have a washroom in their workplace. In the period described in this poem, even answering the call of nature, presents a problem. Unlike men, women cannot urinate anywhere. Furthermore, in most manufacturing companies, peeing is only allowed during designated breaks. One girl even goes so far as to point to out to the women that the male washroom must not be used, â€Å"Don’t use the Gents, †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (21). Perhaps, the reminder is unnecessary, as the women have been coming there on the same errand for years and are aware of the fact. It is also not far to suppose that the Gents has not been working for decades. Thus, the part about the male toilet leaking is a take on the grandfather’s story. Perhaps, the male workers in the mill were not subjected to strict regulation on peeing only because the male toilet was leaking. Throughout the poem, the voice constantly changes: from the third person singular (lines 1-10), to first person plural (11-14), to second person plural (15-17), to third person plural(18), back to first person plural (19-20), to third person singular (21-23), and lastly, to third person plural (24-31), making it vibrant and giving the reader the feeling that the characters are performing before him. It also shows the individuality or lack of, the characters within the poem. Nina, one of the office girls, has a distinct voice and she has a name. In contrast, the warehouse women are only referred to as â€Å"us,† â€Å"we† and â€Å"warehouse women. † The warehouse women have only one voice: the voice of a group. The office girls have their voice as a group and their individual voices as persons apart. Despite the office being heated, perfumed and powdered, the narrator notices that â€Å"the office girls sit shivering† (24), a hint that their thinner clothing cause them discomfort during winter. On the other hand, the warehouse women have become indifferent to the coldness. Why? It is because winter is the all-year season inside the warehouse. What is not mentioned here but is implied is the suffering of the warehouse women doing hard, manual and routine labor, whose enclosed workplace is perhaps unheated, full of fumes and dust, and dark as one could imagine. Towards the end of the poem, the engaging voice at the beginning seems to have become somebody else, an alienated figure viewing a scene that he is not part of, But the warehouse women, Shapeless in heavy sweaters and wooly longjohns, Trudge back through the snow, No longer noticing this winter Which may last forever Inside the blankness of their warehouse. The poem begins on a cheerful note, in an informal way and in a youthful voice, with a fond recollection of one’s grandfather and his days. It ends on a cheerless, aged and serious tone about a group of women trudging their way back to the warehouse across the snow, oblivious of the season and what it might bring to them.

Semantic Priming: Effects of Related and Unrelated Words

Semantic Priming: Effects of Related and Unrelated Words Semantic Priming: Effects of Related and Unrelated Words on Response Times Introduction to Cognition, Biological Psychology and Quantitative Research Methods Abstract The aim of this experiment was to measure the response times on the string of letters that were shown to the participants on a computer screen. The task of the participants was to decide whether the string of letters were words or non-words. The hypothesis of the experiment was that the response time in the lexical decision task would be significantly faster for target words related to the prime than for target words unrelated to the prime. The experimental design was repeated measures, where participants responded to all the stimuli that were propounded. Participants were presented with a string of words related to the prime, words unrelated to the prime, non-word created from a word related to the prime and a non-word created from a word unrelated to the prime. The findings of the experiment showed that participants responded faster when the letter strings were related words rather than unrelated words. This is because related words are closely associated in implicit memory, theref ore the response times of the participants will be faster in recognising the words. Explanations for the results of the experiment will be discussed further in the report. Introduction Priming is an effect on implicit memory in which the reaction time of a response to a stimulus is faster due to having previous experience of the stimulus. For example, individuals can recognise a word faster if it is paired with a related word. For example, â€Å"table† and â€Å"chair† and are slower at recognising words if they are unrelated. For example, â€Å"nurse† and â€Å"butter† (Refer to appendix A). In the study of Meyer and Schvaneveldt (1971) we refer to semantic priming, where semantic refers to the logic and language individuals store in their implicit memory. Meyer and Schvaneveldt (1971) suggested that the response times were faster when the string of words were related because a part of the memory is activated in which the retrieval of words from semantic memory is faster. Associative priming and the lexical decision task is an extension of the study by Meyer and Schvaneveldt (1971). In their experiment they hypothesized that recognition of a word is faster when it is associated with its prime. In their experiment they presented 12 participants with two strings of letters, one above the other. Their task was to press the ‘yes’ key if the two strings were words and the ‘no’ key if one or both were non-words. In their results, they found that response times were faster when the target string consisted of related words such as ‘bread’ and ‘butter’ or ‘nurse’ and ‘doctor’ proving their hypothesis to be correct. Furthermore, another psychologist McNamara (1992) demonstrated results from a similar experiment of associative priming. He also found that mean response times were faster when words were related rather than unrelated. He also found that errors rates (percentage of errors) were much higher in the non-related condition than in the related condition. The present experiment is in favour of that of Meyer and Schvaneveldt’s (1971) and McNamara’s (1992) because similar results were obtained from both research studies. The difference to the present study to that of Meyer and Schvaneveldt’s (1971) was that the string of words were not presented simultaneously, they were presented one after the other and the participants were to decide if both strings were words or if one of both were non-words. From this it is unknown which letter string is the one that the participant responds to from their implicit memory. However the present experiment could allow us to investigate the effects of the time between the letters are presented on the effects on response times. Another modification that was made was that in the present experiment, was that one letter was changed in either a related or an unrelated word. This allows us to investigate the eff ects of the response time on the identification of words. Previous research by Meyer and Schvaneveldt (1971) and findings from the present experiment are relevant in explaining how the long term memory is organised in individuals. The hypothesis of the experiment was that the response time in the lexical decision task would be significantly faster for target words related to the prime than for target words unrelated to the prime. Participants 150 participants took part in the present experiment, all being part of the same educational institution. The participants consisted of mixed gender with majority being female. The age of the participants varied from 18 and above and they were also from various ethnicities. The type of sampling that was used in the experiment was opportunity sampling because the participants were available to take part in the experiment at that time. Apparatus As the experiment was computer based, each participant had access to a computer. The program was written in TCL for Windows, and ran on PCs using the Windows 7 operating system. There were two types of stimuli used in the experiment; words and non-words, related and unrelated words. Key findings in the experiment showed that participants responded faster when words were related to each other; for example, ‘bread’ and ‘butter.’ Thus, participants responded slower when words were unrelated to each other; for example, ‘table’ and ‘nurse.’ Design The experiment was set up in an educational institution and the task was carried out using computer equipment. There were 150 participants involved in the experiment and consisted of first year psychology students. This was an opportunity sample, as the participants were available at the time the study was being carried out. The program was written in TCL for Windows, and ran on PCs using the Windows 7 operating system. The design of the experiment was repeated measures where participants were presented with all the stimuli. There were two independent variables for this experiment: related or unrelated words and word or non-words. The dependent variable was the response time in which participants decided if the string of letters were words or non-words. The conditions in the experiment were to press the ‘L’ key or the ‘A’ key if the string of letters were words or non-words. The experiment program showed the participant which key to press for each response. The controls that were used in the experiment were the ways in which the stimuli were presented. The target was presented 300, 600 or 900 milliseconds after the prime was presented on the computer screen. When the results were presented the times after the stimuli were presented were averaged out. Procedure The participants carried out the experiment simultaneously. The participant was seated in front of the computer throughout the experiment. The stimuli were presented one after the other on the screen after which the participant had to make the choice if the string of letters presented were words or non-words. The participant responded by pressing the ‘A’ or ‘L’ key on the keyboard; these were random for each participant. Response time was measured by the computer programme. The experiment lasted around 20 minutes. Participants were shown 18 trials in which the target string was a word related to the prime, 18 trials in which the target string was a non-word, 18 trials in which the target string was a non-word created from a word and 18 trials in which the target string was a non-word from a word unrelated to the prime, which means there were 72 trials in total. (Refer to appendix B). Results The inferential test chosen for the present experiment was a repeated measure t-test. Using a repeated measures t-test, with alpha set at 0.05, response times for the related words were significantly faster than the unrelated words (t=-3.762, df=149, p=0.000, two tailed). Similarly, using a repeated measures t-test, with alpha set at 0.05, response times were significantly faster for related non-words than for unrelated non-words (t=0.974, df=149, p=0.332, two tailed). The difference between the mean response times in each condition varied, the mean response time was faster when the target string was a word related to the prime and was slower when the target string was a pseudo word unrelated to the prime. McNamara (1992) reports that lexical decisions are made faster because semantic memory consists of interconnected nodes (Refer to appendix C). When a stimulus is presented, a part of the semantic memory is activated and the spreads across the network activating related nodes. The c loser the nodes, the closer the words are associated in semantic memory. Mean Reaction Times and Standard Deviations in Lexical Decision Task Discussion The hypothesis of the experiment was accepted because response time in the lexical decision task was significantly faster for target words related to the prime than for target words unrelated to the prime. This is in favour of Meyer and Schvaneveldt’s (1971) experiment as previously mentioned because in their experiment, their mean response time was fastest when the target string was a word related to the prime; similarly with the present experiment. The results of the present experiment demonstrates that Meyer and Schvaneveldt’s (1971) and McNamara’s (1992) theory of semantic priming is both valid and reliable. An opportunity sample was used in the experiment and may be considered as a weak research method by many researchers. Therefore this kind of sample may produce a biased sample as it is easy for the researcher to gather participants from their social group; in this case, a sample of students from the same educational institution. Hence the results of the experiment are not generalizable to a whole population. Since majority of the participants involved in the experiment consisted of students, the results can be affected because a much educated, mature individual will have more knowledge of the world and whose memory may be better than that of students. Similarly, a younger, uneducated individual may not have a reasonable good memory so their results will differ from the student’s results. A more appropriate type of sample may be a volunteer sample, where the experiment will recruit all types of individuals from the society. This way the findings of the experiment may be general izable to a total population. References Friedenberg, J. Silverman, G. (2006). Cognitive Science: An Introduction to the Study of Mind. London: Sage Publications Ltd. Goldstein, E. (2010). Cognitive Psychology: Connecting Mind, Research and Everyday Experience. (3rd ed.). Belmont: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. McNamara, T. (1992). Learning. Memory, and Cognition. Journal of Experimental Psychology. 18 (6) 1173-1190. Meyer, D. Schvaneveldt, R. (1971). Facilitation in Recognizing Pairs of Words. Journal of Experimental Psychology. 90 (2) 227-234. Proctor, R. Healy, A. (Eds.) (2003). Experimental Psychology, Volume 4 (2nd ed.). New Jersey: John Wiley Sons, Inc. Appendix Appendix A Stimuli used in the experiment. The words in the brackets indicate where the pseudo word originated from. Appendix B Number of trials per condition. Appendix C A diagram of how knowledge in semantic memory may be organised.

Doubt Of Shakespeares Authorship Of His Plays Essay -- essays research

Doubt of Shakespeare's Authorship of His Plays Over the years, various persons have expressed doubt as to the authorship of William Shakespeare. These doubts are as old as his plays. American author, Henry James once said, "I am haunted by the conviction that the divine William is the biggest and the most successful fraud ever practiced on a patient world. (Hoffman 27) On the other hand, author Calvin Hoffman was convinced that Shakespeare was "the author of the most magnificent English dramatic prose and poetry ever written. (Hoffman 27) But, he reiterated this belief nineteen years later, stating, "They are magnificent! Only, William Shakespeare of Stratford-on- Avon never wrote the plays and poems." (Hoffman 27) Crime, guilt, fraud, exile, hate, deceit, and murder are all woven into this shroud of authorship that hides the identity of the world's most renowned writer. Cranks have proposed over fifty candidates for authorship, from Queen Elizabeth to the Jesiuts. Although many doubt that William Shakespeare ever wrote the works attributed to him, some still resort to pro-Shakespearean arguments. John Drinkwater, author and believer, felt that the flowers, banks, brooks, pastures, and woodlands of Shakespeare's boyhood home, Stratford, were all transfigured in his plays by his wonderful verse, but yet they still remained the scenes to which he was bred. Drinkwater believed too, that not only in Shakespeare's humble folk, shepherds, gardeners, and serving men, but also in his princes and kings, he reflected the humanity with which he was familiar in Stratford. The knowledge and wisdom he acquired directly from his own enviroment was quite true to life. Drinkwater also said that mere book- knowledge in Shakespeare's works was usually incorrect because he used knowledge outside the range of his own experiences, with a "grand audacity." It is true that William Shakespeare attended grammar school in Stratford, and tha he acquired some competence in Latin and gained a limited knowledge of English history. There was a period of time in his life referred to as his "dark years," and this period of time may have been subjected to influences making for high culture. Records say too, that Shakespeare left Stratford in 1585 and went on the stage in 1590. During this time he could have attended Cambridge or worked in a lawyer's ... ...Shakespeare's did. Bacon and Shakespeare viewed the world differently. Finally, some disbelievers support another candidate, William Stanley, the 6th Earl of Derby, who was interested in drama, and became a patron of a company of actors. Several poems showed signs of early and immature Shakespeare, but he was a boy at that time. One was signed in Derby's handwriting, and three signed "William Shakespeare." His motive- like de Vere'swould have been to avoid association of his family name with the lower social order of the stage. Was Shakespeare hinting at his name through word play? His verses, such as "... every word doth almost tell my name..." seem to be an attempt to reveal his name. Another line says, "Whats in a name?" Sonnet III says, "Hence comes it that my name receives a brand," and " my name be buried where my body is...." In conclusion, curiosity has indeed been aroused for many , many years. Hundreds of theories and shreds of proof have been gathered, but the world will always wonder and waver between doubt and belief in William Shakespeare. So, the question still remains, "Was Shakespeare really Shakespeare?"

Antigone :: essays research papers

In our society today, movies and television shows are being broadcast all over the world to many genders, races, and ages. Some of these shows involve many violent topics and situations. For example, the news qualifies as a violent shows because three fourths of every broadcast involves a violent situation. The next generation of adults is exposed to this violence everyday, thinking it’s cool or acceptable. I think that if teenagers witness the violent actions in person they would react differently than seeing them on TV. The violent scenes in Antigone are much like crimes that occur everyday. For example, a gang related crime can be compared to one of the many deaths in Antigone. The public views these crimes as normal. Most often violence in the news is ignored or called normal. If more people witnessed violence then maybe more actions would be taken to stop it from happening. I think the violence told in Antigone was very low-key compared to the things we see today on the news. Today, our society likes to take time off to relax and watch a movie. Do you think it’s relaxing to watch people die and constantly be injured? Well most of the movies out today are violent. Even thought here are strict rating rules put on these movies, children are still seeing them. For example, The Power Rangers Movie. In this movie, five teenagers take on the roles of fighters. When kids view this PG rated movie they see how cool it is to kill other creatures and human beings. About three weeks after this movie was released in Chicago, two kids were playing power rangers; they decided to take the game a step further by involving pencils used as swords. This game ended with one of the two kids with serious incisions from the pencil. This situation could have easily been avoided if some of these movies were not so violently oriented.

Financial Statements: A Step-by-Step Guide to Understanding and Creating Financial Reports Essay

Investment Appraisal Introduction Question 1   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   An investment appraisal is a planning process that is utilized in determining the preparedness of a business to undertake a long term investments such as expansion, developing a new project, acquiring new machinery among others (Les Dlabay, 2007). This is a complex process that requires the analysis of sources of finance, their implications, budgeting and financial statements. Sources of finance   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Coca-cola which is the world leading non-alcoholic beverage company marketing their products in over 200 countries worldwide have the god foundation of assets, shares, short term liabilities, long-term loans and goodwill as its source of finance.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The assets of the company form the major source of its finances accounting for $ 57,751 million in 2013 and $ 55,849 million in 2012 (The Coca-Cola Company, 2013). These include tangible and non-tangible assets such as property, plants, equipment, equity method investments and goodwill. This can be summarized as shown in the table below. ASSETS (In millions) 2013 $ 2012 $ Equity method investments 10,393 9,216 Investment in bottling companies 1,119 1,232 Other Assets 4,661 3,585 Property, Plant and Equipment 14,967 14,476 Trademarks with indefinite lives 6,744 6,527 Bottles franchise rights with indefinite life 6,415 7,408 Goodwill 12,312 12,255 Other intangible assets 1,140 1,150 TOTAL ASSETS 57,751 55,849   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Long term and short term liabilities are another source of finance for the company. The company’s total long term liabilities in the year 2013 were $ 90,055 million and $ 86,174 million in 2012 (The Coca-Cola Company, 2013). Their long term external sources of finance include debts, deferred income taxes and the company’s share owners as contained in the table below. LONG TERM LIABILITIES (In millions) 2013 $ 2012 $ Long term debts 19,154 14,736 Other liabilities 3,498 5,468 Deferred income taxes 6,152 4,981 TOTAL ASSETS LONG TERM LIABILITIES 90,055 86,174   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Important company activities that generate profits that are ploughed back to the business as a source of finance include investments and new ventures. These are proceeds from the investments, acquisition of other businesses, equity method investments, non-marketable securities, purchase and sale of property, plants and equipment and their associated proceeds. In 2013, the company realized a total of $ 10, 414 from the investment and operating activities as per their 2013 annual report.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Internal short term sources of finance for the company are the current assets of cash and cash-equivalents such as marketable securities, inventories, current assets held for sale and the proceeds from the short term investment. Their balance sheet as at December 31, 2013 shows a total of $ 17, 121 million current assets. Implications of the sources   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   However much the company had good financial sources in its assets, liabilities and shares, each of the sources may impact negatively or positively to the business. The straight forward implication of liabilities especially loans is the interest rates and the obligation to repay them in good time. Failure to settle the debts and loans may lead to imposition of fines and penalization. The creditors may go to the extent of stopping to supply the company with goods and services on credit and demand for cash on delivery.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Use of shareholding as a source of finance for the company may also have its own positive and negative implications. Shareholders are like investors in the business and therefore they must be paid their returns as dividends (Fardon, 2003). This might be very difficult in cases where the company makes losses. Sometimes, especially in a scenario where there are no strict policies on the maximum percentage share that a shareholder can buy, the ownership of the company may be transferred to a shareholder that buys majority of the Company shares. Question 2 Importance of financial planning   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Finance is the driving force for a company like Coca-cola. After its financial sources have been identified, accurate financial planning is necessary for its success. Financial planning is the foundation from which all successful businesses are built. Running on a clear financial plan ensures that a company is well prepared to meet its anticipated expenses in terms of payroll, transport, communication any other day to day business operation expenses.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The plan is important when the company is at the extremes of either profit making or suffering losses. It provides a stepping stone in which the company can forge a way forward and plan for the future while at the same time handle the present. A good financial plan finds it usefulness when a company is preparing to deal with rising costs and increasing current and long term liabilities. It allows for these conditions to be anticipated early enough so as deal with them when they arise.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Additionally, a financial plan is a critical tool in the organization of the various departments within the company. A well prepared and revised financial plan that considers every quarter of the company is of valuable contribution to the smooth running of the company as a whole. Lastly, an estimate of earnings can be done through a financial plan. Lack of these estimates sets a trap that the company might fall in due embezzlement of funds and misappropriations. A financial plan is very effective in making investments and profits into diversified portfolios within the company.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The process of making decisions requires the company directors to be provided with the necessary information. These include financial reports that contain details of business transactions, profits, losses, expenses, revenues, assets and liabilities. This allows for comparison of business performance in the previous financial year. The departmental estimates of expenditures and their estimated sources of revenue are also part of this information.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The factors that may affect the choices of decisions makers during financial planning are the number and wages of employees, available cash at hand and cash required to pay suppliers on time and to buy current assets such as equipment and stationeries. The possibility of expanding the business is also considered when such decisions are made (M. P. Narayanan, 2004). Appropriateness of the sources of finance for a business project   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In order to manage the financial sources and make appropriate decisions, it is important that the directors analyze the costs of the sources, for example, the cost to be incurred to obtain the finance such as fees payable to the financial institutions, commissions and interests, stock brokers among others. In the Coca-Cola Company where the major sources are the fixed assets, liabilities, ploughed back profits, profits from investments and current assets, the appropriateness of the sources depend on the ability of the finances to run a business investment. Bank loans are the major long term source of finance for many companies. This source is very appropriate for Coca-Cola Company. The repayment is spread over a long period of time. The company is financially stable and can easily afford the required securities to acquire a loan. Although the interest rates may be higher making the process expensive, the merits outweigh the demerits and th e risk is worth taking.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Coca-cola is a limited company and therefore the use of stock shares as a source of finance is appropriate. The finances are not repaid although the profit is shared among the shareholders as dividends. The capacity of this company to make profit is unquestionable. The risk of change in company ownership due to sale of major shares can be regulated by business policies that restrict such sales. Moreover, sale of assets such as the current assets to raise capital is appropriate for this company. The surplus assets can be sold off and the proceeds retained to run the business. There is little, if any, risk associated with sale of surplus assets. Impact of finance and financial statements   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Finance and financial statements have positive and negative effects to the business depending on the financial position of the company. Financial statements form the basis from which shareholders and potential investors evaluate the performance of the business. The statements also regulate accountability in the running of the business.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The financial position of the business is portrayed in the financial statements. It used by the company to acquire loans from banks. Financial statements that directly indicate instability of a business have a negative impact to the business by blocking potential investors, creditors and banks. Finance and financial statements have a direct effect on business transactions. It gives detailed information about the lag phases and peaks of a business. Such details include fluctuations in prices in comparison to competitors in the market (Ittelson, 2009). If, for example, Coca-Cola Company increased the prices of their beverages by 1%, their immediate competitor Pepsi may have an upper hand in the market.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A balance sheet gives information on the resources that the business has against its liabilities and the capacity of the business to settle its debts. Cash flow statements are important in informing the public about the money entering and leaving the business. All of these can negatively or positively influence the customers, suppliers, creditors and potential investors. Financial statements have a direct impact on the stock price. The information in the statements can be used by business managers to either increase or decrease the price of products. Main financial statements   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In designing investment options and identifying their appropriateness, it is important to prepare financial statements. These statements have different formats depending on the size and type of the business. The statements are; balance sheets, cash flow statements and income statements. A balance sheet is a financial statement that reports a company’s assets, liabilities and stock holders’ equity in a given financial period. Current assets, fixed assets and investments are balanced against liabilities and stock holders’ equity. A balance sheet for Coca-Cola Company as at 31st December, 2013 is as follows (The Coca-Cola Company, 2013). THE COCA-COLA COMPANY CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31ST DECEMBER, 2013. ASSETTS(In Millions) Currentassets $ Cash and cash equivalents10,414 Short term investments 6,707 Total cash, cash equivalents and short term investment17,121 Marketable securities3,147 Trade accounts receivable less allowances of $ 614,873 Inventories3,277 Prepaid expenses and other assets2,886 Total current assets31,304 Fixed assets Equity method investments10,393 Other investments principally bottling companies1,119 Other assets4,661 Property, plant and equipment –net14,927 Trademarks with indefinite lives6,744 Goodwill12,312 Other intangible assets1,140 TOTAL ASSETS90,055 LIABILITIES AND EQUITY(In Millions) Current liabilities $ Accounts payable and accrued expenses9,577 Loans and notes payable16,901 Current maturities of long term debt1,024 Accrued income taxes 309 Total current liabilities27,811 Long term debts19,154 Other long term liabilities 3,498 Shareholders’ equity –total33,440 TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY90.055   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The balance sheet is similar regardless of the size and type of the business. Its format does not change. Cash flow statements are prepared to assess the company’s earnings and expenses. The quality of the earnings is determined by comparing the cash flow from operating activities with the company’s net income (R, 2003).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Income statements are financial documents that show the sources of income in a business organization. Coca-cola Company had the following statement of comprehensive income as at December 31, 2013. THE COCA-COLA COMPANY CONSOLIDATEDSTATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME AS AT 31ST DECEMBER, 2013. $ (In Millions) CONSOLIDATED NET INCOME8,626 OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME Net foreign currency translation adjustment(1,187) Net gain (loss) available for sale of securities (80) Net gain (loss) on derivatives 151 Net change in pension and other benefit liabilities1,066 TOTAL COMPREHENSIVE INCOME8,576 Less comprehensive income loss attributed to interests 39 TOTAL COMPREHENSIVE INCOME ATTRIBUTED TO SHAREHOLDERS OF THE COMPANY8,537 Note: Figures in brackets indicate losses or reductions Interpretation of the financial statements   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Financial statements are usually prepared and interpreted towards the end of a financial year to give information about the business financial stability. The above financial statements can be interpreted by using appropriate financial ratios to help compare them with the performance during the previous financial year or with another company. These ratios derived from a balance sheet are working capital, current ratio, Quick ratio (Pamela Peterson Drake, 2012).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Financial statements provide rich information to investors and suppliers. This information are used to evaluate the performance of the company. The statements are also used as a communication tool by managers to interested parties about their achievement in the management of the company. There are different financial statements as discussed above that give unique business information on the company.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Financial conditions of a company are the major detail and a point of concern for several potential investors. Investors are the major capital providers. They rely on the information contained in the balance sheet, income statements and cash flow statements for their safety and certainty regarding a potential investment into a company. It enables the investors to understand their position in the company’s capital regimen.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The balance sheet is considered the snap shot of a company’s assets in comparison to liabilities and shareholders’ equity. This is considered the operating result of the company. These results are also an area of concern to investors. Income statement gives a report of operating results. This includes the sales, expenses and profit or losses in a given financial year. This information is critical in the evaluation of the company’s past performances and to predict the future of the business. Profits or losses are usually provided by the income statement but this may contain non cash-equivalent or non-cash parameters. The information is not direct as to the company’s cash transaction during the financial year. This leaves room for cash flow statements to give the details. It contains information about the cash that get into the business and those that leave the business thereby showing an exchange of cash. Shareho lders’ equity shows the variations in the various equity components. This is usually calculated by deducting total liabilities from the total assets of the company. A company with a good performance like Coca-Cola has a steady increase in its shareholders’ equity. This is associated with either a decreasing or constant shareholders base.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Working capital is calculated by deducting current liabilities from the current assets. The working capital for Coca-Cola Company for the year ended December 31, 2013 can be calculated as follows. Working Capital (in millions) =Current assets – Current liabilities. = $ 31,304- $ 27,811 = $3,493   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The working capital for Coca-Cola Company is a positive figure of $ 3,493 million indicating that the company is at a better position to meet its current obligations such as paying workers, paying brokers, servicing short term loans among others.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Current ratio is calculated by dividing the current assets by the current liabilities. It is related to the working capital. Another ratio is Quick ratio. It is also known as acid test ratio and is calculated as follows; Quick ratio = Cash + Temporary investment + Accounts receivable Current liabilities   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Quick ratio is similar to the current ratio only that inventories, supplies and prepaid expenses are excluded. It is used to determine the amount of assets that can be turned quickly into cash.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Free or Discounted cash flow is a financial ratio that is derived from the cash flow statement. Free cash flow is calculated by deducting capital expenditures from total cash flow provided by operating activities (Fardon, 2003). Free cash flow for Coca-cola as at December 31, 2013 is calculated as shown. Free cash flow = Cash flow provided by the operating business – Capital expenditures. =10,542 – (14,782+2,550+303) = -7,093   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This statistically indicates that the company is at a deficit of $ 7, 093 million after paying its capital expenditures.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The income statement can be analyzed to give gross margin, profit margin, Return on Stoke holders’ equity and earnings per share. Return on Stoke holders’ equity is important in revealing the percentage profit after taxation and therefore the dividends payable to shareholders. Return on stock holders’ equity for Coca-Cola Company as at December 31, 2013 is calculated as shown. Return on Stockholders’ equity = Net income after taxes Average shareholders’ equity = 8,622 8537 =1.01%   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This reveals that the company earned 1.01% of profit after taxation on an average shareholders balance during the year. Suitable budget and appropriate decisions   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The most significant form of planning a capital investment budget is to make appropriate decisions and market well. Budgeting is the foundation of financial economics. Making decisions that have importance long term effects is the basis of budgeting. In budgeting, policies are maximized so as to achieve the most positive net profit and returns. Making decisions should be principally governed by benefit analysis. The budgeting process is also governed by the future consequences and impact to the business   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Every financial source has an implication to the business. Financial statements help provide such implications and can be used in selecting a suitable budget. A company may decide to sell its shares after analyzing its effectiveness in raising capital for a new business venture (Pamela P. Peterson, 2004). The process of deciding on a proper capital investment for the expansion of Coca-Cola Company involves calculating the cost of investment, protection of cash flow from the investment, consideration of the inflation rates and the time value of the expansion. For example, if the investment will cost $ 10 million and generates $ 4 million annually, the investment is feasible because it provides a pay back within 2.5 years. A budget can therefore be prepared from this basis.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   An example of a suitable budget proposed for The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) for the Fiscal year 2012 is as follows (SEPTA, 2011) . FISCAL YEAR 2012 CAPITAL BUDGET Project FY 2012 Funding Requirement Bus Purchase Program $59,209,593 Capital Asset Lease Program 28,720,862 Congestion Relief 2,233,000 Debt Service 52,654,545 Infrastructure Safety Renewal Program 34,400,000 Paratransit Vehicle Acquisition 5,000,000 Regional Rail Signal System Modernization 35,800,000 Safety and Security Improvements 5,000,000 State of Good Repair Initiatives 15,200,000 Station Accessibility 4,800,000 Station and Parking Improvements Program 10,400,000 System Improvements Program 5,000,000 Vehicle Overhaul Program 53,100,000 TOTAL FY 2012 Capital Budge$311,518,000   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Marketing decisions are dependent on capital budgeting. The decisions to be made on long term investments are dependent on the income that will be generated from the project. It is important to know the duration that the project will take to mature. That is, the time it will take to generate income equivalent to the amount invested in the business. Modern finance theories equate the value of the assets to the discounted future income generation. The net profit value rule is therefore used by companies that contemplate venturing unto capital project if they adopt this theory. Assessing project viability   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The financial viability of a project is assessed using the investment appraisal techniques. This involves the use of tools such as Return on Investment (ROI), Debts Service Coverage Ratio (DSCR), Break Even Point (BEP) and Debt Equity Ratio (DER).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Return on Investment, the collections of the company are used to create assets and in the running of the business. The business must generate surplus on the collected capital for it to be considered viable. Borrowed and own capital is considered the cost of the project while the profits are the surplus generated. ROI should be greater than the cost of the investment for the business to be considered viable.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Debt Service Coverage Ratio (DSCR) measures the ability of the project to meet its repayment obligations on loans acquired financial institutions (Pamela P. Peterson, 2004). It is calculated as follows. DSCR= Net profit + Interest on long term loans + Depreciation Interest on long term loan + Principal loan   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The cumulative DSCR during the repayment period should be at least 2:1 for the project to be considered viable. Break Even Point (BEP) measures the level of total contribution to the total fixed assets. Contribution is usually the excess of sales over the variable cost. That is; Contribution = Sales – Variable Costs. PEP is the point where both fixed and variable costs are recovered from the resources. It is calculated using the formula; Total fixed costÃâ€" selling price per unit Contribution per unit cost   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It indicates the risks involved in the business. If the PEP is achieved at a lower level of capacity utilization, it is considered safer. In this case, the investment is viable.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Debt Equity Ratio measures the level at which the investment project is leveraged to acquire loans from financial institutions. It is calculated by the formula; Total long term debts Total funds in the investment   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The factors to be considered when assessing the viability of a project are the nature of the goods and services to be offered. Their level of complexity should be determined and the risks involved as well. The value of the procurement is another factor of concern. It involves the determination of the amount of capital that the procurement can cost. The financial viability assessment matrix group risks speculated into several levels. The low risk level contains low levels of complexity, low value and short term supplies. The moderate risk level contains moderate value, sensitivity and medium term supply. The high risk level contains high strategic importance to agency, high complexity levels and sensitivity. When assessing the risks, the likelihood of a financial feasibility should not be ruled out while making budgeting decisions. References Fardon, C. D. (2003). Management of Finance. New york: Osborne Books. Ittelson, T. R. (2009). Financial Statements: A Step-by-Step Guide to Understanding and Creating Financial Reports. New York: Career Press, Incorporated. Les Dlabay, J. B. (2007). Business Finance. Stamford: Cengage Learning. M. P. Narayanan, V. K. (2004). Finance for Strategic Decision-Making: What Non-Financial Managers Need to Know. New Jersy: John Wiley & Sons. Pamela P. Peterson, F. J. (2004). Capital Budgeting: Theory and Practice. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. Pamela Peterson Drake, F. J. (2012). Analysis of Financial Statements. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. R, D. J. (2003). Accounting for Non-Accounting Learners. New York: Pitman. SEPTA. (2011, Aril). The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. Retrieved April 2014, from Finance: http://www.septa.org/reports/pdf/budget-proposal-cb12.pdf The Coca-Cola Company. (2013, December). The Coca-Cola Journey. Retrieved April 2014, from Annual Financial Report: http://www.coca-colacompany.com/our-company/company-reports Source document

Success Of National Skin Centre Health And Social Care Essay

This study provides an overview of the ways a third health care establishment works towards success to go the top tegument Centre in this part. National Skin Centre is the mark establishment. I will analyse and portion in inside informations on the ways NSC work towards success and be a prima tegument Centre in this part. This includes the assorted new and improved services and comfortss NSC had introduced over the old ages, and the different medical instructions NSC promotes to farther heighten its prima border. Besides, SWOT analysis will be included to analyse how successful NSC is, with recommendations on what NSC can better on. The information gathered and included in this study are collected from NSC web site, NSC recent corporate reappraisals and other utile web sites. Introduction 1.10 About the study 1.11 Objective The aim of this study is to supply an overview of the ways National Skin Centre win in developing itself into the top tegument Centre in this part, and how NSC maintains its fight. 1.20 About National Skin Centre 1.11 Background NSC is a authorities reorganized establishment and a subordinate of National Healthcare Group ( NHG ) . NSC was established on 1 November 1988 after taking over the intervention of tegument diseases from Middle Road Hospital and is presently located in Mandalay Road. Before the edifice of NSC, the intervention of tegument diseases was a chief undertaking of Middle Road Hospital for several decennaries. Over the old ages, it had observed increasing patient burden which caused significant emphasis on the bing infirmary installations. Therefore, in order to function the patients better, the authorities decided to halt runing the infirmary for good and switch its activities and resources devoted to dermatology to a new Centre which is the current NSC. NSC operates as an outpatient specializer dermatological Centre with a squad of advisers who are experienced in handling complex tegument conditions in their clinics. As a third health care establishment, NSC non merely provides specialised dermatological services, it is besides responsible in developing medical undergraduates and graduate students and undertakes dermatological research. General clinics in NSC are divided into private and subsidised clinics, with both of them supplying same professional services. However, the differences between both of them are that, in private clinics, patients are greeted with better atmospheres and are given the luxury of personalising their interventions. Patients in the subsidised clinics, without the privileges stated above, pay lower cost due to the interventions they receive being partly funded by authorities through one-year grants. In entire, NSC handles about 1000 patients day-to-day. Besides dermatology, NSC has an external clinic, Department of STI Control ( DSC ) which concentrates in dermato-venerology due to increasing STI incidence. The lone public specializer STI clinic in Singapore is DSC which offers assorted services at subsidised charges. DSC besides offers medical preparation to undergraduates and postgraduates physicians. 1.12 Mission and Vision Their mission is to be the national and regional Centre of excellence for the diagnosing and intervention of tegument diseases. They are committed to supply cost-efficient and specialised attention of medical tegument conditions in a scene of clinically relevant research, quality instruction and patient safety. Their vision is ‘Adding old ages of healthy life to the people of Singapore ‘ . 1.13 Goals National Skin Centre aims to concentrate people who are specialized and interested in the field of dermatology into one establishment, supplying sub-specialization and be the taking Centre for research, interventions and geting accomplishments on different facets of tegument diseases. NSC besides aims to win in supplying good services for both their patients and staffs. For their patients, NSC will make its best to react and run into the lifting outlooks and demands of persons by supplying the highest quality of medical intervention in a cheaper manner. For their staffs, NSC will make its best to let them to work in a more hearty environment with assurance and dignity, and travel on to better themselves depending on their capableness. Body 2.10 Services and Comfortss Although NSC has established itself as the top tegument Centre in this part, it invariably introduces new and improved services and comfortss to heighten its quality services in a positive manner. One of the major factors that marked the success of NSC is that it is the first health care establishment in Singapore to travel paperless in 2004, by implementing the Electronic Medical Records ( EMR ) system. This system allows patient minutess to be done electronically, get downing with on-line patient assignment, self-registration booths, electronic medical recordings, physician order entries for interventions, research lab trials and prescriptions, charge and pharmaceutics operations. Due to the increasing patient burden in recent old ages, NSC faced jobs impacting the overall service degrees. So as a consequence, NSC hopes to better the service criterions to their patients and with EMR, and therefore, jobs were minimized. Besides being environmental friendly, it ensures decrease in waiting clip, information fluxing seamlessly across the full Centre, and decrease of medicine mistakes due to intelligent cheques for prescriptions. Overall, this shows NSC attempts in minimising job s faced and increasing overall service degree. In 2006, NSC brought in a few new services and introduced a new clinic. One of the services introduced was Fractional Photothermolysis, a optical maser service that helps better certain skin conditions while another service was the Photodynamic Therapy which is an alternate intervention for patients who are non suited to travel for surgery that involves the application of a photosensitiser and an energizing visible radiation for handling certain tegument diseases. NSC was the first in the part to present the Total Body Photography service, an advanced engineering designed for observing early phases of tegument malignant neoplastic diseases. NSC besides introduced extensions of clinical and intervention Sessionss such as Saturday forenoon clinics for non-subsidized patients every two months, and Tuesday and Thursday eventide for intervention Sessionss, due to increasing petitions from working patients and NSC ‘s attempts to cut down waiting clip. There is another successful serv ice provided by NSC, which is the joint telemedicine undertaking with IMH. This undertaking works by holding unrecorded audio-visual connexion which allows physicians to follow-up with IMH patients, therefore cutting down costs and clip while retaining high clinical criterions. In add-on, a new agreeableness, Mandalay Clinic Laser Suites which is the largest aesthetic dermatology clinic in the part, was opened to supply wide-range of dermatological attention for patients with the latest and widest scope of dermatology optical masers and other equipments. In the undermentioned twelvemonth, a figure of new services were added and upgrading of a clinic was done. The waiting country of Clinic B was upgraded to better work flow, comfort and privateness for patients, with an excess audience room to get by with the increasing patient figure. Besides betterment work, Mandalay Clinic brought in a new service called MiXto SX Fractional CO2 Laser which is the latest attack to laser skin resurfacing. This new optical maser allows faster mending procedure and enables patients to recover normal activities sooner. Besides, NSC is the first in South East Asia to present Non-cultured Cellular Grafting, a transplant process for vitiligo patients and is an advantage for those who failed other interventions, and is much safer, cheaper and lesser labours as compared to other organ transplant methods. Subsequently in the twelvemonth, NSC started a Thursday Skin Cancer Clinic to concentrate, early diagnose and dainty patients with skin malignant neoplastic diseases. The attention for skin malignant neoplastic disease patients was further enhanced by presenting Mohs Micrographic Surgery which is another service that NSC came in first to supply for patients in Singapore. This surgical service ensures best remedy rates and lowest opportunity of reoccurrence. NSC strives to supply better services and concentrate on their patients ‘ safety. As in mid 2008, clinic A had redevelopments to minimise falling hazard with non-slip floor coating, acquiring rid of sharps hurt with libertine and drum sander fixtures, and bettering exigency response system in the process and intervention suites. Due to an spread outing patient figure, there were an increased in figure of installations in clinic Angstrom to let better work flow and comfort. A new Cutera Xeo Platform Laser brought in by Mandalay Clinic, is an improved version of the old CoolGlide Laser and it has more than one uses for intervention of certain tegument diseases. Besides, to supply convenience for their visitants and staffs, NSC begins shuttle coach service to and from NSC and Novena MRT station, at regular intervals of 20minutes from 0730 to 1730 every weekday. On top of new services introduced, NSC besides opened a new Eczema Clinic to offer thorough quality attention for patient s enduring from different signifiers of eczema as eczema or dermatitis is the most common tegument disease that NSC handles. An Acne Clinic was incorporated by NSC in 2009 to offer quality attention for moderate-to-severe acne vulgaris patients due to it being the 2nd top tegument disease NSC handles. New services such as VTRAC Excimer Lamp, Cutera XEO Laser, and Wireless @ NSC were introduced. The VTRAC Excimer Lamp is used for handling psoriasis and vitiligo patients, and it completes the current assortment of phototherapy devices in NSC. Cutera XEO Laser adds on to the optical masers in Mandalay Clinic and it treats different vascular conditions including leg venas. Establishing Wireless @ NSC allows visitants to surf the net when they are in NSC. Last, DSC came up with assignment booking system to get by with the increasing patient burden and to cut down waiting clip. 2.20 Medical Education and Trainings Not merely did NSC seek to supply quality services, it besides seek to advance dermatology in this part, and heighten their staffs ‘ competence and NSC ‘s prima border. In guaranting that NSC would go on to heighten quality attention to patients, some staffs had the opportunity to travel abroad well-known dermatological Centres for developing advancement under the support of NHG HMDP ( Health Manpower and Development Programme ) . Experiences and cognition were gained from this fond regard which allows betterment in staffs ‘ soft accomplishments. Besides sending staffs overseas, there will be few sing experts from abroad coming to NSC each twelvemonth to portion their expertness with NSC ‘s medical staffs through treatments and learning Sessionss. These Sessionss allow staffs to derive cognition and therefore, assistance in hiking quality patient attention and the taking border of NSC in dermatology. As an Institution of Dermatology, Singapore ( IODS ) , NSC had been actively forming educational programmes which are known as one of the taking programmes in this part in advancing promotion of dermatology. Since the constitution of NSC, it is responsible in supplying dermatological instruction for undergraduates of National University of Singapore and abroad undergraduates. An Advanced Specialist Training Programme was offered to convey out the following coevals of skin doctors, holding advisers oversing on registrars and registrars are involved in academic activities. Upon go throughing, registrars can go associate advisers. Besides, NSC organized learning programmes in dermatology to upgrade professional criterions with different clinical processs and disease direction. For those abroad skin doctors who hoped to better their accomplishments in certain subspecialties, they will go to specialised fond regards about these subspecialties. Another programme NSC had been actively formi ng is the Continual Medical Education which includes wireless negotiations, seminars and forums to maintain up the professional competence of physicians. Not merely did NSC form seminars for physicians, druggists, nurses, research lab technicians, it besides organized public instruction to let the populace to hold better apprehension of different tegument diseases and therapies through NSC web site, public forums and books. 2.30 Internal Environment of NSC 2.31 Strengths Bing the first health care establishment in Singapore to travel paperless with EMR system, it shows the success of NSC towards accomplishing excellence in services. This system benefits NSC by increasing patient safety, reduces jobs faced and better overall service degree. Over the old ages, NSC ne'er failed to implement new services and comfortss, and better bing 1s. By making so, it shows NSC ‘s attempts in continually supplying better and more comprehensive services to patients. Some services serve as an alternate method or improved version for handling certain tegument diseases which may be safer and better for patients while some services may be a method used for handling more than one type of tegument conditions which overall helps increase the opportunity of handling patients and heighten NSC ‘s quality services. Besides, some of the services NSC offers are non offered by other tegument clinics in Singapore. This ensures the success of NSC as it will pull patients with complex tegument conditions for better and broad scope of interventions. For comfortss, NSC did upgrading by adding audience suites to get by with increasing patient burden, and presenting new clinics like for case, Eczema clinic as eczema or dermatitis is the top tegu ment disease seen in NSC for the past few old ages so it shows the demand for NSC to supply thorough quality attention to those patients enduring from different signifiers of eczema. [ Figure 1: Dermatitis ranking the first tegument disease seen over the old ages ] In add-on, continually enahncing overall services to patients will assist increase satisfaction and recommendation degree of patients towards NSC. From Figure 2 and 3 below, it shows patient satisfaction degree is every bit high as 86 % and 90 % of patients would urge NSC to others. [ Figure 2: Overall patient satisfaction degree ( % ) in 2009 ] [ Figure 3: Overall patient recommendation degree ( % ) in 2009 ] With continous attempt to enahnce quality betterment, NSC was awarded with assorted accreditations in recent old ages. One of the accreditations is ISO 15189:2003 accreditation of research lab, recognized internationally, and it reflects NSC research lab competency and highest quality criterions in transporting out medical proving for all applied trials. Next is the full accreditation which reflects NSC committedness to transport out highest criterions for all research and to supply complete protections to research workers. Last, Joint Commission International accreditation in ambulatory attention was achieved by NSC, the first state in South East Asia to have such award. It proves NSC had met those criterions designed to better patient safety and clincial quality. As a healthcare establishment, it is really of import for NSC to engage medical staffs who are qualified, trained and run into the minimal instruction requriements for the occupation so as to present quality attention to patients. NSC ever sees the safety of patients as greatest importance. All new staffs will have on-the-job preparation and must run into the criterion occupation demands to be certified before NSC confirms engaging them. These guarantee merely extremely qualified, experient staffs are being hired to heighten patient safety, quality attention and NSC ‘s repute. NSC is really active in forming instruction and research events in dermatology and venerology. The puting up of IODS strengthen NSC ‘s instruction and research activities, and their instruction programme is identified as one of the taking dermatology preparation Centre. NSC has been running several programmes such as Undergraduates Medical Education, Advance Specialist Training Programme, Upgrading Professional Standards and Continual Medical Education which help to promote promotion of dermatology in this part. IODS AIDSs in accomplishing NSC ‘s mission to be national and regional instruction Centre, and besides in advancing research in Singapore. 2.32 Failings The outpatient Centre operates merely on weekdays and during office hours which may be inconvenient for some pupils and those working. Although NSC introduced Saturday private clinic, but some on the job patients may still confront long waiting period for assignment because Saturday clinical session operates merely one time every two months and many working people will be line uping to book assignment for this session. However, for case, other tegument clinics such as Raffles Skin Centre, provides clinical session every Saturday forenoon, and Changi General Hospital dermatology clinic provides every Wednesday and Friday eventide Sessionss. Besides, certain subspecialty clinics in NSC operate merely one time a hebdomad which may be deficient and may take to long waiting period for assignments. For case, both acne and eczema clinics operate one time a hebdomad but both acne and eczema ( or dermatitis ) are the top two most seen tegument diseases at NSC. These patients, normally with moderate-to-severe acne or eczema would desire to follow-up interventions every bit shortly as possible but non being able to make so. This will once more ensue in long waiting period for many patients and defeat will necessarily happen. [ Figure 4: Top two tegument diseases seen at NSC over the old ages ] A SMS service to inform patients about how many patients are line uping before them and the estimated waiting clip is non provided in NSC. This service for patients upon enrollment is to inform them about the figure of patients before them so as to let patients to cognize about how long they have to wait and they can go to to other affairs alternatively of sitting there waiting aimlessly. For case, another healthcare establishment provides such service which allow their patients to be informed. 2.40 External Environment of NSC 2.41 Opportunities In Singapore, the chief dermatology specializer Centre is NSC. Although there are other dermatology clinics or sections out at that place, but it is unjust to compare a Centre with a clinic or section straight. This is due to the fact that a Centre is a large establishment with board of managers, direction squad, squad of staffs and several sections while a clinic or section merely has a little squad of staffs. So with NSC being the chief Centre that manages all types of tegument conditions and holding good repute in Singapore, it allows NSC to stay competitory and successful. NSC had many on-going and new research undertakings each twelvemonth, and these undertakings were supported by external research support and holding industry-sponsored undertakings. To go on spread outing its research web, NSC had coactions with external local and/or international companies. With the support and coactions, NSC will be able to rise its research capablenesss. Every twelvemonth at that place will be a few medical staffs being sent to abroad well-known dermatological Centres for advanced preparation and besides few sing abroad experts coming to NSC to portion their expertness and experience with staffs. Through these, medical staffs will be better equipped with cognition, experience and hands-on work which will further increase NSC ‘s taking border in dermatology. Therefore, it allows NSC to heighten criterions of quality service and attention to their patients which contributes to high satisfaction and recommendation degrees shown in Figure 2 and 3. Besides, with increasing quality service and attention, it consequences in an increase of patient burden over the old ages. [ Figure 5: Increasing patient attending over the old ages ] 2.42 Menaces Epidemics such as H1N1 and MRSA had pose menace to NSC operations. During these epidemics, NSC had to put costs on systems to guarantee patients and staffs safety, and had to take steps to guarantee NSC is safe. NSC will confront low staffs available as staffs may fall sick and quarantine which affects NSC work flow. Other than staffs falling ill, NSC will besides confront decreased in patient burden as some patients were ill, do non desire to maintain stepping out of house, or think that health care installations are non safe which consequences in appointment cancellation. Another possible menace would be the high outlooks from public and patients. To get by with the imperfect and of all time altering populating environment, outlooks and demands towards health care will therefore increase. Servicess provided by NSC are rated by patients and there are a few patients who may be unsated and may non urge NSC to others as it is non easy to run into every person needs with raising outlooks such as some patients expect high criterion of medical service at a low cost. Besides, although NSC has established itself as the chief tegument Centre with good repute, the populace may non merely take to travel NSC as some may transport the mentality of other private tegument clinics would offer better client services or would hold more experient physicians than public clinics. Recommendations Though NSC has set up itself as the top tegument Centre in this part, it should continually better the services to keep its fight. For the past few old ages, attempts of NSC seeking to cut down waiting clip for audience was observed but another job NSC patients faced was the long waiting period for assignment. I recommend that NSC increase the frequence of Saturday forenoon clinic and introduce weekdays flushing clinics. Besides, figure of operating yearss for those subspecialty clinics that are specialized in the top few tegument diseases should increase. Following, I would urge NSC to implement SMS services to their patients upon enrollment to inform them about the figure of patients before them and/or SMS services to inform those patients who are interested to be informed when their audience bend nears. This will heighten NSC service provided and maintain NSC remain competitory. Since services were rated by patients, a manner to cut down unsated patients is to invariably take the enterprise to roll up feedbacks from patients alternatively of patients lending voluntarily. By making so, I think NSC will be able to obtain more feedbacks and work on betterment if capable. NSC can besides seek to increase public consciousness of its betterments and freshly implemented services each twelvemonth, particularly those services that NSC is the first to offer in Singapore. This will let more people to be cognizant of NSC services, betterments, and cognize more about NSC. Decision In decision, NSC has established itself as the top chief tegument Centre in this part. With no similar tegument Centre in Singapore, it makes NSC the chief dermatological Centre and together with good repute among Singaporeans, it allows them to stay successful throughout the old ages. Despite being the taking tegument Centre, NSC still continues to work towards its end to accomplish excellence in all services by implementing and upgrading services and comfortss to supply quality service to their patients, and on the other manus, to keep its fight. Furthermore, NSC besides seeks to supply better quality attention to their patients by holding their staffs to better their soft accomplishments and cognition, and by affecting in advancing dermatology and conducting researches. Therefore, attempts of NSC working towards their end and success were seen. To stay successful and competitory, NSC can take advantage of their strengths and chances, and seek ways to better on their failings and support their menaces. I believe NSC will go on endeavoring to maintain itself successful, and maintain as the taking and top tegument Centre in this part in old ages to come.